Larry Pickens
Larry Pickens is a former 2013 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House in the special election for the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois.
Biography
Pickens was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1987. He received his law degree from DePaul University of Law and his seminary degrees from Garrett-Evangelical, Chicago Theological Seminary and the Ecumenical Institute of Celigny, Switzerland. Throughout his career he has focused on the issues of human rights, economic policy, and social justice.[1]
Campaign themes
2013
Pickens' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
- Gun Violence and Assault Weapons
- Excerpt: "As a member of Congress, one of my priorities would be the passing of significant and commonsense legislation designed to implement handgun control and the banning of assault weapons. I am also committed to being a community catalyst, to bring together various segments of our community, law enforcement, teachers, mental health officials, clergy, and community organizing groups, youth and children- for the purpose of creating real solutions that are grounded in the experiences of all community stakeholders."
- Supports President Obama's Effort to Revitalize Our District's Infrastructure
- Will Create Employment opportunities by Initiating Linkages Between Small Business Owners and Potential Employees
- Promotes the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Emphasizes Preventative Healthcare Measures
- Will Work to Develop the Economic Conditions of the Community Through Community Investment
- Committed to Enhancing National Education Policy
- Will Work to Enable Students to Compete in a 21st Century Global Context
- Will Address Violence and the Banning Assault Weapons
- Will Work Inclusively with All of the People of the Second Congressional District
Elections
2013
Pickens ran in the 2013 special election for the U.S. House, representing Illinois' 2nd District. The election was held to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr.. Pickens lost in the Democratic primary to Robin Kelly.[3]
Democratic Primary
| U.S. House, Illinois District 2 Special Democratic Primary, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Robin Kelly |
53.3% | 31,079 | ||
| Debbie Halvorson | 25.1% | 14,650 | ||
| Anthony Beale | 11.1% | 6,457 | ||
| Joyce Washington | 4.4% | 2,563 | ||
| Ernest Fenton | 2.6% | 1,545 | ||
| Anthony Williams | 1.1% | 641 | ||
| Mel Reynolds | 0.8% | 459 | ||
| Clifford Eagleton | 0.4% | 207 | ||
| Fatimah Muhammad | 0.3% | 194 | ||
| Gregory Haynes | 0.2% | 144 | ||
| Larry Pickens | 0.2% | 127 | ||
| John Blyth | 0.2% | 104 | ||
| Victor Jonathan | 0.2% | 91 | ||
| Charles Rayburn | 0.1% | 74 | ||
| Denise Anita Hill | 0% | 4 | ||
| Total Votes | 58,339 | |||
| Source: Results via Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Polls
2013
| Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Debbie Halvorson | Toi Hutchinson | Robin Kelly | Napoleon Harris | Mel Reynolds | Anthony Beale | Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||
| Normington-Petts (January 8-10) | 16% | 12% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 5% | 5% | 40% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||
| GBA Strategies (January 3-7) | 25% | 16% | 15% | 9% | 8% | 10% | 2% | 15% | +/-4.4 | 500 | |||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
He and his wife, Debra, have a daughter, Jessica.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Larry + Pickens + Illinois + House"
Footnotes
