advertisement

Windhorst will seek re-election, to 117th state rep seat

METROPOLIS – Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) announced on Tuesday that he plans to seek election to the 117th District pending the ongoing legal challenges to the new legislative maps.

Windhorst currently serves the 118th District in the Illinois House.

After the official 2020 Census data was released in August, state Democrats revised their new legislative map originally passed and signed into law in May. House and Senate Republicans, along with the Illinois Republican Party, have a pending lawsuit against the map that asks the courts to strike it down and be redrawn independent from the General Assembly. The court will decide that case sometime in the next couple months.

Should the newly Democrat-drawn legislative map stand, all four incumbent Republican state representatives from deep Southern Illinois (Dave Severin, Patrick Windhorst, Paul Jacobs, and David Friess) have been drawn into separate districts. However, the district numbers changed (Severin 117 > 116, Windhorst 118 > 117, Jacobs 115 > 118, Friess 116 > 115).

"After dethroning a political dynasty in 2018, I went to work in Springfield to fight corruption, enact pro-growth policies, and push back against the Democrat's never-ending attack on our Southern Illinois values," Windhorst said. "I have amassed a rock-solid conservative voting record of opposing every single tax increase that came through the House, opposing any and all infringements on our Second Amendment rights, and defending the lives of the unborn. I look forward to providing Southern Illinois a conservative voice once again."

Windhorst was named "Public Official of the Year" by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Polic and has been appointed Republican spokesperson for the newly created House Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force.

Windhorst was first elected in 2018 after serving as State's Attorney and the top law enforcement official in Massac County where he was raised.

He attended Massac County schools, Shawnee Community College, University of Illinois, and graduated from SIU School of Law.

He and his wife Holly have two young children. Holly is the executive director of the Massac County Drug Awareness Coalition.

Patrick is involved with the Metropolis Rotary Club, Metropolis Chamber of Commerce, Shawnee College Saints Foundation Board, and previously served on the boards of the Massac County Mental Health and Cairo Women's Shelter as well as coaching boys' basketball at Unity Elementary.

Patrick and Holly are active members of their local church, for which Patrick serves as a Deacon.

"I have a track record you can trust. I'm not swayed by special interests or Springfield power brokers. I represent the people of Southern Illinois and nobody else," Windhorst said.

Windhorst will face former Williamson County Commissioner Ron Ellis in the primary. Ellis announced his candidacy for the position in June.