McLean County and candidates prepare for Illinois’ 2024 primary election

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Across the state of Illinois tomorrow, voters will once again be returning to their local polling places to cast their decisions in the primary elections.

McLean County is no exception and voters will have the chance to declare their party and pick a potential candidate for president, the US Congress and many other positions. More locally, voters will also cast votes for house representatives, state senators, county board members and so on.

On the campus of Illinois State University, the Bone Student Center is an official vote center, so any voter registered under the McLean County Election authority may vote their on election day. ISU’s Center for Civic Engagement has more information on Same-Day Voter Registration.

Various other vote centers are scattered around the county, more information can be found on their website, including their hours and specific addresses which can be found here.

Some of those local candidates include the third district of the McLean County Board, where Incumbent George Wendt is vying for the republican nomination against Bloomington farmer and businessman Brian Loeffler.

Wendt has served on the board for the third district for the past 13 years and his goal since his initial election has remained the same: improving the policies of the board itself and improving the lives of the residents of McLean County. In 2013, Wendt led the movement for the board to change its attendance policies, allowing for members to attend remotely.

“About ten years ago, I came down with leukemia, and obviously there were times I had to be in the hospital to be treated,” Wendt said. “The majority of the board agrees that citizens of your district shouldn’t lose your vote because you’re sick or off on county business.”

Wendt also said he believes McLean County is the best county in the entire state of Illinois.

Brian Loeffler was not available for comment.

In terms of the Illinois House, the eighty-eighth House Seat has no incumbent, since Representative Dan Caulkins has chosen not to seek reelection. Current McLean County Board Member Chuck Erickson and Businesswoman Reegan Deering have both announced their candidacy for the republican nomination.

In an attempt to gain the nomination, Erickson has focused his campaign on his experience. He believes a background in farming and law will help him to continue to advocate for small businesses, like he has done in McLean County. Deering, however, talked more about her goals such as education, supporting small businesses and pro-life policies, according to her website.

“I would like to have a state of Illinois that is good for small businesses,” Erickson said. We need to have policies and other practices in place that support the growth of small businesses. We’ve got to do something that is going to maintain Illinois as a place where businesses want to come and the businesses here want to stay.”

Erickson has served as the representative for the McLean County Board’s tenth district since 2011.

Reegan Deering was not available for comment.

McLean County voters must also make decisions on more positions than just representatives and senators, one of many positions like that include the McLean County Circuit Court Clerk. In the republican primary, Incumbent Don Everhart and Candidate Jason Dazey are both in the running.

The circuit clerk serves the local court as a master recordkeeper, recording and organizing the files of laws, witnesses and other roles. Dazey explained how he wants to bring more attention to the position and focus on educating the community on its functions.

“I would like to be able to get the office out into the public because right now I don’t think a lot of people know what we do you know other than being official record keeper from the courts, but we also can do a lot for people with genealogy they can come and look up their family history and try to find old wills and trust and go to those so yeah that’s what I would like for the future,” he said.

Dazey also explained his deep and personal ambition to serve the people of McLean County, despite his chosen party affiliation in the election.

Don Everhart was not available for comment.