Illinois Valley Times

Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) recently announced his re-election bid to represent the 73rd District in the General Assembly.

The 73rd District includes Spain's hometown Peoria along with parts of Bureau, Lee, Henry, Stark, Rock Island, Marshall, Woodford, and Whiteside counties.

"I was proud to be one of three Republican legislators to lead the petition to investigate the actions of Michael Madigan and begin to end the stain of Democrat Machine corruption in our state government," Spain posted on Facebook. "Policy challenges with the new Speaker remain, but so does my resolve to improve the lot for Illinois families who want nothing more than to raise their families and see better opportunities in Illinois."

Spain was first elected to represent the 73rd District in 2017 after the retirement of Rep. David Leitch.

"While my representation may be new to many voters in this district due to the new gerrymandered map boundaries drawn behind closed doors by Democrat politicians through a corrupt process which I led the charge against, I look forward to introducing myself and earning the support of voters who yearn to put Illinois on a better track," Spain said.

Spain has pointed out that there are many issues that are currently facing the state and that he is an expert in fields like economic development, healthcare policy, election reform, and redistricting.

"Voters in Central and North Central Illinois deserve full-throated conservative leaders to thoughtfully and strategically go to bat against the flawed policies which have driven our state into the ground," Spain said.

Spain has also called for the repeal of the SAFE-T Act. "When Democrats defund, when Democrats damage and when Democrats demoralize the police, it has significant and grave consequences to the safety of our communities across the state of Illinois," Spain said during a recent news conference.

Spain was named a Champion of Free Enterprise by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and as part of the Illinois Telehealth Initiative, he was awarded the 2018 Leadership Award for improving telehealth policy.