Halbrook, Wilhour win GOP primaries for General Assembly

Mar. 19—Incumbent state representatives Brad Halbrook and Blaine Wilhour appeared to win their Republican primaries, according to unofficial results. No Democrats filed to run in the primary in either of their districts, which makes it likely they'll retain their seats in November's general election.

Halbrook, of Shelbyville, represents the 107th District, which covers portions of Effingham, Shelby, Cumberland, Macon, Moultrie, Montgomery and Christian counties. The Associated Press called the race for Halbrook with 63% of the vote counted, when he had 66% of the vote and challenger Marsha Webb had 34%, according to the AP tally.

Wilhour, of Beecher City, represents the 110th District, which includes portions of Effingham, Fayette, Montgomery, Bond, Clinton, Marion, Richland and Clay counties. The Associated Press called his race with 42 percent of the vote counted, when he had 80% of the vote and challenger Matthew Hall, of Vandalia, had just 20%.

In the 102nd District, incumbent Adam Niemerg and challenger Jim Acklin were write-in candidates in the Republican primary, so the result of that election was not available Tuesday night.

107th District

"I am deeply honored by the voters' trust in me," Halbrook said in a statement Tuesday night. "This resounding victory belongs to all who believe in safeguarding our freedoms and ensuring a prosperous future for Illinois.

"This victory shows that when you do what is right, consistently, voters will support you," he added. "I am fighting every day to advance our conservative values. I'm grateful voters are sending me to Springfield to fight for our values and take on the political bullies in both parties."

Webb, of Macon, is a paramedic and national lead instructor. Her political experience includes township trustee and county board of health, according to her website.

Halbrook is a founding member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus and serves as the chairman of the Illinois Prayer Caucus, according to his campaign website. In January 2024, he became the 35th state chairman for the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.

"Jobs are leaving Illinois every day and along with that Illinois families," Halbrook said on his website. "According to a United Van Lines report, Illinois ranks as the second worst state for outbound moves with New Jersey being the worst. Of the people leaving, about 72% are individuals making $100,000 or more annually, up from 67% in 2018.

"People are leaving because they are tired of taxes and tired of the bad decisions of career politicians. We need to turn Illinois around by making Illinois a destination for jobs and opportunities which starts by implementing policies conducive to job growth."

Halbrook lives in Shelbyville with his wife, Linda. They have two adult children. They own and operate a small farming operation.

110th District

"The far-left teachers' unions put hundreds of thousands of dollars up against me to try to silence and intimidate me," Wilhour said in a statement Tuesday night. "Well, there was a message sent and it was not exactly the one my opponents wanted. Voters put the influence peddlers and political insiders on notice that the money they put behind their hand-picked candidates is toxic. I won by a landslide. Now I am sending a message to the far-left activists who tried to defeat me — I will not be silenced, and I will continue to fight for the values of my district."

During the campaign, Wilhour was critical of state spending.

"We're a fiscal mess," he told The Center Square news service in February. "...We have unsustainable spending in our budget and our taxes are going to continue to rise. Number one, we got over 7,000 units of government and they're all taxing and they're all taxing way too much."

"Every year in the General Assembly, we enhance pensions, we create more government, we create more bureaucracy, all of which cost taxpayers," he added. "We need to streamline government. We need to cut government with smart consolidations and we need to fix our pension system. Until we do those things, there's no chance of lowering taxes significantly in this state."

Hall's campaign website focused on his conservative views regarding abortion, law enforcement and gun rights. His campaign finance reports indicate virtually all his financial support came from labor-related political committees, including teachers unions.