By Jerry Nowicki
Capitol News Illinois
Former state Senator Paul Schimpf, who spent four years representing the 58thDistrict and was the Republican Party’s candidate for attorney general in 2014, announced Monday he will run for governor in 2022.
Schimpf made the announcement via videoconference at 10 a.m. on Feb. 15, beginning a day of traveling the state with planned stops in Algonquin, Rock Island and Morris on Monday, and Decatur, Morris and his hometown of Waterloo on Tuesday.
In his announcement, Schimpf sought to distance himself from Democratic Governor JB Pritzker on both issues of policy and life experience.
“My vision for Illinois involves a return to responsible government, safe communities and economic growth in a free market,” he said. “We need a governor who welcomes and insists upon legislative oversight of his administration.”
A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps veteran, Schimpf was an outspoken advocate for veterans in the Senate, serving as minority party spokesperson on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. In 2005, Schimpf served as the chief American advisor in the trial of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps.
For more on Schimpf, please see this week’s print edition.