Mike Frerichs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 74thTreasurer of Illinois | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2015 | |
| Governor | Bruce Rauner JB Pritzker |
| Preceded by | Dan Rutherford |
| Member of theIllinois Senate from the 52nd district | |
| In office January 2007 – January 12, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Winkel |
| Succeeded by | Scott Bennett |
| Auditor ofChampaign County | |
| In office 2002–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Gerrie Parr |
| Succeeded by | Tony Fabri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1973-07-28)July 28, 1973 (age 52) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) National Cheng Kung University |
| Signature |  |
Michael W. Frerichs (/ˈfrɛrɪks/; born July 28, 1973) is an American politician serving his third term as theState Treasurer ofIllinois, after taking office on January 12, 2015. Before being elected treasurer, he was aDemocratic member of theIllinois Senate, representing the 52nd District from 2007 until 2015. The district, located inChampaign andVermilion counties, includes all or parts ofChampaign,Danville,Georgetown,Gifford,Rantoul,Thomasboro, andUrbana.[1]
Frerichs was born and raised inGifford. After graduating fromRantoul Township High School, Frerichs attendedYale University and received hisB.A. in 1995. He then went to Taiwan to studyMandarin Chinese atNational Cheng Kung University inTainan while also teaching English courses there.[2] He returned to Champaign County and launched his own technology business and served on his local volunteer fire department.[3]
In 1998, Frerichs ran against then-State RepresentativeTim Johnson but lost.[4] In 2000, Frerichs was elected to the Champaign County Board and re-elected in 2002.[5][6]
Later that year, Frerichs was appointed to succeed Gerrie Parr as the Champaign County Auditor by his fellow board members.[7] As Auditor, he was responsible for preparing budget reports, maintaining financial records, ensuring the county met state and federal financial reporting requirements, preventing fraud, and improving the financial health of the county.[8] At the time, he was the only County Auditor in the state to become a Certified Public Finance Officer.[9][2] Two years later, he was elected to the position.[10]
In 2005, Frerichs announced he would run for the 52nd Senate District seat – which includes most ofChampaign County andVermilion County – to fill the vacancy caused byRick Winkel's retirement. In what became the most expensive State Senate race of 2006, Frerichs was elected over former SenatorJudith Myers by a margin of approximately 500 votes. He was the first Democratic State Senator to represent East Central Illinois since 1936.
Frerichs served as Chairman of theIllinois Senate's Committee on Higher Education, where he championed efforts to make college more affordable, and the Agriculture & Conservation and Enterprise Zone Extensions Committees. He also served on the Financial Institutions, Licensed Activities and Pensions, Public Pensions & State Investments, and the Agriculture & Conservation committees.
During his time in the Senate, Frerichs led efforts to eliminate the legislative scholarship program and advocated for the disclosure of chemicals used infracking. AfterGovernorRod Blagojevich was removed from office for corruption, Frerichs moved to have the former governor barred from ever holding office again in Illinois. This motion was carried unanimously.
Frerichs announced his intention to run for the vacated office ofIllinois Treasurer in early January 2014, after incumbentRepublican TreasurerDan Rutherford had announced his intention to run forGovernor of Illinois. Frerichs ran uncontested in the Democratic Party primary and faced Republican Illinois State Representative and formerIllinois State House Minority LeaderTom Cross in the General Election on November 4.[11]
For more than two weeks after election day, the election was too close to call. Frerichs was declared the winner, defeating Cross 48.1% to 47.8%.[12] The election was one of the closest in Illinois state history, being decided by only 9,225 votes out of more than 3.5 million ballots cast.[13][14]
Frerichs sought reelection as State Treasurer in the 2018 election. He ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and faced Orland Park Village Trustee Jim Dodge, the Republican candidate, and financial analyst Mike Leheney, the Libertarian candidate, in the November 6, 2018, general election. Frerichs won with over 57.6% of the vote.[15]
Frerichs was unopposed for State Treasurer in the 2022 primary election. In the November 8, 2022, general election, he faced Republican State Rep.Tom Demmer and Libertarian candidate Preston Nelson. Frerichs won with 54.3% of the vote.[16]
Frerichs was first inaugurated on January 12, 2015.[17][18] He is currently serving as the 74thTreasurer of Illinois. He also serves as a Trustee and vice-chair of the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI).[19] Frerichs was unanimously elected president of the bipartisan National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers in 2022. He was elected to serve as senior vice-president of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) in 2022.[3] Frerichs was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) for 2022,[20] and was also elected by his peers across the country to serve on the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers' (NASACT) Executive Committee.[21] The College Savings Plans Network honored Frerichs with its Distinguished Service Award in 2022.[3]
In November 2018, Treasurer Frerichs launched Secure Choice, a retirement savings program for private-sector workers in Illinois who do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.[3]
Frerich has invested $115 million into Israeli bonds, $30 million of which he agreed to invest after October 7, 2023.[22] Since October 2023, Frerichs has been the subject of criticism[23][24] from concerned Illinois residents and students. Activists accuse Frerichs of funding genocide.[25][26] Frerichs has previously attended the Israel Bonds Conference.[27]
Frerichs married Laura Appenzeller in 2003.[28] They had one daughter in 2008 and divorced in 2013.[29] Frerichs married marketing executive Erica Baker in 2022.[30]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs | 27,149 | 48.8 | |
| Republican | Judith Myers | 26,607 | 47.8 | |
| Socialist | Joseph Parnaraukis | 1,894 | 3.4 | |
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs (incumbent) | 32,583 | 61.5 | |
| Republican | Al Reynolds | 20,450 | 38.5 | |
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs (incumbent) | 48,493 | 100 | |
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs | 1,694,884 | 48.05 | |
| Republican | Tom Cross | 1,685,659 | 47.79 | |
| Libertarian | Matt Skopek | 146,654 | 4.16 | |
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs (incumbent) | 2,593,816 | 57.6 | |
| Republican | Jim Dodge | 1,710,082 | 38.9 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Leheney | 155,256 | 3.5 | |
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Frerichs (incumbent) | 2,206,434 | 54.2 | ||
| Republican | Tom Demmer | 1,767,242 | 43.4 | ||
| Libertarian | Preston Nelson | 90,647 | 2.2 | ||
| Write-in | 38 | 0.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forTreasurer of Illinois 2014,2018,2022 | Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of Illinois 2015–present | Incumbent |
