GOP makes political push in House races amid lawmaker controversies

By Sean Reed | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Months out from the upcoming general election in November, a number of races for the Illinois House of Representatives are gaining momentum following multiple recent controversies involving Democrat lawmakers.

The 97th district was previously held by Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who resigned this month after the conclusion of an investigation into claims of sexual harassment made against him by a former staffer and a lobbyist.

Benton’s replacement, Jessica Dixon Heitman, was appointed and sworn in to serve the remainder of the term and is on the November midterm ballot.

Heitman faces Republican candidate Gabby Shanahan, who narrowly lost to Benton in the 2024 election for the seat.

The House Republican Organization ran ads against Reps. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, Suzanne M. Ness, D-Crystal Lake, Amy Briel, D-Ottowa, and Justin Cochran, D-Des Plaines, in which they noted the lawmakers all remained silent on the investigation into Benton.

Mark Carvers, political director of the House Republican Organization, talked with The Center Square about the ads and their choice of candidates they targeted.

“These are individual state representatives who have been elected and we all look to for accountability and transparency and good governance,” Carvers said. “And instead they’ve stood by for four or five months while a cloud was over Harry Benton – while an investigation was ongoing, and they have said nothing.”

Stuart and Ness are running against Republican candidates in November, but won their races in the last House election by multiple thousands of votes.

Briel narrowly defeated her Republican opponent, Liz Bishop, by 595 votes in the previous House election.

Republicans have recently created a mock-campaign website against Briel, arguing her policies have brought higher living costs to the 76th district.

Cochran was appointed this session to replace Rep. Martin J. Moylan, D-Des Plaines, and is running for the seat for the first time. Moylan ran unopposed in the previous election, but Cochran faces Republican challenger Joseph Johnson, a sales consultant from the district.

Cochran commented on Benton’s conduct one day after the Republican ad began running.

“Moving forward requires rejecting the errors and omissions of the past. Release the report,” Cochran said in a statement.

The Republican organization also began running an ad against Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch, in which they questioned Welch’s ability to remain in his role after he allegedly delayed taking action on complaints against Benton.

Another potentially tight race, which Republicans are making a push for is downstate in the 104th district. Mary Catherine Roberson, D-Danville, is running for the seat against Rep. Brandun Schweizer, R-Danville, who is completing his first term this year.

Roberson previously lost the race in the district by 269 votes, but against previous Rep. Mike Marron, who left office to accept a job offer as CEO for Vermilion Advantage, a nonprofit in the district.

Carvers said an ad the organization is running against Roberson intends to call into question her connection to Aaron Ammons, the husband of Rep. Carol Ammons – both of whom were federally indicted.

“Mary has called Aaron Ammons a leader, someone she respects, someone she stands with, someone she has worked in a partnership with,” Carvers said. “Voters deserve to know whether she stands by that. Is Aaron Ammons still a leader? Would she describe him, as the feds do, as a criminal? What is Mary Catherine Robertson’s view on Aaron Ammons and his recent indictment?”

Roberson didn’t respond to The Center Square’s request for comment before publication.