Where there's a Will, there's a way

I'm getting a lot of traffic from google searches for Jehan Gordon this week so I might as well write about her successful election to replace Aaron Schock in the Illinois General Assembly. The Peoria Journal-Star covered the result.

I don't follow Peoria politics closely but I occasionally asked friends there about the race because she was endorsed by the Sierra Club. Things got pretty ugly and it was one of the most expensive legislative elections in the state. I met her for a Sierra Club candidate interview in the primary, and even though her primary opponent had a stronger background in environmental issues, I was very impressed by her answers.

I like the idea of having a young, energetic, smart and enthusiastic African-American woman in the legislature from central Illinois instead of another middle aged white man like most of our Representatives from the area. I have nothing against middle aged white men (in fact I plan to be one in the not too distant future) but its nice to get different perspectives in government.

So congratulations to Jehan Gordon! I look forward to seeing her in Springfield.