After decades of covering candidates for public office, journalist Terry Martin has decided to become one.
Martin, executive director of the Illinois Channel, is seeking the Republican nomination for the 13th Congressional District.
The district, which snakes its way from East St. Louis through Chatham, Springfield and Decatur to Champaign-Urbana was drawn by state lawmakers to favor Democrats, but Martin said he believes this year will favor Republicans.
“I don’t know that Democrats figured that gas would be hitting $4.50 a gallon and hamburger would be $7 a pound,” Martin said of those who drew the district boundaries.
Although supportive of gay rights, most of Martin’s positions are standard Republican fare: drill more oil wells, build more petroleum pipelines, make abortion illegal, fight gun control measures and create a voucher system to enable youngsters to attend public or private schools with taxpayer dollars.
Martin said he doesn’t believe elective abortions should be legal in most instances.
“When people say, ‘Well, it’s my body.’ It’s like, well, when you come out of the abortion clinic, are you missing arms and legs? That’s the whole point. Unfortunately, we destroy the body that you don’t want to have.”
Martin, 67, heads the Illinois Channel, which offers C-Span-type programming of legislative deliberations, public affairs issues across the state and in-depth, long-form interviews with policy makers and political insiders. He has held the job for 20 years.
Before joining the Illinois Channel, he was a reporter for WAND TV in Decatur. But he began his career as a small business owner. His father, who owned a printing business in the St. Louis area, died while Martin was in college. He took over the business and brought it back into solvency.
“I didn’t know the first thing about printing. I never wanted to be there. I was like Jimmy Stewart taking over the savings and loan,” he said. “But just through sheer determination, I learned it on my own– without a mentor – and turned the business around, returned it to prosperity and then sold it in 1989.
“Now why does that matter? Because I remember what it was like to be a small businessman. I remember saying to myself, ‘People don’t know how hard it is to run a small business and that you’re walking on a tightrope.'”
Martin lives in Chatham, is divorced and the father of three adult sons, who he said he raised as a single parent.
Martin said he will continue to lead the Illinois Channel during his bid for Congress.
He said he does not believe this poses a conflict of interest for him as a journalist, noting that former U.S. Senator Paul Simon and former state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka both owned newspapers while holding public office.
Retired University of Illinois Springfield journalism professor Charles Wheeler III said he doesn’t see an ethical problem with the arrangement – as long as Martin is transparent about the two roles.
Martin said he has had one person decline to be interviewed by him because he is running for Congress.
Former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said Martin is one of the most well-versed journalists she has met on public policy issues.
“The thing that immediately comes to mind with Terry is that he is media savvy. I think that’s a benefit, but first and foremost, he’s an ethical guy. I mean, the guy is just so honest. He would hold a position in the highest esteem. He would never cross any ethical lines. … He has a vast policy knowledge on a multitude of subjects. It’s really important to have an informed voice in a debate rather than somebody who’s just picked up talking points from somebody else.”
Sangamon County Clerk Paul Palazzolo added that Martin’s role with the Illinois Channel has made him well-known to the most politically engaged people in the district, which may prove to benefit his candidacy.
There are three other GOP hopefuls seeking the party’s nod. Regan Deering, a Decatur community activist; Matt Hausman, a Champaign engineer; and Jessie Reising, a Decatur lawyer.
On the Democratic side, Nikki Budzinski, of Springfield, is widely considered the favorite to win the nomination. Budzinski served as chief of staff in the Office of Management & Budget in President Joe Biden’s administration. She also is a former advisor to Gov. JB Pritzker.
David Palmer, a Champaign insurance broker, and Ellis Taylor, a minimum-wage worker from Decatur, are also on the Democratic ballot.
Scott Reeder, a staff writer for Illinois Times, can be reached at sreeder@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Spring Home & Garden 2022.
