East Central Reporter

State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Vandalia) is hoping his potential loss will be colleague Sen. Steve McClure’s (R-Jacksonville) gain.

“If the current maps stand, the district I proudly represent will change some,” Plummer recently posted on Facebook. “One of those changes would be that I will lose a large portion of Effingham County, an absolutely great place. That said, I am comforted in knowing that my good friend, State Senator Steve McClure, has announced his intention to run for the potential 'new' district that covers the portions of Effingham County that I would be losing.”

Plummer said McClure stands for all the right things when it comes to taking a stand for Republican values.

“Steve has been a leader in the Republican caucus and he has been on the front lines of some of the most important issues facing our families and our communities, namely out-of-control crime in Illinois and taking a stand for our law enforcement community,” Plummer wrote. “Steve has stood shoulder to shoulder with me on the Executive Appointments Committee as we have fought the outrageous actions of Governor Pritzker and the Democrat State Senators in relation to the Prisoner Review Board. Steve is a former prosecutor and a no-nonsense guy when it comes to keeping families and communities safe.

With the legality of the new maps still in question as legal challenges play out, Plummer is hoping for the best.

“The maps are in court so no one knows what will happen,” he wrote. “I pray that the courts side with the people and not the power-hungry politicians. If there is a new map, no one knows what the districts will look like. I might benefit politically or I might be harmed politically, but I do not care because I know the people and the state will benefit under a new map. That is what matters."

Plummer had applauded a federal court ruling that established the legislative maps Pritzker enacted in June are illegal and those challenging the boundaries can offer fixes to the system.

Democrats banded to pass new legislative boundaries in May and Pritzker signed them into law before the final U.S. Census data was released. Republicans and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) sued in federal court, arguing the maps were based on estimates and not properly proportioned.

Plummer didn’t hesitate in expressing his approval.

“Big win for Illinoisans across the political spectrum,” he wrote on Facebook. “Their voices will now be heard instead of ignored by the majority party. The Democrat majority was proven by a 3-judge federal panel to have intentionally neglected the citizens and avoided an independent commission in this naked power grab.”

The court order mandated that both sides come together to reach an agreement based on official Census Bureau data.

Plummer also recently protested Pritzker’s COVID-19 guidelines for schools across the state.

"Schools, first responders, small businesses, hospitals and many others have been put in difficult spots but, working together, Illinoisans have done their best during this unprecedented pandemic,” Plummer posted on Facebook. “It is time the state steps up and enacts liability protections to make sure it is not open season on these hardworking people who have stepped up for their neighbors.”

Plummer raising his voice on the issue comes as nothing new.

“I filed legislation over a year ago, similar to common sense actions we have seen in other states and at the federal level, to protect these people who bravely served their communities during this crisis,” he posted. “Gov. Pritzker and Democrat legislators refuse to hear the legislation, deferring to their political base (some of their biggest donors) and leaving the door open for trial lawyers to come after our school districts, our small businesses, our hospitals, our first responders, and others for their actions during the pandemic.”