Briel, Bishop await results to see who will succeed Lance Yednock in state House’s 76th District

When state Rep. Lance 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 Amy “Murri” Briel, a Democrat of Ottawa, and Republican Liz 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.

Unofficial results were not available by press time.

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 together 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.

Bishop, 64, has served as a precinct committeeman since 2020 and as deputy State Central committeewoman from 2021-2022 and holds 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.