Gubernatorial candidate Bob Daiber

Governor’s race tops contests on March 20 ballots

Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools Bob Daiber is hoping a strong show of downstate support will secure him the Democratic nomination for Governor of Illinois during the March 20 Democratic primary election.

Chicago investor J.B. Pritzker is still narrowly leading a pack of six Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls. His closest competitors are two other denizens of the Wind City area, State Senator Daniel Biss and businessman Chris Kennedy, son of the late Robert Kennedy.

The other two candidates are Chicago activist Tio Hardiman and suburban Chicago physician Robert Marshall.

However, a few political observers believe Daiber could still snatch an historic Democratic primary victory if the Chicago-area candidates – particularly Priztker, Biss and Kennedy – split the Chicago northern Illinois  vote and downstate sees substantial voter turnout.

Daiber has continued to campaign aggressively outside the Chicago area as election approaches.

On March 3, he was the only gubernatorial candidate present at a candidates forum at the Macedonia Baptist Church in East St. Louis.

A few days earlier, on Feb. 24, Daiber told a group of Alton-area leaders at the town’s Best Western Premier Hotel, that his running mate, Chicago activist Jonathon Todd, is campaigning on that city’s westside for “a slice” of the Chicago vote.  Meanwhile, Daiber said he has teams working to build support in four other targeted areas across the state.

“I want to be the governor for all of Illinois” Daiber said.

Incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner of Chicago faces a challenge from 42^nd District State Representative Jeanne M. Ives of suburban Chicago in this month’s Republican primary.

Primary to determine 54th District state senator

A quartet of Republicans are competing in this month’s GOP primary to represent Illinois’ 54th State Senate District.  And the winner will have that honor as no Democrats have filed in the district. The four Republican hopefuls are:

• Jason Plummer, vice president for corporate development at Edwardsville-based R.P. Lumber, his family’s business,
• George Barber, the head basketball coach at Greenville College,
• Ben Stratemeyer, a certified public accountant and chairman of the Marion County Republican Party,  and
• Rafael Him, a Clinton County Board member and U.S. Air Force retiree.

The 54th state senate district is currently represented by Republican Senator Kyle McCarter, who is not running for re-election.

Metro East’s only other nomination race for the Illinois State Senate is in the 57th District —and again on Republican ballot.

There, broadcaster and activist Bob Romanik will square off against U.S. Air Force reservist Tanya Hildenbrand.

The campaign finance tracking serve Illinois Sunshine continue to rank the 57th District as the scene of the highest-dollar contest for the Illinois Senate this year.

Romanik, who reportedly has considerable real estate holdings in the Washington Park area, now officially has $824,799.01 in his campaign, according the Illinois Sunshine.

Hildenbrand continues to report no campaign funding. However, the St. Clair County Republican Party Executive Committee last month issued a statement declaring Hildenbrand the only candidate in the 57th District race to meet party standards.

The winner of the district’s GOP primary will face Democrat Christopher Belt in the fall. Longtime 57th District State Senator James Clayborn is retiring.

In the 48th State Senate District, Democratic Incumbent State Sen. Andy Manar and Republican Seth McMillan, now will both face no opposition in the primaries. The Illinois State Board of Elections struck Republican Christopher Hicks from the ballot in January, after an objection to his nominating petition was sustained.

In the 56th State Senate District, the status of Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton’s status on the Republican ballot remained in limbo at the Chronicle’s deadline. The Illinois Appellate Court, on March 9, upheld a Cook County Circuit Court ruling that removed Patton from the ballot and invalidated any votes cast for him during the early voting/voting by mail process. Patton hopes the Illinois Supreme Court this week will return him to the GOP ballot.   

Patton was the only Republican to file in the district; Madison County prosecutor Rachelle Aud Crowe, the only Democrat.

In State Senate District 59, Incumbent Republican Sen. Dale Fowler faces no opposition in either the March primary or the November general election.

Election to determine 108th District State House seat

Republicans vying to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives will square off in three Metro East-area districts during this month’s primaries.

In the 107th State House District, Republicans Blaine Wilhour and Laura Myers will face off in the primary for the right to meet Democrat David Seiler in the fall general election.  Incumbent Republican 107th District Rep. John Cavaletto is not running for reelection.

In the 108th House District, Incumbent Charles Meier of Okawville is facing a formidable challenge from Madison County Board member Donald Moore of Troy in the Republican primary.

While Meier has raised some $305,386.69 in campaign funding from contributors across the state – including Gov. Bruce Rauner, Moore’s $5,100.00 campaign treasury is supplemented by some $256,013.64 in independent expenditures, according to the campaign tracking website, Illinois Sunshine.

No Democrats have filed in the district meaning .

In the 111th State House District, Republican Wood River Township Supervisor Mike Babcock and the district’s recently-appointed, Democratic incumbent, Rep. Monica Bristow, face no opponents in their primaries.  Longtime district representative Dan Beiser recently retired.

In the 112th State House District, incumbent first-term Democrat Katie Stuart is unchallenged in the primary but already gearing up for a general election battle with the winner of this month’s Republican primary; a contest between former 112th District representative Dwight Kay Wendy Erhart and businesswoman Wendy Erhart.

With the backing of the Madison County Republican Central Committee, Erhart has overcome an early campaign funding disadvantage and now has $70,284.37 in her campaign treasury.  However, Kay still has $63,650.83 in his campaign account; bolstered by $31,977.50 in independent expenditures supporting his campaign, according to Illinois Sunshine.

The contest for the 113th State House District remains the third most expensive race for the Illinois General Assembly this year, according to Illinois Sunshine. Incumbent, Democratic State Rep. Jay Hoffman and Republican challenger Douglas Jameson have now raised a total of $1,053,264.72 in campaign contributions; however, Rep. Hoffman accounts for $1,029,617.51 of that.

In the 114th State House District, neither incumbent Democratic Rep. LaToya Greenwood nor Republican Jason Madlock face opposition in the primary.

Likewise, in the 116th State House District neither incumbent Rep. Jerry Costello, a Democrat, nor Republican David Friess have competition on the primary ballot.

A five-mile stretch of Interstate 57 between Johnston City and Pond Creek near Carbondale is tagged to undergo widening.

Funding to add lanes, safety improvements to I-57

The state of Illinois is receiving a $7.6 million federal grant to add lanes and help ease the flow of traffic in an often-congested, five-mile stretch of Interstate 57 between Johnston City and Pond Creek.

“These improvements will have a huge impact on the safety, reliability and efficiency on a key segment of I-57,” said Gov. Bruce Rauner.

“Interstate 57 is critical to the economy of our state and a major reason why Illinois is the freight capital of the Midwest,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We are pleased that this overdue project can proceed.”

The funds will be used to add a new lane in each direction, resurface existing lanes and install new pavement markings, rumble strips, guardrails and median barriers to prevent crossover crashes.

“This grant is truly a win-win,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Bost. “It not only will improve safety along a dangerous stretch of highway between Marion and Mount Vernon, but also has the potential to lead to economic development around Benton and other points in between.”

The interstate is vital to the nation’s freight network. Approximately 39,300 vehicles travel I-57 through Williamson and Franklin counties each day, nearly a third of which is truck traffic. That number can surge to more than 65,000 vehicles a day during high-travel periods in the summer, causing traffic backups that spill onto surrounding local roads and creating gridlock throughout the region.

Improving this stretch of I-57 will greatly boost safety while enhancing the flow of commerce.

The total estimated cost of construction is $12.7 million. Construction is to begin in Spring 2019 and end in late 2020.

–Metro East News Briefs–