Will County Gazette

Candidate for Illinois State House District 86 representative Scott Greene is celebrating after Tuesday's primary. 

He defeated James Lanham and Dinora Ruiz in the Republican primary.

“Night night friends," Greene posted on Facebook. "Victory is sweet but for a moment. Tomorrow, is a new day. A new day to fight like we've never fought before. Because faith, family and freedom are on the line.”

Greene is from Manhattan, while Lanham and Ruiz are both from Joliet. The three Republicans squared off for the right to challenge incumbent Democrat Larry Walsh Jr. in the Illinois 86th House District. With 86% of ballots counted, Greene had a comfortable lead with 56% of the vote, Shaw Local News reported.

"I was on the city council in a tiny town in Kansas. Lane, Kansas," Greene said according to Vote USA. "I won by write-in votes. There was a lady walking by my yard one day as I was raking the leaves. She asked if I had ever thought of being on the city council. I said, 'That sounds like fun.' A few short months later, I was notified that I had beat an incumbent by write-in votes. Quite the experience!"

Greene is a grass-roots candidate; he is an Iraq War veteran, Christian, husband, father and truck driver, according to his bio in Vote USA. He believed that the government's job is to protect and serve the people, and he wants to do just that in Springfield. He is a conservative Republican who respects the rule of law and defends the sanctity of life. He is an America-first Republican looking to take back control from the decadent governing class in Springfield.

Democrat Larry Walsh Jr. is the incumbent representative for District 86, who has been in the State House since 2012, Ballotpedia reported. He is formerly a member of the International Machinist and Aerospace Workers Union. Greene will be facing Walsh in the Nov. 8 general election.

The Illinois State House District 86 encompasses most of Joliet and Rockdale, along with parts of Shorewood, Channahon, Manhattan and Elwood.