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Homer Markel

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Homer Markel
Image of Homer Markel

Candidate, Illinois House of Representatives District 118

Elections and appointments
Next election

March 17, 2026

Contact

Homer Markel (Democratic Party) (also known as Chip) is running for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 118. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 17, 2026.[source]

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 118

Homer Markel is running in the Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 118 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Homer Markel
Homer Markel

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 118

Joe DeBose is running in the Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 118 on March 17, 2026.


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Endorsements

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2022

See also: Illinois' 12th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 12

Incumbent Mike Bost defeated Homer Markel in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 12 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Bost
Mike Bost (R)
 
75.0
 
218,379
Image of Homer Markel
Homer Markel (D) Candidate Connection
 
25.0
 
72,791
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1

Total votes: 291,171
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 12

Homer Markel defeated Joshua Qualls in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 12 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Homer Markel
Homer Markel Candidate Connection
 
56.7
 
11,068
Image of Joshua Qualls
Joshua Qualls
 
43.3
 
8,438

Total votes: 19,506
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 12

Incumbent Mike Bost advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 12 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Bost
Mike Bost
 
100.0
 
88,681

Total votes: 88,681
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Homer Markel has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Homer Markel asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Homer Markel, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Homer Markel to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing chipmarkel@gmail.com.

Email

2022

Candidate Connection

Homer Markel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Markel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a Navy veteran who is retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections. I have a strong union background, and served as Union President for 7 years. During this time, we negotiated several successful contracts and took strong measures to increase safety protections for both inmates and staff. I am deeply committed to helping the people in my community and giving them a voice in Washington. I believe partisan politics and big money have created barriers to the work Congress should be doing. My history of being able to work with people across the aisle and continue fighting for things in the face of opposition give me just the experience needed to get Congress working for the people again.
  • The economy is not supporting the working and middle class. We need higher wages and a handle on inflation.
  • Our democracy is under threat. We must protect voting rights, and take swift action against those who threaten the tenets of democracy.
  • Personal freedoms and civil liberties should be protected for every American. All Americans should have to right to privacy, to make their own personal healthcare choices, to live authentically, to form their chosen relationships, and more.
I am passionate about supporting the lives of hardworking American families. Too much of our public policy focuses on bailing out wealthy corporations or protecting special interests. Our government is supposed to represent and serve the people of this nation, and many of those people are being left to struggle. I am passionate about uplifting communities, supporting small businesses, and ensuring Americans have the resources they need to be successful in life.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Markel's campaign website stated the following:

Voting Rights: Our voting rights must be protected

Protecting our democracy is an essential obligation for all Americans. This country was founded on the belief that all Americans should have the right to vote for their beliefs. Yet, certain states are currently attempting to take away that fundamental right by enacting restrictive voting laws. In 2021, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act failed to pass. We need bills like the J.R.L. voting rights act to protect everyone’s right to vote for what they believe.


Roe v Wade: Roe v Wade must be upheld

Roe v Wade is about much more than a woman’s right to choose; it is also about the right to privacy. In the years before Roe was decided, there were over 1 million illegal abortions performed annually. Roe v Wade did not increase the number of abortions, but it did make them legal, safer, and preserved a woman’s right to privacy.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, abortions will still happen. What will change, however, is that many women will not have access to safe medical options. Furthermore, women will lose the right to privacy. The Supreme Court is threatening to dissolve a 50-year precedent. What will be the next privacy issue challenged or the next precedent overturned? What other established precedents will be at risk?

I support personal freedoms, personal privacy, and a woman’s right to choose.


CUT UNNECESSARY SPENDING AND BALANCE OUR BUDGETS
Fiscal Responsibility:

The Federal Deficit has exploded over the last couple of decades. Since 2014, our debt to G.D.P. ratio has been 100% or higher. Fiscal responsibility is essential to creating a better, stronger, and more prosperous nation. Congress is “borrowing” money from the Social Security Trust Fund, which weakens the Social Security system. We need legislators who will control spending by requiring funding to be attached to the legislation. If it is not funded, it should not pass.

I will push for any legislation requiring funding to have funding attached to pass.

I will push to balance our budgets. In 2001 America had a surplus of $127 billion, but in 2020 there was a deficit of $3.1 trillion. We must cut unnecessary and excessive spending, such as giving government subsidies to billion-dollar companies. We must close tax loopholes that allow the extremely wealthy to avoid paying their fair share in taxes.


Energy: Invest in renewable, clean energy

We must have a comprehensive energy plan. Since the 1970s, energy has been a critical issue for many Americans, from gas prices to our carbon footprint. We must act and invest in renewable energy, cancel government subsidies for the Big Oil Companies, and work towards a carbon-neutral footprint.

I believe that America can and will thrive once we invest in renewable energy research and incentives programs, such as clean coal research and more.


PROTECT MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND SOCIAL SECURITY, LOWER PHARMACEUTICAL COSTS, AND TAKE CARE OF OUR VETERANS
Health Care:

Social Security

Senator Rick Scott from Florida introduced his “Rescue America” plan. This plan, if passed, would allow federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to expire within five years if Congress fails to pass legislation to renew them. Republican legislators are trying to create ways to end these programs. These are the programs that most senior citizens rely on to survive.

American citizens should not have to struggle with health care. We must protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security by providing appropriate funding.

Pharmaceutical Costs

The Medicare Modernization Act put corporate pharmacy benefit managers in charge of acquiring drugs for the Medicare Part D plan. These for-profit companies cost the American consumer billions of dollars and must be eliminated. Allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of drugs would help lower out-of-pocket costs, lower premiums for Part D coverage, and more.

Veteran Health

Finally, we must protect veterans through legislation like the Pact Act that improves health care and benefits for those men and women exposed to toxic substances while serving our great nation.[1]

—Homer Markel's campaign website (2022)[2]


Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Homer Markel campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022U.S. House Illinois District 12Lost general$65,213 $62,599
Grand total$65,213 $62,599
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  2. Homer "Chip" Markel for Congress, “Issues,” accessed August 29, 2022


Current members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Emanuel Welch
Majority Leader:Robyn Gabel
Minority Leader:Tony McCombie
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Mary Gill (D)
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Rick Ryan (D)
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Amy Grant (R)
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Tom Weber (R)
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Jed Davis (R)
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Amy Briel (D)
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Amy Elik (R)
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District 118
Democratic Party (78)
Republican Party (40)