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2026 Election in Illinois Valley: Top races we’re watching Tuesday · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  2026 election in Illinois Valley. Top races we're watching Tuesday. This
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  article is being read by an automated voice brought to you by
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  Everlet. Election Day is here and polls are open in Illinois until
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  seven p.m. Tuesday. Results are expected to come in throughout the night,
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  vote tallies aren't certified as final until two weeks after the midterm
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  elections. Here are some top races Shaw Local News Network is following
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  today in the Illinois Valley. Visit our elections central webpage for all
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  our election coverage. 76Th House District. It's a familiar face-off Tuesday for
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  Democrat Amy Murray Brielle, who seeks to defend her seat in a
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  re-election bid against Republican Liz Bishop, who challenged her unsuccessfully for the
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  seats in 2025. Voters will get a chance to decide their next
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  representative for the 76th District, which includes portions of DeCalb, Bureau and
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  La Salle counties. Read more of Briel Shaw Local Questionnaire responses here.
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  Read more of Bishop's Shaw Local Questionnaire responses here. The freshman incumbent
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  lawmaker from Ottawa campaigned on expanding healthcare access in rural communities and
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  supports expanding down payment assistance for first time homebuyers. Brielle said she
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  supports union workers, including union jobs that come from data center development,
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  but said she believes developers should cover the cost of grid and
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  water infrastructure work their projects require. She supports the growth of clean
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  energy, including lifting the ban on new nuclear power plants. She said
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  she wants to expand state-earned income and child tax credits. She said
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  she also supports state funding for schools, roads and bridges, parks and
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  local theaters, and community spaces. Bishop of the LaSalle Peru area, retired
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  from a career in banking and finance, and is also the LaSalle
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  City Clerk. She campaigned to expand affordability and health care for her
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  constituents, also listing ethics and transparency as a priority. On data centers,
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  Bishop said she supports the developments and investments, but wants local governments
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  to have a clearer picture of the project demands on resource consumption
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  and infrastructure needs. She said she supports energy policies that include multiple
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  types of energy creation, including nuclear, natural gas, grid modernization, and taxpayer
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  protection. She said she'd prioritize state funding for public safety, education, infrastructure,
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  services for seniors and people with disabilities, healthcare access, and paying long-term
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  obligations. Controversy hasn't been left out of the contested state race either.
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  In August, Bishop's campaign released a video of Briel's former Chief of
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  Staff, Lau Jackson, who accused Briel of workplace harassment and retaliation, sexual
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  harassment and misusing regulated drugs. Bishop has repeatedly called for the allegations
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  to be reviewed further at the state level. Briel has repeatedly denied
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  the claims, pointing to a state investigation by the Illinois Inspector General's
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  office. Briel has said former Inspector General Mike McCusky found the allegations
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  to be unfounded. 16Th Congressional District. Republican incumbent
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  U.S. Representative Durren Lahood is seeking re-election to the U.S. House of
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  Representatives against Democratic challenger Paul Nolly. Read more of Lahood's Shaw Local
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  Questionnaire responses here. Read more of Nollie's Shaw Local Questionnaire responses here.
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  Lahood, an attorney from Peoria, previously served as a state senator in
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  District 37. He campaigned to improve affordability for his constituents, pointing to
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  high taxes, grocery bills, and energy costs as reasons for the penny
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  pinching. He also sits on the Ways and Means Committee in Washington,
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  which focuses on providing tax relief through eliminating taxes on tips and
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  overtime and doubling the child tax credit. He said if elected, he'd
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  seek to strengthen the low income housing tax credit and expand access
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  to The
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  housing credit, which would aid Illinoisans seeking to buy homes. Nolly, executive
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  director of a union supporting organization that promotes union partnerships, is from
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  Roscoe Township. His campaign focused on reducing the cost of living for
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  Illinoisans, rooting out what he called corruption in politics, and addressing U.S.
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  Involvement in foreign wars. He said he'd support a national health insurance
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  program. He's opposed to continued tariffs under both Democrats and Republicans. Waltham
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  School District 185 Referendum. The Waltham Community Consolidated School District 185
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  is asking voters if 7.53 million in bonds should be issued for
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  school improvements. The school board has said the funds would ease the
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  Utica area district's ongoing lack of space amid surging enrollment. New classrooms
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  are needed but would come with a sizable tax increase. Bureau County
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  Sheriff's Office With Bureau County Sheriff James Reid not seeking re-election, newcomers
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  Democrat Michael Vidtig and Republican Tom Kammerer are seeking to gain voter
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  support. Both are law enforcement officers. Cammer is Princeton's police chief and
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  Vidtig is a Bureau County Sheriff's Deputy. They recently addressed questions at
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  an October forum offering their stances on the Safety Act, flock safety
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  surveillance cameras, and the office's telecommunication system Camera said He believes the
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  legislation's pretrial fairness provisions don't allow law enforcement to detain repeat offenders.
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  He said detention also can mean someone is offered services the may
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  need, like help with addiction. Wittig said he believes while the law
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  ensured no one stays in jail longer for tracking money to bond
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  out, it also weakened accountability, citing recidivism also. Both said the would
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  push legislators to widen the list of offenses that allow custody. Camera
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  called the county's radio system a safety issue. He said the radios
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  are antiquated, patchwork systems keep things running, and deputies in some areas
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  use cell phones to communicate. Wittig said he doesn't see the system
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  as that lacking, crediting Reed's administration for installing new radios in squad
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  cars. Cameras said surveillance tools like Flock can be a good tool
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  for tracking down suspects. He said he thinks further regulations on private
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  entities use of the cameras are needed. Vittig also said he believes
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  the cameras are a good tool but worth an audit.