State Rep. Dan Brady successfully fought off a Republican primary challenge from Twin City real estate agent David Paul Blumenshine on Tuesday.
Brady claimed victory just before 9 p.m. in front of supporters at the Holiday Inn and Suites on Bloomington's east side. Brady, a longtime state representative, won with 74.8 percent of the vote.
"But the work is not over. Quite frankly, it's just beginning," Brady said, alluding to his general election matchup against Democrat Ben Webb.
Blumenshine made concession-like remarks to his supporters at Joe's Station House in Normal. He hinted at another run in 2020.
"Illinois is our home," Blumenshine said. "We'll be back in 2020 to run another campaign so that we make sure that the legislators and our governor understand that that we cannot continue to go down the same road that we've been going down for (House Speaker) Michael Madigan's 42 years and Rep. Brady's 16 years. We are broke and are broken as a state and it's not getting better."
Blumenshine's campaign was largely centered on term limits, arguing Brady has been in office too long. Brady said the voters make that decision every two years.
In front of a room of about 75 supporters, Brady said he and his opponent ran a clean race.
"(Blumenshine) worked hard. His supporters worked hard. And they should be acknowledged for stepping up to the plate because he felt he could make a difference," Brady said.
Brady said he is not worried about being hit by an anti-incumbent wave in the fall when he faces a challenge from Webb, a University High School teacher. Brady said he has always been a servant leader and that is why he won the primary by a strong 3-to-1 margin.
"I think what (voters) appreciate is that Dan Brady is the type of representative who's accessible, down to earth, and he's somebody who gets back to me, and when I see him out and about, I see him out and about after the election is over," Brady said.
Brady currently represents the 105th House District, which includes parts of Bloomington-Normal. It stretches northeast and includes Lexington, Towanda, Hudson, and other communities.
Brady's last general election opponent was in 2006, when he defeated Green Party candidate Phil Huckelberry with 80 percent of the vote.
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