Briel holds a narrow lead over Bishop after all precincts counted in state rep race

Amy “Murri” Briel holds a 505 vote lead Tuesday after all precincts were counted in La Salle, Bureau and DeKalb counties in the race to succeed state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa.

Briel has 23,459 votes and her political opponent Liz Bishop has garnered 22,954 in unofficial results.

“I couldn’t be more humbled by everyone who got involved,” Briel said as the final results were coming in during an election party at Alfano’s in Ottawa. “From folks who own businesses in Ottawa that let us shoot at their place for our commercials, to my staff and the many volunteers. If I win, I hope I can give them the same honor they’ve given me.

“I’m amazed at the amount of support from every place, and the people that I met and all of the brilliant points of light that are in this district that have fabulous ideas and are doing these great things,” Briel said during another outing in DeKalb County. “It just makes me so excited to maybe, hopefully be able to represent all of them and make the 76th so incredibly brilliant.”

Yednock, D-Ottawa, opted not to run for reelection, it opened the door for a new face to represent the 76th District in Springfield.

Yednock’s chief of staff Briel, a Democrat of Ottawa, and Republican Bishop of La Salle emerged as political opponents after the March primary. The 76th District was the lone state representative district in Illinois to have a contested primary for both parties and it’s become one Republicans are aiming to steal away from the Democratic majority in the House.

The recently redrawn district is comprised of La Salle, DeKalb and Bureau counties.

Yednock has served as the state representative in the district since 2019, besting state Rep. Jerry Long, R-Streator, to take back a 76th District State Representative seat long held by Democrats. He has since defeated Republican challengers Travis Breeden and Jason Haskell in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

Bishop recently made headlines when she said she would try and overturn the SAFE-T Act and denounced three measures that would, if enacted, cut down on the time inmates would serve in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Bishop was accompanied by local sheriffs and state Rep. Dennis Tipsword, R-Metamora. Former La Salle County Sheriff Tom Templeton pointed to GOP campaign material that culled a series of published and spoken quotes attributed to Briel about not needing sheriff’s offices and downplaying the need for police.

Briel responded to those criticisms by saying they were taken out of context, calling it a “gotcha” moment. She said it ignores the work she did for regional law enforcement agencies as chief of staff for the outgoing Yednock, who voted against the SAFE-T Act.

Briel and Bishop participated in a forum last month hosted by Shaw Local News Network, in which Bishop championed lower property taxes for residents as a priority, and Briel mentioned the removal of the grocery tax as a step in the right direction to help families. Neither candidate was in favor of the implementation of state park fees and each said they would do what they could to promote health care.

Briel, 49, is a lifelong resident of the Illinois Valley, her family has farmed in the area for more than a century. She holds degrees from Ottawa Township High School and Illinois State University. Briel’s priorities include expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering costs for families and taking on big insurance and drug companies.

“Serving the people of the 76th District is what I aim to do,” Briel said. “I’ve met so many amazing people around this district and I want to do whatever I can to make their life easier.”

Bishop, 64, has served as a precinct committeeman since 2020 and as deputy State Central committeewoman from 2021-22 and has a B.A. in English Literature from Carleton College. She advocates for lower property taxes, which she believes would help keep residents in the state and improve affordability. Bishop is against the SAFE-T Act, calling it poor policy and advocating for major adjustments, particularly around pre-trial release and the enforcement of no-contact orders. She supports the concept of Karina’s Bill, which strengthens the enforcement of firearm removals for those with orders of protection but emphasizes the need for better resources for law enforcement in general.