Paul Serwatka
Paul Serwatka was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 66 of the Illinois House of Representatives. He withdrew from the race before the primary.[1]
Elections
2016
Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.[2] Incumbent Michael W. Tryon (R) did not seek re-election.
Allen Skillicorn defeated Nancy Zettler in the Illinois House of Representatives District 66 general election.[3][4]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 66 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Allen Skillicorn |
57.61% | 27,295 | |
| Democratic | Nancy Zettler | 42.39% | 20,083 | |
| Total Votes | 47,378 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Nancy Zettler ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 66 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 66 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Nancy Zettler (unopposed) | |
Allen Skillicorn defeated Dan Wilbrandt and Carolyn Schofield in the Illinois House of Representatives District 66 Republican primary.[7][8]
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 66 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Allen Skillicorn |
37.07% | 4,816 | |
| Republican | Dan Wilbrandt | 30.50% | 3,962 | |
| Republican | Carolyn Schofield | 32.40% | 4,211 | |
| Total Votes | 12,989 | |||
2016 primary
- Main article: Battleground Illinois primary elections, 2016
Race background
All three candidates were elected Republican officials and highlighted their experience in government. At a candidate forum, Schofield and Wilbrandt highlighted their ability to compromise with Democrats, who hold a veto-proof majority in the legislature. "We need to think of a solution that can have an effect when we take office next year. I'm not afraid of collaborating with both sides. I think it's a necessity down in Springfield," Schofield said. Wilbrandt said he would work with Republicans and Democrats to fix the state's pension systems.[9]
One conservative group, Liberty Principles PAC, issued a flyer that highlighted Schofield’s endorsement from the Illinois Education Association, a teachers' union that supports an income tax increase. The flyer highlighted Schofield's comments about finding common ground with Democrats and questioned whether Schofield would support an income tax increase. Schofield responded that an income tax increase would be inevitable without budget reforms and promised to balance the state's budget. "If elected, I will do everything in my power to create jobs and grow the Illinois economy, so that budgets can be balanced without a tax increase," Schofield said.[10]
The candidates received key endorsements. Schofield was endorsed by outgoing State Rep. Tryon and the Chicago Sun-Times, which highlighted her "impressive breadth of experience in government." The Chicago Tribune endorsed Skillicorn for being the "the most outspoken about the need to blow up the status quo in Springfield." The Northwest Herald endorsed Wilbrandt for being "best suited to work with the other side of the aisle."[11][12][13]
Issues
Campaign website
2016
Serwatka's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | An avid student of the U.S. Constitution and Austrian Economics, Paul stands vigorously for the principles of Individual liberties and the limited role that government should play in our lives and our economy.
Paul supports and defends all constitutionally protected rights. This includes 2nd amendment rights. Paul is an endowment member of the NRA, a member of ISRA and a concealed carry permit holder in Illinois, Utah and Florida. Paul adamantly defends the rights of the family as well as the rights of the unborn. Paul believes the family unit is the foremost essential component for a peaceful, prosperous and secure society and it should never be replaced, or interfered with, by government. Paul stands to empower parents with a choice in schools and education methods - to return control locally and to do away with Common Core Standards. Paul has recognized the need for pension reform since his early days as a Firefighter/Paramedic, more than 20-years ago. Paul understands the need to transition from a defined benefit program to one of a defined contribution (i.e. 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan). This has been a generally acknowledged issue for decades that has been intentionally avoided and evaded by Illinois politicians. Paul is not anti-union. He is anti-cronyism. Paul does not see Firefighters and Police Officers as the problem… He does not see teachers and union workers as the problem… Paul adamantly believes the problem lies in the rampant corruption between the upper echelon union bosses and the corrupt, career politicians in Springfield. Paul pledges to hold them accountable, and to hold steadfast in shedding light on these issues and paving way for the critical changes that have been intentionally neglected in decades past.[14][15] |
” |
Endorsements
2016
Serwatka's endorsements included the following:[16]
- Illinois Family Action (Illinois Family Institute)
- Family-PAC
- Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R)
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Paul Serwatka Illinois. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Illinois House of Representatives
- Illinois House of Representatives District 66
- Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Illinois State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Northwest Herald, "Paul Serwatka drops out of 66th Illinois House race, endorses Skillicorn," March 7, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: 2016 GENERAL PRIMARY," accessed July 16, 2019
- ↑ Northwest Herald, " GOP candidates vie to succeed Illinois Rep. Mike Tryon in 66th House DIstrict," February 12, 2016
- ↑ McHenry Times, "Conservatives concerned about Schofield support for tax hike," March 3, 2016
- ↑ Northwest Herald, "Our View: Dan Wilbrandt for 66th District state representative," February 25, 2016
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Chicago Tribune endorsements: More choices for the Illinois House," March 1, 2016
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Editorial: Our endorsements for the Illinois House," accessed March 2, 2016
- ↑ Take Back Illinois with Paul Serwatka, "Issues," accessed March 3, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Take Back Illinois with Paul Serwatka, "Endorsements," accessed March 3, 2016
