A former village trustee from the Quad Cities area has started a campaign to unseat Republican State Rep. Ryan Spain in Illinois’ 73rd House District.
Democrat Nicole Dopler of River City announced her candidacy Wednesday, stressing a focus on protecting healthcare and “passing legislation that benefits the average person.”
Dopler was elected to two terms on the Rapids City village board. She is currently a trustee for the Rock Island County Women’s Club, and a planning committee member and administrative volunteer for the Port Byron/Rapids City Fire Protection District.
“I am running so working class people have a choice, a choice that listens and understands because I am one of those people,” Dopler said in a media release.
Dopler describes herself as a lifelong Illinois resident from a union family. A mother of five, she has worked “in the administrative side of the medical field.”
Spain, a former Peoria City Council member, has represented the 73rd District since 2016, running unopposed in all five general elections. He is one of two Deputy Minority Leaders in the House.
Redrawn in 2023, the 73rd District now includes parts of Peoria, Stark, Marshall, Rock Island, Bureau, and Whiteside counties.
