Pat Choate (; born April 27, 1941) is an American economist. He was the 1996 Reform Party candidate for Vice President of the United States, the running-mate of Ross Perot. They had previously co-authored the book Save Your Job, Save Our Country (1993), which argued against the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Following the 1996 election, the Federal Election Commission certified the Reform Party as a national political party and eligible for federal campaign matching funds, a historic first for a third national political party.

Early life and education

Choate was born in Maypearl, Texas, the son of Betty Lee (Simpson) and Frank William Choate farmers in Ellis County, Texas.

He attended public schools in Red Oak, Texas. Choate earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Arlington, followed by a Master of Arts and a PhD in Economics from the University of Oklahoma.

He was commissioned into the United States Army in 1963 and transferred to the Retired Reserves in 1967.

In 1994, the University of Oklahoma named him the Arthur Barto Adams Alumni Fellow in recognition of his continuing scholarship.

Career

State Economic Development

Choate became Director of Research and Planning for the newly established Oklahoma Department of Industrial Development and Parks in 1965. He served as an economic advisor to Oklahoma Governors Henry Bellmon and Dewey Bartlett, representing them on the Ozarks Regional Commission. His doctoral dissertation, An Economic Development Program for Oklahoma, was adopted as the state’s long-term economic development plan.

Choate has served on several Presidential and Congressional commissions on education, infrastructure and national security. He has been a frequent witness before the U.S. Congress for over four decades. His testimony typically focuses on infrastructure, U.S. economic competitiveness, the U.S. manufacturing base, intellectual property rights, and the influence of foreign lobbying.

Corporate Policy

In 1981, Choate joined TRW, Inc., a Cleveland-based international conglomerate, as one of two senior policy analysts in the Office of the CEO.

In 1990, Choate founded the Manufacturing Policy Project, a private nonprofit institute focused on U.S. manufacturing. He co-founded the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute (CELI) and served as chair or vice-chair from 1987 to 2012, supporting the Congressional Economic Competitiveness Caucus.

  • Bill Clinton/Al Gore (Democratic) (Inc.) – 47,402,357 (49.2%) and 379 electoral votes (31 states and D.C. carried)
  • Bob Dole/Jack Kemp (Republican) - 39,198,755 (40.7%) and 159 electoral votes (19 states carried)
  • Ross Perot/Pat Choate (Reform) - 8,085,402 (8.4%) and 0 electoral votes

Personal life

Choate is married to Glenda Kay Casey. He resides in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife.

  • Thinking Strategically (Co-authored with Susan Walters, National Governors’ Association, 1983)
  • Being Number One: Rebuilding the U.S. Economy (co-authored with Gail Garfield Swartz, Lexington Books, 1981)
  • Save Your Job, Save Our Country: Why NAFTA Must Be Stopped Now (co-authored with Ross Perot, Hyperion Press, 1993)
  • Hot Property: The Stealing of Ideas in an Age of Globalization (Alfred A. Knopf Inc, 2005)
  • Dangerous Business: The Risks of Globalization to America (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. August 2008)
  • Saving Capitalism: Keeping America Strong (Alfred A. Knopf Inc. 2009)

Select Reports, Working Papers, and Congressional Testimony

  • As Time Goes By: The Costs and Consequences of Delay (The Academy for Contemporary Problems, 1980)
  • Revitalizing the U.S. Economy: A Brief for National Sectoral Policies (The Academy for Contemporary Problems, 1980)
  • Retooling The American Work Force: Toward a National Training Strategy (The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, 1982)
  • America's Competitive Challenge (The Business-Higher Education Forum, 1983)
  • "Rebuilding America, A Special Report from The Rebuild America Foundation" (Co-authored with Paul Krugman, Lester Thurow, and Robert Reich), 1988.
  • "Tailored Trade: Dealing with the World as it is," by Pat Choate and Juyne Linger, The Harvard Business Review, January–February 1988.
  • "Political Advantage: Japan's Campaign for America," by Pat Choate, Harvard Business Review, September–October 1990.
  • Report by the Defense Science Board Task Force on Foreign Ownership and Control of U.S. Industry (The United States Department of Defense, 1990)
  • The “Democratic Deficit” in U.S. Trade Policy: Future Visions for U.S. Trade Policy (Bruce Stokes, Project Director, The Council of Foreign Relations, 1998)
  • Democratizing U.S. Trade Policy (co-authored with Bruce Stokes, The Council of Foreign Relations, 2001)
  • Working Paper: The U.S.-China Advanced Technology Trade (co-authored with Edward Miller, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2005)
  • Working Paper: A Great Wall of Patents: China and American Investors (U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2005)
  • Congressional Testimony: Hearing on Domestic Manufacturing for a Clean Energy Future, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, March 11, 2021
  • Congressional Testimony: Hearing of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, October 15, 2021.

References

  • CNN's All Politics Profile of Dr. Choate