By JO ALLEN
jallen@morningsentinel.com

CENTRALIA — The Marion County Democrats’ Central Committee held a candidates’ Christmas dinner earlier in December at Castle Ridge in Centralia, hosting a variety of Democratic candidates for the 2026 elections.

Speakers addressed a range of topics and government issues. Among them was Illinois U.S. candidate Kevin Ryan, who focused his remarks on the influence of money in politics.

“Our democracy has reached a critical failure. Very few in this country with tremendous wealth control our politics, while the majority of Americans cannot afford to live,” Ryan said.

Ryan argued that the Democratic Party could be revitalized by reducing what he described as the corrupting influence of money in politics. He said his own campaign reflects that belief.

“That is exactly how I campaign. I reject big money in politics. I reject the multimillion-dollar campaign model,” Ryan said. “Instead of spending all my time calling wealthy donors who are usually out of state, I spend my time connecting with donors across the state. I used my savings to buy an old school bus and converted it into my mobile campaign headquarters.”

Ryan said he uses the bus to travel to every county in Illinois. He claimed to have spoken with thousands of voters across 100 counties and said he intends to be the only candidate in the race to visit all 102 counties.

Ryan is not the first candidate to reject large-scale fundraising. In 1998, Glenn Poshard — who ran for governor against Republican Secretary of State George Ryan — refused corporate or special-interest donations and capped individual contributions at a low amount. He faced a significant financial disadvantage and ultimately lost the race by a 47–51% margin. George Ryan was later indicted in 2003 on 22 counts of racketeering conspiracy and was alleged to have committed public corruption during his terms as Illinois Secretary of State and Governor.

Poshard also attended the Christmas dinner. Rather than discussing his political career, he spoke about faith, opening with a story about his father, a Christian who believed that one cannot be a Christian and preach hate.

Other attendees included two Congressional District Central Committee Candidates, Vivian Robinson and Calen Campanella; Democratic candidates for Illinois state comptroller, Margaret Croke and Holly Kim; and Illinois House District 12 candidate Julia Fortier.