Bryce Benton
Bryce Benton was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 50 of the Illinois State Senate.
Campaign themes
2016
Benton's website highlighted the following campaign issues:
| “ | Term Limits:
Career politicians like Mike Madigan and his cronies have run our state into the ground. The only way we’ll move forward is if the career politicians are thrown out, and that means term limits. It’s time to end the corruption and self-serving greed of the political class who look out for their cronies and not the taxpayer. Illinois needs a new generation of servant leaders in Springfield who are there to truly serve the public and get our state growing again. Protecting Life: I’ve been going to church all my life ever since I was a child and am a proud Christian. I firmly believe that life begins at conception and that all life is sacred and worthy of protecting. Protecting life is the worthiest of causes, and I’m proud to call myself Pro-Life. Second Amendment: The to right to keep and bear arms is America’s first freedom, and as a law enforcement officer, I’m a proud gun owner and know how important responsible gun ownership is to keeping our communities and families safe. The Democrats in Springfield want to make it harder and nearly impossible for law-abiding citizens to own firearms. As your next state senator, I will stand up for your right to bear arms and will oppose all those in Springfield who will threaten it. Taxes: I’m opposed to increasing taxes. It’s clear that we have a major spending problem in Springfield. For generations, Mike Madigan, John Cullerton and their Chicago cronies have been running up the credit card on our expense. Enough is enough. We need to reign in the wasteful spending in Springfield so taxpayers and small business owners can once again feel welcome in Illinois. Pensions: As a law enforcement officer, I’m a state employee. In Springfield, I will fight to protect the pensions that you were promised the day you signed up to work for the State of Illinois and make sure that every penny promised is honored. However I am not blind to the impending funding crisis. For years our retirement system has been grossly mismanaged by greedy politicians who used the fund as their own credit card. I am in favor of reforming the system for future entrants so that the promise of our pensions can be kept. Education: Educating our children is one of the most important things we do as a community, and reforming our schools is the first step towards a brighter future for the children in our state. That’s why we need to eliminate a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy to education. Common Core is a step in the wrong direction, taking power away from our communities and our families and I am strongly opposed to it.[1][2] |
” |
Elections
2016
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Illinois State Senate were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.[3]
Incumbent William "Sam" McCann ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 50 general election.[4][5]
| Illinois State Senate, District 50 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  William "Sam" McCann Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent William "Sam" McCann defeated Bryce Benton in the Illinois State Senate District 50 Republican primary.[6][7]
| Illinois State Senate, District 50 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | William "Sam" McCann Incumbent |
52.67% | 21,663 | |
| Republican | Bryce Benton | 47.33% | 19,469 | |
| Total Votes | 41,132 | |||
2016 primary
- Main article: Battleground Illinois primary elections, 2016
According to the Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board, "No race this election cycle grips the soul of Illinois politics right now more than this one." The race pitted McCann, who bucked his party in a vote on public unions, against Benton, who was endorsed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.[8][9]
Public pensions and public unions were significant issues and played key roles in the race between McCann and Benton. In August 2015, McCann cast the sole Republican vote in favor of a bill that would weaken Gov. Rauner's negotiating power with public sector unions. McCann's vote allowed the state Senate to override Rauner's veto. McCann responded that he was representing his constituents, many of whom are state workers. "At the end of the day, I don’t work for the governor," McCann later said.[10][11]
Benton said he would have voted against overriding Rauner's veto. "The governor has endorsed me because he knows that I won’t bow to the demands of special interests and will fight for all of central Illinois," Benton said.[9]
Campaign finance
Several different groups poured money into the race, favoring either McCann or Benton. McCann picked up union support from AFSCME Council 31, Illinois' largest public employee union and the group negotiating with Gov. Rauner. McCann was also endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, as well as some conservative groups such as the National Rifle Association and Illinois Citizens for Life.[12][13]
Liberty Principles PAC, a group begun by conservative talk show host and former gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft, reportedly spent around $1.3 million in favor of Benton. Liberty Principles PAC had financial support from Gov. Rauner's Super PAC, Turnaround Illinois, which gave $1.81 million to Liberty Principles PAC. Proft's group ran ads tying McCann with House Speaker Michael Madigan (D), whose party had a 71-vote veto-proof majority in the state House.[10][14][15]
Benton also received endorsements from U.S House Rep. John Shimkus, Family PAC, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools Action PAC, and the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune endorsed Benton for his stance on union matters. "Taxpayers cannot afford to keep sending lawmakers to Springfield who are unwilling to stand up to union leadership at least some of the time," the paper stated.[16][8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bryce Benton Illinois. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Illinois State Senate
- Illinois State Senate District 50
- Illinois State Senate elections, 2016
- Illinois State Legislature
External links
- Official campaign website
- Bryce Benton on Facebook
- Bryce Benton on Twitter
- Illinois General Assembly
Footnotes
- ↑ Citizens for Bryce Benton, "On the Issues," accessed February 26, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chicago Tribune, "Chicago Tribune endorsements for the Illinois Senate," February 26, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 State Journal-Register, "Gov. Rauner endorses Bryce Benton in Illinois Senate race," accessed March 2, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Huffington Post, "Madigan vs. Rauner Proxy Wars Shattering Primary Spending Records," February 25, 2016
- ↑ State Journal-Register, "Gov. Rauner endorses Bryce Benton in Illinois Senate race," February 12, 2016
- ↑ Illinois Sunshine, "Sam McCann for Senate Candidate Committee," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ McCann for Senate, "Endorsements," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ Illinois Sunshine, "Liberty Principles PAC: Super PAC," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ State Journal-Register, "Statehouse Insider: Opponents find common ground bashing Chicago," February 27, 2016
- ↑ Elect Bruce Benton, "Endorsements," accessed March 1, 2016
