Keith P. Sommer (born September 6, 1946) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1999. Sommer currently represents the 88th district which includes the cities of Morton, Washington, and Bloomington.

Early life and career

Sommer was born September 6, 1946, in

Morton, Illinois Morton is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,117 at the 2020 census. Morton is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located southeast of Peoria. The commun ...

. He earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in government from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. Sommer previously served as a Tazewell County Board member from 1994 to 1998, Tazewell County

Recorder of Deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...

from 1984 to 1988, and a

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

Village Board member from 1977 to 1986. His brother

Roger Sommer Roger Sommer (4 August 1877 in Pierrepont, France – 14 April 1965 at Sainte-Maxime) was a French aviator. Born to Alfred Sommer, a Belgian industrialist, Roger Sommer became involved with aviation from an early age. He broke the record for ...

served in the Illinois Senate.

Legislative career

On July 31, 2017, Sommer was appointed a member of the Trade Policy Task Force for a term ending December 31, 2018. The Trade Policy Task Force's function is to analyze important issues relative to the growth of international trade and make recommendations to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, the

United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting American trade policy. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it is headed by the ...

, and the

White House National Trade Council The National Trade Council (NTC) of the United States was the principal forum used by the President of the United States to advise on strategies in trade negotiations, coordinate with other agencies to assess U.S. manufacturing capabilities and the ...

regarding trade policy. The Task Force also promotes Illinois as a market for exporting and importing. Sommer did not seek reelection in the 2022 general election and resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives after the election. Representative-elect Bill Hauter was named to finish Sommer’s term in the 88th district. As of July 3, 2022, Representative Sommers was a member of the following Illinois House committees: * Adoption & Child Welfare Committee (HACW) * Economic Opportunity & Equity Committee (HECO) * Insurance Committee (HINS) * International Trade & Commerce Committee (HITC)

Voting record

* 2003 - Voted for allowing the children of immigrants to pay the same college tuition rates as their high school graduation class peers. * 2005 - Voted against a law that would limit the practice of

pension spiking Pension spiking, sometimes referred to as "salary spiking", is the process whereby public sector employees are granted large raises, bonuses, incentives or otherwise artificially inflate their compensation in the time immediately preceding retiremen ...

. * 2007 - Voted to prohibit the State Board of Education or local school boards from giving taxpayer support toward virtual/online education. * 2009 - Voted to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich. * 2009 - Voted against requiring political candidates to claim legal expenses under campaign finance. * 2011 - Voted against the expansion of gambling. * 2012 - Voted to allow citizens to record the actions of the police in public areas. * 2012 - Voted to make plastic bag manufacturers responsible for recycling of the bags they produce. * 2012 - Voted against easing access to early release for good conduct for prisoners. * 2013 - Voted against state marriage laws applying equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples and their children. * 2014 - Voted against Illinois' ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. * 2015 - Introduced and voted for legislation to make Pumpkin Pie the official state pie of Illinois. * 2017 - Voted against legislation requiring a school district to make feminine hygiene products available. * 2018 - Voted against Illinois' ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. * 2019 - Voted against legalizing

recreational marijuana Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

in Illinois.

Electoral history

2012 Illinois House campaign

On March 20, 2012, Sommer won the Republican primary against opponent Steve Perry with 72% of the votes. Sommer was uncontested in the general election, and was re-elected on November 6, 2012.

2018 Illinois House campaign

In the 2018 Illinois legislative election, Sommer faced an opponent in a general election for the first time since 2008. Sommer won the election against

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Jill Blair with 58.7% of votes. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary election.

2020 Illinois House campaign

Sommer won re-election in the 2020 Illinois legislative election against Libertarian Ken Allison and

Karla Bailey-Smith, earning 60.1% of votes. Allison and Bailey-Smith earned 4.4% and 35.4% of votes, respectively. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary election.

References

External links

Representative Keith P. Sommer (R) 106th District
at the Illinois General Assembly ** By session
98th97th96th95th94th93rd
*
Rep. Keith P. Sommer
at Illinois House Republicans {{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer, Keith P. Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 1946 births Living people Politicians from Peoria, Illinois University of Virginia alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Morton, Illinois County board members in Illinois Illinois city council members