Will County Gazette

Dr. Eric Wallace wants to return morality to the world of Illinois politics.

“What positive stuff is coming out of Springfield?” Wallace, an ordained minister and co-founder of the President of Freedom’s Journal Institute for the Study of Faith and Public Policy, asked the Will County Gazette after announcing his plans to run against three-time incumbent state Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) in the 40th District in 2020. “You gotta teach LGBTQ history, indoctrinating our kids, the whole marijuana piece allowing people to be stoned, and if you’re pro-life they made it easier to kill babies up until term.”

Wallace, who has never held elected office before, stresses that he believes Illinois residents have endured more than enough of Springfield’s dysfunction and are ready for change no matter where it may come from. 

40th District state Senate candidate Dr. Eric Wallace

“I think when the Democrats took over the governor’s mansion they got a little excited and started pushing some stuff that many in the district aren’t that crazy about,” Wallace said. “Then on the national level, there are just a number of issues moving toward socialism. I think there are a number of issues where people are waking up really fast.”

As for Hutchinson, Wallace said he sees her as being at the heart of the problem.

“I would say that Toi has been leading on some of these issues,” Wallace said. “The whole abortion issue, she was one of the co-sponsors of SB 25, which extended the abortion law that led to partial-birth abortions, and I’m sure she voted for the stoning of Illinois. Nothing has changed in the South Suburbs for a long time. So the question is, what has Toi done to try to fix that? Who is she accountable to?”

Wallace said his faith and beliefs have him convinced it is the right time to enter the world of politics.

“I have always felt that to be a believer, to be a man of faith has consequences,” Wallace said. “It means we need to be involved in the political process, in civic matters, political projects. We always hear people say politics is so dirty; it’s dirty because we leave it to people who like to sling mud. We leave it to people who don’t have our best interest at heart. If we want to change it, then we need to have other people run for office that have some morals, character, values.”