Michael W. Frerichs (/ˈfrɛrɪks/; born July 28, 1973) is an American politician serving his third term as the State Treasurer of Illinois, after taking office on January 12, 2015.

Upon graduating from Rantoul Township High School, Frerichs attended Yale University and received his BA in 1995.

He then attended National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan where he studied Mandarin Chinese while teaching English courses.

[2] He returned to Champaign County and launched his own technology business and served on his local volunteer fire department.

[5][6] Later that year, Frerichs was appointed to succeed Gerrie Parr as the Champaign County Auditor by his fellow board members.

During his time in the Senate, Frerichs led efforts to eliminate the legislative scholarship program and advocated for the disclosure of chemicals used in fracking.

[12] The election was one of the closest in Illinois state history, being decided by only 9,225 votes out of more than 3.5 million ballots cast.

In the November 8, 2022 general election, he faced Republican State Rep. Tom Demmer and Libertarian candidate Preston Nelson.

[19] Frerichs was unanimously elected president of the bipartisan National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers in 2022.