Daniel Swanson
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Daniel Swanson
|image = Dan Swanson Receives Award 2025.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Swanson in 2025
|birth_date ={{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1959|07|30}}}}
|birth_place = Woodhull, Illinois
|death_date =
|death_place =
|restingplace =
|restingplacecoordinates =
|birthname =
|nationality =
| office = Member of the
Illinois House of Representatives
| term_start = {{start date|2017|01|11}}
| term_end =
| preceded = Donald L. Moffitt
| succeeded =
| constituency = 71st district (2023-present)
74th district (2017-2023)
|party = Republican
|otherparty =
|spouse =
|partner =
|relations =
|children = Two
|residence = Woodhull, Illinois
|alma_mater =
|occupation =
|profession = Farmer
|committees =
|religion =
|signature =
|signature_alt=
|website =
|footnotes =
|allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
|branch = {{flag|United States Army}}
|serviceyears = 1977-2001, 2007-2008
|rank = Lieutenant Colonel
|unit = Illinois Army National Guard
}}
Daniel M. Swanson (born July 30, 1959) is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 71st district located in west-central Illinois. Swanson has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since January 11, 2017 and serves as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the 103rd General Assembly.
Early life and career
Daniel M. Swanson was born July 30, 1959 in Woodhull, Illinois.{{cite book|editor-last=Sarti|editor-first=Angela|chapter=Legislators' Portraits and Biographies|title=Illinois Blue Book 2017-2018|publisher=Illinois Secretary of State|location=Springfield, Illinois|access-date=April 30, 2025|url=https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/illinois_bluebook/legbios.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212622/https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/illinois_bluebook/legbios.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |via=Internet Archive}} Swanson earned an associate’s degree from Black Hawk College and a bachelor of arts from Western Illinois University. He served in the United States Army, including a deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has also served in the Illinois Army National Guard.{{cite journal|editor-last1=Miller|editor-first1=David R.|editor-last2=Bazan|editor-first2=Thomas J.|title=Biographies of New House Members|journal=First Reading|volume=30|number=2|page=6|publisher=ILGA Legislative Research Unit|location=Springfield, Illinois|access-date=April 30, 2025|url=https://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/Nov2016FirstRdg.pdf}} He served on the AlWood Community District #225 Board of Education for seventeen years including time as its secretary and was a member of the Henry County Board from 2010 to 2014.{{cite news|last=Hobe|first=Marty|title=74th District Illinois House - GOP candidate in Galesburg this afternoon|newspaper=Galesburg Register-Mail|date=September 25, 2015|page=5|via=NewsBank}} At the time he announced his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representatives, he was the superintendent of the Henry County Veterans Commission and a Republican Committeeman for Oxford Township.
Illinois House of Representatives
In 2015, Republican incumbent Donald L. Moffitt announced he would not seek reelection to the Illinois House of Representatives from the 74th district in the 2016 election. In September 2015, Swanson announced his candidacy for the 74th district. The 74th district, at the time, included all or parts of Bureau, Henry County, Illinois, Knox, Lee, and Mercer counties.{{cite web|author=Veeneman, Drew|title=74th House District |publisher=precinctmaps.com |access-date=April 30, 2025| url-status=usurped |url=http://www.precinctmaps.com/maps/GA/House2011/74thHouse.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108040307/http://www.precinctmaps.com/maps/GA/House2011/74thHouse.pdf|archive-date=November 8, 2012}} In the primary, Swanson received the endorsement of former Congressman Bobby Schilling and of the Illinois Federation for Right to Life. He won the three-way primary with 49% of the vote.{{cite news|last=Hobe|first=Marty|title=Swanson on top for GOP bid - Will face Bill Buts in November|newspaper=Galesburg Register-Mail|date=March 16, 2016|page=1|via=NewsBank}} He then won the general election against Democratic candidate and attorney Bill Butts and was sworn into the 100th Illinois General Assembly on January 11, 2017.
In the 2021 decennial reapportionment, Swanson was drawn into the redrawn 71st district. The district, running from Rock Island County in the north to McDonough County in the south and retained portions of western Henry County and eastern Mercer and Knox counties previously in the 74th district, while adding portions of Warren County.{{cite web|title=Maps of Districts of the Illinois House of Representatives (2023-2033)|publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections|date=July 16, 2022|url=https://archive.org/details/2022-house-map-series-layout-reduce/page/70/mode/2up?q=71|page=71|access-date=November 14, 2022}} While the new 71st district was far friendlier to Democratic candidates than the previous 74th district,{{cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Scott|title=Statewide Race By State Representative Districts|publisher=Illinois Election Data|date=July 1, 2021|access-date=April 30, 2025|url=https://illinoiselectiondata.com/analysis/precinct/statewidebystaterep.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228194254/https://illinoiselectiondata.com/analysis/precinct/statewidebystaterep.php|archive-date=February 28, 2024|url-status=live}} Swanson won reelection in 2022 with 62.14% of the vote to his opponent’s 37.86% of the vote, as similar margin as his previous victories.{{cite book|editor-last=Matthews|editor-first=Bernadette M.|title=Official Canvass General Election November 8, 2022|date=December 5, 2022|access-date=December 5, 2022|publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections|location=Springfield, Illinois|url=https://archive.org/details/2022-official-vote-totals-book}}
In 2022, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin appointed Swanson to the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, the Military Economic Development Committee, the State Procurement Task Force.{{cite web|editor-last=Gruber|editor-first=Amanda|title=Expiration and Vacancies of the Governor|work=Expiration and Vacancy Report for the Governor of Illinois|publisher=Illinois Legislative Research Unit|date=January 2025|access-date=April 30, 2025|pages=154, 304, and 340|url=http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/Gov.pdf|archive-date=February 4, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250204141557/http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/Gov.pdf}} At the beginning of the 103rd Illinois General Assembly, in a rare committee appointment that crossed party lines, Speaker Chris Welch (D-Westchester) chose Swanson to serve as the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.{{cite news|last=Aubrey|first=Jade|title=Republican picked to chair Illinois House veterans committee 'overwhelmed with emotions'|date=January 24, 2025|newspaper=Capitol News Illinois|access-date=April 30, 2025|url=https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/republican-picked-to-chair-illinois-house-veterans-committee/}}
=Electoral history=
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2018 Illinois House of Representatives election, 74th District
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Illinois Republican Party
| candidate = Daniel Swanson (incumbent)
| votes = 36925
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 36925
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Illinois Republican Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2020 Illinois House of Representatives election, 74th District{{cite book|last=Sandvoss|first=Steven S. (Director)|date=December 4, 2020|title=Official Canvass General Election November 3, 2020|page=88|location=Springfield, Illinois|publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections|access-date=December 5, 2022|url=https://archive.org/details/2020geofficialvote-638258833563086509|via=Internet Archive}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Illinois Republican Party
| candidate = Dan Swanson (incumbent)
| votes = 39239
| percentage = 70.97
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party of Illinois
| candidate = Christopher Demink
| votes = 16054
| percentage = 29.03
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 55293
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Illinois Republican Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2022 Illinois House of Representatives election, 71st District
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Illinois Republican Party
| candidate = Dan Swanson
| votes = 23070
| percentage = 62.14
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party of Illinois
| candidate = Christopher Demink
| votes = 14058
| percentage = 37.86
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 37128
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Illinois Republican Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change| title=2024 Illinois House of Representatives election, 71st District
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = Daniel Swanson (incumbent)
| votes = 37,528
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
| winner = Republican Party (US)
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?GA=100&MemberID=2501 Profile] at Illinois General Assembly
{{Illinois House of Representatives |state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, Daniel}}
Category:Black Hawk College alumni
Category:Western Illinois University alumni
Category:People from Henry County, Illinois
Category:Military personnel from Illinois
Category:Farmers from Illinois
Category:Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Category:County board members in Illinois
Category:21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly