Circuit Clerk Candidates

Two Democratic Party challengers, Robert "Bob" Burkhalter and Susan McGrath, have announced their candidacy for County Circuit Clerk against the incumbent Republican, Katie Blakeman. From a couple recent News-Gazette articles. The first from the last week of April:

Champaign County courts employee announces candidacy for circuit clerk
...
Robert "Bob" Burkhalter, 44, of Champaign announced Wednesday his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the office now held by Katie Blakeman.
Blakeman, a Republican, has been circuit clerk since 2012 and intends to run for re-election.

Burkhalter began his civil-service career as a clerk in the circuit clerk's office in 2007. Since 2011, he has served as a minute clerk to various Champaign County judges and currently is assigned to Judge Jeff Ford.

Full blurb available here. And from last week:

2nd Democrat joins race for Champaign County circuit clerk
An assistant state's attorney is the latest to announce her candidacy to be the Champaign County legal system's record-keeper.

Susan McGrath, 62, of Champaign said she plans to seek the Democratic Party's nod to be the candidate for circuit clerk, an office held by Republican Katie Blakeman since 2012. Blakeman intends to seek re-election...

McGrath has been active in the party for years, serving on the county board from 1978 to 1994; as a paid appointee to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District board from 1997 to 2005; and a precinct committee person, election judge and volunteer in several Democratic candidate campaigns.

She has also served on the boards of the Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Girls Inc., East Central Illinois Elder Abuse Task Force, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation and other groups.

More at the full article here. Burkhalter has a campaign website and facebook page up already. McGrath formally announced this morning.