Josh Higgins is framing his decisive win over 14-year incumbent State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, in the 94th House District Republican primary as more than a local upset, calling it a potential sign of a broader grassroots shift in the Illinois GOP.
Higgins, a West Central School Board member, Air Force veteran, and crop insurance salesman, captured 58% of the vote to Hammond’s roughly 32–33%, while Bailey Templeton trailed with about 10%.
Higgins, of Biggsville, credited his victory to relentless voter outreach and early engagement with constituents.
“I just tried to work as hard as I could. I didn’t let a day go by that I wasn’t trying to do something to either get some name ID out there, voter outreach,” Higgins told the West Central Reporter. “I jumped in late and knocking on all those doors to get petition signatures and meeting people.”
With the win, Higgins, who is not facing a Democrat in the Nov. 3 general election, is expected to become the next state representative for the 94th House District, which includes Fulton, Henderson, Hancock, Mercer, Rock Island, Adams, McDonough, Warren, Mason, Knox, Henry and Tazewell counties.
He highlighted the personal effort behind his campaign, noting the support of his wife, Lindsey, an outspoken advocate for conservative ideals, with whom he has three children.
“My wife was a gigantic part of this,” he said. “Without her, I definitely couldn’t have done it. So it’s awesome to have somebody that’s so supportive in your corner.”
Hammond is the second-highest-ranking Republican in the House having served as Deputy Republican Leader since 2022.
Higgins’ campaign gained momentum in part through sharp critiques of Hammond’s record and priorities.
He portrayed the incumbent as out of step with district voters, frequently pointing to her ties to teachers’ unions and other groups he characterized as aligned with Democratic interests. He also criticized her for attending an out-of-district fundraiser instead of a local candidate forum and “schmoozing with corporate interests, teachers’ unions and similar groups” rather than engaging constituents.
Policy differences also played a central role.
Higgins argued Hammond’s opposition to school choice legislation undercut her “pro-family” credentials and cited her decision to skip an endorsement interview with Illinois Family Action as evidence she was avoiding accountability.
Hammond is also enmeshed in the so-called “PillowGate” scandal which centers on her alleged direct involvement in and benefit from her husband’s firm receiving over $23,000 in taxpayer-funded payments to decorate legislative offices, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns.
Higgins framed Hammond’s long tenure as contributing to a lack of responsiveness to voters and highlighted the stark funding gap between his campaign and Hammond’s.
“[Hammond] had $900,000 in her committee account,” he said.
He also noted additional support from political action committees, saying the combined spending on her behalf during the primary was likely well over $1 million.
By contrast, Higgins said his campaign operated on a fraction of that amount.
“It went right around the $90,000 mark,” he said.
He argued the result demonstrates the strength of grassroots organizing over institutional backing. Higgins said his team relied on public appearances as well as text messaging and limited targeted mail.
“I felt like we ran an effective campaign,” he said. “I probably went to over 160 events in six months. That’s just a guess. It could have been more because there were days that I had six events, days I had four, and days I only had one. I really felt like I worked as hard as I possibly could.”
He also highlighted a lawsuit filed by a committee supporting him, which alleged the Illinois Republican Party improperly used discounted nonprofit mail rates to benefit Hammond, giving her an unfair financial advantage and fueling concerns that party leadership favors establishment incumbents over grassroots challengers.
“If nothing comes of it, it was effective because the state party stopped sending those on her behalf, which was huge, because that was a major advantage to have that nonprofit postage rate,” Higgins said. “[They were] paying basically 40 cents for every dollar I was spending.”
Higgins said voter frustration with the state GOP played a major role in his win and could fuel a wider movement.
“People are upset with Republicans,” He said. “Republicans in areas like mine are upset with the Republican Party in Illinois and are frustrated. I think that probably had as much to do with this victory as the work that I put in.”
He added that he hopes the outcome sends a message statewide.
“We need new leadership because the leadership has been lackluster. We just lose, and lose, and lose,” Higgins said.
Higgins said Democrats are more organized and unified, and Republicans need to catch up. He said he wants to help reform the Illinois GOP, make it more effective, and encourage better collaboration, efforts he credited as part of his primary win.
“Instead of spending millions protecting incumbents in a primary, let the primary happen, let voters decide, and then spend that money to beat Democrats in November,” he said. “That’s what I don’t understand. Between four primaries, that’s two million dollars that could have been spent later in the fall to help vulnerable candidates.”
Looking ahead, Higgins indicated he plans to align with the Illinois Freedom Caucus, citing its willingness to break with party leadership and adhere to conservative principles.
The Freedom Caucus promotes conservative principles in the state legislature. Modeled after the U.S. House Freedom Caucus, the group emphasizes limited government and states’ rights.
“I really do think they believe in the traditional conservative values that I hold pretty dear,” he said.
He added that the Freedom Caucus stepped in to help his campaign. In fact, the Freedom Caucus Chairman State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) was present at Higgins’ victory party.
“They reached out and helped me,” Higgins said. “They didn’t have to do that. It’s not like I could help them in any of their races. They did that just because they believed in me. That means a lot. It really does. I’ve gotten to know a lot of them. They are great people.”
Higgins said that support network will be important after the November general election.
“It’s nice to have a team because I am new to politics,” he said. “I’ve been a precinct committee member and a school board member. So it’s nice.”
Higgins said he hopes to build on his primary victory by energizing Republican voters and increasing engagement, particularly in downstate regions to vote for GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey in a rematch with Gov. J.B. Pritzker who is seeking an unprecedented third term.
“Voter absenteeism for the Republican Party is high,” he said. “We need at least 60% turnout downstate for Darren to have a chance. I’ll do whatever I can to get people involved, not just to vote but to knock on doors and do outreach, because that’s the only way we have a chance.”
Framing his win as both a personal victory and a sign of broader change, Higgins said he believes grassroots energy, not money, will determine the party’s future in Illinois.
“I have faith and believe there’s still hope for the Republican Party,” he said.
