War of Words in Final Days in Open House District
Republican Liz Bishop and Democrat Amy Murri-Briel are competing for the open 76th House District.
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On a cool, rainy November Sunday, Liz Bishop peels off her jacket after spending hours knocking on doors in the 76th House District, stretching from LaSalle-Peru to Ottawa and DeKalb.
Bishop, the Republican, is attempting to wrestle away the seat being vacated by moderate Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa), who isn’t seeking re-election.
Bishop, a self-proclaimed moderate, says she more accurately represents Yednock’s style of legislating than her Democratic nominee, Amy Murri-Briel, who goes by “Murri.” Murri-Briel previously worked in Yednock’s district office.
“He’s a moderate. He put his district first. He votes in what he considers to be the best interest of the district. We wouldn’t always agree on what that would be, but it’s the same sentiment,” Bishop said. “And she’s no Lance Yednock.”
Is the race under the radar for the state’s political class? Bishop thinks so.
“I think this race is in play,” she said. “Everything we’re hearing at the doors indicates that. People are very amenable to a moderate viewpoint and a moderate candidate. They’re frustrated with politics in general, so the feedback we’re getting is very, very good.”
It’s one of the few districts Republicans and Democrats are matching each other on cable television, as neither campaign is buying broadcast TV ads. Bishop loaned her campaign $75,000 in late October and a contribution from Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) helped Bishop put $100,000 on television in the final stretch.
Fresh from a rally at Ottawa’s Washington Park Sunday, Murri-Briel is losing her voice from the door knocking and phone calls.
“We’ve been working so hard,” said Murri-Briel. “There’s a kind of excitement that keeps you going.”
The two have traded barbs of extremism throughout the race. Mail pieces have accused Bishop of being a “MAGA extremist” and having an extreme position on abortion.
She says the accusations are based on relationships to more conservative Republicans or a donation to current Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi when she ran for U.S. Senate in 2022.
“There’s no real basis in any fact in these attacks,” she said. “They’re not things that I’ve said or positions that I’ve taken. It’s all guilt by association. It doesn’t mean that I share all their views.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Murri-Briel of progressive out of touch with the blue collar district, including comments from her podcast that appear to call for defunding the police and end sheriff’s departments.
“How can you look at what they put out and think that’s not a bad edit? Yeah, some things I had an opinion on,” she said. “We talked about deep dives into what that means. Exploring of ideas is crucial to making better legislation and helping people.”
Murri-Briel says she does not support defunding police departments.
Down the stretch, Bishop believes the race is close.
“We’ve got the momentum going for us,” she said. “I can feel the momentum pick up, the difference from six months ago knocking on doors. Voters are engaged. They’re interested, they’re paying attention. And we’re connecting with them.”
Murri-Briel says she doesn’t believe the race is all that close.
“Not as close as [Republicans] do,” she said. “Having a strong field [operation] is so important, because we’re reaching out to a set number of people constantly to try to sway them to our side. My message has been resonating and the response has been amazing.”
If Republicans are to pick up seats, they may need to pick off a district like this one to start to dig out of the super minority.