VANDALIA - The longest-serving member of Illinois' Republican congressional delegation may be facing a challenge in the March 2016 Republican primary.
State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Vandalia) appears to be preparing a bid to unseat Republican John Shimkus (IL-15), who has been representing Illinois' southernmost congressional district since 1997.
While the rumor has been persistent for a while, reports are that McCarter made several calls over the weekend to downstate Republican leaders, notifying them of his intentions to primary Shimkus in 2016. They say Shimkus' longtime loyal staffers, as well as Governor Rauner's, have unsuccessfully tried to dissuade McCarter from his plans.
Sunday night, McCarter told Illinois Review he would respond to our query with an email on Tuesday.
McCarter, who first took office in the Illinois Senate in 2009, is not up for re-election until 2018.
