Rep. Tim Butler rolls past ex-Trump official Kent Gray in new 95th Illinois House District

Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, defeated a former Trump administration official Tuesday in the Republican primary in the new 95th House District in the General Assembly.

With 87.64% of the estimated vote counted, Butler had a 1,668-vote lead over Kent Gray, a local attorney and former Trump state director who also served on the Lincoln Land Community College board. Butler had 75% of the vote, with the vast majority of it coming from Sangamon County, where Butler had a lead of 1,323 votes with 85% of the estimated vote counted.

Butler said that he was honored to prevail in his new district, one largely centered in Sangamon County, but stretching out into parts of Christian and Macon counties. He praised the work of his campaign staff during the campaign and his legislative staff over the course of his career for helping him put together the kind of resume that voters could not turn down.

More: Illinois primary elections 2022: Get the latest live updates from the polls in Springfield

"Even though it's a new district, I'm pretty well known and people understand that I've done a pretty good job as a state representative," Butler said. "I think people appreciated the way we approached the campaign. I was out there talking directly to people — my radio ads were me talking directly to people — and we got around the district a lot.

"I just think it was a well-run campaign and I'm honored that people would vote for me so overwhelmingly."

Butler has served in the General Assembly since 2015, when he replaced Rich Brauer in the 87th District. Butler is a mainstream member of Republican leadership in the Illinois House, serving as the assistant Republican leader.

He has criticized Gov. JB Pritzker for his actions on the economy, believing that they have contributed to high inflation and high gas prices. Butler does believe Joe Biden won the 2020 election, despite concerns with how the election was handled in other states.

In contrast, Gray believes that Trump won the election and has referred to Butler as a "Never-Trumper." He served as Trump's state director during the 2016 Republican primary and had a variety of different roles in the Trump administration.

Democrats did not hold a primary in the 95th District. They could still nominate someone for the seat after the primary, but Butler feels that they would be at a disadvantage due to the legwork he did during the primary to introduce himself to his new surroundings.

"We're going to continue to work hard like we always would, no matter if we have an opponent or not," Butler said. "I think this is going to be a really good Republican year and this is going to be a really good Republican district. If the Democrats decide to slate someone, they're at a disadvantage.

"This is a Republican district; I'm going to work hard and I have full confidence that I would win the election in November."

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

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: GOP Tim Butler defeats Kent Gray for 95th Illinois House District nod