Lake County Gazette

State Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) looked back on his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 12, calling the experience "surreal" amid a swarm of activity in the General Assembly.

"It was somewhat surreal being sworn into office for the 103rd General Assembly at the Old Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous 'House Divided' speech in 1858," Wilcox stated Jan. 12 in a Facebook post. "Thank you to the people of the 32nd District for allowing me the privilege of serving you for the next four years."

A Republican, Wilcox was first elected to the Senate in 2018. He has served on on the Agriculture Committee and Appropriations Committee, according to the Illinois Senate website. Wilcox defeated Democrat Allena Barbato to keep his seat in 2022. He received 44,183 votes (or 56.8%) compared to Barbato's 33,587 votes.

Wilcox issued a statement Jan. 10 at the end of the "lame-duck session," in which he blasted Democrats for legislation that passed during the session. 

“With the help of Democratic legislators who either did not seek re-election or who were unsuccessful in their re-election bids, Illinois’ majority party has pushed through some damaging legislation that places our state squarely on the wrong path," he wrote on his official website. "While all Illinoisans are getting clobbered by inflation at the grocery store, gas tax hikes and exploding energy costs, Democrats snuck through an 18% pay raise for themselves and for (Gov. J.B.) Pritzker agency heads."

Wilcox called such raises "unheard of, and their brazen action shows how out-of-touch they are with everyday Illinoisans who are really struggling." Wilcox also pointed out that lawmakers had already gotten a raise in July to account for cost-of-living increases.

“While refusing to strengthen penalties for those convicted of violent gun crimes, Democrats saw no problem going after law-abiding gun owners with a massive gun ban that has the potential of making felons out of lawful citizens, while doing absolutely nothing to address the root causes of gun violence," Wilcox continued. "This bill, like so many coming out of the Illinois Legislature lately, will end up in court, where I am confident it will be ruled unconstitutional." 

Wilcox also continued to lambaste a bill "that stripped away local control from municipalities and counties with regard to wind and solar zoning and permitting. Additionally, we still expect to see legislation that further erodes local control by forcing every Illinois public school district to teach radical sex ed standards and a bill that expands abortion rights and protects those who would perform these procedures," he said on his website.