Age: 50

Home City: Port Byron

Birthplace: Cordova

Family: Wife, Betsey, and two daughters, Eliza, 28, of Chicago, and Bethany, 25, of Moline.

Education: B.A. in communications from St. Ambrose University; a master's degree in divinity earned in Denver; pursuing an M.A. in communication from Spring Arbor University.

Political Experience: Was elected for the first time in 2008 as the only Republican member of the Rock Island County Board.

Professional Background: Owner and operator of his family's farm in Coe Township. He also has been a professor of speech communication for more than 10 years, and teaches courses at Black Hawk College, Scott Community College, and Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa.

Website: www.electmorthland.com