Illinois’ 72nd District for state Representative will feature a show down between three well-known members of the community in the June 28 primary election. 

Democrats Thurgood Brooks, Jeff Deppe and Gregg Johnson will be on the ballot; there are no Republican candidates who filed.

Current state Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, is running for 36th District state Senate. 

The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Thurgood Brooks, 29, is a family advocate with the Martin Luther King Center and an assistant football coach for Rock Island High School.

He graduated from Western Illinois University-Macomb with a bachelor’s degree in history. 

Brooks is active as a community activist and organizer. He is a founding member of the Rock Island Human Rights Commission; a member of the Rock Island County NAACP; and was chosen 2021 Rock Island Citizen of the Year for his work in the community. 

Brooks ran for Rock Island mayor in the April, 2021 municipal election, losing to incumbent Mayor Mike Thoms by about 200 votes.

“You have to do what you feel is right,” Brooks said when he announced his candidacy for the 72nd District.

“Change starts with people working together from the bottom up who have decided to take a stand in a unified way. What I’ve discovered in my efforts in Rock Island County is the people are engaged in our vision as it represents the masses, and the energy behind what we’re doing has compelled us to move forward to represent the people of Rock Island County.”

Jeff Deppe, 52, is vice president of the Rock Island County Democratic Party and is a Rock Island County board member, representing District 9. He was appointed to the county board in 2015 and elected in 2016, currently serving as chairman of the county governance, health and administration committee.

Deppe is employed as the secretary and treasurer of Laborers Local 309 (LiUNA) and was elected Illinois vice president of the Quad-City Federation of Labor in May 2021. He sits on the boards of directors for Arrowhead Youth and Family Services and the Bi-State Regional Commission.

“I’m running for state Representative because I’ve lived in Rock Island County all my life, I’ve paid my taxes and I’ve worked building infrastructure,” Deppe said when he announced his candidacy in September. “I’ve been a labor leader, working to bring blue-collar jobs to this area.

“I feel that my time with the county board has been useful, and I’d like to take my leadership skills to the next level.”

Gregg Johnson, 58, retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections after 32 years, working as a corrections officer and then as a supply supervisor while holding a leadership position in his local union.

He has long been a proponent of organized labor. He currently works for a small business that provides financial compliance and other services that helps union officers fulfill their responsibilities to their membership.

Johnson ran for the 36th District state Senate seat in 2018, narrowly losing against incumbent Republican Neil Anderson.

“I really care about this community,” Johnson said when he announced his candidacy for the 72nd District in November. “I have grown up and spent my life working here. I understand what it’s like to raise a family and pay property taxes in Illinois. One thing I have learned from my community is that you get nowhere without hard work.

“I promise that no one will work harder to serve the people of Rock Island County and the 72nd District.”

Johnson is also active in nonprofit and community service work. He recently partnered with the Moline Community Development Organization and the East Moline School District to initiate the Strong Readers make Stronger Leaders program, which provides free books to children; and he served on the Ad Hoc committee for the Kewanee Juvenile Justice Center.