Jan Schakowsky

Jan Schakowsky
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 1999
Preceded by	Sidney Yates
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Robert Creamer
Residence	Evanston, Illinois
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.Sc.)
Occupation	nonprofit program coordinator

Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky (born May 26, 1944), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing Illinois's 9th congressional district(map). The district includes many of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Rosemont. It also includes a large portion of Chicago's North Side bordering Lake Michigan.

Personal background

Schakowsky was born in Chicago of Polish and Jewish origin and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1965. A longtime consumer rights advocate, she was responsible for a 1969 law requiring the printing of freshness dates on groceries. She was Program Director of Illinois Public Action, Illinois' largest public interest group, from 1976 to 1985. She then moved to the Illinois State Council of Senior Citizens as executive director for five years until 1990, when she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. She served there for four terms.

Sidney Yates, who had represented the 9th District since 1949 (except for an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1962), had announced in 1996 that he wouldn't run for re-election in 1998. Schakowsky easily won the Democratic primary, which all but assured her of election in the heavily Democratic 9th. She won in November with 75 percent of the vote and has easily won reelection four times with 70 percent or more of the vote. She is only the third person to represent the district since 1949.

U.S. Congress

Schakowsky is by some accounts one of the most liberal members of the current US Congress. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She frequently gains ratings of between 90 and 100 from liberal and progressive interest groups and lower ratings from conservative groups. She called the 2009 tax day protest tea parties "despicable."

Schakowsky has been known for her support of women's issues while in Congress, and is a close friend of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D, CA). She reportedly phoned every female partner of a law firm in Chicago during her first run for office in 1998, and has gained national acclaim for her fundraising prowess.

The Nation endorsed her for vice president in the United States presidential election, 2004, stating that she is 'the truest heir to Paul Wellstone in the current Congress'. She was, however, not selected as John Kerry's running mate.

In response to concerns about electoral irregularities in the state of Ohio during the 2004 presidential election, Schakowsky was one of 31 members of the United States House of Representatives who voted not to accept Ohio's electoral votes.

Schakowsky and Jeffrey Schoenberg in Template:City-state on the day of the Barack Obama's presidential candidacy announcement (2007-02-10)

Schakowsky has been outspoken in her opposition to the Iraq War. She was one of the earliest and most emphatic supporters of U.S. Senator Barack Obama prior to his victory in the 2004 Illinois Democratic primary election, and actively supported his bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

In hearings held by the House Energy and Commerce Subcomittee in July 2006, Schakowsky expressed concern that a report from the National Academy of Sciences showing discrepancies among scientists studying global warming might be "used in a way to discredit the whole notion that our country and the rest of the industrialized and developing world ought to do anything about global warming".

In late 2007, Schakowsky added her name as a co-sponsor of HR 333, which sought to file articles of impeachment against United States Vice President Dick Cheney.

Schakowsky has also been an outspoken critic of Blackwater Worldwide in conjunction with her vocal opposition to the Iraq War. In 2008, she spoke at DePaul University in Chicago, IL with Jeremy Scahill about his book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.

Schakowsky indicated interest in replacing Barack Obama in the United States Senate. Before his arrest, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had reportedly been considering Schakowsky among at least six candidates to fill the vacancy. Schakowsky was one of the first figures in Illinois to voice interest in running in a special election to replace Obama.

Janice Schakowsky supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform and has received a grade of F- in the Americans for Better Immigration program of NumbersUSA.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Chairwoman)

Party leadership and caucus memberships

• Chief Deputy Whip
• Steering and Policy Committee
• Founding member of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus
• Democratic Vice Chair of the bipartisan Women's Caucus

Controversy regarding Illinois Public Action Fund

On March 11, 2004, Schakowsky's husband, lobbyist Robert Creamer, the executive director of the Illinois Public Action Fund, was indicted in federal court on 16 counts of bank fraud involving three alleged check-kiting schemes in the mid-1990s, leading several banks to experience shortfalls of at least $2.3 million. "He is innocent," Schakowsky said in a statement. In August 2005, Creamer pleaded guilty to one count of failure to collect withholding tax, and bank fraud for writing checks with insufficient funds. All of the money was repaid. According to USA Today, "Schakowsky has not been accused of any wrongdoing." Schakowsky served on the organization's board during the time the crimes occurred, and Schakowsky signed the IRS filings along with her husband. U.S. District Judge James B. Moran noted no one suffered "out of pocket losses," and Creamer acted not out of greed but in an effort to keep his community action group going without cutting programs, though Creamer paid his own $100,000 salary with fraudulently obtained funds. On April 5, 2006, Creamer was sentenced to five months in prison and 11 months of house arrest. Creamer served his five-month incarceration at the Federal Correction Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana and was released on November 3, 2006.

Electoral history

Illinois's 9th congressional district: Results 1998–2008

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1998		Janice D. Schakowsky	107,878	75%		Herbert Sohn	33,448	23%		Michael D. Ray	Libertarian	3,284	2%
2000		Janice D. Schakowsky	147,002	76%		Dennis J. Driscoll	45,344	24%
2002		Janice D. Schakowsky	118,642	70%		Nicholas M. Duric	45,307	27%		Stephanie "Vs. The Machine" Sailor	Libertarian	4,887	3%
2004		Janice D. Schakowsky	175,282	76%		Kurt J. Eckhardt	56,135	24%
2006		Janice D. Schakowsky	122,852	75%		Michael P. Shannon	41,858	25%						*
2008		Janice D. Schakowsky	178,829	75%		Michael B. Younan	52,841	22%		Morris Shanfield	Green	7,969	3%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, write-ins received 3 votes.

External links

• Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky official U.S. House website
• Radio interview by professorRobert W. McChesney on Media Matters July 26 2009
• Jan Schakowsky for Congress official campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia

Articles

• Schakowsky, Jan Patriot Corporations, The Nation, January 19, 2006.
• Interview: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, BuzzFlash, February 2001
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky, The Huffington Post, archives of her posts