PEKIN, Ill. – One of the Republican candidates for Illinois Governor is spending time in Pekin with county clerks from throughout the state, to see how confident they are in the integrity of local elections.
County Clerks in the area say they’re confident in the integrity and security of their election operations.
Candidate Jesse Sullivan? Not so much.
“We need integrity back in our elections,” said Sullivan (R-Petersburg). “We’re at an all-time low of trust around the nation in the security of our elections. We are at an all-time low, especially in Illinois, of trust in our government.”
Both major political parties have complained of problems with elections in recent cycles, and both major political parties have been accused of corruption in Illinois.
“The people on the ground need to have faith and trust in our elections. We do not have that,” said Sullivan. “And it’s been on both sides. Democrats were very unsatisfied in 2016 — felt like the election was stolen. They didn’t have trust in the system. Now, 2020, same thing, but on the other side.”
Sullivan says he’s asking county clerks and election authorities what one or two things he could do if elected as Governor, to restore faith in elections.
Sullivan is so far polling fourth in a crowded field of Republican candidates ahead of next month’s primary.
But, Sulivan says, anything can happen, and doesn’t see his race as an uphill battle.
“The largest voter group in that last poll was undecideds. We are a long way out,” said Sullivan. “We have a lot of people who are still just tuning in for the first time in this race. Who is the best person to lead our state? They want an outsider who can step in and fix it.”
Sullivan also describes himself as a “next-generation Conservative,” blaming both Democrats and Republicans for some of the issues the state has faced in recent years.
