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Tom Cullerton
Tom Cullerton (Democratic Party) was a member of the Illinois State Senate, representing District 23. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on February 23, 2022.
Cullerton (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 23. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Cullerton was a candidate for Illinois' 8th Congressional District in 2016.[1] He dropped out of the race in July 2015.[2]
On August 2, 2019, Cullerton was indicted on 40 counts of embezzlement charges. Cullerton resigned from the state Senate on February 23, 2022. Cullerton plead guilty to one count of embezzlement on March 8, 2022.[3] Click here to learn more.
Biography
Thomas Cullerton graduated from the University of Kansas and is a United States Army veteran. He is a former village trustee and village president for Villa Park and was named the 2016 Legislator of the Year Transform Illinois. Cullerton was first elected in 2013 to represent the 23rd District.[4]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Cullerton was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Insurance Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Veterans Affairs Committee, Chair
- State Government Committee
- Energy and Public Utilities Committee
2019-2020
Cullerton was assigned to the following committees:
- Committee of the Whole
- Energy and Public Utilities Committee
- Senate Insurance Committee
- Labor Committee, Chair
- Veterans Affairs Committee, Vice chair
- Transportation Committee
- State Government Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Higher Education |
| • Labor |
| • State Government, Vice chair |
| • Telecommunications & InfoTechnology |
| • Veterans Affairs, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Cullerton served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations II |
| • Energy and Public Utilities |
| • Labor |
| • Local Government, Vice chair |
| • State Government & Veterans Affairs |
| • Transportation |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Cullerton served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations II |
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Labor and Commerce |
| • Local Government |
| • State Government & Veterans Affairs |
| • Transportation |
Campaign themes
2016
Cullerton's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Leading By Example Legislators need to lead by example in order to turn Illinois around. That’s why Tom refused a pension. He also voted to cut his own pay, ban politicians from taking multiple taxpayer-funded pensions, and end free lifetime healthcare for legislators. Term Limits Part of the reason that Springfield is in political gridlock is because we let legislative leaders hold onto power for an unlimited time. That’s why Tom supports term limits for House and Senate leaders in Springfield, so no one can have unlimited power to block real change and reform. Fair Maps Putting an independent commission in charge of updating our legislative maps will create more competitive elections, give voters more choices, and hold public servants accountable to their constituents. By creating more politically diverse constituencies in Illinois we’ll have more legislators working towards compromise, bipartisanship, and good governance. Better Government Tom has led the way in cracking down on pension abuse, dissolving wasteful units of government, and increasing transparency in government spending. Tom strives to not only use good governance to freeze property taxes but to take it one step further by lowering taxes on working families and putting money back in the pockets of working Illinoisans. Strong Schools Tom has consistently voted to increase funding for our public schools, and is fighting to make college more affordable for Illinois families. He also is leading the fight against the heroin epidemic affecting young people in DuPage county, and sponsored a critical prevention and treatment legislation.[5] |
” |
| —Tom Cullerton[6] | ||
2012
Tom Cullerton's campaign website listed the following issues:[7]
- Jobs & the Economy
- Excerpt: "Tom Cullerton believes that we can promote job creation by educating our workforce on how to adapt to new markets such as “green” technology and ensuring that tax credits are be based on FTE growth. He is against curtailing the collective bargaining rights of public employees. He supports raising the minimum wage to establish a living wage for Illinois workers."
- The Budget
- Excerpt: "As a senator, his goal would be to have the tax increase to expire; Cullerton also believes that voters be informed and ultimately have full say in regards to any tax changes. Cullerton is for a reduction of costs in all departments that is reasonable while still offering budgetary relief."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Tom Cullerton wants to have discussions on how to get lower performing schools to higher levels of achievement. He knows the importance of not increasing burdens on families when funding education; he does not support increasing income taxes in order to increase state education funding."
- Healthcare
- Excerpt: "He believes that the state should make sure we fund our pensions every year. Cullerton supports raising Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to at least equal the poverty level. He supports medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education."
- Women's Rights
- Excerpt: "Tom Cullerton is pro-choice. He supports repealing the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 and replacing it with a law that states decisions about reproductive matters should be made privately, between a woman and her doctor, without governmental interference."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Illinois State Senate District 23
Incumbent Tom Cullerton defeated Seth Lewis in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tom Cullerton (D) | 54.9 | 39,604 |
 | Seth Lewis (R) | 45.1 | 32,582 | |
| Total votes: 72,186 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 23
Incumbent Tom Cullerton advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 23 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Cullerton | 100.0 | 13,101 |
| Total votes: 13,101 | |||
| = 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 23
Seth Lewis advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 23 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Seth Lewis | 100.0 | 12,193 |
| Total votes: 12,193 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
State Senate
- 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 Tom Cullerton defeated Seth Lewis in the Illinois State Senate District 23 general election.[9][10]
| Illinois State Senate, District 23 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Tom Cullerton Incumbent |
50.69% | 44,643 | |
| Republican | Seth Lewis | 49.31% | 43,429 | |
| Total Votes | 88,072 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Tom Cullerton ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 23 Democratic primary.[11][12]
| Illinois State Senate, District 23 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Tom Cullerton Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Seth Lewis ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 23 Republican primary.[13][14]
| Illinois State Senate, District 23 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Seth Lewis (unopposed) | |
U.S. House
Cullerton was a candidate in the 2016 election for the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 8th District.[1] He withdrew from the race in July 2015.[2]
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
Cullerton won election in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 23. Cullerton defeated Kevin Allen and Greg Brownfield in the March 20 Democratic primary and defeated incumbent Carole Pankau (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[15][16][17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Cullerton |
51.2% | 40,829 | |
| Republican | Carole Pankau | 48.8% | 38,920 | |
| Total Votes | 79,749 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Allen | 30.5% | 2,344 |
| Greg Brownfield | 28.7% | 2,206 |
| Thomas E. Cullerton |
40.8% | 3,130 |
| Total Votes | 7,680 | |
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Illinois scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2022
In 2022, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 5 to April 9.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on votes on bills affecting real estate and private property.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on policies related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to manufacturing issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 1.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 8 to May 23.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through December 31.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 31.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31. There were also special sessions. The 1st special session was June 21-July 6. The 2nd special session was July 26-July 31. During the 3rd special session, the Senate met on August 13, and the House met on August 16. The 4th special session was on August 28-29. There was a veto session from October 24-November 9.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 31.
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Noteworthy events
Embezzlement charges and subsequent resignation (2019-2022)
Cullerton was indicted on 40 counts of embezzlement charges on August 2, 2019. According to the U.S. attorney's office, he was charged with "one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and employee benefit plans, 39 counts of embezzlement from a labor union and one count of making false statements in a health care matter."[20] Cullerton pleaded not guilty on August 16, 2019.[21]
Judge Robert Gettleman set Cullerton's trial before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to begin on February 22, 2022.[22] However, the trial was postponed due to scheduling issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]
On February 23, 2022, Cullerton resigned from the state Senate. He pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement on March 8, 2022.[24]
On June 21, 2022, Judge Gettleman sentenced Cullerton to one year in a federal prison.[25]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Cullerton and his wife, Stacey, have three children.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Illinois State Senate elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- Illinois State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Illinois State Legislature
- Illinois state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daily Herald, "Cullerton says he'll run for Congress to replace Duckworth," May 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Daily Herald, "Cullerton drops congressional bid to run again for state Senate," July 30, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Sun Times, "Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton pleads guilty to embezzling from Teamsters," March 8, 2022
- ↑ "Illinois General Assembly", "Senator Thomas Cullerton," accessed March 9, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cullerton for 23, "Issues," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ Tom Cullerton, "Issues," accessed October 21, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 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: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ 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 State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed December 31, 2012
- ↑ Citizen Action Illinois, "99th General Assembly Legislative Scorecard 2016," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities, "2016 Illinois Community Living Report," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "State Sen. Tom Cullerton Indicted on Embezzlement Charges," August 2, 2019
- ↑ The State Journal-Register, "State Sen. Thomas Cullerton pleads not guilty to federal embezzlement charges," August 16, 219
- ↑ Capitol News Illinois, "Sen. Tom Cullerton accused of doing little to no work in union job," April 27, 2021
- ↑ ABC7 Chicago, "Trial of Illinois State Sen. Tom Cullerton postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic," January 12, 2022
- ↑ Chicago Sun Times, "Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton pleads guilty to embezzling from Teamsters," March 8, 2022
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Ex-state Sen. Thomas Cullerton sentenced to a year in federal prison in ghost payrolling case," June 21, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carole Pankau (R) |
Illinois State Senate District 23 2013-2022 |
Succeeded by Diane Pappas (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Member City Council Villa Park 2005 |
Succeeded by - |
