SPRINGFIELD – Final counts show that Illinois House Republicans increased their party caucus last Tuesday when they won five seats from the Democrats, and lost one in the Metro East area to a Democrat challenger.
The four Republican pickups include Steve Rieck (who won retiring Jack Franks' Democrat open seat), Tony McCombie (who defeated incumbent State Rep Mike Smiddy), truck driver Jerry Long (who beat appointed freshman Rep. Andy Skoog), Lindsay Parkhurst (who defeated incumbent Katie Cloonen) and Dave Severin (who won southern Illinois longtime incumbent in Democrat leadership Rep. John Bradley's seat.)
The only Republican House seat loss was State Rep. Dwight Kay's to challenger Katie Stuart.
Forty-four House seats were uncontested.
