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Full Name: Paul Schimpf
What office are you seeking? Governor
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Illinois State Senator 2017-2021
City: Waterloo, Illinois
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering), United States Naval Academy
Juris Doctor, Southern Illinois University School of Law
Master of Laws, Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School
Campaign Website: www.schimpf4illinois.com
What separates you from your opponents?
I am the only Republican candidate for Illinois Governor with a conservative legislative record where I have never voted for a tax increase or introduced legislation that would give the Illinois government new taxing powers. I have voted in favor of local control of education and a strong Second Amendment. I am also the only Republican candidate who has a record of election success against a Democrat in a major race. I defeated former Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon by nearly 22 points in my 2016 campaign for the Illinois Senate while being significantly outspent.
Illinois continues to see a parade of elected officials throughout all levels of government face federal indictments. If elected governor, what will you do to bring additional transparency and tougher punishments to politicians who break the public’s trust?
I will support and sign tougher ethics legislation from the Illinois General Assembly. I will also insist on transparency in the legislative process. I will veto any legislation, regardless of whether I agree with it, that is not passed in a transparent manner.
Do Illinois taxpayers pay too much in income tax?
The power to tax is the power to destroy. Illinois income taxes are high, but the major suffering in Illinois is caused by property taxes and administrative fees.
Should the wealthiest Illinois residents pay more or less in taxes. Please explain.
I am opposed to switching Illinois to a progressive income tax system. Since everyone is taxed at the same rate, the more income you have, the more taxes you pay.
Name one example of wasteful government spending that you would seek to eliminate as governor.
I would combine the offices and staffs of the Illinois Comptroller and Illinois Treasurer.
What is your assessment of Illinois’ response to the coronavirus pandemic? Would you have done anything different?
JB Pritzker’s handling of the pandemic was a catastrophic failure. He failed to partner with the Illinois General Assembly, understand the science of the pandemic, or follow the rules he set for the people of Illinois. The lack of legislative oversight of his policies had tragic consequences for our state ranging from the deaths of veterans in the LaSalle Veterans Home to the unnecessary closure of businesses in the Metro East because of bad data in the state’s positivity rate calculations.
Have you been vaccinated against COVID-19? Which immunization did you receive?
I received the Pfizer vaccine.
What is your position on mask- mandates and vaccination requirements to go certain places in public?
I am opposed to mask and vaccine mandates. We need to trust people and their health care providers, not the government, to make their own medical decisions.
What is your position on mask- mandates and vaccination requirements at workplaces?
I am opposed to mask and vaccine mandates. We need to trust people and their health care providers, not the government, to make their own medical decisions.
What will you do to bring uniformity to the state’s response if and when the pandemic reignites, or a new one emerges?
The uniformity that I will bring is to empower people and local public health officials to make decisions about their lives and their community. Any state government response will be fully transparent and subject to legislative oversight.
Illinois residents are experiencing higher prices in most aspects of life, but especially at the grocery store and the gas station. As governor, what will you do to help?
As Illinois Governor, I will advocate for a constitutional amendment that prohibits the charging of tax on tax. Charging sales tax on the motor fuel taxes that people already pay is obscene.
What is your plan to stimulate local businesses on Main Streets throughout the state that were hurt during the pandemic?
The best thing that an Illinois Governor can do to help businesses is to end the exodus of families and customers from our state. This will happen by reducing the administrative burdens that make Illinois 47th out of 50 states in terms of business friendliness. Businesses will not recover until the population of Illinois starts to grow, rather than decrease.
Did Joe Biden win the 2020 election fairly?
President Trump had his day in court and Joe Biden is our President. That being said, the conduct of the media in suppressing relevant candidate information and local election officials to facilitate ballot harvesting was disgraceful. Repeats of these practices in 2022 will destroy the public’s already low confidence in election integrity.
What is your position on the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol? Was it an insurrection?
Those who broke the law on January 6, 2021 should be held accountable.
Should people convicted of a crime related to their participation in the Jan. 6 riot ever be pardoned?
Those convicted of January 6th offenses should have access to the pardon process like any other criminal does.
Does Illinois have a crime problem?
Yes. As a former Marine Corps prosecutor who worked cases ranging from drug distribution to the trial of Saddam Hussein, I have the experience and professional credibility to bring stakeholders together to address the crime epidemic in Illinois.
Should Illinois reinstate the death penalty in murder cases?
Yes.
Is Illinois’ Firearm Owner Identification law constitutional?
As a state senator, I co-sponsored legislation that would eliminate the FOID card. I believe it is unconstitutional.
What is your stance on the 2nd Amendment? Should there be stricter gun laws in Illinois?
As a state senator, I voted for a strong 2nd Amendment. I do not support additional legislation that erodes our 2nd Amendment rights.
Are there any aspects of Illinois’ public schools’ curriculum that you think need to be changed? Please explain.
Illinois education funding should be conditioned on curriculum transparency. This is one of the Six Pillars of our New Start for Illinois policy agenda. Parents, acting through their local school boards, should have control of their kids’ education. The Illinois State Board of Education should be supporting, not supplanting, local school boards.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has had a number of issues in recent years including caseworkers missing signs of abuse and the agency’s director being held in contempt of court multiple times. What is wrong with that agency, and what will you do to fix it?
Like so many other agencies, the Department of Children and Family Services is missing leadership from the Governor’s Mansion that demands results and holds agency directors accountable.