Rep. Amy Grant of Wheaton to step aside after current term
State Rep. Amy Grant, a Wheaton Republican who held a seat on the DuPage County Board before voters sent her to Springfield, has announced her current term will be her last.
Grant won’t seek reelection and plans to bow out in 2027. The decision to call it a political career comes with “both a measure of satisfaction and many mixed emotions,” Grant said in a retirement announcement.
Grant served six years on the county board and then won four elections to the Illinois House.
“I've always supported term limits and thought often about what that time limit should be. My husband and I, while very active, have achieved retirement age. Both of our adult children are recent newlyweds with plans to begin families of their own,” Grant said. “That provides us a joyful chapter to look forward to.”
Grant captured a spot on the county board in 2012, finishing with more votes than any other county board candidate that cycle. Grant went on to win the House seat Jeanne Ives vacated to run against Bruce Rauner for the Republican nomination for governor.
Kevin Fitzpatrick, a longtime adviser, said Grant was the best retail campaigner he’s ever worked with, calling her sincere, genuine and a hard worker. Campaigning with her was an “experience in joy, not drudgery.”
Last year, Grant defeated her Democratic challenger in a rematch from 2022. But it was a hard-fought, close race for the 47th District seat, and her opponent’s campaign received major funding from the Democratic Party of Illinois and JB for Governor, according to Reform for Illinois' Sunshine Database.
A formerly deep-red bastion, DuPage County has seen Democrats flex their political muscle up and down the ballot in recent years.
Fitzpatrick said that the shift didn’t have anything to do with Grant’s decision.
She was never afraid to run, he said, and she was always confident about her neighbors.
Grant acknowledged “being in the minority in Springfield is tough” and that serving in a “super minority is even tougher.”
“The silver lining being that you are forced to work harder, be more thoughtful and make more friends with colleagues on the other side. It also means staying motivated, no matter what. I've done that,” she said.
This spring, Grant staunchly opposed proposed legislation to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with medical assistance.
“I am pro-life. That includes the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, those who are alone or struggling,” Grant said. “Life isn't something we should ever treat as disposable and irrelevant. This policy opens the door for abuse, and the victims will be our most vulnerable, people with developmental disabilities, seniors who feel like a burden and those without family or support. They will be the ones who get pushed aside.”
She also supported the Invest in Kids scholarship program, which helped lower-income families pay for private schools, but lawmakers failed to extend it.