State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Robinson) hosted a fundraiser called “Bluegrass and Burgers” Monday night, which featured speeches from State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) and State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville).

Approximately 100 people were in attendance for the fundraiser.

Norman Kernas, of Oakland, said he came out to support Miller because he has known him for a long time.

“I’ve known Chris ever since he was in high school and I wanted to come out and support the local people,” Kernas said. “He’s a good person.”

Kernas said he was not aware of any of Miller’s activity as a representative but wished him well.

“I just hope he’s successful in whatever he tries to do,” Kernas said.

Paul Daily, of Mattoon, who is a member of the Coles County board, said he came to the event to continue his support for Miller.

“I got a fundraiser letter from Chris and I’ve supported him in the past, so I came out today again,” Daily said.

Daily said he supported Miller because they share common ground.

“He’s a conservative and I’m a conservative; he’s a farmer, I’m a farmer, so we share a lot of the same goals and background,” Daily said.

Daily said he hopes that Miller continues to represent his district as he has in the past year.

Miller said he is looking forward to finishing his term and hopes to be re-elected so he can continue to represent the people of his district who share similar values with him.

“There are so many wonderful people up and down the 110th district and that’s been the most enjoyable part of the job is just meeting them and trying to represent their values which has been pretty easy because they’re typically country folks with country values so it’s kind of been an easy fit for us,” Miller said.

Miller said the hardest part of being a representative for him is when legislation is passed that he does not agree with from a moral standpoint.

“When things get done that violate your conscience and when you’re listening to some of the debates on the floor and you’re sitting there thinking, ‘Are we really having this conversation?’” Miller said.

Miller said another difficult part of the job is debating with his fellow representatives.

“I mean these are ideas that we are having conversations about,” he said. “There isn’t any reason to get offended about it; we’re just having lively dialogue about the issues, but it seems like people take it personally sometimes if you disagree with them.”

Miller said it helps him to act as a coach when in Springfield.

“I’m an old coach and old coaches have to live in about 30-second tight compartments because when one play is over, you (have to) move on to the next one, and you can’t think too much about the play you just had,” Miller said. “Otherwise you lose your sanity.”

Miller said he is focusing on finishing his current term and does not have plans for the upcoming term if he is elected.

Miller said he looks forward to the end of his current term and is hoping to continue to represent his constituents.

“I really appreciate the support from the district and it’s a real honor to be able to serve the people of the 110th,” Miller said. “I will do my best to make them happy.”

Bailey said he attended the fundraiser because of his shared background and values with Miller.

“Our families being farmers, we live within our means,” Bailey said. “Sometimes you do without and that’s been our drive.”

Bailey said one similarity between himself and Miller is the degree of conservative views.

“Sometimes we call ourselves the minority within the minority because we are ultra conservative, but we just believe that we need to return back to some of the values that we were founded upon,” Bailey said.

Bailey said that was the main reason why he got involved with the state government.

“I believe some of those values being eroded away are ultimately affecting our nation and our state,” Bailey said. “We want a strong government; we believe these values are what our nation was founded on, and I know that’s kind of getting lost and watered down today, but that’s maybe our mission in life.”

Bailey, who is a freshman state representative, said he decided to run for the State Senate after State Sen. Dale Righter told him he was not running for re-election.

Bailey said after finding out about Righter retiring, he spoke to his family, thought about it and prayed.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so I want to have as much impact as I can and when he suggested that, I brought it back to the family; we talked about it (and) prayed about it because we knew that the district was going to now be twice as big,” Bailey said. “I believe that I am very much capable of that.”

Halbrook, who is known for sponsoring a resolution that urges the U.S. Congress to “declare the City of Chicago the 51st state of the United States of America and separate it from the rest of Illinois,” said he came to support Miller after having known him for several years.

“Chris is a long-time family friend. I’ve known him for 35 years probably,” Halbrook said. “I just like his viewpoint (and) the perspective that he brings and that’s why I advocated for him and I’m happy he’s there.”

Halbrook said his plan for the election season is to “have a well-run, well-oiled campaign.”

All three candidates who spoke at the event will be up for re-election in 2021.

The term for senate seat, currently held by Righter, that Bailey is running for will be ending in 2021 as well.

Corryn Brock and Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].