Squaring off in the 36th Senate District Republican primary are Brad Beekman and Patrick Harlan. This district includes the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Macomb and all of the rural areas in between.
Beekman is a retired state police officer who is currently serving on the Bushnell-Prairie City school board. Harlan is a fuel truck driver and vice chair of the Knox County Republican Party, whose slogan is, “Together we can return power to the people and truck over the elites.”
Both men have a lot in common on the issues — they support lower taxes, describe themselves as “common sense” and place a heavy emphasis on the need to ease the cost-of-living for working- and middle-class families. Both are critical of the SAFE-T Act. The primary difference between these men is how they embody their message. Beekman leans into his law enforcement experience and signals a willingness to build bridges. Harlan is running as an outsider familiar with the plight of the working man.
Democratic incumbent state Sen. Michael Halpin defeated his Republican opponent comfortably in 2022, but this seat could be winnable for Republicans, but we suspect it’ll take a more moderate candidate to pull it off. We believe Beekman has the experience needed to do just that.
Beekman is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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