Carbondale Reporter

State Rep. Paul Jacobs gained a bit of steam in the middle of his campaign this month as he announced that he has been endorsed by Associated Builders and Contractors of Illinois. 

"I am pleased to share the news that I have been endorsed by Associated Builders and Contractors of Illinois! I am proud to have built a record as state representative that proves I support our construction workers, builders and contractors. Vote Paul Jacobs for 118th District State Rep!" Jacobs said in a Facebook post.

Jacobs received endorsements from a few different groups in Illinois. Among them were the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Illinois Citizens for Life and Illinois Family Action, all anti-abortion groups. 

"Pro-life advocacy groups agree that my 100% pro-life voting record makes me the right choice in the race for 118th District state representative. Thank you to the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Illinois Citizens for Life and Illinois Family Action for your endorsements," he said.

Jacobs is in the middle of a race to continue representing the 118th District. He has many nuanced thoughts about what the district needs in a representative. 

"As your state representative, I have prided myself on being a thoughtful, common sense conservative that you can be proud of. I think the job requires someone that can exhibit maturity even in the toughest of situations. As you can see, my opponent's campaign has resorted to some rather sophomoric tactics in the last couple of weeks. I'm working hard to earn your vote and your trust based on my solid, reliable, conservative record. Playing silly games won't get the job done," Jacobs said in a statement, as reported by the Carbondale Reporter.

Jacobs was also endorsed in early May by the Associated Firefighters of Illinois. 

He posted in response to the endorsement, saying, "I am pleased to have the endorsement of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois. I will continue to stand up for those who risk so much to protect us."

To earn the endorsement, Jacobs has sponsored bills to combat catalytic converter theft and repeal the SAFE-T Act, which was passed by Democrats following the George Floyd murder and subsequent BLM rallies.