Victor Vasquez
Location: Lake County, IL
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives 1989-1993
Member of the United States House of Representatives 1993-1999
Member of the United States Senate 1999-present
Victor Vasquez is currently the Junior Senator from Illinois, after having served as Representative and State Representative. In 1988, he was elected to the State Legislature of Illinois representing a Lake Country district, becoming one of the legislature's youngest members. As State Legislator he earned a reputation for bi-partisan deals, but steadfast and passionate defense of his political positions. In 1992, he ran and won for US Congress in Illinois' 8th congressional district, a moderate Republican-leaning district. In Congress, he became known as a foreign policy expert, and became Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 1996. As Representative, he also advocated tax cuts and conservative budgets. In 1998, he ran for US Senate and defeated Democratic incumbent Senator Carol Moseley Braun by a 53-47 margin. He was easily re-elected in 2004 as a 'moderate economically conservative Republican', winning 59% of the vote.
As Senator, he supported tax cuts, balanced spending, but also developed a moderate record on social issues, favouring abortion rights, civil unions and tough environmental regulation. He strongly supported the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, though he has moderated his steadfast support with the war's dwindling popularity. Vasquez is also the leader of the Hispanic Republican Alliance, a caucus he founded within the party to promote Hispanic Republicans and to favour immigration reform.
