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David Harris
| David Harris | ||
 | ||
| Illinois House of Representatives District 53 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1983-1993, January 12, 2011-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 14, 2015 | ||
| Years in position (current service) | 2 | |
| Years in position (previous service) | 10 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $67,836/year | |
| Per diem | $111/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| High school | St. Viator | |
| Bachelor's | Georgetown University | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | Adjutant General, Illinois National Guard, Iraq | |
| Years of service | 1999 - 2003 | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Iraq reconstruction | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Harris previously served in the Illinois House from 1983 to 1993. He served 33 years in the U.S. Army and the Illinois National Guard, retiring at the rank of Major General in 2003. From 1999 to 2003, he served as Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, during which he oversaw deployments to Iraq during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. After retiring from the military, he served as Deputy Director and Chief of Staff in the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office of the U.S. State Department. After returning from Iraq, Harris worked as the military analyst for WGN-TV in Chicago.
He earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and also attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Harris served on the following committees:
| Illinois Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Appropriations-General Service | ||||
| • Mass Transit | ||||
| • Revenue & Finance | ||||
| • State Government Administration | ||||
| • Transportation: Vehicles & Safety | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Harris served on the following committees:
| Illinois Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Aging | ||||
| • Appropriations-General Service | ||||
| • Health Care Availability Access | ||||
| • Mass Transit | ||||
| • Revenue & Finance | ||||
| • State Government Administration | ||||
Issues
Campaign themes
2012
Harris's campaign website lists the following issues:[1]
- State Budget
- Excerpt: "It is time for these fiscal shenanigans to end. By any measureable standard of fiscal responsibility, Illinois is at or near the bottom among the 50 states. We share the dubious distinction with basket-case California of having the lowest bond rating of any state in the nation."
- State Debt
- Excerpt: "The State of Illinois has no rational plan on how to get out of its budget deficit and that brings into question how it plans to repay the mountain of debt we have incurred. The lack of a coherent plan is one of the key reasons why the rating agencies have rated Illinois bonds at the bottom of the barrel among the states."
- Term Limits
- Excerpt: "I believe firmly in term limits for all elected state officials. I also feel that the legislative leaders of the Illinois House and Illinois Senate should be subject to term limits on the length of time that they can serve as legislative leaders."
- Firearms
- Excerpt: "There are many issues surrounding the ownership of firearms. Those issues, however, do not diminish the basic constitutional rights specified in our Constitutions. I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms."
- Abortion
- Excerpt: "I am a pro-life candidate. I oppose abortion except in cases of reported rape, incest or when an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. Further, I support the Parental Notification law, which requires that a parent, grandparent or court-appointed guardian be notified when an abortion is to be performed on an unemancipated minor."
Presidential preference
2012
David Harris endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [2]
Elections
2012
Harris won re-election in the 2012 election for Illinois House of Representatives District 53. Harris was unopposed in the March 20 Republican primary and defeated Curt Renz (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4][5]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 53, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Harris Incumbent |
59.2% | 28,092 | |
| Democratic | Curt Renz | 40.8% | 19,346 | |
| Total Votes | 47,438 | |||
2010
Harris defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Walker in the state's November 2, 2010 general election.[6]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 66 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| David Harris (R)
|
16,147 | 53.99% | ||
| Mark Walker (D) | 13,763 | 46.01% | ||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
In 2010, Harris raised $468,226 in contributions. [7]
His four largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Illinois House Republican Organization | $186,754 |
| Citizens To Change Illinois | $46,948 |
| Citizens To Elect Tom Cross | $33,750 |
| Harris, David | $25,075 |
Personal
He and his wife, Michelle, have two children, one of which has followed his father's footsteps as a Captain in the U.S. Army.
Scorecards
Illinois Opportunity Project
The Illinois Opportunity Project, "an independent research and public policy enterprise that promotes legislative solutions in advance of free markets and free minds," annually releases its Legislative Vote Card, grading all members in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly on the basis of their support of "pro-growth economic policies that increase personal freedom and reign in expansive government."[8][9]
2012
Harris received a score of 75.00 out of 100 in 2012 for a grade of B- according to the IOP’s grading scale. His score was tied for the 12th highest among all 120 members of the Illinois House of Representatives included in the Vote Card.[9]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term David + Harris + Illinois + Legislature
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
David Harris News Feed
- Legislators look to cut Quinn's hiring plan - The Southern
- States cracking down on drunken boating - USA TODAY
- Gay Marriage Robocalls: Former Bears Player, Civil Rights Leader Call For ... - Huffington Post
- Madigan's power pushes pension bill - Herald & Review
- Proposed Illinois law would limit domestic drone use - Medill Reports: Chicago
- Pension reformers: Take a bow - Chicago Tribune
- The Toxic Tycoon - DC Bureau
- Camp, Baucus revive '86 Write Rosty campaign - Driving the day: Republicans ... - Politico (blog)
- Delaware votes for marriage equality; becomes 11th state to make it the law - Keen News Service
- GOP Hits Turbulence with FAA Claim - FactCheck.org
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- Illinois House of Representatives - David Harris
- Harris' campaign website
- Project Vote Smart biography
- Project Vote Smart legislative profile
- Campaign contributions: 2010
- Harris' facebook
References
- ↑ David Harris, "Issues," accessed October 24, 2012
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Additional Illinois Endorsements," March 15, 2012
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections "Candidate List," December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results"
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ Illinois Official 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ 2010 contributions
- ↑ Illinois Opportunity Project, "The Project," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Illinois Opportunity Project, Legislative Vote Card home page, accessed February 21, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sidney Mathias (R) |
Illinois House of Representatives District 53 2013 – Present |
Succeeded by NA |
| Preceded by Mark Walker (D) |
Illinois House of Representatives District 66 2011 – 2013 |
Succeeded by Michael W. Tryon (R) |
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