Four GOP candidates won uncontested races in the Illinois primary.
Four GOP candidates won uncontested races in the Illinois primary.
Four GOP state legislator races in Lake County were uncontested in the March 17 Illinois primary.
In the state House District 61 race, Republican Dan Yost of Antioch will run against first-term incumbent Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee).
The district bordering Wisconsin includes Antioch, Beach Park, Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, Third Lake, Wadsworth, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor and Zion.
Yost, the chief operating officer at Vertus, an employee benefits consulting firm, also serves as an Antioch village trustee.
In a recent interview with the Gazette, Yost addressed Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax proposal.
“The progressive income tax hike will unquestionably hurt the economy,” Yost said. “They aren’t solving the root cause of the problem. They will still be spending more money than we have, the pension problem will continue to grow exponentially, and more families and employers will leave, shrinking the tax base even more. That’s the recipe for economic disaster.”
On Facebook, Yost also thanked the voters who turned out to support him.
Chris Kasperski, an Army veteran and former campaign manager for state Sen. Christopher Wilcox, will challenge incumbent Democrat Melinda Bush of Grayslake in state Senate District 31 in November. The district comprises much of central and northeastern Lake County, stretching to the Wisconsin border.
Kasperski, of Lindenhurst, provided three key messages of his campaign on Ballotpedia:
- “Illinoisans share the most substantial tax burden in the nation. It is causing a mass movement of families and businesses to flee the state. We must work to make Illinois a place worth living instead of worth leaving.”
- “The corruption in Illinois has damaged the state's reputation. We need new representation that will not prop up the leadership that has allowed public corruption to go unchecked.”
- “Illinois does not have a revenue problem; the state has a spending problem. We must prioritize spending and balance the budget without the budgetary gimmicks that cause deficits.”
Kasperski recently spoke with the Gazette about his opposition to Pritzker policies on law enforcement.
In the race for state House District 51, Republican Chris Bos will face first-term incumbent Democrat Mary Edly-Allen in the general election. The district includes Barrington, Deer Park, Forest Lake, Green Oaks, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein and North Barrington.
According to Bos’ campaign website, his platform focuses on:
- “Encouraging local businesses to thrive.”
- “Moving Illinois fiscally forward.”
- “Trusting our families to make informed decisions, not politicians.”
- “Keeping our local communities safe.”
“Most will agree, Illinois needs to change. But change will not come from the state or the same old political systems,” Bos said. “It is up to us, working together, create stronger families and better local communities.”
Ballotready.org shows Bos is a manager with Guardian Sales and Supply in Mundelein and has served as a pastor at local churches.
In state House District 62, Republican Jim Walsh will challenge Democrat incumbent Sam Yingling in November.
Walsh, who served as an aircraft electrician in the U.S. Air Force from 1995 to 2007, began working as a medical physicist in 2009.
On Ballotpedia, Wash listed as main campaign themes:
- “Government must be lean; only large enough to do its duty to we the people.”
- “Government must be clean; transparent and, most important, accountable to we the people.”
- “Government must be local; the power of control over we the people must rest either in our hands or the level of government closest to us based on the need for control.”
Walsh also mentioned K-12 education as one of his key public policy interests. He said hopes to serve on that education committee if elected.
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