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Christopher Kasperski
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Christopher Kasperski (Republican Party) ran for election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 31. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Kasperski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Christopher Kasperski was born in Highland Park, Illinois and lives in Lindenhurst, Illinois.[1] Kasperski served in the United States Army from 2009 to 2012 and served as a combat engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2015. Kasperski’s career experience includes working as an electrician and campaign manager for Illinois State Senator Craig Wilcox.[2][3]
Elections
2020
See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Illinois State Senate District 31
Incumbent Melinda Bush defeated Christopher Kasperski in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 31 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Melinda Bush (D) | 58.5 | 58,274 |
 | Christopher Kasperski (R)  | 41.5 | 41,373 | |
| Total votes: 99,647 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 31
Incumbent Melinda Bush advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 31 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melinda Bush | 100.0 | 20,121 |
| Total votes: 20,121 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 31
Christopher Kasperski advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 31 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Kasperski | 100.0 | 7,219 |
| Total votes: 7,219 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christopher Kasperski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kasperski's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Chris Kasperski (R-Lindenhurst), with the assistance of his service dog, Lakota, is running for IL State Senate in District 31. Chris is a combat-wounded U.S. Army veteran. Chris served for a year in southern Afghanistan, searching for and clearing roadside bombs, land mines, and other Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) as a Combat Engineer. Following his honorable medical retirement from the Army, Chris attended the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). Chris earned a degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on American politics and public law. Chris also minored in criminal justice and Pre-Law and received a certification in Homeland Security.
Chris has been married to his wife, Allison, for ten years, and together, they have two beautiful children, Carson (8) and McKinley (6). The Kasperskis reside in Lindenhurst, in his childhood home.
- Illinoisans share the most substantial tax burden in the nation. It is causing a mass movement of families and businesses to flee the state. We must work to make Illinois a place worth living instead of worth leaving.
- The corruption in Illinois has damaged the state's reputation. We need new representation that will not prop-up the leadership that has allowed public corruption to go unchecked.
- Illinois does not have a revenue problem; the state has a spending problem. We must prioritize spending and balance the budget without the budgetary gimmicks that cause deficits.
Property tax relief is a major issue that is affecting the 31st district, and the State's failure to meet its constitutionally-mandated education funding levels has caused school districts to make up the difference in property taxes.
Public-sector pensions are crowding out essential government services, and we must work to enact constitutional reforms to keep pension promises while also ending the sweetheart deals that are leading to insolvency.
As a veteran, it breaks my heart to see that Legionnaires Disease has continued to plague our Veterans' homes. We should come together to ensure that our veterans are given the best care possible.
Benjamin Franklin is someone who I have studied and looked up to since I learned that my family was descended from his! Thanks to the technology of Ancestry.com, I was able to trace my lineage all the way to Franklin's paternal grandparents, my 10th Great Grandparents. That makes Benjamin Franklin my first cousin removed 11 generations! He was a remarkable human being. He was not without his faults, yet he was always striving to improve himself and solve the problems that he encountered. His inventions were life-saving and novel. His experiments have stood the test of time. And his worldwide celebrity helped him in his diplomatic mission. Franklin not only secured the assistance of the French in the Revolutionary War, but he also was able to procure most of the munitions that were used to win the war. His ability to secure the Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention was critical to its ratification. And his service as the President of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society demonstrated his commitment to liberty and justice for all. He was way ahead of his time, and was deserving of his nickname as "The First American."
I take a lot of inspiration from Benjamin Franklin, and would highly recommend the biography written by Walter Issacson, as well as Franklin's autobiography. Franklin advocated for hard work, frugality, and compromise. Franklin said that compromise was a necessary thing when dealing with people who have differences of opinion. As he suggested at the Constitutional Convention, when a carpenter attempts to join two boards together, they plane a little off both sides to create a bond that will last for centuries. I think that compromise has become a dirty word, and that we should be more willing to listen to other perspectives and be able to talk to other people with different perspectives as well. That doesn't mean that we have to sacrifice our core values, but we should be willing to listen, learn, and teach.
Elected officials should always be honest, no matter the circumstance, in order to keep the public's trust. I also believe that elected officials should represent their entire constituency. This requires holding true to the principle of equality under the law. Finally, elected officials ought to respect our founding ideals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
My military service instilled a set of core values that demands loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. I am loyal to my country and my state. I consider it my duty to make the world a better place. I expect respect to be given by default, and it can be strengthened or weakened by our conduct. I volunteered to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the military out of a sense of selfless service to my fellow Americans. It was my honor to serve as it is my honor to run for this office. I promise to conduct myself with the highest integrity. Finally, I have demonstrated personal courage during my service in Afghanistan and I will continue to be courageous in my future endeavors.
An elected official is responsible for following through with the mandate that their constituents give them. They should show up for the job that they were elected to do and should be communicative with the people who have entrusted them to represent them. They should be a leader in their community and have the best interest of their district in mind at all times.
I want to be remembered as someone who was willing to go to great lengths to save lives and make the world a better place.
I remember going across the street to my grandparents' house, which I now live in, and I would sit with my grandfather and watch the OJ Simpson trial every day. I was captivated by it even at a young age. In retrospect, I am thankful that I had that time with my grandparents. Our time with them is so precious, and I would have watched anything as long as it was with them.
I worked as an apprentice electrician for my first job. It was seasonal though, so I also took a job working at a local Buffalo Wild Wings as a cashier and server. I left Buffalo Wild Wings after working there for five years to pursue a career as a journeyman electrician. Following the economic crash of 2008 which greatly impacted the construction industry, I made the choice to enlist in the United States Army.
I read Jack London's "Call of the Wild" when I was very young. It appealed to my fascination with sled dogs at a young age and is a big reason why we have our Siberian Huskies. I am excited to see the film adaptation of that classic novel!
"Same old trip" by Chevelle
My mother abandoned my younger brother and me when we were very young. We were raised by our father, who worked hard to provide for us. Coming from a single-parent household, we didn't have many luxuries, but we had each other. My brother and I both served our nation and both deployed to Afghanistan in order to secure a better life for ourselves. The consequences of war have left an indelible mark on our family. I am fortunate to have the support of my family and friends as I work to overcome the challenges of service-connected injuries and post-traumatic stress. My service dog, Lakota, has been incredibly helpful in my recovery, and I hope that we can be an inspiration to others who are going through tough times.
Illinois' General Assembly has been controlled by Speaker Michael Madigan for longer than I have been alive. The Senate, however, has the responsibility to act as a check on the enormous amount of power that he has accumulated as the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and as the Speaker of the House. The Senate is the deliberative body and has a better opportunity to introduce legislation without Madigan quashing it in committee, as he typically does.
I think that experience can be an asset or a detriment. Too much experience means that lobbyists have more of a grip on legislators. It also is apparent that many legislators have quite a bit of experience in raising taxes and fees, but not a lot of experience in making things better for families and businesses in this state.
Illinois has serious financial issues that have been exacerbated from decades of corruption, over-promising, and gross mismanagement. This is why we need a new generation of leaders to emerge who are serious about working through these problems to put Illinois back on track to lead the nation's heartland.
The ideal relationship would be to have a governor that puts partisan politics aside and is independent enough to root out corruption irrespective of the party. The General Assembly ought to take the Governor's intentions into consideration, however, the General Assembly should not delegate their legislative authority over to the executive. Everyone should work within their constitutional framework.
It is human nature to develop relationships wherever someone works. I think it is important to develop those relationships professionally and to respect each other. Political differences shouldn't involve personal attacks or animosity. It is one thing to challenge an idea, yet that should not evolve into personal attacks.
The State Government & Veterans Affairs Committee, Local Government Committee, Redistricting Committee, Transportation Committee, and the Education Committee.
I think it is important for leadership to change so that no one person can hold power for so long that they no longer represent the best interests of the State. I would welcome any responsibility that I am given, however, I am focused on doing what is necessary to reverse the disastrous course that has this state is in.
I admire the fidelity to the U.S. Constitution that Senator Rand Paul (R- Kentucky) and Senator Mike Lee (R- Utah) have demonstrated. I think it is important to stand up for our rights and liberties as they have.
My interest is in working diligently to fix the many problems that are facing Illinois. If other opportunities arise in the future, then I will assess them at that time. My desire to continue to serve my community and my country is unending.
We have so many people who are being taxed out of their homes and are fleeing the State that they have long loved. Things have become so corrupt and unaffordable that many people simply have lost faith. Others feel trapped, living paycheck to paycheck as they see more of the fruits of their labor going towards a corrupt culture that promises more than can be delivered just to get more votes. My own father recently had to move out of state because of the rising taxes and fees that have fueled corruption.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Facebook, "Chris Kasperski State Senate," accessed December 13, 2019
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Chris Kasperski," accessed December 13, 2019
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 2, 2020
Current members of the Illinois State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Don Harmon
Majority Leader:Kimberly Lightford
Minority Leader:John Curran
Senators
District 1
Javier Cervantes (D)
District 2
Omar Aquino (D)
District 3
Mattie Hunter (D)
District 4
District 5
Lakesia Collins (D)
District 6
Sara Feigenholtz (D)
District 7
Mike Simmons (D)
District 8
Ram Villivalam (D)
District 9
Laura Fine (D)
District 10
Robert Martwick (D)
District 11
Mike Porfirio (D)
District 12
District 13
Robert Peters (D)
District 14
Emil Jones (D)
District 15
Napoleon Harris (D)
District 16
Willie Preston (D)
District 17
Elgie Sims (D)
District 18
Bill Cunningham (D)
District 19
Michael Hastings (D)
District 20
Graciela Guzman (D)
District 21
Laura Ellman (D)
District 22
Cristina Castro (D)
District 23
District 24
Seth Lewis (R)
District 25
Karina Villa (D)
District 26
Darby Hills (R)
District 27
Mark Walker (D)
District 28
Laura Murphy (D)
District 29
Julie Morrison (D)
District 30
Adriane Johnson (D)
District 31
Mary Edly-Allen (D)
District 32
Craig Wilcox (R)
District 33
Don DeWitte (R)
District 34
Steve Stadelman (D)
District 35
Dave Syverson (R)
District 36
Michael Halpin (D)
District 37
Li Arellano (R)
District 38
Sue Rezin (R)
District 39
Don Harmon (D)
District 40
Patrick Joyce (D)
District 41
John Curran (R)
District 42
Linda Holmes (D)
District 43
Rachel Ventura (D)
District 44
Sally Turner (R)
District 45
Andrew Chesney (R)
District 46
David Koehler (D)
District 47
Neil Anderson (R)
District 48
Doris Turner (D)
District 49
District 50
Jil Tracy (R)
District 51
Chapin Rose (R)
District 52
Paul Faraci (D)
District 53
Chris Balkema (R)
District 54
Steve McClure (R)
District 55
Jason Plummer (R)
District 56
Erica Harriss (R)
District 57
Christopher Belt (D)
District 58
Terri Bryant (R)
District 59
Dale Fowler (R)
Democratic Party (40)
Republican Party (19)
