Illinois Valley Times

Rep. David Welter recently acknowledged his loss in the re-election race and expressed his gratefulness to the voters.

"Today we came up short of our goal to win the race for the 75th District, but I want each and every one of you to know how deeply grateful I am for your support and your vote. To every volunteer who knocked on doors, made phone calls, attended a fundraiser or displayed a yard sign for me at your home, I say THANK YOU. It has been a tremendous privilege serving the people of the 75th District for the past six years. I'm proud of what we have been able to accomplish together, especially passing legislation to keep our nuclear plants open and protect local jobs, making a difference for victims and survivors of domestic violence through Colton's Task Force, and fighting for our shared conservative values down in Springfield. I congratulate Jed Davis for state representative on his victory and urge all Republicans to come together as we keep working toward November with one goal: To defeat J.B. Pritzker and elect a Republican majority in the Illinois House of Representatives," Welter said on Facebook.

The Peoria Journal Star reports that Welter received 5,342 votes, or 45.5%. His challenger, Jed Davis, received 6,393 votes, or 54.5%.

In a June 29 Facebook post, Davis said, "Thank you David Allen Welter State Representative 75th for your service to the 75th, greatly appreciate the open line of communication!"

Welter has been critical of Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the past. In May, he took Pritzker to task for blaming others and not being cordial to the auditor-general, Illinois Valley Times reported. The audit suggested that the facility was severely mismanaged during the peak of the pandemic, CBS News reported. 

"Instead of thanking the auditor-general for his work, Pritzker chose to blame others and offer excuses that do not reflect the previous testimony or the facts obtained by the auditors," Welter said. "That reaction is not someone who wants to figure out what went wrong and hold people accountable unless it's on his own terms."