Feb. 22—The Republican nomination for the state’s 102nd Representative District will be contested in the March 19 primary election. However, none of the candidates running are listed on the ballot.

That’s because they’re write-in candidates.

Incumbent Adam Niemerg is being challenged in his bid for reelection by Jim Acklin of Ogden and Edward Blade of Toledo.

Niemerg began pursuing a write-in campaign after the Illinois State Board of Elections elected not to place his name on the ballot for failure to have his nominating petition notarized. He was the only candidate who filed a petition to have his name placed on the Republican ballot.

The lack of a name on the ballot presented an opportunity for Acklin — who had run unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2016.

“It was not an opportunity that I even thought about or even presented itself until a couple of months ago at most,” said Acklin.

The Illinois Education Association approached Acklin after Niemerg’s name was removed from the ballot.

“Essentially, I was encouraged to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak,” he said.

Acklin serves as superintendent of Edgar County Unit 6 School District in Chrisman and has been a long-time teacher, coach and administrator. He also is the acting mayor of the small town of Ogden, where he lives with his wife of 42 years, Cindy. They have three grown children.

Acklin said seeking office again has always been in the back of his mind.

“I have friends and acquaintances that, ever since 2016, have asked me when are you going to run again. You need to run again. We’d love to see you run again,” he said.

Acklin thought the time was right to run now as he retires from his 43-year career in public education.

“I guess I still think I can make a positive difference. I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think I could make a positive difference,” he said.

Acklin hopes his extensive career would make him the “go-to person” on public education in the General Assembly. But he knows having his voice heard would be difficult as a member of a super-minority party.

“I don’t think I have illusions in that regard. It’s just a matter of thinking that there is a positive impact that I can make, at least on matters of policy involving public education,” he said.

Niemerg calls the teachers’ union’s recruitment of Acklin “dirty politics at its worst.”

“My opponent is being funded by extreme radicals who support radical sex education in the classroom as well as gender reassignment surgery as young as third grade. … I have nothing against teachers, but teachers’ unions have become radicalized, and their values are not those of the 102nd District,” Niemerg said in a press release.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Political Action Committee for Education, and Illinois Laborer’s Legislative Committee have contributed nearly $100,000 to Acklin’s campaign.

Acklin said it shouldn’t come as a surprise he has the support of teacher organizations, noting the Illinois Education Association supported him in his last bid for election.

“I suppose in some ways that separates me from a lot of the Republican party, but I’m pretty conservative. I’m pro-life. I’m very strongly pro-Second Amendment. I’m very pro-fiscal responsibility,” he said.

The same unions have contributed almost as much to the campaign of Republican Matt Hall, who is running against incumbent Blaine Wilhour in the 110th Representative District. Hall is a 27-year veteran of the Illinois Department of Corrections and Fayette County Republican Chairman.

The IEA was at odds with Wilhour and Niemerg when they advocated for extending the Invest in Kids Act scholarship program that expired last year. Donors who gave through the program could claim a 75% tax credit from the state for their donations to private schools, allowing students to attend those schools who otherwise would not be able to afford to do so. The Illinois Education Association opposed the program, arguing the tax credits took money out of state coffers that could have been used to support public schools and called it a “voucher scheme.”

After an objection was filed to Wilhour’s nominating petition that was later overruled, Wilhour accused the union of trying to get rid of him because he’s one of the biggest champions of education choice in the General Assembly.

“I publicly exposed their cold-heartedness and hypocrisy when they and their political allies killed the successful Invest in Kids program, which will callously rip away education scholarships from nearly 10,000 low-income students in this state,” Wilhour told the Daily News last month.

The Illinois Education Association, through its Illinois PAC, is supporting dozens of Republican candidates this election cycle, according to Illinois Education Association President and Illinois Political Action Committee for Education Chair Al Llorens.

“We recommend candidates not because they are Democrats or Republicans, but because they are members of the education party. Our members’ political beliefs are diverse and often reflect the views of the communities they live in,” said Llorens.

As the largest union in Illinois, Llorens said they have members in every corner of the state.

“This means that every election, no matter where it is being held and at all levels of government, is of interest to the IEA and our members. Every single thing that happens in our schools is governed by a decision made outside of those schools. We want to make sure every child in Illinois has access to a high-quality public education, which means we have to be involved in the election process,” said Llorens.

Write-in candidate Ed Blade could not be reached.

Cathy Griffith can be reached at cathy.griffith@effinghamdailynews.com or 618-510-9180.