After a ballot issue, State Senator Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, won the Republican primary for Illinois’s 35th state senator district. The win came after Winnebago County had improperly sized ballots, which interrupted the tabulation process.

The seat currently is held by Christine Johnson, R-Shabbona, whose district was redrawn after the 2010 census.

Dan Sherrill, a supporter of Johnson, was disappointed with the result.

“I was sad to see that Christine didn’t have enough votes to win,” Sherrill said. “I volunteered on her campaign, and I consider her a close friend who has done a lot of great work.”

The redistricting process can lead to negative outcomes for those involved, because it can lead to competition between qualified incumbents, Syverson said.

“It’s always difficult to primary against a fellow Republican, but I am happy to work with Christine until January to make progress this November in our goal for change,” Syverson said.

Syverson took office in 1993 and will represent a large portion of DeKalb, Kane, Boone and Winnebago counties. Johnson was appointed to the seat in February 2011 after serving as DeKalb County Treasurer since 1994.

Syverson said he plans to address Illinois’ financial woes.

“We have larger financial issues in this state than ever before,” Syverson said. “We need to focus on the three biggest issues affecting the state currently: pension reform, the growth of government and the shaky jobs climate. All three are intertwined and needs to be addressed soon.”

He also said that the state needs to start making “adult decisions” when it comes to reform.

“As painful as it may be to make some of these decisions now, it will be far more painful down the road if we don’t address these issues soon,” Syverson said.

The political culture of Illinois was also a focal point of Syverson’s future plans.

“The culture hasn’t changed yet; we still have an ethical problem in state government,” Syverson said. “There must be consequences for misused trust in politicians.”

His plan to combat the current political culture includes encouraging more civilian participation in legislation, and promoting new candidates for positions.

“We have to have new faces in government,” Syverson said. “America was founded on politicians who would serve their time in office, and then go back home and work among the people.”