By Caden Brooks, Dameion Hatten & Anna Warkel
With the midterm elections approaching quickly, it is very important to know who is running and to understand the views they have before voting. It is not a good idea to roll up to the polling site and just take a guess if you truly care about who you want to be in office. For the state of Illinois, two candidates are running for the House of Representatives. Republican Mike Bost is currently in office. Running against him is Democrat Homer Markel.
Mike Bost graduated from Murphysboro High School in 1979. He then enlisted in the Marine Corps and served from 1979 to 1982. Prior to Mike Bost’s election to Congress, he served for two decades in the Illinois House of Representatives. He then rose to a leadership position as the House Republican Caucus Chair. Bost has also served as a firefighter for the Murphysboro Fire Department, and he graduated from The University of Illinois Firefighter Academy in 1993. He continued as a firefighter during his six terms as a state representative. Bost and his family are very active in their community, owning and operating a small business called the White House Salon in Murphysboro. (Bost, 2022)
Image retrieved from Wikipedia
Agriculture is very important in southern Illinois since Illinois produces corn, soybeans, and more than half of the United States’s horseradish. Mike Bost sees that agriculture is a big part of Illinois which is why he is working on increasing broadband access for businesses and increasing the accessibility of credit to new and beginning farmers. In agriculture, it is very expensive to see a crop through from planting to harvest which is why Bost is committed to maintaining the safety net for producers that the 2018 Farm Bill established. (Bost, 2022)
Homer Markel, also known as “Chip,” is the Democrat running against Mike Bost. He is from southern Illinois and has lived there all his life. He graduated in 1978 and immediately enlisted in the U.S Navy. Markel received an Honorable Discharge in 1982. He then worked for 27 years with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Markel was hired as a Correctional Officer at Menard, then transferred to Tamms. He got promoted to Major, where he served as Chief of Security. He then retired in January of 2012 (Markel, 2022).
Image retrieved from Effingham Radio
Markel’s focus is to advocate for policies that support hardworking families and to serve everyone in the community. He promises to put people over parties and serve the community before corporations. He believes that there needs to be a change in how Congress works for the people. Markel stands for women’s rights to choose and personal privacy. Also, he believes in renewable, clean energy. He states that America can thrive once we invest in renewable energy research. Markel’s other issues center on how voting rights must be protected, fiscal responsibility, cutting unessential spending, and health care. (Markel, 2022)
Overall, each candidate has their own belief system and plan. Bost has been putting his plan to work for many years now, helping represent the community while proving why he’s been in his position for so long. On the other hand, Markel is hoping he can convince the people to give him a chance to show what he has planned to help do what he believes is best for the people of southern Illinois.
Work Cited
Bost for Congress – Passionate Leadership for Southern Illinois. (2022). Retrieved October 23, 2022, from http://bostforcongress.com/
Markel, H. (2022, May 20). Issues. Homer “Chip” Markel for Congress. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://chipmarkelforcongress.com/issues/
