Although Jon Zahm ran unopposed in the Republican primary for Henry County recorder/clerk, he garnered more votes (3,420) than Democrat Barbara Link, who has held the post for 16 years and received only 2,443 votes in the Democratic primary.
Zahm, who referred to the results on his campaign Facebook page, is hoping for similar numbers this November, when the two candidates will go head to head.
The Republican cut his political teeth as a local Tea Party chairman and is now field director for the conservative Family-Pac organization, which espouses a pro-family, anti-tax agenda, according to a mid-February story in Rock Island Today.
Jon Zahm
It is unclear how much of that agenda he will be able to enact if he wins the clerk/recorder seat. When one enthusiastic Facebook fan suggested he implement a photo voter identification rule, Zahm replied, “I believe in photo ID but I don’t think I have the authority to mandate it in one county.”
However, that hasn’t stopped him from seeking the office, which is a clearinghouse of many kinds of community information and official records, such as marriage and civil union licenses, property tax data and vital records.
He has also taken a softer stance against Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican also up for re-election in November, telling Rock Island Today the incumbent could win another term in the governor’s mansion.
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