In 2006, at age 24, Plummer was elected Chairman of the Madison County Republican Party, the minority party in a historic stronghold for the Democratic Party of Illinois. He was the youngest party chairman in Illinois at the time.[9][10] Since Plummer's election, the Madison County Republican Party has taken majority control of the county board, won all county-wide offices, and taken a majority of the judicial and legislative seats covering the region.[11][12][13][14]
Plummer was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 2010. Plummer won the primary[15] and was paired with the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary, State Senator Bill Brady, for the general election. The Brady/Plummer ticket narrowly lost to incumbent Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Plummer was the campaign's voice on economic issues[16] in an election heavily centered on the economy and government corruption issues.
Election to the Illinois State Senate
Plummer was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2018. He garnered over 57% of the total vote[17] in a four-way race to win the primary election. In the general election he carried every county in the district, defeating his opponent with over 70% of the vote,[18] and becoming the first Republican State Senator from Madison County in five decades.[3][19][20] Plummer has twice been reelected to the Illinois Senate.
Plummer is conservative and has the highest lifetime voting score from the American Conservative Union's CPAC Foundation among Illinois Senators.[21] His lifetime voting record is rated by The Freedom Index as the highest of any member of the Illinois General Assembly who has been scored more than one term.[13] During his time in the Illinois Senate, Plummer was named Legislator of the Year for 2022 by the Associated Builders and Contractors[16] and received the St. Louis Regional Chamber's Catalyst Award.[18] He also has been named Friend of Agriculture by the IL Farm Bureau[22] and Champion of Free Enterprise by the IL Chamber of Commerce[23] multiple times, and has consistently been endorsed by organizations such as the IL Chamber, NFIB, NRA, Illinois Family Action, ABATE of Illinois, Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Tax Accountability, Illinois Sheriffs Association, Illinois F.O.P, Chicago F.O.P., Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, Chicago Fire Fighters, Illinois Conservatives Organization, among others.[24]
101st Illinois General Assembly
During the 101st Illinois General Assembly (2019-2021), Plummer served on the following committees: Executive Appointments (Minority Spokesman), Financial Institutions, Appropriations I, Appropriations II, Committee of the Whole, Environment and Conservation, and Public Health.[22]
Bills sponsored/cosponsored by Plummer that were signed into law during the 101st General Assembly covered a wide-range of topics, with several focused on enhancing penalties for child pornography and sexual assault, as well as enhancing protections for victims of such crimes,[23][24] re-writing the Uniform Code of Military Justice in Illinois to better conform with the federal UCMJ, lessening regulations and fees on business,[25] helping the developmentally disabled, and preserving the Kaskaskia Watershed,.[26] Bills sponsored by Plummer not signed into law during the 101st General Assembly include bills on Veterans, human trafficking, enhancing penalties for criminal conduct, easing tax and regulatory burdens on business and individuals, and more stringent ethics laws for legislators and government employees.[27]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Illinois requested over $40 billion in federal bailout funds to address its significant budget deficits and unfunded pension liabilities.[28] Senator Plummer opposed this request, arguing that federal funds should not be used to rescue the state from its longstanding fiscal mismanagement and corruption issues.[29] Plummer advocated for systemic reforms within Illinois, emphasizing the need for responsible budgeting and accountability rather than reliance on federal assistance.[30]
Illinois Legislature Ethics Committee
In the fall of 2019, the Illinois House and Senate established a new ethics committee to study and recommend tougher ethical laws that might prevent abuses of power, corruption, or inside dealing within the legislature.[31] Plummer sought and received an appointment to the committee but then declined the appointment. Communications between then GOP Leader Bill Brady and Plummer came to light that revealed Plummer refused the appointment because he claimed Brady offered him the appointment on the condition that Plummer would not file ethics legislation he had drafted, a bill supported by other senators but that would have impacted Brady personally.[32] According to media reports, Plummer had openly pressured Brady to pursue more stringent ethical reforms in private Senate Republican meetings, but the Minority Leader opted to embrace "low-hanging fruit" offered by Democrats.[33][34] Plummer, a first term senator at the time, received favorable commentary from other legislators and the media for his actions and subsequently filed a package of bills focused on ethics and corruption.[35][36]
102nd Illinois General Assembly
During the 102nd Illinois General Assembly (2021-2023), Plummer served on the following committees: Executive Appointments (Minority Spokesperson); Financial Institutions (Minority Spokesperson); Behavioral and Mental Health; Commerce; Environment and Conservation; Health; Labor; Subcommittee on Children & Family; Sub. on Managed Care Organizations; Redistricting; Redistricting- South Cook County; Redistricting- Southern Illinois (Minority Spokesperson); Redistricting- Southwestern IL (Minority Spokesperson).[37]
In January 2021, Plummer was named Assistant Republican Leader on the Illinois Senate Republican Leadership Team for the 102nd Illinois General Assembly.[38] Plummer was one of the youngest senators ever appointed to leadership[39] and was the only senator from Southern Illinois serving in Senate leadership during the 102nd Illinois General Assembly.[40]
During the 102nd General Assembly, Plummer sponsored and co-sponsored several bills that were signed into law, addressing a range of topics. These included Veterans-related issues, combating the opioid epidemic, imposing stricter measures against countries with non-market-based economies, increasing penalties for human trafficking, child pornography, and sexual assault, enhancing protections for victims, reducing regulations and fees for businesses, and supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. Plummer also introduced bills that were not enacted, focusing on areas such as support for Veterans, human trafficking prevention, strengthening penalties for criminal behavior, reducing tax and regulatory burdens, supporting law enforcement and correctional officers, and implementing stricter ethics laws for legislators and government employees.[27]
Corwin Amendment
Plummer sponsored legislation (SJR 0026) to rescind Illinois' 1862 ratification of the Corwin Amendment to the United States Constitution, which aimed to end the American Civil War by preventing federal interference in the institution of slavery, during the 101st General Assembly. The legislation passed 55-0 in the Senate but was not heard at the House.[41][42] He brought similar legislation back during the 102nd General Assembly, and it passed both chambers unanimously, making Illinois the 3rd state in 150 years to rescind their ratification of the Corwin Amendment.[43] Plummer worked with several historians to address this complicated topic and sought and received support from members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.[44]
Plummer speaking on the floor of the Illinois Senate during the 101st General Assembly (2020).
103rd Illinois General Assembly
Plummer was reelected as the Assistant Republican Leader for the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus in 2023. He served on the following committees: Executive Appointments (Minority Spokesman), Financial Institutions (Minority Spokesman), Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Human Rights, and Labor.[45]
Plummer has pushed for reforms of the Illinois Department of Corrections. He has emphasized the need for public accountability, and raised concerns about transparency, operational challenges within the department, the number of staff assaults, prisoners of questionable merit being released early, and the amount of elicit drugs and contraband getting into prisons.[46] After multiple staff members were hospitalized due to possible toxin exposure at the Graham Correctional Facility,[47] Plummer called for transparency regarding the incident.[48][49] As the Minority Spokesman on the Executive Appointments Committee, he opposed the confirmation of the Acting Director of IDOC, an appointment that remains in limbo.[50]
Prisoner Review Board Controversy
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a 15-person body appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate faced controversy [51] and came under scrutiny for voting to release early inmates convicted murder(s), rape(s), and other violent offenses.[52][53] 9 of 15 the appointees serving on the Prisoner Review Board had not been confirmed by the Illinois Senate, as required by the Constitution of Illinois.[54] The Illinois Constitution requires these appointments to be confirmed by the Senate within 60 session days of their appointment by the governor. However, Governor J. B. Pritzker was allowing them to serve for up to 59 days, withdrawing their appointments, and then reappointing them days later, circumventing the Senate.[55][54]
Senator Plummer, serving as the Republican spokesman on the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, highlighted the issues and led questioning and investigations of the Prisoner Review Board's practices.[56][57] Plummer called for accountability, writing op-eds,[56][57] holding press conferences,[58] and pushing for Senate votes on unconfirmed appointees.[59] Following the murder of an 11 year old boy by a prisoner released early by the Prisoner Review Board, Plummer appeared in national media continuing to call for reforms.[60] These efforts culminated in legislative hearings and the eventual rejection of several Prisoner Review Board members by the Senate and resignation of other members of the board.[61] The controversy also prompted a shift in the PRB's approach to parole decisions. After this increased scrutiny on appointments, the board reduced its rate of granting parole for serious cases from over 40% in 2021 under the administration of Governor J.B. Pritzker to under 15% in 2024, a number more consistent to results under previous administrations.[62]
104th Illinois General Assembly
Plummer was reelected in November 2024 for a term starting in January 2025. He received the most votes of any Illinois Senator running for election during the election cycle.[63]
Business career
Plummer is president of R.P. Lumber, one of the largest family-owned hardware, home center, and building material companies in the United States. The company was founded by Plummer's parents, Robert and Donna, former school teachers and coaches, in 1977[64] and has grown from one retail location to over 90 retail, manufacturing, and distribution locations across Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.[65][66][67] In 2017, the North American Retail Hardware Association selected Plummer from an international pool of candidates to be named the Young Retailer of the Year.[68] Plummer was awarded the Lumberman of the Year award in 2020 by the Illinois Lumber and Material Dealers Association.[69]
In 2021, Plummer led the effort to acquire the assets of a bankrupt Midwest farm and ranch retailer, Stock+Field. Under this new ownership, the stores re-opened over 20 locations and rebranded as R.P. Home & Harvest, saving the jobs of approximately 1,000 people across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin in the process.[70] Plummer served as president of the company while also serving as vice-president of R.P. Lumber, and, after operating the stores and expanding the company, the newly rejuvenated chain was sold to Runnings, a large operator in the industry, in 2023.[71][72]
Senator Jason Plummer, at a R.P. Lumber location in Illinois (2017)
Plummer is actively involved in managing private equity and venture capital investments spanning multiple industries. He was formerly a partner and senior adviser at Cimbria Capital, a private equity firm focused on water-related issues and headquartered in Houston, TX.[73][74][75] Plummer also is involved in the development, management, and ownership of a large portfolio of retail, office, industrial, agricultural, and hospitality properties across the United States.[76]
Plummer is President and Chairman of Country Bancorp, a holding company with investments in community banks.[4] He serves on the board of several companies and non-profits, including APX10, a Danish big data analytics software firm; AMI Global, a Las Vegas industrial internet of things firm with operations in the U.S., Israel, and Denmark; and Zing America, a U.S.-based fintech.[77] Plummer is an investor in the Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseball team.[10]
Personal life
Plummer and his wife, Shannon, reside in Edwardsville with their three children.[78] Plummer is Baptist and previously served on the board of the Baptist Children's Home and Family Services. The Plummer Family Park in Edwardsville, IL, a $17.2 million[79] 83 acre sports park,[80] was named after the family due to financial and land donations to the city's parks department. The R.P. Lumber Center, an $11.2 million[81] recreational complex containing a regulation ice hockey rink, indoor track, and other amenities, opened in June 2022 following a donation from the Plummer family.[82]
Electoral history
2010 Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois General Election[83]
