COLLINSVILLE – After 20 years, Congressman John Shimkus announced last Friday that he would not be running for re-election again in 2020.
"It has been the honor of my lifetime to be asked by the people of Illinois to represent them in our nation’s capitol. Each day I have tried to do this as best as I possibly could, and my success lies squarely at the feet of my incredible staff in Illinois and Washington, DC," Shimkus wrote on his Facebook page.
"I will leave the political field knowing that I have served honorably and, with the help of many, accomplished a lot for my constituents, our state, and our nation."
Monday, Shimkus – prolific on Twitter and Facebook – said he is tired.
"The first question folks usually ask is 'why?' Some ask if it's because of the political environment or serving in the minority?" Shimkus wrote on Facebook Monday. "The reality is after representing more than 44 counties over the past 23 years, I'm just tired. Last month, for example, I visited 25 different communities, some of them 3 hours away."
The 15th CD is Illinois' Trump country, and the district is expected to remain Republican. So that begs the question, "Who will slip into Shimkus' vacancy?" Will it be a new face, or will it be a Shimkus staffer – as what happened when former Congressman and U S Senator Mark Kirk succeeded his former boss GOP Congressman John Porter. Congressman Rodney Davis of IL's 13th CD worker for Shimkus' staff 16 years before being elected to Congress.
At one time, former State Senator Kyle McCarter would have been the first guess as a successor to Shimkus, but he is now serving the Trump Administration as ambassador to Kenya.
A once-candidate for the 14th CD Matt Quigley wrote on his Facebook page what many in the 15th CD is thinking:
"With Congressman Shimkus retiring, it's time for a new conservative Republican to step up and represent a district that Trump won with over 70%," Quigley wrote. "Whoever that may be, I hope my friends in Effingham will help propel the right person to the job. Illinois needs more conservative representation."
