SE Illinois News

Corey Musgrave is both energized and depressed by the overall condition of Illinois, prompting the conservative pastor from the 109th District to run for public office for the first time.

“We continue to see taxes raised, we see pro-abortion legislation passed and we continue to see attacks on the Second Amendment and radical environment policies that don’t make sense and are not productive for our region,” Musgrave told the SE Illinois News. "There’s much work to be done and I want to serve this district and be a voice for them in Springfield.”

The Republican Musgrave launched his campaign this week to replace Illinois state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), who earlier this month announced his run for the state Senate in the 55th District as a replacement for the retiring Dale Righter (R-Mattoon). Like Bailey, who has already endorsed his candidacy, Musgrave, a lead pastor at the New Beginnings Church in Fairfield by trade, said he plans to focus on such issues as tax reform and strong pro-life legislation.

“Conservatives right now are in the super-minority,” Musgrave said.”We we don’t hold one constitutional state office. Rep. Bailey has been a voice that Springfield has heard, upstate has heard, and while he will carry that into the Senate, I feel it’s time for me to step up and continue to be that voice.”

Musgrave said he sees the state's ongoing battle over abortion as being the issue he is most passionate about.

“I look at it similarly to the abolitionist movement,” he said. “I think we have dehumanized the unborn. I think it’s immoral and I can’t stand to see what we’re doing as a state with that.”

In the days leading up to the passage of the Reproductive Health Act that establishes abortion in Illinois as a “fundamental right,” Musgrave traveled to Springfield to lead a prayer before the General Assemby, asking God to “judge Illinois for the sanctioned destruction of the innocent unborn.”