State Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) of District 59 was not expecting to lose to Harrisburg GOP Mayor Dale Fowler on Nov. 8, but his loss by more than 10 percentage points was a wakeup call, Forby said.
People were tired of the status quo.
"It did surprise me a little bit; you're never ready for this, but people are ready for change, you know," Forby told ABC station WSIL-3. " They wanted change. They wanted new people in. They were ready for change, and that's what the people got, and I'm happy for the people.”
Forby served for more than 12 years as a state senator, and his last few days in office will be spent in a special legislative session to sort out the state’s spending. After December, Illinois will once again be a state without a budget, as it faces massive pension liabilities in the billions, a backlog of billions in unpaid bills, and a problem with spending outpacing revenue.
The uncertainty of the budget has caused many businesses and residents to leave Illinois.
But Forby told WSIL-3 that he doesn’t expect the General Assembly to agree on a spending plan during this session.
“I’ve been blessed to meet and become great friends with so many during my time in office and would just like to thank our supporters this time around,” Forby said in a conciliatory statement. “We didn’t get the result we were hoping for, but we can certainly be proud of the way we ran our campaign. I called to congratulate Dale Fowler and wish him the best in representing this great area.”
The campaign for Forby’s state Senate seat reportedly was one of the most expensive in the region, with over $2 million in campaign spending combined reported by both parties. Almost $1.3 million was contributed to Forby’s campaign, while close to $833,000 was contributed to Fowler.
Forby ran on a platform to revitalize the coal industry in Southern Illinois, retain jobs and reform state education funding. Regardless of such an expensive campaign, Forby could not hold his seat against Fowler, who ran on a platform of prioritizing education and legislative reform such as term limits and fair mapping/redistricting. Fowler was also a large proponent of changing the business climate in Illinois, which has seen experiencing sharp losses in manufacturing jobs compared with its neighbors.
Demonstrating his business aptitude, Fowler has brought in more than $60 million worth of capital investment to Harrisburg. He hopes to do the same for the rest of Illinois.
As for Forby, he said he looks forward to spending less time traveling.
“Well, I won’t miss the driving up here,” Forby told WSIL-3. “That drive is getting kind of old.”
Forby said he's ready for the next chapter in his life.
“Get everything taken care of, get everything behind me, and then start a new future,” he said.
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