Sara Feigenholtz

Sara Feigenholtz (born December 11, 1956) is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate who has represented the 6th District since 2020.[1] The District includes the lakefront neighborhoods of Lake View, Lincoln Park, Buena Park and the Near North Side in the city of Chicago.

Sara Feigenholtz
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 6th district
Assumed office
January 21, 2020
Preceded byJohn Cullerton
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 12th district
In office
January 11, 1995 – January 21, 2020
Preceded byEllis B. Levin
Succeeded byYoni Pizer
Personal details
Born (1956-12-11) December 11, 1956
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materNortheastern Illinois University (B.A.)
University of Illinois (M.P.H.)
ProfessionState Representative

Background

Sara Feigenholtz's political interests and activity, notably in the areas of adoption, women's issues and health care, reflect her personal experience and family background. Her adoptive mother, Florence Buky, an immigrant from Białystok, Poland, worked her way through medical school to become an obstetrician. Many of Dr. Buky's patients were unable to care for their children and this was how she came to adopt Sara and her brother.[2] Feigenholz attributes the origin of her political commitment to health care as a basic right to the childhood experience of patients calling to see Dr. Buky at the family home in Lake View, Chicago, and her mother never turning anyone away, even those unable to pay.[2]

Feigenholtz earned her bachelor's degree in political science and speech and performing arts from Northeastern Illinois University.[1] and went on to earn a fellowship degree from the University of Illinois School Of Public Health. In 2011, she completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

She worked as Chief of Staff to State Representative John Cullerton before becoming a fund-raiser for progressive causes.[2]

State Representative

Feigenholtz was elected to her first term as state representative of Illinois’ 12th District in 1994, defeating long-standing incumbent Ellis B. Levin.[3] She chose to focus her attention on health care and human services reform. She was a lead sponsor of the Family Health Care Bill. She also campaigned for the introduction of the All Kids program.[2]

In 2010, she sponsored the Original Birth Certificate Access Bill. This law provides for the release of the original birth certificate to an adopted person upon written request, provided he or she is over the age of 21.

As part of the Affordable Care Act implementation, Feigenholtz sponsored the 2013 expansion of Medicaid in Illinois. This legislation extended coverage to thousands of Illinoisans who were shut out of the health care system.

In 2017, Feigenholtz sponsored House Bill 40 in the 100th General Assembly, which will keep abortion legal in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. It also extends insurance coverage of abortion to state employees and women insured through Medicaid. [4]

Sara Feigenholtz served as Assistant Majority Leader from 2013 through 2019. She currently chairs the Adoption & Child Welfare Committee, and most recently served on the Appropriations-Human Services, Tourism, Hospitality and Craft, Mental Health, Environment, and Energy Committees.[5]

In 2018, Democrat J.B. Pritzker appointed Feigenholtz a member of the gubernatorial transition's Healthy Children and Families Committee.[6]

Special congressional election

Feigenholtz came in third place to Mike Quigley in the Illinois's 5th congressional district special election, 2009 to fill the district seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel, who resigned to serve as President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff.

Other

In 2001 Feigenholtz was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.[7]

Electoral History
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 1994[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz 16,467 73.96
Republican William J. Enright 5,797 26.04
Total votes 22,264 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 1996[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 27,659 76.97
Republican Beret A. Olson 8,275 23.03
Total votes 35,934 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 1998[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 19,978 100.0
Total votes 19,978 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2000[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 31,706 74.82
Republican Robert Huntington 10,670 25.18
Total votes 42,376 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2002[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 22,448 74.23
Republican Michael G. Weiler 7,793 25.77
Total votes 30,241 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2004[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 36,671 75.63
Republican Marie-Elana Leone 11,814 24.37
Total votes 48,485 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2006[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 23,749 81.13
Republican Richard A. Caner 5,524 18.87
Total votes 29,273 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2008[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 38,502 84.43
Green Tim Quirk 7,100 15.57
Total votes 45,602 100.0
Illinois 5th Congressional District Democratic Special Primary, 2009
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mike Quigley 12,118 22.37
Democratic John A. Fritchey 9,835 17.89
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz 9,194 16.72
Democratic Victor A. Forys 6,428 11.69
Democratic Patrick J. O'Connor 6,388 11.62
Democratic Charles J. Wheelan 3,681 6.69
Democratic Tom Geoghegan 3,342 6.08
Democratic Paul J. Bryar 1,111 2.02
Democratic Jan H. Donatelli 892 1.62
Democratic Frank Annunzio 755 1.37
Democratic Cary Capparelli 714 1.30
Democratic Carlos A. Monteagudo 521 0.95
Democratic Roger A. Thompson III 10 0.02
Total votes 54,989 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2010[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 22,272 68.95
Republican Dave Lenkowski 10,031 31.05
Total votes 32,303 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2012[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 40,397 99.96
Write-in votes Frank Rowder 17 0.04
Total votes 40,414 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2014[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 25,512 100.0
Total votes 25,512 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2016[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 43,858 75.59
Republican Gene Witt 14,161 24.41
Total votes 58,019 100.0
Illinois 12th State House District General Election, 2018[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Feigenholtz (incumbent) 46,346 100.0
Total votes 46,346 100.0
gollark: <@151391317740486657> FEAR the GTech™ Infinitary Combinatorics™.
gollark: I suppose I could just make it a compact machine wall/managlass cuboid.
gollark: I've been told it won't work if it can't transfer its full 4096RF/t out.
gollark: (±5% offense error margin)
gollark: You're probably using it wrong. 94 offense.

References
  1. Representative Sara Feigenholtz page, Illinois General Assembly website, accessed 12 April 2011
  2. Sara Feigenholtz website, Biography page, accessed 12 April 2011
  3. COSDem (September 2, 2009). "Levin, Ellis B." Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  4. NBC Chicago (September 27, 2018). "Illinois Abortion Law Anniversary Falls on Day of Kavanaugh Vote". NBC Chicago. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  5. Illinois General Assembly (November 13, 2018). "Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D), 12th District Committees". State of Illinois. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  6. Miller, Rich (November 15, 2018). "Pritzker announces new health-related transition committee". Capitol Fax. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  7. "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". www.glhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  8. Illinois blue book, 1995-1996. Office of Illinois Secretary of State. 1996. p. 410. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  9. Illinois blue book, 1997-1998. Office of Illinois Secretary of State. 1998. p. 412. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  10. "Election Results 1998 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  11. "Election Results 2000 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  12. "Election Results 2002 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  13. "Election Results 2004 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  14. "Election Results 2006 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  15. "Election Results 2008 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  16. "Election Results 2010 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  17. "Election Results 2012 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  18. "Election Results 2014 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  19. "Election Results 2016 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  20. "Election Results 2018 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
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