Carbondale attorney faces Lebanon solar entrepreneur in Democratic 12th District primary

Mar. 15—Brian Roberts, a Carbondale attorney, is running against Preston Gabriel Nelson of Lebanon in the Democratic primary for the Illinois 12th Congressional District seat in Congress.

Roberts does not have a website. He last posted on his Facebook page on Jan. 18 regarding a meet-and-greet event in Carbondale. The page does not contain more detailed biographical information or statements regarding his legislative priorities.

Nelson was born in Centralia, spent his early years in Mount Vernon, graduated high school in Benton, and studied Information Technology at Rend Lake College of Ina.

He lives in Lebanon, which is about nine miles from my his office in Mascoutah, where he directs a solar installation company that he started last year.

"I am a patented inventor, holding numerous patents (pending) in both the medical orthopedic domain and now solar technology," he said in a press release. "Do not assume that I am a genius, though; the first inventive streak came after falling 15 feet from a roof. I must have hit my head just right! Falling off that roof also led to my first candidacy for congress, running from a wheelchair."

He challenged Mike Bost, the incumbent, for his own Republican nomination in 2018.

"Numbers-wise, the results were a landslide not in my favor, but the campaign yielded considerable

fruit," Nelson said in the release. "I gained invaluable experience, having the opportunity to prepare my own legislation and present to Congressman Bost, in order to protect public schools from gun violence.

"He made his own changes to the draft, it passed congress, and was signed into law shortly after. I also spoke publicly about our nation's failure to care for its military Veterans, especially victims of Agent Orange who were still being denied care. Congressman Bost quickly addressed that issue as well."