User:Illinois235/Jason Plummer (American Politician)

Jason Plummer (American Politician) is the Republican Party (United States) nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. He is a former Chairman of the Madison County (IL) Republican Party. He also served as an Intern to former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (senator) and in Washington, D.C. at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank and public policy institute. During the 2008 Presidental elections he served as a Delegate for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Business with a degree in Finance. Plummer is a Commissioned Officer in the United States Naval Reserve and businessman. He is single and resides in Edwardsville, IL.

Campaign for Lieutenant Governor
Plummer formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor on September 15, 2009. Plummer, viewed as an underdog in the campaign, faced five opponents in the Republican primary. His campaign focused on utilizing the Lieutenant Governor's office for job creation and other economic initiatives. He also ran on a message of transparency and changing the culture in Springfield, IL, the capitol of Illinois. He made news during the course of the campaign by pledging to refuse a paycheck from taxpayers until Illinois' unemployment rate shrank into the single digits.

Election Results
Polling Results - Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 Republican Primary:
 * 1) Jason Plummer: 237,646 - 34%
 * 2) Matt Murphy: 232,924 - 33%
 * 3) Don Tracy: 79,870 - 11%
 * 4) Brad Cole: 61,165 - 9%
 * 5) Dennis Cook: 55,205 - 8%
 * 6) Randy White: 32,184 - 5%

Of the 102 counties in Illinois, Plummer won 76 and finished 2nd in all of the remaining 26. He credited his stunning upset victory to hard work, great volunteers, and a strong message to which the voters responded. Plummer is the youngest candidate nominated to a statewide office in recent memory.

Endorsements
His campaign received endorsements from numerous elected officials, including: former Illinois State Senate Minority Leader Senator Frank Watson, State Senator Dan Duffy, and Assistant Illinois House Leader Representative Ron Stephens. He was also endorsed by numerous organizations, notably: Tax Accountability, Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Concerned Citizens of America, Black America's Political Action Committee, Illinois State Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, Eagle Forum, as well as numerous 'Tea Party' and business groups.

Republican Party county and township organizational endorsements Plummer received included: Madison County, Montgomery County, St. Clair County, Monroe County, Jersey County, Macoupin County, Randolph County, Kendall County, Clinton County, Fulton County, Henry County, New Trier Republican Organization, Bremen Township Republican Organization, Warren Township Republican Organization, Antioch Township Republican Club, Republican Organization of Lyons Township, Naperville Township Republican Organization, Wauconda Township Republicans, Milton Township Republican Organization.