Cost of Winning in the 101st District

In an election year, the candidate who is already in office tends to have more political clout.

However, Rick Winkel with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs said that is not the case this year in Illinois' 101st district where State Representative Bob Flider (D-Mount Zion) is vying to keep his seat against Adam Brown (R-Decatur).

Combined, the two campaigns have drawn in nearly a million dollars in donations.

This is type of spending is unusual for a legislative race, according to Winkel. He said support for the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Bill Brady, and voter cynicism towards the Democratic leadership have trickled down the ticket.

"It's probably not fair to Representative Flider," Winkel said. "But people are pretty angry right now."

To help secure the seat, Flider's supporters contributed close to $280,000 last week to his campaign, with more than half coming from the Democratic Party and its leadership.

Meanwhile, various political groups and individuals poured nearly $150,000 into the Brown campaign.

Flider has served in the General Assembly for four-terms, while his opponent has served less than one term on the Decatur City Council. Winkel said in this race, experience may not be a selling point.