Sheila Simon

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Sheila Simon
Image of Sheila Simon
Prior offices
Carbondale City Council

Lieutenant Governor of Illinois

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wittenberg, 1983

Law

Georgetown University Law Center, 1987

Personal
Profession
Attorney

Sheila Simon, (b. March 13, 1961) was the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Simon, a Democrat, served in this position from 2011 to 2015. She was first elected lieutenant governor in November 2010, on a ticket with then-Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D).[1]

In March 2010, Democratic Party leaders selected Simon to share a ticket with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D). Votes had selected Scott Lee Cohen the month before, but Cohen soon withdrew amid criminal allegations.[2]

Simon was eligible for re-election as lieutenant governor in 2014, but she opted to run for state comptroller instead.[3] She secured the Democratic nomination in the primary on March 18, and faced Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka in the general election. Sheila Simon lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

Biography

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A lawyer by profession, Simon was a staff attorney at the Domestic Violence Clinic at Southern Illinois University from 1998 to 2000. She was also Jackson County's prosecutor from 1994 to 1998, an attorney with the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, and a faculty member at the Southern Illinois University School of Law.[4]

Sheila Simon's father, Paul Simon, was a U.S. Senator and also served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1969 to 1973.[5] Her mother, Jeanne Hurley Simon, was a state representative in Illinois.[6]

Education

  • Bachelor's, University of Wittenberg, 1983
  • J.D., Georgetown University, 1987[4]

Political career

Lieutenant Governor (2010-2015)

In March 2010, Democratic Party leaders selected Simon to share a ticket with Gov. Pat Quinn (D). Votes had selected Scott Lee Cohen the month before, but Cohen soon resigned due to criminal allegations.[7]

The Quinn/Simon ticket defeated Republicans Bill Brady and Jason Plummer in the November 2010 general election.

Proposal to eliminate lt. governor office

On April 11, 2013, the Illinois House of Representatives approved a proposal seeking to [[eliminate the position of lieutenant governor by constitutional amendment. The Senate did not pass the measure and it did not appear on the 2014 ballot.

Carbondale City Council (2003-2007)

Elections

2016

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Illinois State Senate 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.[8] Incumbent David Luechtefeld (R) did not seek re-election.

Paul Schimpf defeated Sheila Simon in the Illinois State Senate District 58 general election.[9][10]

Illinois State Senate, District 58 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Paul Schimpf 60.56% 59,735
     Democratic Sheila Simon 39.44% 38,905
Total Votes 98,640
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections


Sheila Simon ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 58 Democratic primary.[11][12]

Illinois State Senate, District 58 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sheila Simon  (unopposed)

Paul Schimpf defeated Sharee Langenstein in the Illinois State Senate District 58 Republican primary.[13][14]

Illinois State Senate, District 58 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Paul Schimpf 67.08% 19,649
     Republican Sharee Langenstein 32.92% 9,641
Total Votes 29,290


2014

See also: Illinois state executive official elections, 2014 and Illinois down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Simon announced in February 2013 she would not run for re-election as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 2014 and would instead run for the office of state comptroller, challenging first-term incumbent comptroller, Judy Baar Topinka (R).[15]

Simon ran unopposed in the March 18 Democratic primary. She was defeated by Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka in the general election on November 4, 2014. Libertarian Julie Fox was also on the ballot.

Results

Illinois Controller, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJudy Baar Topinka Incumbent 49.6% 1,775,983
     Democratic Sheila Simon 45.7% 1,636,593
     Libertarian Julie Fox 4.8% 170,534
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0% 176
Total Votes 3,583,286
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections

2010

See also: Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2010 and Lieutenant Governor elections, 2010

Simon was elected on a ticket with Pat Quinn. The pair defeated Bill Brady/Jason Plummer (R), Rich Whitney/Don Crawford (G), Lex Green/Ed Rutledge (L) and Scott Lee Cohen/Baxter B. Swilley (I) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[16]

Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngPat Quinn & Sheila Simon Incumbent 46.8% 1,745,219
     Republican Bill Brady & Jason Plummer 45.9% 1,713,385
     Independent Scott Lee Cohen & Baxter Swilley 3.6% 135,705
     Green Rich Whitney & Don Crawford 2.7% 100,756
     Libertarian Lex Green & Ed Ruthledge 0.9% 34,681
     None Write-in 0% 243
Total Votes 3,729,989

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.


Sheila Simon campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2010Lieutenant Governor of IllinoisWon $0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed July 16, 2021
  2. Boston.com, "Ill. Democrats choose nominee after scandal," March 27, 2010
  3. Chicago Magazine, "What Happens After Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon Quits Pat Quinn’s Team," March 26, 2013
  4. 4.0 4.1 Project Vote Smart, "Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon's Biography," accessed September 19, 2012
  5. Paul Simon Institute, "U.S. Senator Paul Simon," accessed July 16, 2021
  6. Paul Simon institute, "Jeanne Hurley Simon, " accessed July 16, 2021
  7. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nominee
  8. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
  9. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
  10. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
  11. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
  12. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
  13. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
  14. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
  15. Chicago Tribune, "Simon will not run again for lieutenant governor," February 13, 2013
  16. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named elect
Political offices
Preceded by
Pat Quinn (D)
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
January 10, 2011 - January 12, 2015
Succeeded by
Evelyn Sanguinetti (R)