Trump Staffers Seeking Illinois House Seats
Kent Gray of Springfield, who served as State Director for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, left, and Joe Alexander of Clinton, who worked on advance for Trump’s campaign. Both are seeking downstate House seats this year.
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Two alumni of Donald Trump’s campaign for President are planning runs for the Illinois House.
Kent Gray, a Springfield attorney who was Trump’s State Director in 2016, confirmed to The Illinoize last night he plans to challenge Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) in the 95th House district primary. Gray also worked temporary assignments in advance during the administration and for a short time in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Joe Alexander, a consultant from Clinton in DeWitt county, who worked on Trump’s campaign advance team and in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says he is circulating petitions in the new 87th House district. The 87th doesn’t have an incumbent, as Rep. Keith Sommer (R-Mackinaw) isn’t seeking re-election.
Gray criticized Butler for his vote to increase the state gasoline tax in 2019 as part of a $45 billion infrastructure bill proposed by Governor JB Pritzker.
“I’m particularly unhappy that my opponent voted to double the Illinois gas tax,” Gray told me yesterday. “I think the Illinois General Assembly would benefit from some different priorities in the Republican caucus.”
Gray has apparently told people a group of national Trump supporters are recruiting Illinois candidates to take on legislators who opposed Trump, often known as “never Trumpers.” Gray didn’t go so far a to confirm an organized effort, but said he believes he will benefit against Butler.
“My opponent is a prominent never Trumper, so there definitely is that difference between us,” Gray said. “I think, come petition filing, there will be some interesting candidates running against several of the establishment never Trumpers in the House.”
Butler did not return a call seeking comment.
Gray attempted to run for Congress in 2020, but did not collect enough signatures to make the ballot.
Alexander is a former track star at the University of Illinois who worked for longtime Congressman Tom Ewing who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Springfield during the second Bush administration.
The 87th runs from just outside of Peoria to just outside of Decatur and includes Lincoln, Morton, and Clinton. It is heavily Republican.
The new 95th district wraps around the north, west, and south side of Springfield, shooting east to pick up rural portions of Christian and Macon counties. Republicans have a slight advantage in a general election in the district.
Multiple conservative Republican lawmakers we spoke to yesterday say they believe cozying up to Trump will be a successful strategy downstate in a primary.
“I think being known as someone who has been a Trump supporter won’t hurt a candidate in the districts he won in 2020,” said one Republican. “If you have two candidates in a primary and one is and one isn’t [a Trump supporter], I think it would be a benefit for the supporter.”
Butler filed with around $130,000 cash at the beginning of the year and has raised around $10,000 in large donations since then. Gray’s campaign fund had around $2,400 on hand at the beginning of the year.