Frank Lesko is running for his third different office since 2023.
This time, he’s wading into state waters.
The northside Springfield Republican on Aug. 26 officially launched his bid for the 48th District Senate seat where Democrat Doris Turner, also from Springfield, seeks reelection.
“I’m stepping forward because I believe the people of the 48th district deserve a senator who will fight for them,” said Lesko, who defeated Democrat incumbent Josh Langfelder for Sangamon County Recorder in a contentious election last fall. “This campaign is about making Illinois affordable again. It’s about putting families first (and) seniors, veterans (and) small businesses ahead of politics.”
Supporters of Lesko echoed one of his lines from the recorder campaign, “hire me to fire me,” but pointed the “fire” part towards Turner, who is seeking her second full term.
Lesko ran for recorder on the premise that if he was elected, he would work to fold that office into the county clerk’s office.
Lesko told reporters afterwards that the merger was his biggest political accomplishment.
“(Taxpayers) are going to see government downsized and operating more efficiently,” he said.
Critics, like Democratic County Board Leader Tony DelGiorno, cried foul Tuesday, saying that Lesko wanted to stay for a full term as recorder.
“County Board Democrats called his bluff and were joined by common sense Republican colleagues to put the issue to the voters in April 2025 instead of November 2026, like Lesko wanted,” DelGiorno said in a news release.
The referendum passed by a two-to-one margin, meaning Lesko will depart office Dec. 1, 2026.
Lesko, who has never lost an election, has served as a Springfield Park District trustee and Ward 4 alderman. In 2023, he won his third term as Springfield clerk, then several months later launched a bid to unseat Langfelder, which he did by 31 votes.
Lesko was joined at the United Contractors Office by State Sen. Steve McClure. The Springfield Republican said the Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly “is out of touch with the values of the 48th District and Sen. Turner has supported bills that are far outside the mainstream.
“We need to turn this state around and this race will help do that,” he said.
Minority leader Sen. John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said “taking back this seat is one of our top priorities and Frank Lesko is a candidate who can win.”
Turner was serving as Ward 3 alderwoman when she was appointed senator.
Turner won a close race with then-State Rep. Sandy Hamilton in 2022. The candidates reported over $5 million in funds during the race, most of which went toward social media and television attack-based advertisements that brought each opponent’s character into question.
The senate district includes a large section of central Illinois, stretching from the east side of Springfield to Decatur, south to include Christian and Mongtomery counties and portions of Macoupin and northern Macon counties.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788: sspearie@sj-r.com: X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sangamon County Recorder jumps into state senate race against Doris Turner
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal- Register / State Journal-Register
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