Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?
I am a Teutopolis native, and my family and I live in rural Dieterich in Effingham County. My wife Trina and have two small children, and we are members of the St. Isidore Catholic Parish, and we attend St. Aloysius church. I graduated from Teutopolis High School in 2002 and later received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. Before becoming a State Representative, I worked as a senior claims adjuster for Country Insurance.
What motivated you to run?
I think what motivated me the most to run was to push back on the far-left policies coming out of Springfield. I want my kids to have not just the same opportunities I had but even better ones. The world the radical left is leaving our children is one of high taxes, out-of-control deficit spending and extremist policies aimed at undermining our Constitutional rights. I ran for office to be a voice of reason for our values. It is wrong to allow kids to have access to pornographic material in school. It is wrong to violate parental rights by enforcing mask and vaccine mandates. It is wrong to try to take away our 2nd Amendment rights. Our leaders have been failing us for far too long. It is time for common-sense conservatives like me to step up and run for office. And so I have.
What are your goals for the upcoming term?
My goals are the same goals I have had since Day One. I want to see our state enact meaningful spending reforms. I want to reduce taxes. I want to roll back the Sanctuary State policies costing us billions and I want to protect kids from being indoctrinated in our schools.
What is the most pressing issue for the state and your district?
The voters I talk to want to see more jobs coming to Illinois. I also hear a lot about the taxes in Illinois. Voters are also concerned that the Democrats in Springfield refuse to try to understand the views of rural residents in Illinois on issues like abortion and the 2nd Amendment. We have a lot of guns in the 102nd District and yet we do not have anything close to the violence that exists in the City of Chicago. Guns are not the problem. People are tired of their voices and their beliefs being ignored by Chicago Democrats. They want leaders who will stand up against the culture of corruption and fight for their values. We need to roll back policies such as the SAFE-T Act, Illinois’ Sanctuary State policies, and we need to lower taxes and bring jobs back to Illinois.
Why is public service important to you? I did not run for office to get a title. I ran to make a difference on the important issues facing our state and nation. Our state is morally and fiscally bankrupt. We need people of integrity to step up and run. I strive every day to put the interests of the people of this district first and to fight for our shared values. I have not taken money from far-left special interest groups. I will not compromise myself that way. This mission is too important for anyone – especially those who call themselves Republicans – to take money from the far-left teachers’ unions.
What makes you the best candidate for the position? I filed well more than double the number of signatures but a technicality on some of the paperwork was challenged which means I now have to run as a write-in candidate. My opponent was recruited by the far-left teachers’ unions which will not resonate with the Republican voters in this district. The views and values of these far-left groups are not in line with the values of the 102nd District. They will reject an IEA-backed candidate because they want someone who will represent them and their values. Voters in this District know me, and they know my record. I have stood up against mask and vaccine mandates. I have been one of the most outspoken pro-life legislators in the Legislature. I have and will continue to defend our Constitutional right to bear arms. And I am shining a spotlight on the border crisis and the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars the Sanctuary State policies are costing Illinois taxpayers, and they know I have not wavered in my support for these values.
What can people expect from you as a state rep? People know me and they know my record. I have been a conservative fighter from the outset. I have no intention of changing my voting record. I am going to continue voting Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Pro-Trump, and Pro-2nd Amendment. I will continue to be a voice for common-sense conservativism in the Illinois Legislature.
How will your previous experiences in the private sector help as a state rep? I grew up in a family business. I know what it is like to sign the front of a check. I fight every single day for small businesses because they are the backbone of our economy. We need to reduce business regulations and stop picking winners and losers. Let’s let the free market work and follow the blueprint of states like Texas and Florida and become a destination for job growth. States like Florida and Texas have proven that if you lower taxes, reduce business regulations, and push back on a weak ideology, people will flock to your state. The opposite is true for the league of incompetents who are presiding over one of the worst-managed states in the country. Let’s lower taxes, reduce spending, roll back business regulations and end the culture of corruption. It really is not hard. We just need to have leaders who will take the rights steps to success.
What else should people know? One of the most important things we need to do is keep young people in Illinois. Despite spending more on state aid than any surrounding state, public college tuition is soaring in Illinois. Other states run more efficient colleges and undercut our tuition. They also offer more scholarships, and mail acceptance letters months in a timelier fashion than schools in Illinois do. When these students leave, they often do not come back. When we lose a new graduate, we lose a lifetime of community investment – not just tax revenue! We also need to look at ways to lower the cost of employment in Illinois. The minimum wage increase is hurting communities in districts like mine. What is the incentive for businesses to stay in Illinois when moving a few miles away to Indiana can dramatically reduce their costs? We need meaningful business reforms in Illinois. It is time to lower taxes, end the harmful CEJA legislation and focus on policies to make our communities safe. We have lost major employers in Illinois because they are tired of the taxes, and they are concerned about the safety of their workers. We can be a destination state for jobs and opportunities. We just need leaders who are willing to make the necessary policy changes.
Get to know Adam Niemerg, write in candidate in the 102nd district
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