Jan Schakowsky
Jan Schakowsky | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 9th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 1999 | |
Preceded by | Sidney R. Yates |
Personal details | |
Born | Janice Danoff May 26, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Harvey Schakowsky (m. 1965; div. 1980) Robert Creamer (m. 1980) |
Children | 2 (with Schakowsky) |
Education | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BS) |
Janice Danoff Schakowsky /ʃəˈkaʊski/ (born May 26, 1944) is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 9th congressional district, serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district is anchored in Chicago's North Side, including much of the area bordering Lake Michigan. It also includes many of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Mount Prospect, Niles, Park Ridge, Rosemont, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka, as of the decennial redistricting following the 2010 United States Census.[1]
Contents
- 1 Early life, education and career
- 2 U.S. House of Representatives
- 2.1 Support for Obama economic plan
- 2.2 Women’s issues
- 2.3 2004 election
- 2.4 Opposition to Iraq War
- 2.5 Climate change
- 2.6 Angling for elevation
- 2.7 Support for public option
- 2.8 Critique and apology for Joel Pollak
- 2.9 Support for LGBT rights
- 2.10 Boycott of Netanyahu's speech to Congress
- 2.11 Product safety issues
- 2.12 Committee assignments
- 2.13 Party leadership and caucus memberships
- 3 Political campaigns
- 4 Electoral history
- 5 Personal life
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Early life, education and career[edit]
Schakowsky was born Janice Danoff in 1944 in Chicago, the daughter of Tillie (née Cosnow) and Irwin Danoff.[2] Her parents were Jewish immigrants, her father from Lithuania and her mother from Russia.[2][3]
Schakowsky graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in elementary education where she was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority.[4] She was Program Director of Illinois Public Action, Illinois' largest public interest group, from 1976 to 1985. She then moved to the Illinois State Council of Senior Citizens as executive director for five years until 1990, when she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. She served there until 1998.[5]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Schakowsky is among the most Progressive members of the current U.S. Congress.[6] She is a senior member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus[citation needed] and frequently earns ratings of between 90 and 100 from liberal and progressive interest groups.[citation needed]
Support for Obama economic plan[edit]
In April 2009, Schakowsky pointedly criticized the tax day Tea Party protests, asserting that they were ”an effort to mislead the public about the Obama economic plan that cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans and creates 3.5 million jobs…. It’s despicable that right-wing Republicans would attempt to cheapen a significant, honorable moment of American history with a shameful political stunt.”[7]
Women’s issues[edit]
As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, Schakowsky has been known for her support of women's issues while in Congress.[8]
2004 election[edit]
The Nation endorsed her for vice president in the 2004 United States presidential election, stating that she is "the truest heir to Paul Wellstone in the current Congress".[9] She was, however, not selected as John Kerry's running mate. In response to concerns about electoral irregularities in the state of Ohio during the 2004 presidential election, Schakowsky was one of 31 members of the United States House of Representatives who voted not to accept Ohio's electoral votes.[10]
Opposition to Iraq War[edit]
Schakowsky was outspoken in her opposition to the Iraq War. She was one of the earliest and most emphatic supporters of U.S. Senator Barack Obama prior to his victory in the 2004 Illinois Democratic primary election, and actively supported his bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.[11]
Climate change[edit]
In hearings held by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee in July 2006, Schakowsky expressed concern that a report from the National Academy of Sciences showing discrepancies among scientists studying global warming might be "used in a way to discredit the whole notion that our country and the rest of the industrialized and developing world ought to do anything about global warming".[12]
Angling for elevation[edit]
Schakowsky indicated interest in replacing Barack Obama in the United States Senate.[13] Before his arrest, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had reportedly been considering Schakowsky among at least six candidates to fill the vacancy. Schakowsky was one of the first figures in Illinois to voice interest in running in a special election to replace Obama.[14]
Support for public option[edit]
In April 2009, she stated her support for a public option in health insurance, arguing that it would put health insurance companies out of business and lead to single-payer health care, which she supports.[15]
Critique and apology for Joel Pollak[edit]
In March 2015, Schakowsky was criticized by the Orthodox Union after saying that Jewish politician Joel Pollak was a "Jewish, Orthodox, Tea Party Republican" at a J Street event. She later apologized for her comments.[16][17]
Support for LGBT rights[edit]
In 2015, Schakowsky was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.[18]
Boycott of Netanyahu's speech to Congress[edit]
In March 2015, Schakowsky did not attend the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress because, she wrote in the Huffington Post, it could scuttle delicate negotiations with Iran: "The prime minister wants the negotiations to end, and his purpose in speaking to the Congress is to convince us that the president is about to agree to a deal that threatens Israel's existence. He believes the president is naïve in thinking that he and the P5+1 can achieve any agreement that will stop Iran from rushing toward a bomb ... What is the alternative to an agreement? Yes, the United States will increase sanctions. But does anyone doubt that Iran will build a nuclear weapon regardless of sanctions? Then the choices will be ugly: accepting a nuclear-weaponized Iran or accepting military action (i.e., war with Iran). For me it's obvious that we must give the negotiations a chance. And, in the meantime, Iran has essentially halted its weapons program under the Joint Plan of Action while the talks are ongoing."[19][third-party source needed]
Product safety issues[edit]
Schakowsky has long taken substantial interest in product safety issues and has persistently engaged in robust oversight of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. She has often been critical of Republicans on the commission.[20]
Committee assignments[edit]
Party leadership and caucus memberships[edit]
- Chief Deputy Whip
- Steering and Policy Committee
- Founding member of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus
- Democratic Vice Chair of the bipartisan Women's Caucus
- Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus[21]
- Congressional Arts Caucus[22]
- Afterschool Caucuses[23]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[24]
- Climate Solutions Caucus[25]
Political campaigns[edit]
1998[edit]
Sidney Yates, who had represented the 9th District since 1949 (except for an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1962), had announced in 1996 that he wouldn't run for re-election in 1998.[citation needed] Schakowsky easily won the Democratic primary, which all but assured her of election in the heavily Democratic 9th. She beat out future-Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker in the primary, who finished in third place. She won in November with 75 percent of the vote and has easily won reelection four times with 70 percent or more of the vote. She is only the third person to represent the district since 1949.[citation needed]
2006[edit]
2008[edit]
2010[edit]
2012[edit]
2014[edit]
Electoral history[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. (Jan) Schakowsky | 31,443 | 45.14 | |
Democratic | Howard W. Carroll | 23,963 | 34.40 | |
Democratic | Jay "J.B." Pritzker | 14,256 | 20.46 | |
Total votes | 69,662 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. (Jan) Schakowsky | 107,878 | 74.60 | |
Republican | Herbert Sohn | 33,448 | 23.13 | |
Libertarian | Michael D. Ray | 3,284 | 2.27 | |
Total votes | 144,610 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jan Schakowsky (incumbent) | 147,002 | 76.43 | |
Republican | Dennis J. Driscoll | 45,344 | 23.57 | |
Total votes | 192,346 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 118,642 | 70.27 | |
Republican | Nicholas M. Duric | 45,307 | 26.83 | |
Libertarian | Stephanie "Vs. The Machine" Sailor | 4,887 | 2.89 | |
Total votes | 168,836 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 175,282 | 75.74 | |
Republican | Kurt J. Eckhardt | 56,135 | 24.26 | |
Total votes | 231,417 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 122,852 | 74.59 | |
Republican | Michael P. Shannon | 41,858 | 25.41 | |
Write-in votes | Simon Michael Ribeiro | 3 | 0.00 | |
Total votes | 164,713 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 98,374 | 87.66 | |
Democratic | John Nocita | 13,485 | 12.02 | |
Total votes | 112,219 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 181,948 | 74.66 | |
Republican | Michael Benjamin Younan | 53,593 | 21.99 | |
Green | Morris Shanfield | 8,140 | 3.34 | |
Write-in votes | Susanne Atanus | 13 | 0.01 | |
Total votes | 243,694 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 117,553 | 66.34 | |
Republican | Joel Barry Pollak | 55,182 | 31.14 | |
Green | Simon Ribeiro | 4,472 | 2.52 | |
Total votes | 177,207 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 48,124 | 91.85 | |
Democratic | Simon Ribeiro | 4,270 | 8.15 | |
Total votes | 52,394 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 194,869 | 66.33 | |
Republican | Timothy C Wolfe | 98,924 | 33.67 | |
Write-in votes | Hilaire Fuji Shioura | 8 | 0.00 | |
Write-in votes | Susanne Atanus | 6 | 0.00 | |
Total votes | 293,807 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 141,000 | 66.06 | |
Republican | Susanne Atanus | 72,834 | 33.91 | |
Write-in votes | Phil Collins | 66 | 0.03 | |
Total votes | 213,450 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 217,306 | 66.47 | |
Republican | Joan McCarthy Lasonde | 109,550 | 33.51 | |
Write-in votes | David Williams | 79 | 0.02 | |
Write-in votes | Susanne Atanus | 13 | 0.00 | |
Total votes | 326,948 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent) | 213,368 | 73.49 | |
Republican | John D. Elleson | 76,983 | 26.51 | |
Total votes | 290,351 | 100.0 |
Personal life[edit]
Schakowsky lives in Evanston, Illinois with her husband Robert Creamer. She has two children and one stepchild.[40]
In 2005, Schakowsky's husband pleaded guilty to failure to collect withholding tax and to bank fraud for writing checks with insufficient funds. All of the money was repaid. Schakowsky was not accused of any wrongdoing.[41] While Schakowsky served on the organization's board during the time the crimes occurred,[42] and she signed the IRS filings along with her husband,[43] the U.S. district judge noted that no one suffered "out of pocket losses", and Creamer acted not out of greed but in an effort to keep his community action group going without cutting programs, though Creamer paid his own $100,000 salary with fraudulently obtained funds. Creamer served five months in prison.[44]
See also[edit]
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References[edit]
- ^ "PA 97-0006 Legislative District 8" (PDF). May 18, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Stone, K.F. (2010). The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members. Scarecrow Press. p. 549. ISBN 9780810877382. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ "Glenn Beck Slammed By Polish Group For Butchering Schakowsky's Name". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ "Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority". DPhiE.org. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ Wasniewski, Matthew Andrew (2006). Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Government Printing Office. p. 908. ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1.
- ^ "GovTrack: The Political Spectrum". Govtrack.us. October 17, 2009. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ Zimmerman, Eric (April 16, 2009). "Schakowsky: Tea parties 'despicable'", TheHill.com; accessed October 22, 2016.
- ^ Rettig, Jessica (July 9, 2010). "Jan Schakowsky Leads the Fight for Women". US News and World Report.
- ^ "The Beat". The Nation. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 7". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ "Obama's Day in Iowa", by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, January 4, 2008.
- ^ "Science In the House of Pain". TCS Daily. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ "Schakowsky among those wanting Senate seat". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. November 5, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ Schakowsky throws her hat in Archived December 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), December 12, 2008.
- ^ Post-gazette.com, The health-care shuffle, Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 16, 2009
- ^ "Congresswoman Apologizes Referring to Political Rival as 'Orthodox Jew'". The Jewish Daily Forward. March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Yashar, Ari (March 24, 2015). "Democrat Apologizes for 'Orthodox Jew' Slur at J Street Event". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". Glhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ^ Schakowsky, Jan (February 26, 2015). "An Israel Supporter Who Won't Be at the Prime Minister's Speech". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "Lawmakers question industry influence at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission". Salon. April 5, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ "Election Results 1998 GENERAL PRIMARY". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 1998 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2000 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2002 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2004 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2006 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Election Results 2008 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2008 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2010 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2012 GENERAL PRIMARY". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2012 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2014 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2016 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Election Results 2018 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "About Jan". Schakosky.house.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Congresswoman's husband pleads guilty to two felonies". USA Today. Associated Press. August 31, 2005. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Flannery, Mike (April 5, 2006). "Congresswoman's Husband Gets Jail Time For Bank Fraud". WBBM TV.
- ^ Newbart, Dave (March 12, 2004). "Schakowsky's husband indicted in bank fraud". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ Korecki, Natasha (April 6, 2006). "Schakowsky's husband given 5 months for check-kiting: Prosecutors sought 3 years for bank fraud that aided nonprofit". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
External links[edit]
- Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky official U.S. House website
- Jan Schakowsky for Congress
- Jan Schakowsky at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Sidney Yates |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 9th congressional district 1999–present |
Incumbent |
Preceded by Lois Capps |
Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by Cynthia Lummis |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Grace Napolitano |
United States Representatives by seniority 59th |
Succeeded by Mike Simpson |
- 1944 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Illinois Democrats
- Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
- Jewish women politicians
- Living people
- Members of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- People from Evanston, Illinois
- Politicians from Chicago
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni
- Women state legislators in Illinois