An unlikely alliance

Democrat candidate Marc Bell, who dropped out of the Sangamon County sheriff’s race prior to the March primary and rejoined the race in April, is now being endorsed by David Timm, a former Republican candidate.

Bell held a July 14 fundraiser in Springfield where the two men made a joint appearance and Timm praised the idea of bipartisanship in Bell’s campaign.

Timm, a former sheriff’s deputy who received about 46% of the roughly 17,000 ballots cast in the March primary, announced on social media the day before the fundraiser that he’s supporting the Democratic challenger in the November general election over his own party’s candidate, incumbent Sheriff Paula Crouch.

“I will always do what’s best for Sangamon County, and I truly believe that this is what’s best… this is what we need,” Timm told Illinois Times. “I hope everybody jumps on board with something that hasn’t happened since 1974 – a Democrat sheriff – let alone a Republican candidate working with him to do what’s right.”

Bell, who has been retired for more than a decade from the Illinois State Police, said it’s not the first time he’s tried for the sheriff’s office. He told Illinois Times that he “initially put in (his) application when Jack Campbell stepped down,” though he was not selected as a finalist for the role that Crouch was ultimately appointed to.

He said recruitment for the sheriff’s office would increase with his election.

“The rank and file that I’ve spoken to, they want to be a part of something. They want to be a part of a family, and right now they don’t feel like they’re a part of a family,” Bell said. “Once we get the morale up, we’re going to be recruiting heavily, trying to bring in some more people.”

Bell initially dropped out of the race in February, citing a lack of party support. However, he never formally filed the paperwork necessary to terminate his candidacy, meaning he remained eligible for November’s general election. Less than six months later, Bell says he has the full support of the party going into the final leg of campaigning.

“The Democratic Party, right now, is supporting me wholeheartedly,” he said. “The family is back together again, so we’re knocking on doors, we’re doing phone banking and we’re doing what it takes to win this race.”

He addressed a crowd of supporters at the Mu Delta Lambda Sphinx Center on South 12th Street, telling them about his career in policing and what he envisions for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

“When I am the sheriff, once we get our numbers up, my officers, my correctional officers, my deputies will be mentoring children,” he said. “The most important thing that I can do for you is keep your kids out of my jail. That is the most important thing.”

Joe Roesch, chair of Crouch’s campaign and Sangamon County Circuit Clerk, claimed the decision for Bell to work with Timm is hypocritical.

“The decision by Marc Bell and the Sangamon County Democratic Party to embrace David Timm’s endorsement exposes their hypocrisy. For two years, they have demanded accountability and changes in law enforcement following the murder of Sonya Massey,” Roesch wrote to Illinois Times. “Now, when they believe it could help them politically, they are willing to welcome the support of a former deputy with a deeply troubled disciplinary record. Their calls for reform apparently end where their pursuit of political votes begins.”

Campaign cash

When it comes to cash on hand, Crouch is in the lead with about $12,000 in her campaign coffers. Timm has $10,638, slightly more than Bell’s $9,360, according to the most recent filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

When asked if he’s going to donate to Bell’s campaign, Timm told IT he has had conversations with Bell and they’re “going to see how this all plays out.

“I had a little meet-and-greet at my house for him and some of my intimate supporters not too long ago and it was a great time, great conversation. I’m going to keep working with him to get this done,” he said. “I have that money there, yes, absolutely. It’s up to us as to how we use it, and if it’s for the benefit of this county, I’m going to use it the right way.”

Timm said he garnered widespread support from the sheriff’s union staff but he was not embraced by the Republican establishment. He also said he’s not expecting a position in the department from Bell, but said he was open to it.

“I had a significant amount of support, and then my own party spent basically $200,000 against me to make sure that I didn’t win,” he said. “I’m not hoping for anything; that’s up to Marc. I will do anything and everything I can to assist him because I have knowledge of that department that he doesn’t have… anything that I can help to educate him about the sheriff’s department, where the flaws were, where the goods were, that’s what’s important to me.”

Crouch has received $146,375 from donors since 2025, according to campaign filings. The largest donations have come from Sangamon County Republican officials and the Sangamon County Republican Foundation.

The Sangamon County Republican Central Committee and the Sangamon County Democratic Party did not immediately respond to request for comment.

One week after Timm lost the Republican primary, his campaign received a $5,000 donation from Titan Properties. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, the company is managed by Zachary M. Hoyle and shares the same address as Kwik-Wall, where Hoyle is employed as vice president of manufacturing. Kwik-Wall is owned by his father, Michael L. Hoyle, a New Berlin man who was sentenced to nine months of probation in 2022 for brandishing a gun at state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, in March 2021.