2018 Primary Election Picks

There are several contested primary races for the Illinois General Assembly due in part to the number of retiring members of the General Assembly. Turnover in such a legislative body is welcomed, but not if the new candidates turn out to be influenced by Leftist ideology which puts them on the wrong side of legislation that impacts the family.

We strongly encourage you to vote in the March 20th primary election. Prior to going to the polls, make sure that you know where your candidates stand on life, marriage (defined by God), and religious freedom.

For that reason, Illinois Family Action is today announcing its list of “endorsed” and “recommended” candidates. The difference between endorsed candidates and recommended candidates is that the latter fall short of our endorsement but get a nod as the better candidate in the race.

The premier contest in Illinois this spring is in the Republican gubernatorial primary, where West Point graduate, mother of five and economic and social conservative Jeanne Ives takes on the incumbent governor who has signed too many Leftist inspired bills and failed to lead on the state budget. IFA enthusiastically endorses Jeanne Ives for Governor.

There are two U.S. House primary contests, and in one IFA endorses the incumbent, in the other, the challenger to the incumbent. In the 18th District IFA endorses Congressman Darin LaHood, whose voting record on pro-family issues continues to be solid. In the 16th District, IFA endorses businessman James Marter who is challenging an incumbent whose voting record that has repeatedly disappointed IFA supporters.

In the Illinois House of Representatives, long-time Republican activist Mickey Straub, a small business owner who also happens to be the mayor of the Village of Burr Ridge, is challenging the House Republican leader.  Minority Leader Jim Durkin, a 20 year incumbent of the 92nd District, has proven to be unreliable on key social issues. Illinois Republican leadership in the General Assembly has been abysmal for many years, and what more can be said when Durkin even voted to make it easier for gender-dysphoric persons to obtain fraudulent birth certificates? Staub on the other hand, is a man of deep faith and patriotism, has been involved in pro-life and pro-family activities and has actively supported other conservative candidates running for office.

For this reason and many others, IFA endorses Mickey Straub, a pro-family conservative that is interested in cutting taxes and reducing spending.

In addition to Illinois House races, there is one Illinois State Senate race in which we make an endorsement.  In this race for the 54th Senate District there are a number of great candidates running, which made our decision more difficult.  However, in this race the nod goes to Jason Plummer. Plummer is a businessman and former statewide candidate, Republican County Chairman and a solid advocate of pro-family issues. He is running fill the seat being vacated by social and economic conservative hero Kyle McCarter, who is keeping his self-imposed term limit promise to the voters .

We also want to highlight Dwight Kay in his run for his former seat in the 112th District the Metro-East St. Louis area of Illinois. Kay defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2011 and served with honor and distinction in the Illinois House for three terms.  In 2016, left-wing Democrat Katie Stuart won a narrow victory to take the legislative seat. She has voted for taxpayer funding of abortion (HB 40) and she voted to approve transgender birth certificates (HB 1785).  Dwight Kay would have vigorously opposed these radical proposals.

This primary election is critical for the direction of life, marriage, and family issues in Illinois. We support these candidates because they have articulated personal commitment to pro-life and pro-marriage principles, or have a proven public-voting record that demonstrates a commitment to these bedrock principles.

We look forward to working with these candidates to advance pro-family policies once they are in office.  Below is a comprehensive list of our picks:

Illinois Statewide Races:

Governor – Jeanne Ives 

Illinois General Assembly Races:

State Senate Dist. 54 – Jason Plummer

State Rep. Dist. 42 – Amy Grant

State Rep. Dist. 46 – Jay Kinzler

State Rep. Dist. 49 – Tonia Khouri

State Rep. Dist. 53 – Katie Miller

State Rep. Dist. 62 – Ken Idstein

State Rep. Dist. 82 – Mickey Straub

State Rep. Dist. 89 – Andrew Chesney

State Rep. Dist. 93 – Joshua Griffith

State Rep. Dist. 100 – Jonas Petty

State Rep. Dist. 107 – Blaine Wilhour

State Rep. Dist. 108 – Don Moore

State Rep. Dist. 109 – Darren Bailey

State Rep. Dist. 110 –  Chris Miller

State Rep. Dist. 111 – Mike Babcock

State Rep. Dist. 112 – Dwight Kay

State Rep. Dist. 115 – Paul Jacobs

State Rep. Dist. 118 – Samuel Stratemeyer

Federal Races:

U.S. House Dist. 16 – James Marter

U.S. House Dist. 18 – Darin LaHood

The following candidates fell short of earning an IFA-pac endorsement in this election cycle, however, the board of directors have decided to recommend them to voters in these districts:

State Rep. Dist. 38 – Max Solomon

State Rep. Dist. 56 – Jillian Rose Bernas

State Rep. Dist. 101 – Dan Caulkins

Additionally, the IFA board of directors have unanimously endorsed Craig Chinchilla for DuPage County Board and John Ackerman for Tazwell County Clerk.

For more information, please check out the Illinois Family Institute Voter Guide — coming soon!

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