Saddam didn’t scare him (neither does JB Pritzker)

He sat within a few feet of Saddam Hussein — “It was unnerving” — while the deposed Iraqi dictator stood trial, ending with Saddam’s execution in 2006.

Paul Schimpf was the lead American attorney adviser during that historic trial and whenever he tells the story, as he did Wednesday before the La Salle Rotary, people “realize how blessed we are in this country.”

His next target is an election against Gov. JB Pritzker — and after staring down Saddam he isn’t daunted by the Democratic incumbent.

“Once you’ve worked with the ace of spades in Baghdad,” Schimpf laughed, “you’re just not intimidated by anything in Illinois politics.”

Schimpf is one candidate in a large field of Republicans seeking the GOP nomination for governor. While some challengers have legislative experience or military service, he has both. He is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who pursued a legal career during his service with the U.S. Marine Corps, earning law degrees from Southern Illinois University and the U.S. Army’s advanced attorney training.

Schimpf retired in 2013 as a lieutenant colonel to engage in private legal practice while raising two sons with wife Lori. He lost a bid for Illinois attorney general in 2014 but then won a seat in the Illinois Senate in 2016, a post he vacated earlier this year.

“I’m not afraid of a little bit of competition, it brings out the best in all of us,” he said of the GOP field, “but having multiple Republicans run sends a message that a lot of people believe JB Pritzker is beatable and not deserving of re-election.”

He also termed himself “the candidate that can win,” citing a Senate voting record that favored tax cuts and the Second Amendment. He pledges to unify Illinoisans while also addressing the day-to-day challenges of voters.

Local control

Schimpf said he’d rein in administrative agencies, starting with education — “The Illinois State Board of Education has gotten way out of its lane” — to give authority back to locally-elected schools and cities. Agencies should support and “not supplant” local control, he said.

Vaccines, yes — mandates, no

Schimpf said he and his family are vaccinated for COVID-19 and, “I think vaccines are part of the solution,” but he opposes mandates.

“I believe we have to trust individuals to make their own decisions,” he said. “I think individuals ought to be the ones that make the choices on vaccines.”

Supports the PNA

Schimpf is opposed to repealing the Parental Notification Act, which requires parents be notified before a minor can get an abortion.

“In Illinois right now a pre-born child can be aborted for any reason, no matter how repugnant, up until the moment of birth and it’s paid for by taxpayer dollars,” he said. “That’s an extreme position and when I’m governor I will support any legislation that moves us more toward the mainstream.”

Chip away at the pension crisis

Schimpf said he’s open to all measures to reduce the state’s pension shortfall (offering buyouts, for example) and criticized Pritzker for not allocating “record revenue” to address the shortfall. Yet, he promises no short-term solution.

“Anyone that’s telling you there’s a silver bullet or magic beans-type of solution that’s going to resolve this instantaneously is selling something,” he said. “The pension shortfall has been three decades in the making. We’re just going to have to be responsible and it’s probably going to take us about a decade to get our financial house in order.”