A retiree from Ashland is taking on incumbent Republican 15th District Congresswoman Mary Miller as an official write-in candidate in the November General Election.
70-year old William Bonnett of Ashland told the Alton Telegraph this week he is running as a “volunteer” Democrat during this election cycle as a write-in for the seat in the U.S. House.
Bonnett has done little campaigning. According to the Alton Telegraph, he has no funds, no staff, and no Internet presence. In fact, Bonnett told the paper that his car broke down during his trip going to each county in the 15th District to officially register as a write-in candidate to be eligible.
Bonnett says that he decided to run because he didn’t understand why the Democrat Party of Illinois did not have a candidate on the ballot to challenge Miller during this highly charged election. Miller is seeking her third full term in Congress.
As a platform, Bonnett says he is unhappy with the current federal budget stalemate in Congress and that he’s worried about his own social security income and benefits.
Bonnett says he is saving up his money to run ads in local newspapers in the coming weeks to advertise his candidacy, but he expects that the remainder of his campaign will be low key.
Early voting for the November General Election began around the state last week.