Bill Hauter beats Mary Burress in new 87th Illinois House District

Tazewell County anesthesiologist Bill Hauter won the Republican nomination in the new 87th House District in the General Assembly, pulling off a surprise victory over a long-standing county treasurer.

With 94.55% of the estimated vote counted, Hauter had a 2,113-vote lead over Tazewell County Treasurer Mary Burress, garnering 56.8% of the vote. Hauter has a 1,976-vote lead in Tazewell County, where the majority of the vote came from and where both candidates reside.

Hauter also leads in Logan County, where he has a 675-vote lead over Burress. Burress leads in several other counties, including Sangamon County, where she has an 87-vote lead over Hauter.

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Hauter is an anesthesiologist with Associated Anesthesiologists in Peoria, with clients at facilities run by OSF Healthcare among others. He has also served as a member of the Tazewell County Board, having been elected in 2020.

Frustration at Gov. JB Pritzker's COVID-19 policies motivated him to run for office, focusing on that and comprehensive pension reform. Unlike his opponent, he said Joe Biden won the 2020 election and that there was no fraud that affected the result of the race.

While he didn't quite have the level of experience that Burress brought to the table, he said he was confident in his ability to win and garner support within Tazewell County. He was aided by having the support of much of the Tazewell County Board, including Chairman David Zimmerman, and outgoing Rep. Keith Sommer, who endorsed him over the longstanding Tazewell County treasurer.

"When he did that, he gave me a big lift," Hauter said. "He gave me a lot of credibility with a lot of people within the district. That endorsement was very big."

Burress has served as the Tazewell County treasurer since 2010, planning to step away in November. Two years ago, she ran against atate Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, in the old 46th Senate District, falling by over 6,000 votes against the longtime legislator.

She supported a more business-friendly environment for the state, while also railing against the suite of criminal justice reform bills signed last year by the legislature and supporting voter ID. She believes that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election, despite the fact that he did not.

After 39 years working in Tazewell County, Burress now will step away from public service. She's not disappointed about how she ran the race, looking back on her career with pride having moved her way up county government all the way to treasurer.

"I truly am blessed," Burress said. "I have 39 years at the county, working my way up from part-time to clerk, a union member, deputy treasurer to becoming treasurer. It has been a beautiful career. I wouldn't change a thing."

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For now, Hauter will focus on trying to build an operation to serve the people of the 87th District. He doesn't have a Democratic opponent in the general election for now, meaning that he has plenty of time to think about how to best serve the people of his new district.

"Being new to this, I'm definitely going to need some advice from other Representatives," Hauter said. "I feel like I have a good base of other representatives that I've gotten to know in this race, just giving me advice and mentored me even now."

Contact Zach Roth: (217) 899-4338; ZDRoth@gannett.com; @ZacharyRoth13

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Hauter beats Burress in new 87th Illinois House District