Notices of public appearances in Sauk Valley should be sent to [email protected]. News and notes will be released periodically during the election season.

Applicant Forum

Abortion and the war in Ukraine were the main topics of discussion when the six Democratic candidates running in the U.S. 17th District House race met on Tuesday at a WCBU-orchestrated forum in Peoria.

The event reflected the latest news from that day: that a leaked draft opinion indicated that the Supreme Court was set to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The six candidates were unanimous in their support for the choice of women.

Litesa Wallace, former state representative and co-founder of the Rockford Anti-Racism Network, addressed the topic in her opening statement, then explained her legislative efforts in Springfield to transform Illinois from a “safe haven” into a “fortress. ” for women. reproductive rights.

Marsha Williams, an activist and business school admissions counselor, shared her personal story of having to “begging for my life in a conservative hospital” to have a medically necessary abortion.

Jackie McGowan, a former stockbroker and lobbyist, said the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “means they’re coming for our reproductive rights.”

Angie Normoyle, a Rock Island County board member and assistant professor at Augustana College, said she fears this could lead to the criminalization of health care.

Eric Sorensen, a former television weatherman, called it a “direct attack on women” and said, as a gay man, it bodes ill for marriage equality and transgender rights.

Jonathan Loegemann, a high school teacher and Rockford city councilman, said it was important voters in the 17th District had a candidate who was a 100% pro choice.

All candidates expressed support for the Biden administration’s handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Logemann, who is a captain in the Illinois National Guard, said stepping up energy aid to Germany was important to reduce its dependence on Russia, a point at which Normoyle has echoes. Wallace said it was a chance to create green energy in the neighborhood. Williams said the United States should step up its humanitarian efforts.

Asked to prioritize their agenda as candidates, Logemann said it was up to Democrats to win the local following the January 6, 2021 attack on the capital, Normoyle said the investment in infrastructure to support union jobs, Sorenson said making the district part of the climate change solution, McGowan and Wallace both declared women’s reproductive rights, while Williams said it was about vocational training and free education at trade school and community college level.

Finances of the 74th arrondissement

Financial reports filed by the two Republican primary candidates running for the vacated 74th District seat show Dixon Mayor Li Arellano Jr. has almost twice as much money as Bradley J. Fritts.

Arellano’s quarterly report showed $21,406.55 of cash on hand at the end of March. Fritts’ contribution report showed $11,500, of which $10,000 he loaned himself.

Arellano received $12,750 in individual contributions, including $5,000 from a Dixon firm. The campaign also received a $5,000 transfer from Friends of Win Stoller, the campaign arm of the state senator from the 37th district who is currently running against Dixon’s Brett Nicklaus.

Arellano spent just over $6,000 with Four Winds Consulting at Villa Park and $300 for the Dixon Elks Lodge, where he hosted a fundraiser on April 23. The campaign balance sheet also shows debts and obligations to himself of $15,368.42.

Mike Pence at Lincoln Day Dinner

U.S. Representative Darin LaHood, the lead candidate for the reconfigured 16th District, announced former Vice President Mike Pence will be the keynote speaker at the June 20 Lincoln Day dinner sponsored by Republican Central Committees in Peoria and Tazewell counties.

The event is billed as one of the biggest events in Republican politics in Illinois. Past guest speakers have been U.S. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, former Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

In the announcement, Pence said, “President Biden and Governor Pritzker’s radical leftist agenda is leading Illinois and America down a path of decay and decline. … With conservative leaders like Darin LaHood and Esther Joy King in Congress, we can restore American energy independence, restore strong American leadership, and revive the economy that was the strongest in American history under the Trump administration- Penny. I look forward to joining the curators of Peoria and Tazewell to discuss our shared vision for the future of Illinois.

No mention was made of LaHood’s opponents in the Republican primary – Walt Peters of Rockford, JoAnne Guilemette of Rockford, and Michael Rebesh of Minooka – nor of King’s main opponent in the 17th District – Charles Helmich Jr. of East Moline .

LaHood is the financial chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, which raises money for the party’s candidates for the United States House. In 2020, LaHood was co-chair of the Trump-Pence campaign.

Prior to becoming vice president, Pence was governor of Indiana and served in the United States House.