Republican Joe Alexander of Clinton said Thursday he's seriously considering a run for the 101st House District seat being vacated by retiring state Rep. Bill Mitchell.
Mitchell, a Forsyth Republican, announced Thursday that he won't run for re-election in 2018. Shortly after, Alexander confirmed to GLT that he's seriously considering a bid to succeed Mitchell in the Illinois General Assembly.
"We appreciate Rep. Mitchell's service to the district and wish him well in the his retirement," Alexander told GLT. "Illinois is at a crossroads. Advocates of bad public policy in Springfield have chosen higher taxes and spending to solve its budget problems. I'm interested in running for this seat because we need to put taxpayers, families, and businesses first."
Earlier in his career, Alexander worked for U.S. Rep. Tom Ewing, who served in Congress until 2001. He worked for the Trump-Pence campaign and is now trying to decide whether to stay in Washington, D.C., working for the Trump administration or to make a run at Mitchell's seat. Alexander says he works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"It's kind of been a badly kept secret that (Mitchell) might not be seeking re-election, so what I've done is reached out to people that I've known for decades," Alexander said. "At the end of the day, Illinois is home. And people need to make a difference in our state, and that's why I'm considering it."
Mitchell's district includes parts of McLean County, including LeRoy and Heyworth.
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