Selecting “Reason No. 2” from his list of half a dozen strong suits, Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for the District 58 state Senate seat, recently emphasized how his military background informs his qualifications to serve his constituents.
“Springfield needs a lieutenant colonel, not a lieutenant governor," Schimpf said on his Facebook page.
Born on an Air Force base, military career lawyer Schimpf spent years waging war on crime, both domestic and global, ultimately playing a hand in Saddam Hussein’s courtroom confession.
| Contributed photo
Schimpf became a congressional fellow, focusing on environmental and security issues, eventually rising to the rank of staff judge advocate for the Marine Corps Installations Command in the Pentagon in 2011 before retiring in 2013 to return to his hometown of Waterloo, where he joined a law firm based in Columbia.
“My military experiences includes being an infantry officer, the head prosecutor for the Western Recruiting Region, the lead American attorney adviser to the Iraqi prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein, the environmental counsel for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and the Staff Judge Advocate…,” Schimpf said on Facebook.
Schimpf compared the skills he gained over the course of his career to Illinois’ government.
“I developed a track record of working with others to solve problems and develop solutions,” Schimp said. “Our political class is incapable of solving the problems they have created.”
Schimpf’s first endeavor for an elected position came in 2014, when he ran for Illinois attorney general. Despite ceding the election to his opponent, he carried over half of Illinois’ counties -- 68 out of 102.
Now running for state Senate, Schimpf has earned the endorsement of retiring incumbent David Luechtefeld.
“If the voters trust me to be their next state senator, I will bring new perspectives, my military discipline and my leadership abilities with me to Springfield,” Schimpf said.
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