(The Center Square) – An embattled lawmaker who will appear on the ballot unopposed in November has a new challenger entering the statehouse race as a grassroots write-in candidate.
A Champaign businessman, Keith Smith, launched a write-in campaign for state representative in the 103rd House District, running against Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Champaign.
Smith explained his goal running as a write-in candidate against the otherwise unopposed Ammons to The Center Square.
“I think the people deserve a choice. And you know, I’m not a career politician. I’m not planning to be a career politician, but I think I’d bring a fresh perspective to the role. Someone that can look at things through an average citizen’s eyes,” Smith said.
Ammons and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, were federally indicted in early July for wire fraud and witness tampering related to a kickback scheme the lawmaker is alleged to have conducted by directing state funds to nonprofits employing her daughter.
Smith said he won’t be campaigning on those ongoing proceedings, citing the lawmaker’s presumed innocence.
“I don’t have any first hand knowledge of the situation. I mean, I think it’s concerning anytime a public servant is in a situation like this and I just feel like it’s inappropriate for me to comment and I’ll wait until it concludes,” Smith said.
He said while he is a registered Democrat, his politics aren’t solely along partisan lines, and he’d bring with him a willingness to work across the aisle, especially on fiscal measures.
“I’m conservative when it comes to things like how you spend money and on defense and subjects of that nature. I’m very much a liberal when it comes to human rights, women’s reproductive rights,” Smith said.
Especially in recent years, the Republican Caucus in the Illinois House has made it a point to ask be included in annual budget negotiations and to have some of its fiscally conservative alternatives to Democrat’s plans be considered.
While he noted he’d support progressive revenue reforms in an attempt to lower property taxes statewide, he said he feels the tax system in the state as a whole needs to be reevaluated.
“In my mind, it’s not fair that a teacher or fireman pays the same rate of tax that a millionaire does. I think we need to look at our sources for revenue, possibly some type of property tax reform. You know, we’ve got the highest property taxes in the country between us and New Jersey,” the businessman said.
The campaign of Carol Ammons didn’t respond to a request for comment on her new opponent.
The Ammons campaign reported $10,225 in expenditures between April and the end of June, with a total of $58,141 in-hand at the end of the last filing period.
Smith noted he’s running a grassroots campaign, and he doesn’t plan to take contributions from groups he’d “owe an obligation to.”
