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Cliff Surges
Cliff Surges was a 2012 Republican candidate for District 33 of the Illinois State Senate.
Biography
Surges graduated from St. Charles East in 1981, going on to earn his B.A. from Eastern Illinois University. He opened the Clifford Surges Agency, representing the American Family Insurance Group, in 1993.
Surges was elected twice as Village Trustee in Gilberts. After leaving office he went on to work with Municipal Design Group.[1]
Campaign themes
2012
Surges' campaign website listed the following issues:[2]
- Economic Issues
- Excerpt: "Illinois must become attractive to businesses again. This is done by fostering a culture and atmosphere that is friendly and supportive of businesses. Restrictive bureaucracies, overbearing regulations, high tax rates, and endless red tape are stifling the business climate in Illinois."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Teachers are hired because they are competent educators, but when they walk into the classroom they are burdened by undue regulations. Those regulations need to be removed and control must be given back to the teachers that are in touch with the individual needs of each student and their parents."
- Ethics and Reform Issues
- Excerpt: "The public has lost trust in the State Government, and rightly so. Pay-to-play politics, corruption, economically damaging policies… Springfield ought to be ashamed for what it has done and what has happened to the State of Illinois."
- Social and Other Issues
- Excerpt: "Life begins at conception. I oppose all forms of abortion except in cases where the life of the mother is at risk."
Elections
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
Surges ran in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 33. Surges was defeated by Karen McConnaughay in the Republican primary on March 20, 2012. Incumbent Dan Kotowski did not run for re-election in District 33 and instead ran for election in District 28. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4][5]
| 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 | |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Surges and his wife, Audrey, live in Gilberts. They have three children.[1]
External links
- Official campaign website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Clifford "Cliff" Surges for IL Senate 33 Facebook page
- Cliff Surges on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Surges for Senate, "About Cliff," accessed January 11, 2012
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Results," accessed May 15, 2014
