OLNEY, IL – With the March Republican Primary rapidly approaching, State Representative David Reis (R-Ste. Marie) has kicked off his campaign for re-election as State Representative for the 109th Illinois House District.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve as your voice in the Illinois General Assembly,” Rep. Reis said. “I am truly humbled to serve the great people in the nine counties that make up this district. I want to thank the nearly 2,000 voters who signed my nominating petitions. We filed with the maximum number of signatures allowed, which showed a solid base of support among Republican voters.”

As our State Representative, David Reis stood up to Mike Madigan and the Chicago Democrat Machine. Reis opposed wasteful spending and repeatedly voted against the Democrats’ unbalanced budgets and Chicago bailouts. David will continue to push for reforms to help get Illinois back on the right track.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do to cut spending and pay our bills on time. To help balance the budget, I am sponsoring tough welfare reforms to cut down on fraud and save taxpayer dollars. My plan requires drug testing of welfare recipients, includes a work requirement to receive food stamps, and bans illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits,” said Reis.

Representative Reis expressed his disappointment that his primary opponent chose to immediately go negative with a barrage of ads, rather than discussing with voters what his own agenda will be.

“With the election season upon us, we are already seeing a lot of mud-slinging in the race against me,” Reis said. “It is unfortunate that my opponent has chosen to go negative with false and misleading attacks. Let me set the record straight:

·         FACT #1: No, I did not side with Democrats on a 32% tax increase. For final passage of Senate Bill 9, I supported the Governor’s Veto and voted ‘No’ against the Madigan Democrats’ override motion, which made the income tax hike law.

·         FACT #2: During my time in office, I have consistently opposed Democrat tax increases. I voted against the 2011 Quinn/Madigan 67% income tax hike. I voted against Speaker Madigan’s income tax surcharge. I voted against the cigarette tax and the so-called “Amazon” Internet sales tax.

·         FACT #3: With the highest property taxes in the nation, I am fighting for real property tax relief for our families. I have repeatedly voted to freeze property taxes, to increase the general homestead exemption, the senior citizen homestead exemption and the senior citizen assessment freeze exemption.”

David Reis is 100% pro-life and pro-family values, and is proud to have the endorsement of right-to-life groups, including the Illinois Citizens for Life.

“Last year, I voted against and urged Governor Rauner to veto House Bill 40, which provides taxpayer-funded abortions on demand,” Reis said. “Like most Illinoisans, I was appalled when the Governor broke his promise to pro-life advocates and signed that horrendous bill into law.”

As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, David Reis fought to protect the rights of gun owners and helped pass the Firearm Concealed Carry Act (P.A. 98-063), making Illinois the final state to allow concealed carry for its citizens. Reis consistently opposed the gun-grabbing agenda of the liberal Chicago politicians. His pro-gun voting record has earned David an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

“My record is clear – I am a Proven Conservative Voice for Our Families. It is my honor to serve as your State Representative and I would appreciate your continued support in the upcoming Republican Primary Election.”

Representative Reis has served his caucus as Assistant House Republican Leader since 2017. He also recognized the importance of top-notch constituent services in his re-election statement.

“It’s always been very important to me to be visible and accessible to constituents throughout the nine counties that I serve,” Reis said. “My legislative office does a great job with constituent services and I appreciate my staff’s hard work on behalf of the people of the 109th District. We hold regular traveling office hours and host outreach events throughout the district to bring services to every community we possibly can.”

David Reis is a farmer/businessman who lives in Jasper County on their family’s fifth-generation farm near the village of Ste. Marie, where the Reis’ have farmed for over 150 years. David is a proud supporter of Illinois agriculture and is honored to be endorsed by the Illinois Farm Bureau.

David’s wife, Maria Strelka Reis, is a special education teacher at the Nuttall Middle School in Robinson. They have two children, Nicholas and Adriana.

David is a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Newton, Sons of the American Legion, A.B.A.T.E., Jasper County Farm Bureau, Jasper County Chamber, Illinois State Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Illinois Pork Producers Association.