Metro East Sun

Jason Plummer of Edwardsville, who made a run for lieutenant governor in 2010, has put in a bid for the Illinois Senate District 54 seat. 

Plummer, a Republican who has served as an intelligence officer for the Navy Reserves, said he made the choice to run because there was a lack of good leadership in Springfield. 

“I’m frustrated by the fact that the big problems facing the people I know throughout the district – lack of quality jobs, high taxes, drugs and crime in our communities – are basically being ignored by career politicians,” Plummer told the Metro East Sun.

Jason Plummer, Senate Candidate, 54th District | http://www.jasonplummer.com/about

“I’m running to help the hard-working people of southern Illinois send a clear message to Springfield politicians that they won’t be ignored and are done paying for a broken, morally bankrupt system,” he said.

When asked who his heroes were, Plummer named members of his own family: his grandfathers and his parents.

“Real heroes are men and women who serve our country, protect our communities and quietly provide opportunities for others, not athletes, movie stars, or politicians,” he said.  

Plummer said that he hoped to see the Republican Party become one with actionable ideas, not just one of perpetual opposition.

“(House Speaker) Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) and his loyalists have decimated Illinois and our great state is now a laughingstock nationally and the poster child for what happens when big government runs amok,” he said. 

“What we have been doing in Illinois for many years under Democrat leadership is clearly not working and real people have been hurt by this systemic failure. The Republican Party must stand up for reform, families, quality jobs, and conservative principles if we are going to win," Plummer said.

Plummer is running in the 54th District, as Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) is not seeking re-election. The district includes parts of Effingham, Edwardsville, Lebanon and Okawville.