Mark Luft
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark A. Luft is an American politician who served as the mayor of Pekin, Illinois and as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 91st district.[1] The 91st district, located in the Peoria metropolitan area, included all or parts of Banner, Bartonville, Bryant, Canton, Creve Coeur, Cuba, Dunfermline, East Peoria, Fairview, Farmington, Glasford, Hanna City, Kingston Mines, Lake Camelot, Lewistown, Liverpool, Mapleton, Marquette Heights, Morton, Norris, North Pekin, Norwood, Pekin, South Pekin, and St. David.[2]
Mark Luft | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 91st district | |
| In office January 13, 2021 – January 11, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Michael D. Unes |
| Succeeded by | Sharon Chung (redistricted) |
| Mayor of Pekin, Illinois | |
| In office April 2019 – January 2023 | |
| Preceded by | John McCabe |
| Succeeded by | Mary Burress |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lelonie |
| Children | Five |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1987–1994 |
| Unit | Army Reserve |
Early life, education, and career
Luft was born in Pekin, Illinois. He "graduated from Pekin Community High School and attended Eastern Illinois University."[1] He worked for the Illinois American Water Company for 26 years.[1] He served in the United States Army Reserves from 1987 to 1994.[1] He previously "served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Pekin JFL."[1]
Local politics
In 2015, Luft was elected to the Pekin City Council.[3] In 2019, he successfully defeated incumbent Mayor John McCabe.[4] In 2022, he announced he would not run for a second term as mayor and endorsed former Tazewell County Treasurer Mary Burress for the position.[5] Luft ultimately stepped down in January 2023. In the April 2023 election, Burress defeated two members of the Pekin City Council to become the Mayor and took office in May 2023.[6]
State politics
In November 2019, Luft decided to run to succeed retiring Republican incumbent Michael D. Unes in the 91st district.[7] Luft was originally going to face two primary candidates, Sam Goddard and Corey Campbell, before they were removed by the Illinois State Board of Elections from the ballot failing to meet the minimum number of required signatures on their nominating petitions.[8] After winning his primary, Luft would win in the 91st district general election with a 26% vote margin. In the 2021 decennial reapportionment, Luft was drawn into the new 93rd district. On June 28, 2022, Travis Weaver, son of former Senator Chuck Weaver, defeated Luft for the Republican nomination in the newly drawn 93rd district.[9][10]
While a legislator, Luft was a member of the following Illinois House committees:[11]
- Appropriations - General Service Committee (HAPG)
- Cities & Villages Committee (HCIV)
- Economic Opportunity & Equity Committee (HECO)
- Housing Committee (SHOU)
- Property Tax Subcommittee (HREF-PRTX)
- Public Utilities Committee (HPUB)
- Revenue & Finance Committee (HREF)
- Water Subcommittee (HPUB-WATR)
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Michael Ritchason | 1,889 | 19.55 | |
| Nonpartisan | John P. Abel (incumbent) | 1,492 | 15.44 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark A. Luft | 1,481 | 15.33 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jason Juchems | 1,091 | 11.29 | |
| Nonpartisan | James Schramm | 842 | 8.71 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ron Knautz | 662 | 6.85 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nathan Schmidgall | 583 | 6.03 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Kieser | 560 | 5.80 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert E. Bramham | 475 | 4.92 | |
| Nonpartisan | Steve Dennis | 349 | 3.61 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles T. Layne | 238 | 2.46 | |
| Total votes | 9,662 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mark A. Luft | 2,000 | 59.88 | |
| Nonpartisan | John McCabe (incumbent) | 1,340 | 40.12 | |
| Total votes | 3,340 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark A. Luft | 4,530 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 4,530 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark A. Luft | 29,888 | 63.20 | |
| Democratic | Josh Grys | 17,403 | 36.80 | |
| Total votes | 47,291 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Travis Weaver | 7,484 | 63.71 | |
| Republican | Mark Luft | 4,268 | 36.29 | |
| Total votes | 11,752 | 100.00 | ||
Personal life
Luft currently resides in Pekin, Illinois with his wife Lelonie. They have five children.[3]