Decatur native Dan Caulkins wants to bring his military and business experience to bear as a state representative from the 101st District as he is looking to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Bill Mitchell (R-Forsyth), who announced recently that he would not seek re-election.
"We need representatives in Springfield who are willing to fight for our interests and curb the insatiable spending habits of state government," Caulkins said in a candidate profile. "We cannot tax our way out of this mess, families throughout Central Illinois are seeing their tax bills increase to serve the interests of the political class."
Caulkins attended Decatur High School before joining the U.S. Army, for which he was on active duty for three years. He then went to Eastern Illinois University (EIU), where he was active in the Eastern Veterans Association, serving as president for two years. He also served as president of the Illinois Federation of Veterans in College, where he helped promote changes to the GI Bill. He traveled to the White House for the bill signing by President Richard Nixon.
Dan Caulkins
Caulkins and his wife, Jo, bought their home in Decatur in 1978, and he has worked in sales and marketing at various businesses in the area. He is a partner at Franciscan Properties, where he also serves as vice president, and a dedicated volunteer, serving as a trustee for EIU and on the board of various state and local organizations, including the Community Investment Corp. of Decatur.
Caulkin will face off agasint Dan Henricks and Randy J. Keith in the March 20 primary.
Alerts Sign-up