David Gill Runs For Congress, This Time As An Independent

Tuesday, March 29, is the first day for independent and third-party candidates to circulate petitions to get on Illinois’ November ballot. And that’s when David Gill plans to start collecting signatures for a fifth run for Congress.

Gill ran for Congress four times as a Democrat --- losing to Tim Johnson in the old 15th U-S House District in 2004, 2006 and 2010; and narrowly losing to Rodney Davis in the new 13th District in 2012.

In the 2012 election, Gill may have lost votes to independent candidate John Hartman, who received 7.2% of the vote. This year, Gill is preparing to run as an independent himself, campaigning without the support of Democrats who he says have not shown much enthusiasm for him anyway. The Bloomington physician says both Democrats and Republicans have failed to help most Americans, and that voters are ready for a change.

“I think the voters of all political stripes have come to recognize that the two major parties are not working on their behalf,” said Gill. “They’re working for the well-being of their parties and the interests that fund their parties. And for far too long, people haven’t had true representation in Washington DC.” 

Gill currently works as an emergency room physician for Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services in Gibson City. Besides his E-R work. Gill also worked as an assistant director for the Illinois Department of Public Health in the last year of Pat Quinn’s administration. He supports a single-payer healthcare system in a form he calls “Medicare for all” … a substantial increase in the minimum wage, and investing in a green economy.

Gill hopes to get on the ballot against incumbent Republican Congressman Rodney Davis and Democrat Mark Wicklund in Illinois’ 13th district. He says he has a small campaign staff plus a couple of dozen volunteers. But to get on the November ballot, Gill will have to collect at least 10,754 valid signatures over the next 90 days.

NOTE: This story has been revised to correct an error. Gill describes his concept of a single-payer healthcare system as "Medicare for all", not "Medicaid for all". --- 3/30/16 5:31 AM