Republican Jay Keeven filed nominating petitions to challenge Democrat State Rep. Katie Stuart at the Illinois State Board of Elections on Thursday after the state’s Democrat-controlled General Assembly passed a bill rewriting election law to protect Stuart’s seat.
“I want to thank all of my supporters and my team who were able to rally so quickly to gather the required signatures,” Keeven said. “Now that I have filed the petitions with 828 signatures, I look forward to continuing to meet voters in the 112th District and earn their support in November.”
Senate Bill 2412, which was amended by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) on Wednesday, limits ballot access by eliminating the slating process. The bill passed the House in less than 24 hours and passed the Senate the next day. It now sits on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
All members of the House Republican Caucus voted “present” in protest to the lack of transparency and the “obvious and intentional effort to interfere in the November 2024 election,” according to a press release by State Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville).
The House Republican Organization is calling the bill the “Katie Stuart Protection Act.”
Prior to the changes made to Illinois election law by SB2412, it stated that “if there was no candidate for the nomination of the party in the primary … the legislative or representative committee of the party nominates a candidate to fill the vacancy …”
Keeven was slated on April 15 to run on the Republican ticket against incumbent Stuart for the 112th House District, which covers portions of both Madison and St. Clair Counties.
The legislature responded by prohibiting the slating process, and Keeven responded by gathering enough signatures to secure his name on the ballot.
“This election year interference backfired,” said House Republican Organization Chairman Ryan Spain. “The voters of the Metro-East deserve options on their ballot and they showed they are ready for change with this impressive petition drive over the past 24 hours.”
In a Facebook post on his campaign’s page, Keeven thanked the community and volunteers.
“Let’s bring common sense back to the community,” he wrote.
Several local Republican legislators reacted to the “political power grab,” saying the Democrats have found another way to disenfranchise voters.
“This is Democrats stealing away democracy, plain and simple,” Meier stated. “The super majority is facing political headwinds because of the failures of President Biden, rampant inflation, out-of-control illegal immigrants, and antisemitic activity in major cities and on college campuses. It is no wonder they are working to take the legal right away from the minority party to slate candidates against them.”
“Only in Illinois could something this corrupt happen so quickly,” he added.
State Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) spoke in opposition to the bill on the Senate floor, saying the legislation “reeks of everything people hate about politics.”
“Illinois deserves elected officials who are open and honest with the public,” Harriss said in a statement after the bill passed the Senate. “This last-minute ploy to jam Senate Bill 2412 through in 24 hours, rewriting our election laws in the middle of an election year, will be one more reason for voters to lose trust in our democracy. We were sent to Springfield to have thoughtful deliberation on major issues. This bill was filed yesterday, and it is not a stretch to say there has been no time for any public vetting of this proposal, nor for any real discussion of its significant issues among legislators.”
State Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) added that Democrats have again shown they prioritize serving their own self-interests.
“The change to the candidate slating process during the middle of this election cycle can only be viewed as an attempt to manipulate this year’s general election, as they are limiting candidates from running against them. Restricting candidates’ access to the ballot harms our democracy, and is a Democrat incumbent protection action.”
Keeven served as an Illinois State trooper for 27 years and then more than eight years as the chief of police in Edwardsville. He currently serves as the city administrator for Troy.
Keeven said that if elected, his work in the legislature would be guided by his experience in local government and law enforcement.
“As the city administrator for Troy and police chief in Edwardsville, I saw what good and accountable government looks like. Taxpayers and citizens get better results from their government when they can knock on the mayor’s door or speak to their local officials at the grocery store. There is true accountability at the local level. That’s the kind of accountability we need in Springfield.”
“As a lifetime law enforcement officer, I know safe communities are the result of a high level of trust and accountability between the public and law enforcement,” he continued. “The anti-police and pro-crime agenda in Springfield is eroding that trust and letting criminals off the hook. Police officers call this new system, under the so-called SAFE-T Act, ‘catch and release,’ and I can tell you it is disheartening when those who commit crimes are back on the street before arrest paperwork is completed by the police officer. That makes families throughout the state less safe.”
Keeven noted that high taxes and the increase in cost of living are particularly on voters’ minds.
“Ironically, today is Tax Day,” he said. “Illinoisans know that the cost of living is out of control and it’s even higher in Illinois due to our high taxes. We must focus on fiscal responsibility. Anyone running a household knows you cannot spend more than you earn for very long before you will go bankrupt. However, our state officials have not yet learned that lesson. Instead, they propose tax hikes to bail out their overspending. We have to get our deficit under control, without balancing the budget on the backs of the Illinois families. If elected, I will work with anyone willing to work with me to balance our budgets, lower our deficit and bring down the cost of living for families in Illinois.”
Keeven is a life-long resident of the Metro-East and has raised his family in Highland and Edwardsville with his wife Shelly “on the values of community, service, and giving back.”
“When I see what I pay in taxes to the State of Illinois and what we as taxpayers receive in return, I’m concerned, not just for me but for my children and grandchildren - and you should be too,” he said. “ I'm here to do something about it.”