Sue Rezin


Sue Rezin is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 38th district since her appointment in December 2010. The 38th district includes Bureau, Putnam, LaSalle, Grundy, and Kendall counties in north central Illinois.

Early and personal life

Susan M. Rezin was born October 27, 1962. She was raised on a farm near Geneseo, Illinois. She is a graduate of Augustana College, and managed her family’s real estate business. Rezin and her husband, Keith, have four children. They reside in Morris, Illinois.

Illinois Senate

In the 2010 general election, Rezin defeated incumbent Democratic legislator Careen Gordon to serve from the 75th district in the 97th Illinois General Assembly. On December 10, 2010, Gary G. Dahl resigned from the Illinois Senate. The Legislative Committee of the Republican Party of the 38th District chose Rezin to fill the vacancy created by Dahl's resignation. Rezin was sworn into office on December 14, 2010. As no one can serve in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly, the Republican Representative Committee of the 75th Representative District appointed Pam Roth, the president of the Saratoga School Board, to serve in the 97th General Assembly in lieu of Rezin.
In 2015, she was appointed assistant leader in the Senate GOP Caucus. In 2021, Rezin was appointed Deputy Leader of the Senate GOP caucus. Rezin currently serves on the following committees: Early Childhood Education ; Education; Energy and Public Utilities; Executive; Health and Human Services; Procurement; EX Consolidation; Tobacco; EX Special Issues.

Other work

On a national level, Senator Rezin is an active member of the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is a bipartisan organization that brings legislators and staff from across the county together to collaborate and share information to help craft the best solutions to problems states face. Senator Rezin currently serves on NCSL’s 63-member Executive Committee and Task Force on Energy Supply. Rezin also serves on the board of directors for the National Foundation for Women Legislators.

2020 Congressional campaign

On July 9, 2019, Rezin announced that she would be a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 14th congressional district in 2020 — even though a resident of the 16th — and planned on unseating first-term incumbent Democrat Lauren Underwood. She was narrowly defeated in the March 2020 Republican primary by fellow state Senator Jim Oberweis.

Electoral history