Quick Facts
Biography
Rich Brauer is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 87th district since 2003. A native of Petersburg, IL, Brauer upset incumbent Gwen Klingler in the 2002 Republican primary, after re-districting resulted in rural areas outside of Springfield being in his district.
The Democrats had not even run a candidate in the primary, for this office, expecting Klingler to win, but they placed a prominent former Republican elected official, Carl Oblinger (son of former State Representative Josephine Oblinger) on the ballot as their nominee for the general election. Brauer prevailed, with over 60% of the vote, and has not had a Democratic opponent since.
On February 18, 2015, just three months after winning re-election, Brauer submitted his letter of resignation to the Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives. His resignation came into effect on February 20, 2015. Hours after his resignation, it was announced that Bruce Rauner would appoint him Assistant Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.