With just under three weeks until the Primary Election in Illinois, political campaigns are ramping up. One local contested race is for State Senator of Illinois’ 36th District. Candidates Brad Beekman and Patrick Harlan are seeking the Republican Party nomination on the ballot during the Primary Election on March 17th. Candidate Patrick Harlan, who is from Galesburg and currently a fuel truck driver, shares his views on law enforcement, education, and energy:
“I want to repeal the SAFE-T Act. I want to be able to go back to giving law enforcement the support they need to make our communities safe again. Whenever you have a safe community, you have thriving businesses, you have a thriving economy. When there is no safety, your education system is going to be weak, your businesses don’t want to invest, people will continue to move out, and our taxes will continue to rise,” says Harlan.
“Our education system, I want to put the resources back into the classrooms where they belong. I want our educators to feel supported. I want parents to have the opportunity to be involved in the education system. With our energy costs, we are a very energy rich state. I want to make sure that we are able to get our energy back and running out of Illinois,” Harlan adds.
Candidate Brad Beekman, a retired Master Sergeant with the Illinois State Police residing in the Bushnell area, expresses his views on law enforcement, education, and small businesses:
“I want to be a voice for law enforcement. I spent 28 years in law enforcement, 24 with the Illinois State Police. The SAFE-T Act comes up in almost all conversations when you talk about law enforcement. Amendments and things to that are important to me to get our communities safe again,” Beekman says.
“An advocate for quality education. With my position on the Bushnell-Prairie-City School Board and my family of teachers, and my inside knowledge there, I feel very strongly that education is the backbone of our society and our families. Then, I want to be a support for agriculture and small businesses,” adds Beekman.
The winner of the Primary Election between Harlan and Beekman on March 17th will face Democratic Incumbent Mike Halpin in the General Election this November for Illinois’ 36th Senate District.
