State Rep. Tim Butler (in blue) stands behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin. | Facebook/Richard Irvin
State Rep. Tim Butler (in blue) stands behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin. | Facebook/Richard Irvin
Kent Gray, a conservative candidate for Illinois House of Representatives District 95, is questioning his primary opponent State Rep. Tom Butler’s appearance at the Macon County Fair with Aurora mayor Richard Irvin, a GOP primary candidate for governor.
Butler has maintained a continued alliance with Irvin, who made disparaging comments liked texts about former President Donald Trump while being accused of smearing others in the race for allegedly not supporting Trump.
“I'm disappointed to find out that Richard Irvin has these comments swirling about him,” Gray told the Sangamon Sun. “I think it calls into question whether or not he's being honest with the voters about his essential dislike of Donald Trump.”
Gray said Irvin has voted Democrat in five out of six primaries.
“(He is) probably the wrong choice to be our standard bearer for the Republican Party against J.B. Pritzker,” he said.
The sighting isn’t out of the ordinary. Butler was one of the legislative leaders who have supported Irvin despite his long history voting for Democrats. Butler refused to renounce his endorsement of Irvin after text messages were leaked in which Irvin called Trump a “bigot” and noted “I hate him too,” the Sangamon Sun reported.
Meanwhile the Irvin campaign was sending out mailers – which were found to violate election law – in which he questioned GOP gubernatorial opponent Darren Bailey’s, a state senator from Xenia, support for Trump.
Butler once compared the Jan. 6 riot in the nation's Capitol to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, according to The State Journal-Register.
Butler and a cadre of other Republicans, including Irvin's running mate State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Pawnee), crossed party lines by voting to raise the state’s gas tax.
The gas tax is also set to increase automatically with inflation, so higher taxes are still ahead, Illinois Policy reported.
Gray has been running a campaign to unseat Butler in the Republican primary on June 28.
He is a Springfield attorney who worked on Trump's Illinois and Missouri campaigns.
Gray has more than 20 years of experience assisting municipalities and other local government entities on tough logistical and legal issues, the Sangamon Sun reported.
The 95th District includes Chatham and part of Springfield and spans across portions of Sangamon, Christian and Macon counties.
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