Chris Nybo of Elmhurst Announces Run For 24th Senate District Seat

Former State Rep. Chris Nybo (R-Elmhurst) announced Monday he will run for the 24th District Senate seat currently held by Kirk Dillard, who is running for governor. 

Nybo ran unsuccessfully against Dillard in the 24th District race last year. He previously served in the Illinois House and was an Elmhurst alderman from 2007-2010. He also served on the DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals from 2003-2005. 

Nybo, an attorney at Much Shelist specializing in employment-related issues, said the state’s unresolved pension crisis is one of the driving forces behind his willingness to return to the legislature. 

“I fought for meaningful pension reform until the final hours of my term,” Nybo said in a prepared statement. “But do-nothing politicians blocked our efforts and, after yet another year, they have continued to obstruct needed reforms.”

He said he has been considering a run for several months. According to a press release from Nybo, a poll conducted by Strive Strategies Sept. 23 indicates that among voters who would make a decision today, Nybo had a "41 percent lead over the other announced candidate in the race" and an 18 percent lead including voters who are undecided. He said most of those polled did not know who the opposing candidate is.

The other candidate, Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst, announced in September. Dillard has thrown his support behind Reboletti, who is the current state Representative in the 45th House District and House floor leader. He formerly served as a prosecutor in Will County.

Related: Dennis Reboletti Is Running For Kirk Dillard's 24th District Senate Seat

Nybo said the poll also showed that voters in the 24th Senate District overwhelmingly favor pension reform. As a State Senator, Nybo said he will continue his mission to create jobs and end practices that hamper business growth in Illinois, but fixing the state’s pension crisis remains his top priority. 

“Many politicians, including Republicans, oppose any genuine effort to fix this mess," Nybo said in the release, which was issued Monday. "We need to make sure our legislators from here in DuPage County stand strong in confronting these these problems and finding solutions.”

While in the Illinois House from 2011-2012, Nybo successfully led efforts to: 

• expand the availability of life-saving allergy medicine for school children (known as the Epi-Pen Law)
• prohibit politicians from putting their names and faces on taxpayer funded signs (known as the Blagojevich Billboard Ban)
• reform workers compensation so it is easier to do business in Illinois 

He lives in Elmhurst with his wife, Faye, and their children, Connor, Olivia and Allison. They attend Immaculate Conception Parish.

Nybo is a graduate of Fenwick High School, Dartmouth College (Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude) and the University of Chicago Law School. He was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for Public Service.

The Republican Primary Election will be held March 18.