Michael Casmir

From Usgs

Michael Casmir
United States Senator
In Office:
2008 - 2013
Preceded by Richard Durbin
Succeeded by Teddy Williams
Born

19 June 1966
Chicago, Illinois
Political Party Democratic Party
Spouse Sandra Graham
Religion Protestant


Contents

Childhood & Education

Michael was raised in Chicago, Illinois by his parents, Paul and Linda Casmir. Michael's father was a venture capitalist and his mother owned and operated a small business selling antique literature. Michael grew up working in his mother's small business, and excelled in school. He particularly enjoyed english and history, and became an adept writer during his high school years.

During his junior year of highschool, Michael started a local newspaper, the West-End Standard. The paper was well-received within the community, and was soon bought out by the Chicago Tribune for a significant sum of money by the time Casmir went to university.

Casmir was accepted into the University of Chicago, and managed to avoid student debts through multiple scholarships. Learning from his father, he invested his earnings from his newspaper into various promising startup firms in the Chicago area, and fared poorly on most investments. However, one of his investments paid off fanatastically, and Michael made several millions of dollars in returns.

Early Career

In 1990, already independently wealthy through further investment, Casmir graduated from the University of Chicago magna cum laude with a B.A. in economics and a graduate degree in international development. He soon began to take an interest in politics, but decided that he could hold the most influence in the private sector. He applied for, and was accepted into, a position at the Rockefeller Foundation as an international economic policy analyst. Through his work, Casmir travelled the globe, and experienced suffering and devastation that would influence him for years to come.

Political Career

By 1994, Casmir had returned to the United States and become in local Democratic politics. He swiftly rose through the ranks of the local Democrats, and was elected to Congress to represent Illinois' 4th district in 1996.

In 2008, Casmir was the Democratic candidate for the vacant senate seat in Illinois. Casmir ran a hard-fought campaign against John Pizzuto [R-IL], and won with 61.9% of the popular vote. Casmir continues to serve in the United States Senate.

In 2011, Casmir authored and introduced Libertycare, a comprehensive healthcare-reform plan to ensure universal healthcare coverage. Following on the heels of a national tour to promote Libertycare, Casmir announced the formation of a Presidential exploratory committee.

Personal Life

Casmir is married to Sandra, and has two kids, Josh (11) and Katie (8). He divides his time between Washington and Chicago.

Election Results


Illinois Senate Election, 2008
Candidates  %
Michael Casmir [D] 61.54
John Pizzuto [R] 38.46
Total 100%

External Links

Preceded by
Dick Durbin
Senator (Class 3) from Illinois
2009-13
Served alongside: Wolff
Succeeded by
Teddy Williams
Preceded by
Hillary Clinton
Democratic Party presidential candidate
2012
Succeeded by
Whitney Mason


United States presidential election, 2012
General polls · Fundraising · Debates
Democratic Party Primary polls · Primaries · Convention · Debates
Candidates Michael Casmir (Presidential candidate), Rick Hernandez (Vice Presidential candidate) · Vincent Giorelli · Rick Hernandez · Robert Hudson · Jeremy Koo · Jeffery Landon · Jiles Scott · Eric Smith · Liliam Vanleer · Elizabeth Wellbourne
Republican Party Primary polls · Primaries · Convention · Debates
Candidates Elizabeth Warren (Presidential candidate), Andrew Merrilin (Vice Presidential candidate)
Other 2012 elections: House · Senate · Gubernatorial · Presidential
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