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Kinzinger was born on February 27, 1978, in Kankakee, Illinois, the son of Betty Jo, an elementary school teacher, and Rus Kinzinger, a CEO of religious faith–based organizations.[2][3][4] After spending part of his youth in Jacksonville, Florida, he was primarily raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 1996[5] and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Illinois State University in 2000.[6]
In 1998, while a student at Illinois State, Kinzinger ran for election as a county board member in McLean County. He won, defeating an incumbent, and at age 20 was one of the youngest county board members in McLean County history,[7][8] Kinzinger remained on the board until resigning in 2003.[9]
Kinzinger worked as an intern for then–U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald shortly after his graduation from Illinois State, as part of a program offered there.[10]