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Karen McConnaughay
Karen McConnaughay (Republican Party) was a member of the Illinois State Senate, representing District 33. McConnaughay assumed office in 2013. McConnaughay left office on September 3, 2018.
McConnaughay (Republican Party) ran for election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 33. McConnaughay did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
McConnaughay attended College of DuPage. She was chairman of the Kane County Board from 2004 to 2012 and chairman of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Planning Group.[1][2]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations II |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Education |
| • Energy and Public Utilities |
| • Gaming |
| • Revenue |
| • Transportation |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, McConnaughay served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Economic Development |
| • Restorative Justice |
| • Education |
| • Energy and Public Utilities |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Transportation |
| • Administrative Rules |
| • Legislative Ethics |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, McConnaughay served on the following committees:[1]
| Illinois committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations II |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Education |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Public Pensions & State Investments |
| • Transportation |
Campaign themes
2014
McConnaughay's following campaign themes were highlighted by The Geneva Patch:[3]
- Pension
- Excerpt: "Our success as a state is dependent on first tackling the state’s pension problems, an issue that existed long before I arrive in the Senate. Our pension system has left us financially crippled and we must push the state to fiscal responsibility and accountability, while ensuring that the burden is kept off of the backs of our citizens."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Our funding and budget issues have affected more than just our pension system and impact all areas of government. Our education system is failing to meet the needs of our children who will be expected to compete in a global economy. I do not take my responsibility as a member of the Education Funding Task Force lightly. We must continue to strive for equitable, quality education, for all of our children."
- Transportation
- Excerpt: "I am committed to improving our transit systems, through thoughtful, comprehensive, transportation investments. Through infrastructure enhancements and new transit programs, our state can remain the critical transportation hub of this nation," she said. "But this must be done through a transparent and collaborative regional approach that ensures prudent and fair investment across the transit system."
- Government
- Excerpt: "We must ensure that all elected representatives are being held accountable. With greater transparency comes increased efficiency and accountability. We must demand a window be opened so that we all may see into our local village halls, county buildings, and state offices."
2012
McConnaughay's following campaign themes were highlighted by The Daily Herald:[4]
- Economy
- Excerpt: "Sustainable job creation requires economic growth, not government intervention. Government over-regulation hampers investment and growth, over-taxation costs jobs and excess spending drains resources from the free market and discourages innovation and entrepenureship. I will evaluate every vote in the Senate for whether or not it enhances the state's economic growth."
- Government
- Excerpt: "Reducing the size and scope of government. Government in Illinois is simply too big. We have too many units of government that inefficiently provide necessary services. The state exacerbates existing regulatory structures with more and more layers of interference rarely shown to be cost effective. I will support efforts to shrink number of governmental bodies in Illinois and to slash the sheer volume of state regulation."
- Leadership
- Excerpt: "Bringing proven new leadership to Springfield. It is painfully evident to most Illinois citizens that state government has failed to effectively address many issues resulting in a fiscal and economic crisis."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Illinois State Senate District 33
Incumbent Don DeWitte defeated Nancy Zettler in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 33 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Don DeWitte (R) | 50.6 | 46,040 | |
 | Nancy Zettler (D) | 49.4 | 44,965 | |
| Total votes: 91,005 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 33
Nancy Zettler advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 33 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nancy Zettler | 100.0 | 14,764 |
| Total votes: 14,764 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 33
Karen McConnaughay advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 33 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Karen McConnaughay | 100.0 | 14,613 |
| Total votes: 14,613 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2014
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Illinois State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013. Incumbent Karen McConnaughay (R) ran unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[5][6][7]
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
McConnaughay won election in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 33. McConnaughay defeated Cliff Surges in the Republican primary on March 20, 2012, and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[8][9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Karen McConnaughay Incumbent |
100% | 69,573 | |
| Total Votes | 69,573 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Karen McConnaughay |
61.3% | 12,487 |
| Cliff Surges | 38.7% | 7,889 |
| Total Votes | 20,376 | |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Illinois scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that "help or hinder Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities access more included lives in their homes and communities."'
- Legislators are scored on their votes on manufacturing issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31. There were also special sessions. The 1st special session was June 21-July 6. The 2nd special session was July 26-July 31. During the 3rd special session, the Senate met on August 13, and the House met on August 16. The 4th special session was on August 28-29. There was a veto session from October 24-November 9.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 31.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
McConnaughay and her husband, John, live in St. Charles. They have three children and two grandchildren.[14]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Karen McConnaughay Illinois Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Illinois State Senate elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- Illinois State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Illinois State Legislature
- Illinois state legislative districts
External links
- Social media:
- Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Wikipedia
- Campaign contributions via Follow the Money: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Illinois General Assembly, "Senator Karen McConnaughay," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Senator Karen McConnaughay, "About Senator McConnaughay," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Geneva Patch, "State Sen. Karen McConnaughay Announces Run for Re-Election," September 18, 2013
- ↑ The Daily Herald, "Karen McConnaughay: Candidate Profile," September 21, 2012
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Board of Elections, "General Primary Election Official Canvass," April 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Results," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed December 31, 2012
- ↑ Citizen Action Illinois, "99th General Assembly Legislative Scorecard 2016," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities, "2016 Illinois Community Living Report," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ McConnaughay for Senate, "About," accessed January 10, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dan Kotowski (D) |
Illinois Senate District 33 2013–2018 |
Succeeded by Don DeWitte (R) |
