John Shimkus
Encyclopedia
John Mondy Shimkus is the U.S. Representative
for (numbered as the 20th from 1997 to 2003), serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
The district includes much of the southern portion of the state, taking in part of Springfield
and a portion of the Metro-East
area (the Illinois side of the St. Louis area).
, a suburb of St. Louis. Shimkus earned his bachelor's degree at the United States Military Academy
. After serving his five-year Army
commitment, he entered the reserves, retiring in 2008 as a lieutenant colonel
.
Shimkus earned a teaching certificate from Christ College Irvine (now Concordia University Irvine) and began teaching at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville
. He earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
in 1987.
Shimkus first ran for office in 1989, when he was elected a Collinsville Township
trustee. A year later, he was elected as Madison County
treasurer, becoming the first Republican county officeholder in 10 years. He was reelected in 1994, becoming the first Republican reelected countywide in Madison County in 50 years.
legislation. On March 25, 2009, in introductory remarks made to Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
, during a United States House Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing, Shimkus made the following statement regarding the role of carbon dioxide
in global warming
:
Shimkus then quoted the Bible in attempting 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. 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.
Shimkus later described Foley as a "slimeball," and regretted not pressing further.
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 handily won a crowded six-way primary, and faced State Representative
Jay C. Hoffman
in the general election. Despite Durbin's presence atop the ballot, the election was one of the closest in the nation, with Shimkus prevailing by only 1,200 votes out of 240,000 cast—a margin of 0.5 percent. However, Shimkus has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected six times.
Shimkus 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 Shimkus' district was merged with the 19th District of two-term Democrat David D. Phelps
. The new district retained Phelps' district number, but geographically and demographically was more Shimkus' district; Shimkus retained 60 percent of his former territory. The campaign was very bitter; both men accused the other's staffers of stalking their families. Despite a Democratic wave that swept through most of the state, Shimkus was convincingly reelected, with 55 percent of the vote.
Shimkus announced in September 2005 that he would run for reelection in 2008, despite making a pledge when first elected in 1996 not to stay in office for more than 12 years. "It was a mistake at the time", he said about his 1996 campaign promises. "Unless everyone plays by the same rules, term limits don't make sense."
FEC records show that the John S. Fund, the PAC for John Shimkus, contributed to former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
in 2005. The fund also made contributions to Peter Roskam
, a Republican candidate for the House from Illinois's 6th district, from 2005 to 2008 and to David McSweeney, a Republican candidate for the House from Illinois's 8th district, in 2006. Recently the funds treasurer, lobbyist Mark Valente, resigned. Shimkus earlier said he was considering removing Valente, but he didn't want to act too quickly because it might suggest there was something improper about their relationship.
, incumbent of the 19th district, in the 2002 election.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ : Results 1992, 1996–2000}}
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|1992
|
| |
| align="right" |154,869
| |57%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |119,219
| |43%
|
|-
|1996
|
| |
| align="right" |119,688
| |50%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |120,926
| |50%
| |*
|-
|1998
|
| |Rick Verticchio
| align="right" |76,475
| |39%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |121,103
| |61%
|
|-
|2000
|
| |Jeffrey S. Cooper
| align="right" |94,382
| |37%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |161,393
| |63%
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ : Results 2002–2008
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|2002
|
| |
| align="right" |110,517
| |45%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |133,956
| |55%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2004
|
| |Tim Bagwell
| align="right" |94,303
| |31%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |213,451
| |69%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2006
|
| |Danny L. Stover
| align="right" |92,861
| |39%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |143,491
| |61%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|
| |Daniel Davis
| align="right" |104,908
| |33%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |202,373
| |64%
|
| |Troy Dennis
| |Green
| align="right" |6,654
| align="right" |2%
|
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for (numbered as the 20th from 1997 to 2003), serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
The district includes much of the southern portion of the state, taking in part of Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and a portion of the Metro-East
Metro-East
Metro East is a region in Illinois that comprises the eastern suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It encompasses five Southern Illinois counties in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. The region's most populated city is Belleville at 45,000 residents...
area (the Illinois side of the St. Louis area).
Early life, education and career
Shimkus is a lifelong resident of CollinsvilleCollinsville, Illinois
Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 26,016. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area...
, a suburb of St. Louis. Shimkus earned his bachelor's degree at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. After serving his five-year Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
commitment, he entered the reserves, retiring in 2008 as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
Shimkus earned a teaching certificate from Christ College Irvine (now Concordia University Irvine) and began teaching at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville
Edwardsville, Illinois
Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...
. He earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
in 1987.
Shimkus first ran for office in 1989, when he was elected a Collinsville Township
Collinsville Township, Madison County, Illinois
Collinsville Township is located in Madison County, Illinois. The population was 32,954 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
trustee. A year later, he was elected as Madison County
Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...
treasurer, becoming the first Republican county officeholder in 10 years. He was reelected in 1994, becoming the first Republican reelected countywide in Madison County in 50 years.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and CommerceUnited States House Committee on Energy and CommerceThe Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
- Subcommittee on Environment and EconomyUnited States House Energy Subcommittee on Environment and EconomyThe Energy Subcommittee on Environment and Economy is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Prior to 2009, it was known as the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, and was part of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment from 2009 to 2011...
(Chairman) - Subcommittee on Health
- NATO Parliamentary AssemblyNATO Parliamentary AssemblyFounded in 1955, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Alliance. Its current President is Karl A...
Food safety
Shimkus has recently 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, Shimkus 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."Climate Change
Shimkus rejects the human-induced theory of climate change and opposes emissions tradingEmissions trading
Emissions trading is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants....
legislation. On March 25, 2009, in introductory remarks made to Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley is a British politician, public speaker, former newspaper editor and hereditary peer. Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Monckton has been the Head of the Policy Unit for the UK Independence Party since November 2010. He was...
, during a United States House Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing, Shimkus made the following statement regarding the role of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
in global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
:
"It's plant food ... So if we decrease the use of carbon dioxide, are we not taking away plant food from the atmosphere? ... So all our good intentions could be for naught. In fact, we could be doing just the opposite of what the people who want to save the world are saying."
Shimkus then quoted the Bible in attempting 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. 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.
2006 House page scandal
Shimkus said "that in late-2005 he learned--through information passed along by Alexander's office--about an e-mail exchange in which Foley asked about the youngster's well-being after Hurricane Katrina and requested a photograph."[37] Shimkus advised Foley not to contact the boy again, and Foley assured him he would not. Shimkus did not share the information with Reps. Kildee or Capito, the other members of the Page Board.Shimkus later described Foley as a "slimeball," and regretted not pressing further.
Political campaigns
In 1992, while still serving as Madison County treasurer, Shimkus won the Republican nomination in what was then the 20th District. He was soundly defeated by 10-year DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent Dick Durbin.
Four years later, Durbin gave up the seat to make what would be a successful run for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Shimkus handily won a crowded six-way primary, and faced State Representative
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
Jay C. Hoffman
Jay C. Hoffman
Jay C. Hoffman is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 112th District from 1991-2010. On November 2, 2010, Hoffman was denied his 11th term, losing in a rematch of the 2008 race to Edwardsville, IL businessman Dwight Kay.-Connection to...
in the general election. Despite Durbin's presence atop the ballot, the election was one of the closest in the nation, with Shimkus prevailing by only 1,200 votes out of 240,000 cast—a margin of 0.5 percent. However, Shimkus has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected six times.
Shimkus 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 Shimkus' district was merged with the 19th District of two-term Democrat David D. Phelps
David D. Phelps
David Dwain Phelps was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.Phelps was born in Eldorado, Illinois. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1969. Phelps was trained as an educator. After teaching for several years, he became a school administrator...
. The new district retained Phelps' district number, but geographically and demographically was more Shimkus' district; Shimkus retained 60 percent of his former territory. The campaign was very bitter; both men accused the other's staffers of stalking their families. Despite a Democratic wave that swept through most of the state, Shimkus was convincingly reelected, with 55 percent of the vote.
Shimkus announced in September 2005 that he would run for reelection in 2008, despite making a pledge when first elected in 1996 not to stay in office for more than 12 years. "It was a mistake at the time", he said about his 1996 campaign promises. "Unless everyone plays by the same rules, term limits don't make sense."
FEC records show that the John S. Fund, the PAC for John Shimkus, contributed to former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
in 2005. The fund also made contributions to Peter Roskam
Peter Roskam
Peter James Roskam is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chief Deputy Whip in the 112th Congress, ranking fourth among house Republican leaders; also served in the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives.-Early life,...
, a Republican candidate for the House from Illinois's 6th district, from 2005 to 2008 and to David McSweeney, a Republican candidate for the House from Illinois's 8th district, in 2006. Recently the funds treasurer, lobbyist Mark Valente, resigned. Shimkus earlier said he was considering removing Valente, but he didn't want to act too quickly because it might suggest there was something improper about their relationship.
Electoral history
The was disbanded after the 2000 census, which is why Shimkus faced David D. PhelpsDavid D. Phelps
David Dwain Phelps was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.Phelps was born in Eldorado, Illinois. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1969. Phelps was trained as an educator. After teaching for several years, he became a school administrator...
, incumbent of the 19th district, in the 2002 election.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ : Results 1992, 1996–2000}}
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|1992
|
| |
| align="right" |154,869
| |57%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |119,219
| |43%
|
|-
|1996
|
| |
| align="right" |119,688
| |50%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |120,926
| |50%
| |*
|-
|1998
|
| |Rick Verticchio
| align="right" |76,475
| |39%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |121,103
| |61%
|
|-
|2000
|
| |Jeffrey S. Cooper
| align="right" |94,382
| |37%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |161,393
| |63%
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ : Results 2002–2008
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|2002
|
| |
| align="right" |110,517
| |45%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |133,956
| |55%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2004
|
| |Tim Bagwell
| align="right" |94,303
| |31%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |213,451
| |69%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2006
|
| |Danny L. Stover
| align="right" |92,861
| |39%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |143,491
| |61%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|
| |Daniel Davis
| align="right" |104,908
| |33%
|
| |John Shimkus
| align="right" |202,373
| |64%
|
| |Troy Dennis
| |Green
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
| align="right" |6,654
| align="right" |2%
|
Personal life
Shimkus has been married to the former Karen Muth since 1987. They have three children. They are members of Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Collinsville.External links
- U.S. Congressman John Shimkus official U.S. House site
- Volunteers for Shimkus official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- Open Fuel Standard Act of 2011Open Fuel Standard Act of 2011Open Fuel Standard Act of 2011 is a bipartisan bill in the House of the United States Congress, currently in committee, that would require that a certain portion of light-passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. be alternative fueling vehicles capable of running on something other than just gasoline...