Craig Wilcox

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Craig Wilcox

|image = Col Craig Wilcox 89th ASG CMDR.jpg

|alt = Colonel Craig A. Wilcox as 89th Airlift Support Group commander in 2011

|caption = Col. Wilcox as 89th Airlift Support Group commander (2011)

|birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|50|2018|9|27}}

|birth_place = El Paso, Texas, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|restingplace =

|restingplacecoordinates =

|birthname =

|nationality =

|state_senate = Illinois

|district = 32nd

|term_start = {{start date|2018|10|1}}

|term_end =

|predecessor = Pamela Althoff

|successor =

|party = Republican

|otherparty =

|spouse = Janice

|partner =

|relations =

|children = 3

|residence = McHenry, Illinois, U.S.

|alma_mater = Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

|occupation =

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|website = https://senatorwilcox.com

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|allegiance = {{flag|United States}}

|branch = {{flag|United States Air Force}}

|serviceyears = 1989–2013

|rank = Colonel

|unit =

}}

Craig Wilcox is a Republican Illinois State Senator for the 32nd District. The district includes all or parts of Antioch, Bull Valley, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Greenwood, Harvard, Johnsburg, Lake Villa, Lakemoor, Marengo, McHenry, Spring Grove, Volo, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock.{{cite web|url=http://ilhousedems.com/redistricting/2011-maps/Legislative_Districts_Public_Act/LD32.pdf|author=|title=PA 97-0006 Legislative District 23|date=2011-05-18|accessdate=2015-09-07}}

Early life

Wilcox was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Military career

Wilcox attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on an Air Force scholarship and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1989.{{cite book|editor-last=White|editor-first=Jesse|title=Illinois Blue Book 2019-2020|chapter=Legislators' Portraits and Biographies|page=91|url=https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/illinois_bluebook/legbios.pdf}} He then entered active duty as a Communications Officer and was selected to command on three separate occasions.{{cite interview|last=Wilcox|first=Craig|title=Election 2018 candidate: Craig Wilcox, Senate District 32|interviewer=Northwest Herald Editorial Board|type=|publisher=Northwest Herald|location=Crystal Lake, Illinois|date=September 27, 2018|access-date=December 12, 2018|url=https://www.nwherald.com/2018/09/27/election-2018-candidate-craig-wilcox-senate-district-32/agqj3aa/|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223844/https://www.nwherald.com/2018/09/27/election-2018-candidate-craig-wilcox-senate-district-32/agqj3aa/|url-status=dead}}

During his career, he served as Commander of the 89th Airlift Support Group at Joint Base Andrews.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}} There, he led his unit providing global command and control communications and aerial port services to the President of the United States and Air Force One.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}} His first command was the 52nd Combat Communications Squadron, shortly after the September 11 attacks, where he helped establish new airbases in Kyrgyzstan.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}} His second deployment was in March 2003 in southern Iraq, where his unit established the first United States Airbase in enemy territory in over 50 years.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}} Colonel Wilcox returned to Iraq for his final deployment during the height of the insurgency and commanded for a year from 2006 to 2007 at Balad Air Base.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}} Colonel Wilcox earned two Bronze Star Medals during these combat tours.{{Citation needed|reason=No citation given|date=December 2018}}

Illinois Senate

Wilcox moved to McHenry, Illinois following his retirement from the U.S. Air Force in 2013. In 2016, he was elected to the McHenry County Board to represent District 4. In 2017, incumbent Republican Senator Pamela Althoff announced her intention to run for McHenry County Board instead of seeking reelection to the Illinois Senate.{{cite news|last=Komenda|first=Ed|title=Sen. Pamela Althoff to run for McHenry County Board District 4|newspaper=Northwest Herald|date=November 22, 2017|accessdate=November 27, 2017|url=http://www.nwherald.com/2017/11/21/sen-pamela-althoff-to-run-for-mchenry-county-board-district-4/agzzygz/}} Craig Wilcox and John Reinert, a fellow Republican member of the McHenry County Board, filed to run for the Republican nomination, but Reinert withdrew before the primary. Wilcox then faced Democratic nominee and McHenry Township Assessor Mary Mahady.{{cite news|last=Komenda|first=Ed|title=McHenry Township Assessor Mary Mahady announces run for Illinois Senate District 32 seat|newspaper=Northwest Herald|date=September 21, 2017|accessdate=November 27, 2017|url=http://www.nwherald.com/2017/09/20/mchenry-township-assessor-mary-mahady-announces-run-for-illinois-senate-district-32-seat/a79hsei/}} During the general election, Wilcox was appointed to the Illinois Senate to succeed Althoff, who stepped down early. Wilcox defeated Mahady in the general election.{{cite web|editor-last=Barlow|editor-first=Sarah E.|title=Biographies of New Senate Members |work=First Reading|publisher=Illinois Legislative Research Unit|date=November 15, 2018|volume=32|number=2|accessdate=December 12, 2018|page=11|url=http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/Nov2018FirstRdg.pdf}}

=Committee assignments=

Craig Wilcox currently serves on the following committees: Appropriations; Education; Labor (Minority Spokesperson); Local Government; Transportation; Veterans Affairs (Minority Spokesperson).{{Cite web|title=Illinois General Assembly - Senator Biography|url=https://www.ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?GA=102&MemberID=2925|access-date=2021-12-01|website=www.ilga.gov}}

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2022 General Election for Illinois State Senate District 32{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Craig_Wilcox |title=Craig Wilcox }}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Illinois Republican Party

| candidate = Craig Wilcox

| votes = 45,583

| percentage = 55.9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party of Illinois

| candidate = Allena Barbato

| votes = 36,009

| percentage = 44.1

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 81,592

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2018 General Election for Illinois State Senate District 32{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Craig_Wilcox |title=Craig Wilcox }}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Illinois Republican Party

| candidate = Craig Wilcox

| votes = 43,402

| percentage = 54.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party of Illinois

| candidate = Mary Mahady

| votes = 35,936

| percentage = 45.3

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 79,338

| percentage = 100.0

}}

References

External links

[http://ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?GA=101&MemberID=2711 Senator Craig Wilcox (R) 42nd District] at the Illinois General Assembly
[http://ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?GA=100&MemberID=2518 100th],[http://ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?GA=101&MemberID=2711 101st]

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:County board members in Illinois

Category:Republican Party Illinois state senators

Category:Politicians from El Paso, Texas

Category:People from Chittenden County, Vermont

Category:People from McHenry, Illinois

Category:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni

Category:United States Air Force officers

Category:Military personnel from Texas

Category:Military personnel from Illinois

Category:21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly