Judy Biggert

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Share this article:  E-mail this story Bookmark with Facebook Share on Google+ Share on twitter.com

Judy Biggert
Judy Biggert.jpg
U.S. House, Illinois, District 13
Former member
In office
January 3, 1999-January 3, 2013
PartyRepublican
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
Illinois House of Representatives, 81st District
1993-1999
Education
High schoolNew Trier High School (1955)
Bachelor'sStanford University (1959)
J.D.Northwestern University School of Law (1963)
Personal
BirthdayAugust 15, 1937
Place of birthChicago, Illinois
ProfessionAttorney
ReligionEpiscopalian
Websites
Office website
Campaign website
Judy Biggert campaign logo

Contents

Judy Biggert was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House representing the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. Biggert (born August 15, 1937) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Biggert serves the 13th Congressional district of Illinois. She was first elected in 2010.

Biggert ran for re-election in 2012. She was defeated in the general election.

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Biggert was a "rank-and-file Republican".[1]

Biography

BallotpediaAvatar bigger (transparent background).png
 		The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors

Biggert was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 15, 1937 and attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.[2] Biggert began her legal career as clerk to the Honorable Luther M. Swygert, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. [2]

  • Education[2]
    • New Trier High School (1955)
    • B.A. Stanford University (1959)
    • J.D. Northwestern University School of Law (1963)

Career

  • 1978-1985: Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education[2]
    • 1983-1985: President, Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education
  • 1989-1993: Chairman, Hinsdale Plan Commission[2]
  • 1993-1999: Illinois House of Representatives, 81st District[2]

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2011-2012

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Judy Biggert endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [3]

Campaign themes

2012

Biggerts' main campaign themes include: [4]

  • Economy and Jobs
Excerpt: "With millions unemployed and small businesses struggling, I strongly believe we must enact common-sense policies that encourage job creation and retention. I’ve also always believed that Americans are taxed too much, not too little. That’s why we must lower taxes and implement a fiscally-responsible budget to get our economy back on track."
  • Government Reform
Excerpt: "Americans have lost faith in their government, and I don’t blame them. Numerous elected officials, especially here in Illinois, have been indicted for corruption. And special federal appropriations, or earmarks, are being requested for the Alaskan ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ a Woodstock Hippie Museum, and many other irresponsible government spending projects."
  • Health Care Reform
Excerpt: "The job-killing taxes, cuts to Medicare for our seniors, and government intrusion into doctor-patient decisions will hurt all Americans. We need a targeted approach to address the problems of cost, quality, and access."

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Biggert voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. She was one of 85 Republicans that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]

Elections

2012

See also: Illinois' 11th congressional district elections, 2012

Biggert lost to Democrat Bill Foster in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Illinois' 11th District. John Cunningham was removed from the ballot after a long court battle. Diane Harris was also removed from the ballot but ran as a write-in. [6]

U.S. House, Illinois District 11 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgBill Foster 58.6% 148,928
     Republican Judy Biggert 41.4% 105,348
Total Votes 254,276
Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals"

Removal of challengers

On February 2, 2012, the State Board of Elections disqualified challengers John Cunningham and Diane Harris, removing them from the ballot. In order to qualify, candidates need to submit 600 valid signatures. Harris, a notary public, was unanimously removed for not having enough signatures, while Cunningham, was removed by a vote of 6-2.[7] Cunningham, who serves as Kane County clerk, submitted 1,265 signatures, but only 526 were ruled to be valid. A state hearing officer threw out hundreds of signatures from Cunningham because they were collected by a paid petitioner who listed a non-existent address as his home.[8] Cunningham previously attempted to remove Biggert from the ballot, but saw the challenge rejected 8-0.

Following the rulings, Harris is continuing to run, but as a write-in candidate.[9] Although Cunningham initially said, "I’m an elected official and if we did it wrong, we don’t belong on the ballot,”[10] it now looks like he is appealing. According to Ken Menzel, Deputy General Counsel for the Board of Elections, Cunningham filed for judicial review of the decision on February 7.[11] In his dissent, Board member Jesse Smart said the arguments in the case were confusing and should have seen a different outcome, stating, “If I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of the candidate."[7]On February 21, 2012, a hearing was held regarding Cunningham's appeal of his removal. Judge Susan Fox Gillis reversed the Illinois Board of Elections decision, placing Cunningham back on the ballot. "To me it was the kind of error that did not merit disenfranchising voters," Cunningham said.[12] Within days an appeal was filed with the Illinois First Appellate District in Cook County asking them to review the decision of the lower court. It was brought by two Aurora men who objected to Cunningham's candidacy. Their lawyer, John Fogarty, asked for an expedited decision.[13]

On March 7, the appellate court removed Cunningham from the ballot, sending the matter back to the State Board of Elections for reconsideration. While the earlier rulings had to do with a petition circulator who wrote his home address incorrectly on petitions, the court order this time said two of Cunningham's petition circulators may not have personally appeared before a notary when certifying some of their petitions. The BOE had until March 13 to decide which petitions are valid and if enough signatures remained.[14]

Cunningham's name has been listed on ballots used since early voting began February 27 and it was included on the second round of absentee and military ballots that were mailed out. However, election officials said it's too late to change the ballot again and are trying to determine if they need to hand out notices indicating that Cunningham is not currently a candidate.[15]

Biggert had remained relatively quiet regarding Cunningham's case, noting only that he had previously challenged her signatures and that, as Kane County's top election official, he should be well aware of the rules. “He’s responsible for the elections, and so he should know how to fill out the petitions and who he hires to do that and whether they sign the petitions in front of a notary and collect petitions that are correct,” she said.[16]

On March 12, the Illinois State Board of Elections decided again that Cunningham's nominating petitions contained too many suspect or invalid signatures. As a result, Cunningham's name was once again ordered of the ballot. Specifically, the ISBE said two people who had circulated petitions for Cunningham failed to have them properly notarized. After the offending petitions were disqualified, Cunningham did not meet the filing requirements.[17] "This sets the standard that in the future, you can file an objection and then go on a witch hunt at the hearings. My goal has been and remains to give voters in this district a real choice," said Cunningham

On March 14 the court upheld the BOE's recommendation.[18]

Endorsements

  • National Education Association[19]
  • Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI)[20]
  • Chicago Tribune[21]
  • Daily Herald[22]

Targeted by super PAC

The Campaign for Primary Accountability, a Houston-based super PAC, has their sights set on defeating three Illinois incumbent members of Congress in 2012 - Biggert, Donald Manzullo (R) and Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D).[23]

The CPA, which is going after incumbents of both parties, states on their website "Our goal is to bring true competition to our electoral process, to give voters real information about their choices, and to restore fair, not fixed, elections."[24]

As of February 16, 2012, Biggert has been in office longer than 281 members of congress. Eighteen have been in office the same number of years as Biggert, while 136 have been in office longer than her. In the Illinois delegation, she has been in office longer than 10 of the 17 other members. One has the same number of years as Biggert, while six have served for a longer period of time.

Debate

In a debate held against Bill Foster on Saturday October 13, candidates went back and forth on careers, voting histories and choices made in office. While both sides made accusations that the other did not support the district in certain ways or made bad choices, both agreed on certain areas which need continued help. Budget concerns and Medicare were the main topics of debate between the two candidates.[25]

2010

On November 2, 2010, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Scott Harper (R) in the general election.[26]

U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois Congressional District 13 Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgJudy Biggert 63.8% 152,132
     Democratic Scott Harper 36.2% 86,281
Total Votes 238,413

2008

On November 4, 2008, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Scott Harper (D) and Steve Alesch (G) in the general election.[27]

2006

On November 7, 2006, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Joseph Shannon (D) in the general election.[28]

2004

On November 2, 2004, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Gloria Schor Andersen (D) in the general election.[29]

2002

On November 5, 2002, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Tom Mason (D) in the general election.[30]

2000

On November 7, 2000, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Thomas Mason (D) in the general election.[31]

1998

On November 3, 1998, Biggert won election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Susan W. Hynes (D) in the general election.[32]

Polls

District 11 Representative Election
Response "District 11 Poll"Average
Judy Biggert 43% 43%
Bill Foster 42% 42%
Undecided 15% 15%
Number polled 401 401
Margin of error N/A
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign donors

PACs

The website Open Secrets tracks campaign contributions for congressional members. As of December 31, 2010, Biggert had raised $7,993,248 in her career in Congress. Of those funds, 48 percent ($3,816,709) have come from individuals and 47 percent ($3,747,571) from PACs.[33]

Judy Biggert's campaign contributions - PACs vs. Individuals
Year Amount from PACs Amount from Individuals
2009-2010 $788,427 (50%) $784,707 (50%)
2007-2008 $715,491 (50%) $703,991 (49%)
2005-2006 $455,081 (49%) $462,768 (50%)
2003-2004 $343,738 (54%) $282,301 (45%)
2001-2002 $256,736 (49%) $260,667 (50%)
1999-2000 $259,974 (48%) $281,865 (52%)
Career $3,747,571 (47%) $3,816,709 (48%)

Campaign donors

2012

Breakdown of the source of Biggert's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Biggert lost election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $2,909,766 and spent $3,235,189.[34]

2010

Breakdown of the source of Biggert's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $1,584,517 and spent $1,236,454 .[35]

2008

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $1,424,178 and spent $1,585,536.[36]


2006

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $920,056 and spent $979,319.[37]


2004

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $632,733 and spent $542,733.[38]


2002

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $523,807 and spent $444,054.[39]


2000

Biggert won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. During that re-election cycle, Biggert's campaign committee raised a total of $543,632 and spent $381,623.[40]


Analysis

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Biggert paid her congressional staff a total of $942,579 in 2011. She ranked 150th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and she ranked 195th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Illinois ranked 46th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[41]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Biggert's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $2,147,063 and $9,129,999. That averages to $5,638,531, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[42]

National Journal vote ratings

2011

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Biggert ranked 211th in the conservative rankings.[43]

Political positions

Voting with party

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Judy Biggert has voted with the Republican Party 88 of the time, which ranked 211 among the 242 House Republican members as of November 2011.[44]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Judy + Biggert + Illinois + House

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Judy Biggert News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


Personal

Biggert and her husband Rody are the parents of four children and the grandparents of nine grandchildren. [45]

See also

Light Bulb Icon.svg.png
 		Suggest a link

External links

References

  1. ↑ Gov Track "Biggert" Accessed May 22, 2012
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Congresswoman Judy Biggert "About Judy" Accessed November 3, 2011
  3. ↑ The Hill, "2012 GOP Lawmaker Endorsements for President," retrieved November 23, 2011
  4. ↑ Biggert for Congress "Issues" Accessed December 30, 2011
  5. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections "Candidate List" Accessed December 27, 2011
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Daily Herald, "Biggert to be unopposed in primary," February 2, 2012
  8. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Biggert now unopposed in GOP race," February 2, 2012
  9. ↑ Diane M. Harris campaign website, "Statement," accessed February 8, 2012
  10. ↑ Herald-News, "Biggert’s GOP challengers removed from primary race," February 2, 2012
  11. ↑ Phone communication with Ken Menzel on February 2012
  12. ↑ Daily Herald "Cunningham to face Biggert in 11th District," February 21, 2012
  13. ↑ Kane County Chronicle, "Cunningham foes appeal to keep him off ballot in 11th Congressional District," February 24, 2012
  14. ↑ Beacon-News, "Cunningham’s ballot status back ‘in limbo’," March 7, 2012
  15. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Cunningham again off 11th Congressional District ballot — for now," March 8, 2012
  16. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Republican again tossed from suburban congressional contest," March 7, 2012
  17. ↑ Kane County Chronicle "State Elections Board: Cunningham can't run for Congress" Accessed March 13, 2012
  18. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Biggert challenger Cunningham’s congressional bid voided by court," March 15, 2012
  19. ↑ Beacon News, "Durbin, NEA endorsements highlight 11th District’s national importance," February 21, 2012
  20. ↑ Judy Biggert, "Fire Fighters of Illinois Endorse Biggert for Congress," February 9, 2012
  21. ↑ Judy Biggert, "Chicago Tribune Endorses Judy Biggert in 2012 Primary," February 24, 2012
  22. ↑ Judy Biggert, "Daily Herald Endorses Biggert," March 5, 2012
  23. ↑ Chicago Business, "Ricketts-backed super PAC targets three Illinois incumbents in Congress," February 13, 2012
  24. ↑ Campaign for Primary Accountability "About," Accessed February 2, 2012
  25. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Suburban congressional candidates square off in debate," October 13, 2012
  26. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  27. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  28. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  29. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
  30. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2002"
  31. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000"
  32. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998"
  33. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert Career Cycle," Accessed March 10, 2012
  34. ↑ OpenSecrets "2012 Election" Accessed March 21, 2013
  35. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 3, 2011
  36. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2008 Election Cycle," Accessed February 24, 2012
  37. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2006 Election Cycle," Accessed February 24, 2012
  38. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2004 Election Cycle," Accessed February 24, 2012
  39. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2000 Election Cycle," Accessed February 24, 2012
  40. ↑ Open Secrets "Judy Biggert 2000 Election Cycle," Accessed February 24, 2012
  41. ↑ LegiStorm "Judy Biggert"
  42. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Biggert, (R-Illinois), 2010"
  43. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  44. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  45. ↑ Judy Biggert: Fighting for Us "About Judy" Accessed November 3, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Harris W. Fawell 		U.S. House of Representatives - Illinois, 13th district
1999-Present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Dick Durbin (D) • Mark Kirk (R)
CongressLogo.png
Representatives
Other states' delegations
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Retrieved from "http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Judy_Biggert&oldid=1819799"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Encyclopedia
Calendar
Get Involved
Donate
Toolbox