Champaign to Danville House Race Could Be November "Toss Up"
Appointed Rep. Brandun Schweizer (R-Danville) (L) faces union official and community college trustee Jarrett Clem (R) in the 104th District in November.
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On a hot June day in Champaign-Urbana, appointed Rep. Brandun Schweizer (R-Danville) was dressed for door knocking. In a polo shirt, lightweight shorts, and bright orange running shoes, he’s spent the majority of his time hoofing through the neighborhoods of Danville, Champaign-Urbana, Rantoul and other communities that dot the 104th House District.
Illinois State Board of Elections
Schweizer, 42, was appointed late last year to replace Mike Marron, a longtime Vermilion County political figure who resigned to take over Vermilion County’s economic development group.
Schweizer has no political background. He spent his entire 21-year career in the Marines, retiring as a recruiter with the rank of Master Sergeant.
“We’re doing a lot of door knocking,” Schweizer said. “I love getting out. I love talking to people and trying to understand [what their] needs are and how to best go about taking care of that.”
Schweizer says after he left the Marines, he “lost” his sense of service. His wife vetoed plans to become a police officer, but politics presented itself.
“I was looking for something to fill that hole in my heart,” he said. “When I heard about this job, I knew it was going to be something would allow me to serve others. That’s a big part of my life.”
Schweizer has found himself in an unenviable position. He’s had to learn the ropes in Springfield while trying to introduce himself to his constituents and build a campaign operation at the same time.
His other unenviable position? He’s one of seven House Republicans who represents a district President Biden won in 2020 and faces a challenge from a moderate, union-backed Democrat.
But Schweizer knows there’s a political target on his back in a state and district that has been trending away from his party in recent years.
“My mission is to get in front of as many people as possible and let them know who I am and what I stand for,” he said. “Never having done this before, I’m asking for a lot of people’s advice and really trying to wrap [my] head around all of the aspects of a campaign.”
While former President Donald Trump performed poorly in Champaign-Urbana and narrowly lost the City of Danville in 2016 and 2020, Schweizer made it clear he’s going to attempt to keep the race focused locally.
“I want people to look at my record and talk to me,” he said. “I try to view things through the lens of what is going to be best for this district. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Meanwhile, Jarrett Clem, 39, Business Manager for an IBEW local is preparing for a campaign kickoff event with local Democrats. He’s not wearing a suit, but a golf shirt with tousled hair and a wry smile.
Former Rep. Mike Marron overperformed the district as it trended away from the GOP in recent years, and when Marron stepped aside, Clem jumped into the race, hoping he could chart a course for a Democrat that isn’t a traditional politician.
“We’re in such a toxic political state that we need more candidates who are moderate and civil that can hear both sides of an argument then make a decision on what’s best for the district,” Clem said. “People want more middle of the road candidates who aren’t far left or far right and can talk with everybody.”
Clem, who grew up in the district (Schweizer grew up in Indiana and has been stationed around the world in the Marines), sits on the Parkland College Board of Trustees. Even as a moderate, Republicans will tie him to Democrats in Springfield who just raised taxes on business and have greatly increased state spending in the past six years.
But Clem, who is quick to point out he wasn’t involved budget negotiations, admits Democrats were too quick to raise taxes without any meaningful cuts in spending.
“Once you fill buckets up (like pensions and education funding), it’s probably time to start doing some cutting,” he said. “Any small business sees this, at some point they have to generate more revenue or are they going to cut? You have to make those budget decisions. And, I would say, it should be some combination of both.”
Clem says the state’s fiscal picture is being blown out of proportion by opposition Republican lawmakers, and that Democrats are managing state finances well.
“It’s not like the sky is falling,” he said. “It’s not perfect. It does need adjustments. Is $53 billion a little too high? Yeah, you can make that argument and discuss that. The overall picture isn’t quite as bad as how Republicans make it out to be, but it’s far from perfect.”
House Democrats are expected to make heavy investments to help elect Clem, though he claims Speaker Chris Welch’s political organization has essentially been hands off of his campaign thus far.
At the end of March, Clem reported around $150,000 cash on hand, while Schweizer had around $6,500 in the bank. The House Republican campaign arm has provided some in-kind expenses since the end of March.
In the world of petty, partisan politics, both Schweizer and Clem were respectful when speaking about their opponent.
We’ll see how long those niceties last.