DeKALB — State Rep. Jeff Keicher appears to have won DeKalb County as of election night with 3,444 more votes than Democratic candidate challenger and DeKalb County Board member Paul Stoddard for the 70th District on election night. Rep. Keicher has served as a state representative since 2018, filling the seat vacated by former state representative Robert Pritchard. 

The 70th District represents portions of DeKalb, Kane and Boone Counties.

Keicher won DeKalb County with 19,550 votes against Stoddard with 16,106 votes, according to the DeKalb County Elections site.

He is a DeKalb County native, and has strong ties to the area, according to his website. His family has resided in the DeKalb County area for over 100 years. 

As a first generation college student, he attended and graduated from NIU.  Keicher references being raised by a hardworking single mother as a source of inspiration. Keicher is a State Farm agency owner. He has been married for over 20 years and has three children. 

Keicher serves on several executive board committees. These include the Executive Board of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, Red Cross, the Sycamore Public Library, the NAIA of Illinois and the Sycamore Rotary Club. 

Keicher feels strongly about supporting and creating jobs. Being a small business owner himself, he has supported measures to bolster the district’s infrastructure, an effort that was praised by business owners and labor groups. Keicher also serves as a member of the newly created Property Tax Relief Task Force. 

Keicher believes in limiting spending and lowering taxes and opposes efforts to make it easier for legislators to raise taxes for Illinois residents.

Keicher is passionate about ending political corruption in Springfield, according to an October 20th Northern Star article. 

“I will continue to invest in education, infrastructure and reducing mandates and seek to help craft a future energy platform in Illinois that will recognize the climate crisis is at hand,” he said in the article.

Keicher’s reelection has proved to residents that Keicher is steadfast in his dedication and commitment to public service and the residents of DeKalb county. 

Mail-in ballots have to be postmarked before or on Nov. 3 and must arrive by Nov. 17 to be counted.