Deborah L. Halvorson (born March 1, 1958) is an American politician who served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for from 2009 until 2011. Previously, she served in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

from 1997 through 2009. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In September 2011, she filed to run in the newly redistricted 2nd congressional district but was defeated in the Democratic primary by the incumbent, Jesse Jackson Jr.

Early life, education, and early career

Halvorson grew up in

Steger, Illinois Steger is a village that straddles the border which separates Cook County and Will County, Illinois (Steger Road is the border line). It is south of Chicago and had a population of 9,584 at the 2020 census. History S ...

and graduated from

Bloom High School Bloom High School is a public school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is part of Bloom Township High School District 206. The school was founded in 1900. A second Chicago Heights high school, Bloom Trail, was established in 1976 to offset ove ...

. She and her husband Jim Bush live in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

and have four children and four grandchildren.Illinois General Assembly – Senator Biography
/ref> She worked 13 years as a

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

saleswoman for

Mary Kay Mary Kay Inc. is an American privately owned multi-level marketing company. According to '' Direct Selling News'', Mary Kay was the sixth largest network marketing company in the world in 2018, with a wholesale volume of US$3.25 billion.

before entering public service. She has degrees from

Robert Morris College Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...

Prairie State College Prairie State College is a public community college in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is the only college operated by Illinois Community College District 515. History Founded in 1957 as Bloom Township Junior College, Prairie State College's (PSC ...

and

Governors State University Governors State University (Governors State or GOVST) is a public university in University Park, Illinois. The campus is located south of Chicago, Illinois. GSU was founded in 1969. It is a public university offering degree programs at the und ...

(Bachelor of Arts and Master's in Communication). She became a sales representative, Crete Township Clerk, and an educator at the Governors State University.

Illinois Senate (1997–2009)

Elections

Halvorson first ran for the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

in November 1996, defeating incumbent Republican State Senator

Aldo DeAngelis Aldo A. DeAngelis (March 13, 1931 – February 13, 2004) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, DeAngelis graduated from Bloom High School. He served as a public information officer in the United States ...

56%–44% in Illinois' 40th Senate District. In 1998, she won re-election to a second term defeating State Representative Flora Ciarlo 66%–34%. In 2002, she won re-election to a third term unopposed. In 2006, she won re-election to a fourth term with 70% of the vote.

Tenure

In 2005, Halvorson became the first female

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

of the

. After being diagnosed as a high risk for

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

due to

HPV Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the '' Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and re ...

, Halvorson gained special notoriety and controversy by creating a program intended to broaden access to HPV testing and vaccination. Halvorson had a public dispute with

Jesse Jackson, Jr. Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist and former presidential can ...

, over the proposed Peotone airport, which led Jackson to attempt to tie Halvorson to

Tony Rezko Antoin Rezko (born 1955) is an American businessman and convict. He was a fundraiser for Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians. After becoming a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich's successful election for governor, Rezko assisted Bla ...

. The airport has never been in Jackson's district. Following Halvorson's election to the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, there was an ongoing process, narrowed to three possible candidates, for Halvorson's successor in the

; she was eventually replaced by

Toi Hutchinson Toi Hutchinson (born May 20, 1973) is an American politician who served as a member of the Illinois Senate from 2009 to 2019, representing the 40th District. The 40th district includes all or parts of Bradley, Bourbonnais, Chicago Heights, Flossm ...

. Just before Halvorson was set to officially resign from her seat,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

was

arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

. Halvorson said, "As frustrated and disappointed as I was, I was not surprised." She also called for Blagojevich to resign.

Committee assignments

*Senate Committee of the Whole *Senate Committee on Agriculture & Conservation *Senate Committee on Transportation **Senate Subcommittee on Airports (Chairperson) **Senate Subcommittee on Tollways (Chairperson) **Subcommittee on Railroad Safety *Senate Taskforce on Alcoholic Beverages

U.S. House of Representatives (2009–2011)

Elections

;2008 In September 2007, incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman

Jerry Weller Gerald Cameron Weller (born July 7, 1957) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing . As of 2015, Weller is the managing principal of New World Group Public Affairs, a lobbying grou ...

announced that he would not seek another term, citing the need to spend more time with his family. Halvorson won the open seat against Republican businessman Marty Ozinga with 58% of the vote, while Ozinga only got 34%. In 2020, Ozinga's son, Tim Ozinga, was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

. ;2010 Halvorson lost to Republican nominee

Adam Kinzinger Adam Daniel Kinzinger (; born February 27, 1978) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district covers eastern Rockford, most of Rockford's suburbs, and a swath of exurban territory around Chicago. He is a memb ...

58%–42%. Despite her landslide victory two years earlier, this was the fifth-largest margin of defeat for a Democratic house incumbent in 2010. ;2012 In September 2011, Halvorson filed a candidacy with the FEC to run in the newly redistricted

Illinois's 2nd congressional district Illinois's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. Based in the south suburbs of Chicago, the district includes southern Cook county, eastern Will county, and Kankakee county, as well as the city ...

, against incumbent Democrat

“He (Jackson) lives in D.C. He doesn’t come home on weekends. His kids go to school in D.C." She also said that “They should be fearing me becoming a congresswoman. I represent the people who live in the (current) 11th district. He’s just nervous that I’m going to become a congresswoman because then his control is over.” The newly drawn district is just 54%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. Jackson defeated her 71%–29%. ;2013 On November 21, 2012, Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from office. Halvorson announced her candidacy on November 26 but lost the primary election on February 26, 2013.

Tenure

On October 2, 2007, Halvorson announced her decision to run for

Illinois's 11th congressional district The 11th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Bill Foster. Geographic boundaries 2011 redistricting From 1865 to 1867, the district included Bureau, LaSalle, Livingston and Woodford counties. From 1901 until 1947 th ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, after current incumbent

announced in September that he would not be running for re-election.

EMILY's List EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money ...

endorsed Halvorson in November. In February 2008, Republican nominee,

New Lenox New Lenox is a village in central Will County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago and an eastern suburb of Joliet. The village population was 27,214 as of 2020. New Lenox has schools like Lincoln-Way West High School ...

Mayor Tim Baldermann, withdrew from the race, citing other obligations. He was replaced by Marty Ozinga, whom Halvorson easily defeated in the general election. Halvorson was appointed to the powerful Steering and Policy Committee as well as a member of Veterans, Small Business and Agriculture. One of her true loves is Economic Development and Transportation. During her time in office she said that one of her main focuses were constituent services. She has agreed with the 2009 Economic Stimulus Act, Cap and Trade of Emissions, and the Federal Health Care Bill.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research ** Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management * Committee on Small Business ** Subcommittee on Finance and Tax ** Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology * United States House Small Business Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs ** Subcommittee on Disability and Memorial Affairs

Electoral history

References

External links

Halvorson for Congress
''official campaign site'' *
Collected news and commentary
from the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

Senator Debbie Halvorson (D) 40th District
at the Illinois General Assembly, 95th session
BillsCommittees
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halvorson, Debbie Democratic Party Illinois state senators 1958 births Living people Robert Morris University Illinois alumni Prairie State College alumni Governors State University alumni People from Chicago Heights, Illinois Female members of the United States House of Representatives Women state legislators in Illinois American Lutherans 2004 United States presidential electors 2008 United States presidential electors 2012 United States presidential electors Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Steger, Illinois People from Crete, Illinois

Early life, education, and early career

Illinois Senate (1997–2009)

Elections

Tenure

Committee assignments

U.S. House of Representatives (2009–2011)

Elections

Tenure

Committee assignments

Electoral history

See also

References

External links