John Mondy Shimkus is an American politician who served as a US representative from 1997 to 2021, representing the 20th, 19th and 15th congressional districts of Illinois.
28 Facts About John Shimkus
2.
John Shimkus is the son of Kathleen N and Gene L Shimkus.
3.
John Shimkus earned his bachelor's degree at the United States Military Academy.
4.
John Shimkus served overseas with the 54th Infantry Regiment in West Germany.
5.
John Shimkus earned a teaching certificate from Christ College Irvine and began teaching at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville.
6.
John Shimkus earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1987.
7.
John Shimkus first ran for office in 1989, when he was elected a Collinsville Township trustee.
8.
In 1994, John Shimkus became the first Republican to be re-elected as county treasurer in 60 years.
9.
John Shimkus was a key leader in the effort to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was amended in 2016 by the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act.
10.
John Shimkus voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
11.
John Shimkus has quoted the Bible to allay concerns of global warming induced rise in sea levels, stating that God had promised mankind through Noah that the earth would never again be destroyed by a flood.
12.
John Shimkus acknowledged that climate change is real, but questioned the benefit of spending taxpayer money on "something that you cannot stop versus the changes that have been occurring forever".
13.
John Shimkus has been a proponent of legislation to increase the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to institute recalls of tainted foods.
14.
John Shimkus has served as one of the chief Republican negotiators on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by the president.
15.
In May 2013, John Shimkus stated he would renew his support for the Keystone Pipeline.
16.
John Shimkus spoke positively of President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail immigration from specified countries until better screening methods are devised.
17.
John Shimkus has a "D" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.
18.
Shimkus won a crowded six-way primary, and faced State Representative Jay C Hoffman in a close general election, which Shimkus won by just over 1,200 votes.
19.
John Shimkus faced only one credible Democratic opponent since his initial reelection, in 2002.
20.
John Shimkus announced in September 2005, that he would run for reelection in 2008, despite making a pledge when first elected in 1996 not to stay in office for more than 12 years.
21.
In 2012, John Shimkus' district was renumbered as the 15th district after Illinois lost another district.
22.
John Shimkus was reelected four more times from this district with over 70 percent of the vote.
23.
When seeking his 11th term in 2016, John Shimkus faced Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter in the Republican primary.
24.
McCarter ran to the political right of John Shimkus and criticized his accommodation with the Obama administration as well as national Republican party leadership.
25.
John Shimkus earlier said he was considering removing Valente, but he did not want to act too quickly because it might suggest there was something improper about their relationship.
26.
The was disbanded after the 2000 census due to reapportionment and Illinois' loss of a US House seat, which is why Shimkus faced David D Phelps, incumbent of the 19th district, in the 2002 election.
27.
The 19th district was disbanded after the 2010 census, so John Shimkus ran in the redistricted 15th district.
28.
John Shimkus has been married to the former Karen Muth since 1987.