Wikipedia

Dan McConchie

Daniel McConchie is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate. He represents the 26th Senate District which includes Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein, and Wauconda.[1]

Dan McConchie
Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate
In office
January 13, 2021 – January 11, 2023
Preceded byBill Brady
Succeeded byJohn Curran
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 26th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 20, 2016
Preceded byDan Duffy
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMilena
Children2
EducationCentral Bible College (BA)
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MA)
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
UnitIllinois Army National Guard

Early life, education and military service

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At age nine, McConchie went door-to-door to his neighbors offering to do odd jobs. He started his first business when he was 15 years old and a second one while in college.[2]

McConchie joined the Illinois Army National Guard on his 17th birthday,[2] and he served in the Guard for nine years as an infantryman and a military policeman.[3][4][5]

McConchie holds a bachelor's degree from Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, and a master's degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Career

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Prior to his campaign for and subsequent appointment to the Illinois Senate, McConchie served as vice president for Americans United for Life.[6] In the years prior to his first campaign, McConchie had been asked to run for public office but declined.[7]

McConchie is the senior advisor for the Public Sector division at The Shelby Group,[8] a company that works to optimize procurement operations.[9] He serves on the Board of Regents for The Fund for American Studies, an international group that trains young people in leadership, and also serves on the Board of Directors of Informed Choices Pregnancy & Parenting.[2]

Illinois Senate

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After originally running for the Illinois House of Representatives, McConchie announced he would run to replace Dan Duffy for 26th Senate District after the latter announced that he would be retiring.[10] He defeated two other candidates[11] in the March 15, 2016 primary election,[3][12] winning 36.6% of the vote to opponent Casey Urlacher's 32.8% and Martin McLaughlin's 30.6%.[13] In April 2016, McConchie was subsequently appointed to the district after Duffy chose to retire early,[4][14] and he opened his Senate office on July 27, 2016.[15] In the 2016 general election, McConchie defeated Democratic challenger Kelly Mazeski[16] with over 59 percent of the vote.[17]

On November 5, 2020, McConchie was selected as Senate Republican Leader-elect for the 102nd General Assembly,[18][19][20] and he was confirmed to the position on January 13, 2021.[21][22] On November 15, 2022, shortly after the 2022 Illinois Senate election, McConchie was not re-elected by his caucus to serve as the Illinois Senate Minority Leader. He was succeeded by John Curran.[23]

Committees

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McConchie is currently assigned to the following committees: Approp- Health and Human; Education (Minority Spokesperson); Human Rights (Minority Spokesperson); Insurance; Labor; Transportation; Chicago Elected Rep. School Board (Minority Spokesperson).[24]

Legislation

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In 2016, McConchie sponsored a bill signed into law that expanded voting rights in party primaries for 17-year-olds who would turn 18 by the date of the general election.[25]

In January 2022, McConchie reintroduced four amendments to the Illinois Constitution that he called the "Voter Empowerment Project". The amendments would change legislative redistricting and make it easier for voters to introduce constitutional amendments, referendums and recalls of elected officials.[26]

Political positions

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According to his campaign,[27] McConchie supports reforming the state's pension system. McConchie supports freezing property taxes and opposes increasing taxes. On issues of transportation, McConchie opposes traffic cameras. He supports charter schools and education vouchers. He also supports limits on partisan redistricting, and term limits for legislators.

Personal life

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McConchie lives in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois with his wife and two children[28] and is a member of Heritage Church in Lake Zurich.[29] McConchie met his wife in Prague, Czech Republic.[2]

In 2007, McConchie was injured in a motorcycle crash by a hit-and-run driver, forcing him to use a wheelchair.[3][4]

Electoral history

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2016 Illinois State Senate District 26 General Election[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan McConchie 63,432 59.19
Democratic Kelly Mazeski 43,738 40.81
Total votes 107,170 100.0
2018 Illinois State Senate District 26 General Election[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan McConchie 51,754 54.7
Democratic Tom Georges 42,924 45.3
Total votes 94,678 100.0
2022 Illinois State Senate District 26 General Election[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan McConchie 44,632 50.22%
Democratic Maria Peterson 44,247 49.78%
Total votes 88,879 100.0

References

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  1. ^ "PA 97-0006 Legislative District 26" (PDF). May 18, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "About Dan - Elect Dan McConchie, State Senate - 26th District of Illinois". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Swieca, Caitlin (March 16, 2016). "Dan McConchie Leads Close 26th Illinois Senate Race, Not Declaring Victory Yet". Northwest Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Dan McConchie Appointed to Fill Dan Duffy's Seat in Illinois' 26th Senate District". Northwest Herald. April 20, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "Sen. McConchie memorializes Army Major Paul Syverson III", Senatormcconchie.com website, May 29, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Kambic, Rick (April 21, 2016). "Republican nominee McConchie appointed to finish Duffy's State Senate term". Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Kambic, Rick (April 21, 2016). "Republican nominee McConchie appointed to finish Duffy's State Senate term". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  8. ^ "Management Team". The Shelby Group. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Overview". The Shelby Group. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  10. ^ Craver, Kevin P. (September 11, 2015). "GOP candidate for Illinois House seat to run for retiring Sen. Dan Duffy's seat instead". Northwest Herald. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Craver, Kevin (February 9, 2016). "3 GOP Candidates Vie for the 26th Illinois Senate District". Northwest Herald. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  12. ^ Graham, Doug (March 17, 2016). "McConchie Claims Victory in 26th State Senate District". Daily Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "Election Results – General Primary – 3/15/2016". Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  14. ^ Hegarty, Erin; Graham, Doug (April 20, 2016). "Duffy State Senate Replacement McConchie Sworn In". Daily Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  15. ^ Craver, Kevin (July 27, 2016). "Dan McConchie to Open His 26th Senate District Office Wednesday". Northwest Herald. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  16. ^ Craver, Kevin (October 15, 2016). "Dan McConchie, Kelly Mazeski running for 26th Illinois Senate District seat". Northwest Herald. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "Illinois 26th District State Senate Results: Dan McConchie Wins". The New York Times. November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  18. ^ "Sen. McConchie chosen as Illinois Senate Minority Leader". WICS. November 5, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Henke, Cole (November 5, 2020). "McConchie named Senate Minority Leader". WCIA. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Sen. Dan McConchie elected as leader-elect by the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus". WSIL-TV. November 5, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  21. ^ Solutions, LRS Web. "McConchie confirmed as Senate Republican Leader". www.senatormcconchie.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  22. ^ "Confirmation of Illinois Senate Republican Leader, Dan McConchie. January 13, 2021". Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  23. ^ Kapos, Shia (November 16, 2022). "New Faces Lead the Illinois GOP". politico.com. Politico. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "Illinois General Assembly - Senator Biography". ilga.gov. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  25. ^ "New Illinois Law Gives 17-Year-Olds More Election, Voting Rights". Northwest Herald. August 8, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  26. ^ Emerson, Jakob (January 18, 2022). "Illinois Senate Republicans reintroduce four proposed constitutional amendments". WICS. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "The Issues - Elect Dan McConchie, State Senate - 26th District of Illinois". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  28. ^ "Dan McConchie to Seek Republican Nomination in Illinois House District 51". Chicago Tribune. August 26, 2015. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  29. ^ "About Dan". Retrieved December 4, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ a b "Dan McConchie".
  31. ^ "Illinois State Board of Elections".[permanent dead link‍]
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Illinois Senate
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate
2021–2023 		Succeeded by
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