Steve Cox

Steve Cox is a Democratic candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 15th Congressional District (map) of Illinois. He is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Ill.). The primary was on February 5, 2008.

Bio
Steve Cox was born June 26, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee—the second son of Margaret and Jim Cox. Steve's distinguished career with the U.S. State Department began in 1964 with the humble position of clerk. Both his work and his schooling at George Washington University abruptly halted when he heeded the call of the military draft to serve in the U.S. Army from January 1967 to January 1969. His service included a year in Vietnam, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service. With his honorable discharge from military service, he resumed his career with the State Department.

In August 1971 Steve joined a restaurant development business in which his father was a partner. He trained as an operations manager and later became a construction coordinator. Steve completed an Associate of Arts degree program at Spartanburg Methodist College in May 1980. He returned to federal service with the State Department in December 1980 as a Passport Examiner. He became a Computer Equipment Analyst in March 1983 and a Computer Specialist (Database Manager/Administrator) in November 2000. When he retired in August 2003, his job title was Information Technology Specialist, responsible for managing quality assurance and monitoring data submissions for the Records Services Division with its links to domestic regional agencies and processing centers stateside and over a hundred consular posts worldwide. Steve's work garnered many outstanding performance awards, including the Meritorious Honor Award (1998), the Superior Honor Award (2003), and the Secretary of State's Career Achievement Award signed by Colin Powell (2003).

After his retirement in 2003, Steve and his wife, Nancy, moved from the Washington, D.C. area back to Nancy's hometown of Urbana, Illinois. Since then, Steve has been involved as a volunteer in service organizations such as a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Meals on Wheels, as well as serving as an elder at McKinley Memorial Presbyterian Church. Although he was prohibited from being politically active when he was a federal employee, since retiring Steve has called, e-mailed and visited congressional offices in Washington, D.C., to express his opposition to the course our government is following on the war in Iraq. He is committed to making positive changes in Congress and our government.

2008 elections
Cox is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Ill.) in the 2008 congressional elections.

Committees
Cox will be assigned committees if and when he is elected to Congress.

Contact

 * Contact Information on Cox's Official Campaign Page

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:Illinois and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * Official Campaign Website
 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Illinois’s 8th Congressional District
 * "Candidate details" Illinois State Board of Elections

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Illinois' Champaign County Democrats' Blog