MOORE’S SUMMARY: Seven Democrats have applied to complete former Rep. Harry Benton’s term and take his spot on the November ballot. Will County Democratic Party Chair Billy Morgan has more than 85% of the weighted vote in both cases and has called a meeting on Monday to make the appointments.
WHO’S SEEKING THE JOB? Here are the candidates who submitted their credentials to the Democratic parties of Will and Kendall counties earlier this week:
- Robert Baudo, clinical researcher at University of Chicago Medicine
- Natalie Coleman, education nonprofit executive
- Michael Crowner, Wheatland Township supervisor
- Jessica Dixon Heitman, public relations professional
- Chris Hensley, auctioneer and fundraising consultant
- Savena Joiner, an educator in Naperville Unit School District 203
- Bill Thoman, Plainfield Park District Board president
Crowner defeated Benton for a seat on the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee in March. Heitman was briefly Benton’s media and community outreach coordinator in 2023. Hensley previously served as chief of staff to Republican Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood, who served under Gov. George Ryan. And Coleman is a former Will County Board member.
WHY IT MATTERS: The 97th House District is one of the few truly competitive districts on Illinois’ heavily gerrymandered legislative map.
Benton won it twice against Republicans by less than five percentage points. Gov. JB Pritzker carried it by seven percentage points in 2022 and Vice President Kamala Harris won it by four percentage points in 2024. Republican Gabby Shanahan, who lost in 2024, is running again.
Whoever Morgan selects will immediately be thrust into a tier-one legislative race, which means they will have to display some political chops and be willing to knock on a lot of doors.
It’s expected that the same person will receive both appointments.
WHY WE’RE HERE: Benton resigned earlier this month, days after House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called for it. Welch said an investigation by the legislative inspector general revealed “clear patterns of conduct.” Benton subsequently withdrew his name from the ballot on Wednesday. Welch kicked Benton out of the Democratic caucus and stripped him of his committee assignments with no public explanation in late February.
MORE TO THE STORY?: A major investigation from the Chicago Tribune on Friday, however, contents that Welch’s office knew about allegations against Benton for years. Per the report from Jeremy Gorner and Rick Pearson:
“When he detailed the steps his office took that led state Rep. Harry Benton to resign his seat amid allegations of sexual harassment, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch praised those who “trusted our office to listen, support them and ensure their concerns were handled appropriately.”
But Welch’s account of his office’s swift response stands in sharp contrast to what happened three years ago. That’s when a young female Benton staffer — one of his first hires whose interactions with the lawmaker were part of the investigation — outlined a lengthy series of harassment allegations, many of a sexual nature, to Welch’s office.”
There’s much more than we can summarize here, but you can find the full story: Illinois House Speaker Welch’s office knew of harassment claims against disgraced state Rep. Benton years ago
WHAT’S NEXT: The bipartisan, bicameral Legislative Ethics Commission meets on July 23. They could vote to make McCuskey’s report public, though it is unclear when disclosure will actually occur.
The appointment meeting is Monday at 5 p.m. at the Plainfield Township Community Center at 15014 S. Des Plaines St. in Plainfield.
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