ISRA Candidate Endorsements Are Out… Don’t blame us. We’re not affiliated with ISRA…

The Illinois State Rifle Association has released their candidate endorsements ahead of the June 28th primary.  We’ve gotten more than a little heat from callers upset about the ratings.  Folks, we aren’t the ISRA.  

The ISRA-PVF has selected the following candidates for the General Primary election on June 28, 2022.

Gubernatorial Candidate:

Darren Bailey- Rep – Endorsed

State Senate Candidates:

District 18 – Christine McGovern – Rep – Preferred
District 25 – Heather Brown – Rep – Preferred
District 32 – Craig Wilcox- Rep – Endorsed
District 33 – Donald DeVVitte – Rep – Endorsed
District 35 – Dave Syverson -Rep – Endorsed
District 36 – Glen Evans Sr- Rep – Preferred
District 37 – Win Stoller – Rep – Endorsed
District 40 – Patrick Joyce – Dem – Endorsed
District 42 – Linda Holmes – Dem – Endorsed
District 45 -Andrew Chesney- Rep – Endorsed
District 46 – Dave Koehler- Dem – Endorsed
District 47 – Neil Anderson – Rep – Endorsed
District 48 – Doris Turner – Dem – Endorsed
District 50 – Jil Tracy- Rep – Endorsed
District 51- Chapin Rose – Rep – Endorsed
District 54 – Steve McClure – Rep – Endorsed
District 55 – Jason Plummer – Rep – Endorsed
District 56 – Rachelle Crowe – Dem – Endorsed
District 58 – Terri Bryant – Rep – Endorsed

State Representatives Candidates:

District 15 – Mark Albers – Rep – Preferred
District 21- Matthew Schultz – Rep – Preferred
District 30 – Patricia Bonk- Rep – Preferred
District 32 – Carl Kunz – Rep – Preferred
District 35 – Herb Hebein – Rep – Preferred
District 36 – David Sheppard – Rep – Preferred
District 52 – Martin Mclaughlin – Rep – Endorsed
District 61 – Peter Pettorini – Rep – Preferred
District 64 – Tom Weber – Rep – Endorsed
District 65 – Dan Usgate – Rep – Endorsed
District 66 – Arin Thrower – Rep – Preferred
District 67 – Glen Oland – Rep – Preferred
District 69 – Joe Sosnowski – Rep – Endorsed
District 70 – Jeff Keicher – Rep – Endorsed
District 71- Dan Swanson – Rep – Endorsed
District 72 – Tom Martens – Rep – Preferred
District 75 – David Welter – Rep – Endorsed
District 86 – Scott Greene – Rep – Preferred
District 86 -James Lanham – Rep – Preferred
District 87 – Mary Burress- Rep – Preferred
District 87 -William Hauter- Rep – Preferred
District 88 – Dan Caulkins – Rep – Endorsed
District 89 – Tony Mccombie – Rep – Endorsed
District 90 -John Cabello – Rep – Endorsed
District 91 – Scott Preston – Rep – Preferred
District 91-James Fisher- Rep – Preferred
District 93 – Mark Luft – Rep – Endorsed
District 94 – Norine Hammond – Rep – Endorsed
District 95 – Tim Butler – Rep – Endorsed
District 99 – Randy Frese – Rep – Endorsed
District 101- Chris Miller – Rep – Endorsed
District 104 – Mike Marron – Rep – Endorsed
District 105 – Kyle Ham – Rep – Preferred
District 108 – Wayne Rosenthal – Rep – Endorsed
District 109 – Charles Meier – Rep – Endorsed
District 111- Amy Elik – Rep – Endorsed
District 112 – Joe Hackler – Rep – Preferred
District 114 – Kevin Dawson – Rep – Preferred
District 116 – Dave Severin – Rep – Endorsed
District 117 – Patrick Windhorst- Rep – Endorsed
District 118 – Paul Jacobs – Rep – Endorsed

The ISRA-PVF determines if a candidate is preferred or endorsed by reviewing the surveys that are returned to ISRA-PVF. The ISRA-PVF only endorses candidates that have a favorable voting record on Second Amendment issues. If the candidate has no voting record, the preferred rating is based on the survey that was submitted to the ISRA-PVF. The ISRA-PVF sends a survey to every candidate, it is up to them to return the survey by the deadline, if the candidate did not return the survey they are not rated.

Others are flat-out incredulous how State Senator Dave Koehler received an endorsement.  He was a co-sponsor to the “Fix the FOID / FOID Modernization Act” bill that was passed into law that bans private gun sales effective Jan. 1, 2024 – and requires private transfers to go through a dealer. 

Remember this?

Provides that any person within this State who receives any firearm, stun gun, or taser from a person who is not a federally licensed firearm dealer shall provide a record of the transfer within 10 days of the transfer to a federally licensed firearm dealer and shall not be required to maintain a transfer record. Provides that the federally licensed firearm dealer shall maintain the transfer record for 20 years from date of receipt. Provides that a federally licensed firearm dealer may charge a fee not to exceed $25 to retain the record. Provides that the record shall be provided and maintained in either an electronic or paper format. Provides that the federally licensed firearm dealer shall not be liable for the accuracy of any information in the transfer record submitted pursuant to this provision.

What’s more, Koehler didn’t even vote against the recent “Ghost Gun” ban.  

At the same time other candidates, including one who owns an ammunition manufacturing business and has offered full-throated support of gun rights (and then some) didn’t even get a mention.  Meanwhile other candidates get a “preferred” rating even dodging the gun issue. 

Maybe some of the candidate questionnaires fell through the cracks at ISRA headquarters.

In short, don’t blame us.  We aren’t the ISRA and haven’t been since the late 1990s.  We left and haven’t looked back.

And if David Koehler is your idea of an endorsed gun rights champion, then we need to have a talk.  With friends like Dave Koehler we’re in deep trouble.   Endorsing Dave Koehler is like endorsing Adam Kinzinger.