John Shimkus

John Shimkus
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 15th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Tim Johnson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 19th district
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by David D. Phelps
Succeeded by district eliminated
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 20th district
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by Richard J. Durbin
Succeeded by district eliminated
Personal details
Born John Mondy Shimkus
(1958-02-21) February 21, 1958
Collinsville, Illinois
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Karen Shimkus
Residence Collinsville, Illinois
Alma mater US Military Academy, Concordia University Irvine, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Occupation High school teacher
Religion Lutheran - LCMS
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
United States Army Reserve
Years of service Active 1980–1986
Reserves 1986–2008
Rank Lieutenant Colonel

John Mondy Shimkus (born February 21, 1958) is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 15th congressional district, since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education and career

Shimkus is a lifelong resident of Collinsville, a suburb of St. Louis. He is the son of Kathleen N. (née Mondy) and Gene L. Shimkus. His paternal grandfather was of Lithuanian descent.[1] While in the Army, he earned the Expert Infantry Badge, Ranger tab, and Parachutist Badge as well as served overseas with the 54th Infantry Regiment in West Germany.[2]

He first ran for office in 1989, when he was elected a Collinsville Township trustee. A year later, he was elected as Madison County treasurer—the first Republican elected to a countywide post in 10 years. In 1994, he became the first Republican to be reelected as county treasurer in 60 years.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Political positions

Food safety

Shimkus has been a proponent of legislation to increase the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to institute recalls of tainted foods. He has served as one of the chief Republican negotiators on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Of the bill, he said: "When you're talking about the health and safety of folks, if the FDA has enough evidence to make a declaration of recall, I think that most Americans would support the government having that authority."[4]

Climate change

Shimkus rejects the human-induced theory of climate change and opposes emissions trading legislation. Shimkus has quoted the Bible to allay concerns of global warming induced rise in sea levels, stating that God had promised mankind through Noah that the earth would never again be destroyed by a flood.[5] He acknowledged that climate change is real, but questioned the benefit of spending taxpayer money on something that cannot be changed versus the changes that have been occurring forever. Specifically, Shimkus said, "“Now, do I believe in climate change? In my trip to Greenland, the answer is yes. The climate is changing. The question is more about the costs and benefits and trying to spend taxpayer dollars on something that you cannot stop versus the changes that have been occurring forever. That's the real debate."[6]

Keystone pipeline

Main article: Keystone pipeline

In May 2013, Shimkus stated he would renew his support for the Keystone pipeline. The project would be an oil pipeline, bringing Canadian crude oil through the Midwest, including Illinois. As a supporter, he stated that he would rather see Canada as an energy partner than ship in oil from overseas.[7]

Political campaigns

In 1992, while still serving as Madison County treasurer, he won the Republican nomination in what was then the 20th District. He was defeated by 10-year Democratic incumbent Dick Durbin.

Four years later, Durbin gave up the seat to make what would be a successful run for the United States Senate. Shimkus won a crowded six-way primary, and faced State Representative Jay C. Hoffman in a close general election, which Shimkus won by just over 1,200 votes.

He has only faced one credible opponent since his initial reelection, in 2002. That year, Illinois lost a district as a result of the 2000 census, and his district was merged with the 19th District of two-term Democratic representative David D. Phelps. The new district retained Phelps' district number, but geographically and demographically was more Shimkus' district, as he retained 60 percent of his former territory. The campaign was very bitter, with both men accusing the other's staffers of stalking their families.[8] Despite a Democratic wave that swept through most of the state, he was easily reelected.

He announced in September 2005, that he would run for reelection in 2008, despite making a pledge[9] when first elected in 1996 not to stay in office for more than 12 years.

Electoral history

The 20th district was disbanded after the 2000 census, which is why Shimkus faced David D. Phelps, incumbent of the 19th district, in the 2002 election. The 19th district was disbanded after the 2010 census, so Shimkus ran in the redistricted 15th district. The district includes much of the southern portion of the state, including a portion of the Metro-East, which is the Illinois side of the St. Louis area.

Illinois's 20th congressional district: Results 1992, 1996–2000[10]
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
1992 Richard J. Durbin 154,869 57% John Shimkus 119,219 43%
1996 Jay C. Hoffman 119,688 50% John Shimkus 120,926 50% *
1998 Rick Verticchio 76,475 38% John Shimkus 121,103 61%
2000 Jeffrey S. Cooper 94,382 37% John Shimkus 161,393 63%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, write-ins received 4 votes.
Illinois's 19th congressional district: Results 2002–2010[10]
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
2002 David D. Phelps 110,517 45% John Shimkus 133,956 55%
2004 Tim Bagwell 94,303 31% John Shimkus 213,451 69%
2006 Danny L. Stover 92,861 39% John Shimkus 143,491 61%
2008 Daniel Davis 104,908 33% John Shimkus 202,373 64% Troy Dennis Green 6,654 2%
2010 Tim Bagwell 67,132 29% John Shimkus 166,166 71%
Illinois's 15th congressional district: Results 2012-2014[11][12]
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2012 Angela Michael 94,162 31% John Shimkus 205,775 69%
2014 Eric Thorsland 55,652 25% John Shimkus 166,274 75%

Personal life

Shimkus has been married to the former Karen Muth since 1987. They have three children: David, Joshua, and Daniel. They are members of Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Collinsville.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "shimkus". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  2. ↑ "Once a Soldier... Always a Soldier" (PDF). Legislative Agenda. Association of the United States Army. 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Biography". house.gov. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Lambrecht, Bill (2010-08-13). "Durbin-led food safety agreement winning bipartisan support". STLToday.com. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  5. ↑ "John Shimkus cites Genesis on climate change - Darren Samuelsohn". Politico.com. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  6. ↑ "'The planet won't be destroyed by global warming because God promised Noah,' says politician bidding to chair U.S. energy committee". Daily Mail (London). November 10, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Illinois Reps. Shimkus and Davis Renew Push For Keystone Pipeline". St. Louis-CBS Local. May 31, 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Archived January 30, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Archived September 29, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  11. ↑ "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Illinois General Election 2014". Illinois State Board of Elections. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  13. ↑ "About John". Shimkus.house.gov. Retrieved 2015-03-15.

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Richard J. Durbin		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 20th congressional district
1997–2003 		District eliminated
Preceded by
David D. Phelps		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 19th congressional district
2003–present 		Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Brad Sherman
D-California		 United States Representatives by seniority
82nd 		Succeeded by
Adam Smith
D-Washington
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