Dan Rutherford has been Treasurer of Illinois since 2010.  From 2003 to 2010, Rutherford served in the Illinois State Senate, representing the 53d district, where he was also Assistant Minority Leader.
While in the Illinois Senate, Rutherford distinguished himself by, among other things, being the only GOP lawmaker to vote yes on the civil unions legislation before it headed to Governor Quinn’s desk.  Before becoming a senator, Rutherford was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003.  From 1978 to 1980, Rutherford served as a legislative assistant to State Representative Tom Ewing, and during the 1980s, he worked for Service Master, where he eventually became responsible for the expansion of Service Master's businesses internationally.  Mr. Rutherford holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Illinois State University.

According to ballotpedia, "On May 23, 2011, Rutherford said he could not support adding to Illinois's burgeoning debt.  He released his own report that states Illinois's total debt would cost every household in the state $42,000. Rutherford arrived at the number by adding Illinois’s $140 billion in unfunded pension and health-care liabilities, the state’s $45 billion bond debt, and the nearly $8 billion in unpaid bills. The treasurer said lawmakers must cut spending and live within their means in order for Illinois to pay off the debt. 'You can’t borrow any more money,' said Rutherford. 'And if I need to send letters to the rating companies to tell them the treasurer of Illinois is opposed to any more borrowing, I’ll go ahead and do that.'  Rutherford said alerting national rating agencies and bond houses could make it more expensive for Illinois to borrow.  He said he hopes that step would give lawmakers pause before asking for a billion dollars.  Rutherford, along with Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, came under criticism in September 2011 for giving pay raises during a fiscal crisis. Topinka gave 56 employees raises of at least 3 percent and several employees raises up to 15 percent.  Rutherford gave out 19 raises averaging 16 percent increases. The issue came to light by an analysis of payroll records by the Better Government Association, a Chicago nonprofit group."