Kyle McCarter | |
---|---|
![]() | |
United States Ambassador to Kenya | |
In office March 12, 2019 –January 20, 2021 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Robert F. Godec |
Succeeded by | Meg Whitman |
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 54th district | |
In office January 9,2013 –January 9,2019 | |
Preceded by | John O. Jones |
Succeeded by | Jason Plummer |
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 51st district | |
In office February 23,2009 –January 9,2013 | |
Preceded by | Frank Watson |
Succeeded by | Chapin Rose |
Personal details | |
Born | Waco,Texas,U.S. | June 27,1962
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Victoria Ramatowski |
Children | 3 |
Education | Oral Roberts University (BS) |
Kyle McCarter (born June 27,1962) [1] [2] is an American politician from Illinois and former diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Kenya from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from February 2009 to January 2019.
McCarter was born in Waco,Texas,on June 27,1962. [2] He is the son of Mr. Calvin and Linda McCarter. He attended Muskogee High School and he completed his studies in 1980. [2] McCarter graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1984 with a degree in accounting. [3] [4]
McCarter was a member of the St. Clair County board from 2000 until 2009,when he was appointed to the Illinois State Senate. [3] [4] McCarter also served for six years on the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce board of directors,including two years as president and four years as chairman of the economic development committee. [4]
McCarter owns and operates Custom Product Innovations and Custom Coating Innovations in Lebanon,Illinois. [4] McCarter's companies outsource parts of their production to China. McCarter said,"I go to China four to six times a year to visit with our manufacturers. It's a capitalist's dream over there." [5]
McCarter and his wife,Victoria,lived and worked in Kenya for Each1Feed1,a Christian ministry that gives care and education for orphans and widows,in 1987–1988 and built Faith Medical Clinic. [6] [7] McCarter currently is the international director and Victoria is the director of education for Each1Feed1,and they travel to Kenya several times a year. [6] [8] McCarter is also a supporter of Mercy Ministries,a charitable Christian organization. [8] [9]
After Republican state senator Frank Watson resigned,shortly after suffering a stroke,McCarter was appointed to fill his place in the Illinois State Senate in February 2009. [10] [11] [12] McCarter was described as "a reliable GOP vote in the state senate." [7]
On May 31,2011,McCarter accused Democratic state Sen. Mike Jacobs of punching him after a debate over an electricity rate increase,a claim Jacobs denied by saying in a televised interview that "the senator was full of shit" and "someone who couldn't even really polish my shoes". [13] McCarter had noted that Jacobs' father was a registered lobbyist for the utility,but Jacobs' response was that "one thing he would not allow to happen would be for anyone to question my integrity." Jacobs also said this information had been fully disclosed,his constituents were aware of it,"and they would make a decision based on that". It was reported that McCarter filed a police statement over the incident. [13] [14]
After the Senate redistricting,parts of the old 51st,54th,and 58th districts were combined to create the new 54th Senate District. Another incumbent Republican,John O. Jones,was also drawn into the 54th district. However,Jones failed to adequately meet the petition filing requirements and did not appear on the ballot. After Jones ruled out an independent bid,McCarter ran successfully for the 54th district. [15]
He chose not to seek reelection in 2018. [7] [16] He was succeeded in the Illinois Senate by Jason Plummer. [17]
As of the 100th General Assembly,McCarter sits on the following committees:Appropriations II;*Environment and Conservation (Minority Spokesperson);Public Health;Local Government;Labor;and State Government. [4]
![]() |
In a debate in 2012 and later public statements McCarter publicly supported a "clean coal" plant in Taylorville, Illinois. The day after Archer Daniels Midland and Tate & Lyle, both major employers in McCarter's senate district, expressed concern about the project, he changed his position and voted against the bill. Both companies were also donors to his campaign. In response Kurt Erickson of The Southern Illinoisan wrote, "In the process, he became the quintessential politician that voters love to hate: He said one thing on the campaign trail and then reversed himself once safely elected." [18] [ better source needed ]
In May 2012, McCarter voted against a bill in the state senate that would have encouraged public schools to implement anti-bullying programs. [19] McCarter voted against the bill because he believed such programs would be used to promote homosexuality. [19] While answering questions about his vote, McCarter said, "Some of these programs are very good. They indeed encourage kids not to bully. But there are programs throughout the United States, used in some high schools and universities, that really have just a pro-homosexual agenda, and nothing but that." [19]
In October 2015, McCarter announced he would be running for the United States House of Representatives for the 15th district against fellow Republican incumbent John Shimkus, rather than run again for State Senate in 2018. [20] [21] While McCarter does not live in the 15th district, he lives close to the border and has said he is looking to move to Effingham. [20]
McCarter has received Tea Party support, as well as support from other conservative groups, including the Club for Growth. [22] [23] McCarter is running to the right of Shimkus, saying he is insufficiently conservative and an "insider." [20]
Prior to announcing his candidacy for Congress, McCarter used about $33,000 from his state campaign fund to pay a political consultant. That consultant, Elizabeth Van Holt of Isaiah Consulting, appeared with McCarter when he announced his congressional candidacy on October 7, 2015. State law prohibits the use of such campaign funds for federal races. McCarter said the money was paid for work related to his State Senate seat. [24]
Prior to the second quarter of 2015, McCarter's campaign committee never reported more than $50,354 in any quarter since the 2010 election cycle. [21] In early 2016, McCarter's campaign refunded $52,000 in campaign contributions that had been accepted against FEC rules. [25]
McCarter ultimately lost the primary to Shimkus, receiving 39.63 percent of the vote. [26]
On May 11, 2017, the seven Republican congressmen from Illinois, including John Shimkus who beat McCarter in the 2016 primary, encouraged President Donald Trump to nominate McCarter as the next United States Ambassador to Kenya. [27] The delegation wrote that McCarter's work in Kenya with Each1Feed1 has provided him "heightened insight into the governmental operations and other political, economic, and social realities of both Kenya and the larger region of East Africa." [28] On March 28, 2018, Trump announced he was nominating McCarter to the position. [29] [30] He was scrutinized by Democrats during his committee hearing and was reported out of committee on a 12–9 vote. [7] The United States Senate confirmed McCarter by voice vote on January 2, 2019. [31] [32] He presented his credentials to President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 12, 2019. [33] He left office on January 20, 2021.
Following his ambassadorship, McCarter moved to Oklahoma. [34] He considered, but ultimately declined, a run for U.S. Senate in 2022 special election in Oklahoma. [35]
McCarter and his wife Victoria lived in Lebanon, Illinois before moving to Oklahoma after his ambassadorship. [4] [34] They have two living children: Zach and Austin. [3] [4] Their daughter Amber died in 2006 at the age of 21 from a heroin overdose. [3] [36] [37]
John Mondy Shimkus is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from 1997 to 2021, representing the 20th, 19th and 15th congressional districts of Illinois.
Emil Jones Jr. is an American politician who was the President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Jones served in the Illinois Senate from 1983 to 2009, where he served as President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to the end of his term. Previously, he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 until 1983.
The 15th congressional district of Illinois is currently located in central Illinois. It was located in eastern and southeastern Illinois until 2022. It is currently represented by Republican Mary Miller.
Mike Jacobs was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 36th District from when he was appointed in 2005 until 2015. The 36th district, located in Western Illinois, includes all or parts of East Moline, Moline, Rock Island, Rock Falls and Sterling.
Elections were held on November 2, 2010, to determine Illinois's 19 members of the United States House of Representatives. Representatives were elected for two-year terms to serve in the 112th United States Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. Primary elections were held on February 2, 2010.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts, a loss of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. Primary elections were held on March 20, 2012.
Cheryl Lea Bustos is an American journalist, healthcare executive, and politician who served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elected to Congress from her district in the northwestern part of the state, anchored by the Illinois side of the Quad Cities and partially including Peoria and Rockford. In 2019, Bustos became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including Governor of Illinois and United States Senate. The GOP gained two seats in this election, one in the 10th district with the election of Bob Dold in a rematch with incumbent Brad Schneider, and one in the 12th district with the election of Mike Bost over incumbent William Enyart. The gains narrowed the Democrat margin to 10-8 in the delegation.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2018 Illinois general election and other midterm elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner ran for re-election to a second term in office, but was defeated by Democratic nominee J. B. Pritzker. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections and the Illinois Fair Tax. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who had been Senate Minority Whip since 2015, won reelection to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican nominee Mark Curran.
Paul M. Schimpf is an American lawyer and former Republican member of the Illinois Senate from the 58th district from 2017 to 2021.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 6, 2018, to elect U.S. representatives, one from each of the state's eighteen congressional districts.
The 2018 Illinois Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Attorney General of Illinois. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who had served since 2003, did not seek re-election to a fifth term. Democrat Kwame Raoul won the election with 55 percent of the vote, while Republican Erika Harold took 43 percent of the vote.
The 2018 elections for the Illinois Senate took place on November 6, 2018, to elect senators from 39 of the state's 59 Senate districts to serve in the 101st General Assembly, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2010 United States census. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, senators are divided into three groups, each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms. The Democratic Party has held a majority in the Senate since 2003, and gained a net of 3 seats.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Utah was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Utah. Incumbent senator Mike Lee, who was first elected in 2010, won re-election to a third term, defeating Evan McMullin, an independent candidate who was endorsed by the Utah Democratic Party.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, various state and local elections, and the Illinois Fair Tax.
A special election was held to fill the remainder of the term in the United States House of Representatives for New York's 27th congressional district in the 116th United States Congress. Incumbent Republican Representative Chris Collins resigned from the House effective October 1, 2019, following his guilty plea to federal insider trading charges. The election was originally scheduled for April 28, 2020, but was postponed until June 23, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 17 U.S. representatives from Illinois, one from each of the state's 17 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Illinois, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. On November 23, 2021, Governor J. B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Congressional Redistricting Act of 2021, which established the new boundaries of the districts, into law. FiveThirtyEight ranked Illinois as the most gerrymandered Congressional map drawn by Democrats following 2022 redistricting.