Republicans captured both contested Coles County board elections Tuesday.
In District 6, the board seat went to Republican Tom Royal.
Royal won with 77.54% of the vote over Democrat Doug Fagan, who had 22.46%, according to data from the Coles County Clerk.
“Seventy seven percent. That’s my favorite number– seven. Seventy-seven’s double. That’s great,” Royal said. “Glory to God. He gets all the praise.”
Royal felt calm and confident before the results came in. He gave thanks to his campaign manager Jeff Baker.
The Coles County Republicans set up their watch party at the Mattoon Golf and Country Club. With around 40 in attendance, the country club was set up for dinner alongside an open bar.
The Coles County Democrats were set up at their headquarters on the Charleston square. There were also around 40 people in attendance at the Democrats’ watch party, which was set up like a potluck, with members bringing in homemade food and pizzas.
Prior to the vote results being reported, Fagan said he was hoping for a close race, emphasizing that both him and Royal are new to the political scene.
After the news of the loss, Fagan said he was feeling upset.
“When you live in a county that is predominantly Republican, it’s really hard to move the needle,” Fagan said.
Fagan said he is unsure what comes next, saying he would have to take some time to reevaluate.
Along with Republicans winning District 6, in District 2 Republican Mike Clayton won with 73.61% of the vote compared to 26.39% for Democrat Jordan Eubank, according to data from the Coles County Clerk.
“Enthusiastic is probably the best word I can think about because even though we’re in the super minority here in Illinois, we’re seeing that that’s going to probably turn the other direction,” Republican chairperson Mark Esarey said.
There were several raffles going on for Donald Trump-themed merchandise at the Republican watch party like Trump YETI water bottles, posters, koozies and more. The room itself and the cars outside were also covered in Trump paraphernalia.
Additionally, there were multiple raffles going for guns including rifles, handguns and shotguns.
In the Democratic headquarters, Eubank was feeling disappointed with the results.
“I’m not happy about the turnout,” Eubank said. “I overperformed by at least ten points. I’m going to take that as a win.”
Eubank said he will likely run for county board again and will be working with different politicians moving forward to get more experience.
At the Democratic watch party, there was some Kamala Harris and Tim Walz merch outside the headquarters, but otherwise there was just one table of free merchandise for the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
There were several raffles going giving away Coles County Democrat merchandise like pins and anti-Trump merchandise including Trump toilet paper.
The other county board seats up for election in 2024 featured uncontested races. In Districts 4, 8 and 10, Republican candidates ran unopposed. In District 3, a Democrat board candidate ran unopposed.
Another unopposed candidate, incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, was re-elected to represent Illinois’ 15th Congressional District. She will be heading to Washington D.C. for her third term in office. This was the first time she had run unopposed in the district.
In the 12th Congressional District, Republican Mike Bost won 73.62% of the vote in Coles County over Democrat Brian Roberts who had 26.38% of the votes in the county, according to the Coles County Clerk.
Adam Niemerg and Chris Miller will be heading back to the Illinois state house representing District 102 and District 110 respectively. Both were the incumbent representatives in their districts, and they both ran unopposed.
For referendums, Mattoon has adopted a managerial form of municipal government, meaning Mattoon will combine the leadership of elected officials and council members with the management of an appointed local government manager.
The referendum passed 55.91% to 44.09% with all precincts reporting, according to the Coles County Clerk.
The local government manager is in charge of appointing and removing department heads like police and fire department chiefs, according to the Illinois Municipal League’s “A Candidate’s Guide to Municipal Government: 2025 Municipal Election Edition.”
With 97.8% of precincts reporting, Trump is leading in Coles County with 63.43%. Harris is at 34.86% of the Coles County vote, and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is at 1.71% of the Coles County vote, according to the Coles County Clerk.
There were several contributors to this story.
Reporter Jason Coulombe reported at the Democratic watch party, Multimedia Editor Aidan Cusack reported at the Republican watch party, reporter Luke Brewer reported on the Mattoon referendum, Editor-in-Chief Gunnar Olson reported on the House races and helped plan the story and Managing Editor Alli Hausman compiled the story.
The News Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or at deneic@gmail.com.
