Community News
Macoupin County Primary voters support Pritzker, Ives as voter turnout falls dramatically
(L-R) Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker win their respected primary to face off in November’s general election.
(Rauner photo/facebook.com/BruceRauner/)
(Pritzker photo/facebook.com/jbpritzker/)
With incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner narrowly defeating a primary challenger by a mere three percentage points (51.6 percent to 48.4 percent) in the statewide balloting, Macoupin County Republican voters demonstrated a preference in Rauner’s opponent in primary election balloting on Tuesday. Macoupin voters casting Republican ballots gave 1,507 (53.88 percent) votes to State Rep. Jeanne Ives, a rare primary challenger to a sitting governor, compared with 1,290 votes (46.12 percent) cast for the Rauner.
According to data from the Macoupin County Clerk’s Election Office website, support for Ives was concentrated in the southwest and northeast corners of the county, with Rauner garnering support in the less populated northwest corner and east side of the county. Overall, Rauner carried only 15 of the county’s 61 precincts.
In 2014, Republican primary voters in Macoupin County favored Kirk Dillard with 1,118 votes (40.43 percent) over Rauner, who garnered 906 (32.77 percent) of the vote. For the general election, however, county voters went with Rauner over incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn, 60 percent to 33 percent.
On the Democrat side, Macoupin voters showed a clear preference for gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and running mate Julianna Stratton, who won the statewide nomination with more than 45 percent of the vote in a six-way race. Macoupin County Democrats gave Prtizker 2,254 votes (61.22 percent), compared with 620 votes (16.84 percent) for Chris Kennedy and 475 votes (12.9 percent) for Daniel Bliss, both of whom were Pritzker’s nearest competitors. Kennedy carried only one precinct – Barr Township on the west side of the county.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
In the Democrat race to choose a nominee for Attorney General, Macoupin voters followed the lead of voters in other downstate voters, casting 1,872 votes (53.24 percent) for Pat Quinn, who was ousted from the Governor’s seat in 2014 in a narrow loss to Rauner. In statewide balloting, Kawme Raoul, who succeeded Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate, took 30 percent of the vote in an eight-way race, compared with Quinn’s 28 percent. In Macoupin County, Raoul placed a distant second to Quinn with 377 votes (10.72 percent).
Among Republican voters in Macoupin County, Erika Horald, a Champaign County attorney strongly supported by the State GOP and Gov. Rauner, was favored with 1,512 votes (59.76 percent), compared with 1,018 votes (40.24 percent) cast for challenger Gary Grasso. The Macoupin County results reflected statewide balloting, which gave Howard the nomination with 60 percent of the vote, compared with Grasso’s 40 percent.
While Grasso prevailed in Mount Olive 5, Hilyard, Polk, Shipman 2 and South Otter, and tied with Howard in Gillespie 6, Dorchester 1 and Nilwood 2, Howard’s overwhelming support in the county’s remaining 53 precincts gave her the race.
CONGRESSIONAL SEAT
Macoupin Democrats were in agreement with other voters in the 13th Congressional District, favoring Springfield Democrat Betsy Londrigan as the nominee with 1,768 votes (51 percent). Erik Jones of Edwards was second in the five-way contest, capturing 912 (26.31 percent) of the votes cast in Macoupin County. David Gill of Bloomington, who has previously sought the nomination, garnered 387 votes (11.16 percent) in the county. Londrigan won the race district-wide with 46 percent of the vote, compared with 22 percent for Jones and 14 percent for Gill.
Londrigan dominated all but three of the county’s precincts.
In November, Londrigan will face incumbent Republican Congressman Rodney Davis, who ran unopposed for the nomination. In Macoupin County, Davis earned 2,498 votes.
STATE SEATS
Incumbent Democrat Andy Manar was unopposed in his bid to be nominated to run for State Senator in the 48th Senate District. He will face Republican Seth McMillan of Taylorville in November who also was unopposed for the nomination. Manar gathered 3,143 votes in Macoupin County, while McMillan gathered support from 1,845 Republican voters.
Democrat Dillon Clark of Montgomery County, also unopposed, garnered 2,837 votes in Macoupin County to face Republican incumbent Avery Bourne, who gathered 1,955 Republican votes, to seek election in November as State Representative from the 95th District.
For the 100th State Representative District, which covers the northwest quadrant of Macoupin County, Republican incumbent Christopher Davidsmeyer gathered 437 votes to challenger Jonas Hicks Petty’s 112 votes for the Republican nomination. There were no Democrat candidates for the seat. Outgoing Republican State Senator Sam McCann, Plainview, who has announced he will not seek re-election to his seat, endorsed Hicks in the final days leading up to the primary election.
VOTER TURNOUT
Illinois news outlets reported a substantial increase in voter turnout statewide, driven by as much as a 300 percent increase in voter participation among Democrats. Voter turnout in Macoupin County, however, did not reflect that trend. With 6,672 voters casting ballots in the county on Tuesday, voter turnout was about 20.45 percent of the county’s 33,632 registered voters. Roughly 3,500 Democrat ballots were cast, and Republicans cast approximately 2,800 ballots.
Two years ago for the 2016 Presidential primary election, voter turnout was nearly 47 percent, with about 6,500 Democrats and upward of 7,400 ballots cast by Republicans, nearly 50 percent of whom supported the nomination of Donald Trump. Even compared with the last gubernatorial primary in 2014, turnout for this year’s primary was substandard in Macoupin County. That year, roughly 8,100 voters—about 5,300 Democrats and 2,800 Republicans—cast ballots for a turnout of about 24 percent.
OTHER RACES
There were no contested races for the Democratic nomination for countywide executive offices. Incumbent County Clerk Pete Duncan, County Treasurer Anne Boehm, County Sheriff Shawn Kahl and Regional Supt. of Schools Michelle Mueller were all unopposed in the bids to secure the nomination for the November general election, gathering vote totals ranging from 3,200 to 3,400.
For County Board District 1, Democrat incumbents Roberta Vojas and Michael Tranter won the nomination over challenger Donald Brown. Vojas gathered 345 votes (39.25 percent), and Tranter secured 278 votes (31.63 percent), while Brown secured 256 votes (29.12 percent).
Democrat incumbents Mark Dragovich, who currently serves as County Board Chairman, and David P. Thomas won the nomination over challenger John Goldacker in County Board District 4. Dragovich secured 428 votes (44.49 percent), and Thomas gathered 282 votes (29.31 percent), while Goldacker took 252 votes (26.20 percent).
Running as a write-in candidate, Christopher Hicks, a Republican from Sawyerville, apparently will challenge Dragovich and Thomas for one of the District 4 County Board seats, though results of write-in balloting will not be available until Friday.
Nominations for County Board seats in Districts 3, 5, 6 and 8 were unopposed among Democrat candidates. Democrats Stephen Reed and Ruth (McGuire) White were nominated in District 3. Cathy Petrak of Benld was nominated as a Democrat to run for a two-year unexpired term in District 5, a seat to which she was appointed last year after long-time board member Jim Zirkelbach resigned. Incumbent Democrats Robert Quarton and Robert “Tony” Wiggins both were nominated without opposition in Districts 6 and 8, respectively.
Christopher Cozad was unopposed in his bid to run as a Republican for the District 1 seat, opposing Vojas and Tranter in November.
A proposition to establish a Northwestern Fire Protection District in the northwest portion of the county was approved 203 (69.52 percent) to 89 (30.48 percent). The measure also will establish an aggregate property tax extension not to exceed $110,000 to support the district.
A proposition to create a Special Service Area for ambulance service for the Medora/Shipman area with a property tax rate of .3 percent to support the service was defeated with 276 (62.44 percent) against the measure and 116 votes (37.56 percent) in favor.
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Community News
County marks 250th Anniversary of Declaration with reading and archive projects at Spring Festival on May 23
The Macoupin County Historical Society (MCHS) is hosting the first in a series of local celebrations & activities on May 23, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at the Spring festival highlighting the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The public is encouraged to attend a reading of the Declaration aloud at the Red Barn Pavillion.
Following the reading, participants and the public will be encouraged to have a conversation about what’s important to them, their families and to America examining the past and looking at the future.
Attendees may also enter a Birthday Wish for America & sign the America @ 250 Macoupin County Time Capsule book. The book will become a permanent archive of the Macoupin County Historical Society.
Individuals, families, & friends can also be a part of “Community Conversations” recorded by Illinois Voices 250, a Story Telling group affiliated with Illinois Humanities. The recordings will take place in all 102 counties in Illinois. Illinois Voices 250 will be on site most of the day at the Historical Society Spring Festival. The stores recorded will be digitalized and become a permanent part of the Library of Congress.
Those interested in participating are welcome to bring family and friends into a casual conversation about their life story. Both projects were made possible through a grant from Illinois Humanities to Carlinville Winning Communities, a local non profit organization that supports activities in the community. It’s a very successful partnership between Carlinville Winning Communities, Illinois Humanities and the Macoupin County Historical Society, said Mary Tinder, who is coordinating the activities.
This year, 2026, is also a time to “Bring Back the Strawberries”, a specialty desert from the Red Barn Kitchen. For many years, strawberry shortcake was the signature desert at the festivals. The MCHS Board of Directors and Red Barn Kitchen Crew chose this historic occasion to put them back on the menu.
“Fifty Years of Festivals” has helped finance operations for MCHS and we are working towards another fifty years, said board member Patty Ambrose, Vendor and Outreach Coordinator for MCHS. These activities are free, open to the public and accessible. The two-day festival is May 23, 24, 2026 at the Macoupin County Historical Society, 900 West Breckenridge Street, Carlinville, Il.
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Community News
Benld prepares to celebrate 72nd annual Italian American Days over Memorial Day weekend
A beloved community tradition returns this Memorial Day weekend as the 72nd Annual Benld Italian-American Days brings three days of food, music, and family fun to Benld City Park from Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24.
Hosted by the Italian Club of Benld, the long-running festival celebrates the area’s rich Italian heritage while welcoming visitors from across the region for a full slate of activities.
Festivalgoers can expect a wide variety of homemade Italian favorites served throughout the weekend, including salami and meatball sandwiches, tortellini soup, bagna cauda, and cannoli. A daily fish fry featuring cod and whiting will also be available, along with classic festival fare such as hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian beef, and carnival treats. Beer, wine, and soda will be available for purchase.
In addition to the food, the event will feature carnival rides provided by Conner Family Amusement, Inc., with unlimited ride sessions offered throughout the weekend. Bingo will be held nightly at 7:00 p.m., and festival-themed shirts will be available for purchase.
Live music and dancing will take center stage each evening. Friday night entertainment includes a performance by Flip the Frog from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., with the park open from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Saturday highlights include the Italian Club Car Show, with registration from 8:00 a.m. to noon and judging beginning at noon. The park opens at 11:00 a.m., and live music will feature Pat Jones in the afternoon followed by Borderline in the evening.
Sunday kicks off with the “Meatballs on the Run” 5K at 9:00 a.m., sponsored by the Gillespie Cross Country Boosters. You can sign-up to participate online here. The day continues with free spaghetti served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., a bocce ball tournament beginning at noon, and a full lineup of live music throughout the day, including performances by Unbroken, Syner-Gee, and B&B Strings.
Connors Family Amusements will provide carnival armbands for $30. Armbands will be valid Friday (May 22) from 6:00 to 10 :00 p.m. and again on Saturday (May 23rd) and Sunday (May 24th) from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m, Advanced armband sales will be available from May 4th through May 21st at the Frank Bertetti Public Library and Benld City Hall for $25. Debit and Credit Cards will NOT be accepted.
Organizers note that no outside beverages are permitted in the park or at club events.
With its mix of tradition, entertainment, and community spirit, the 72nd Annual Benld Italian-American Days promises to once again be a highlight of the summer season in Macoupin County. For more information and updates, follow the festival on Facebook at Benld Italian American Days.
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Gillespie will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, May 11 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.
To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 7101336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested. You may also call ImpactLife at 800-747-5401 to schedule.
Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available
through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate.
For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 7475401. Donors who last gave blood on or before March 16, 2026, are eligible to give at this drive.
Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors.
ImpactLife is a nonprofit community organization providing blood products and services to more than 100 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as researchers and resource sharing partners across the country.
