Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) will serve a second term representing the 117th legislative district after coasting to a win in an uncontested race on Tuesday.
Severin said he was "overwhelmed" at the number of voters who cast a ballot for him.
"It looks like I got around 90 percent of the voters," he said. "It's a vote of confidence that they think I'm doing my job."
Severin said there is still a lot of work to be done.
"We're going to continue what we're doing," he said, "starting with constituent service, helping those in need and dealing with the concerns that people have."
Severin also mentioned several projects in the works including the completion of the Ken Gray Expressway as well as getting the Rend Lake Resort open.
He also talked about programs that would provide training to those serving time in the Department of Corrections. Such programs would hopefully reduce the recidivism rates.
"We're going to continue to work with education, providing opportunities for youth," he said, "especially vocational opportunities."
Severin said he wants those vocational opportunities not only for students, but also for adults.
"We have people that need to learn and have training to be competitive for employment," said Severin.
"We also want to make sure our veterans and elderly are taken care of," he said. "There's just a lot of things to address."
Severin did note that the goal of lawmakers should not be to "go to Springfield and pass 5,000 bills," but it should be to make the state more efficient.
He also expressed concern about the COVID-19 crisis. He and his wife, Penny, both tested positive for the virus last month.
"It's very real," he said. "I want to make sure that the people here in southern Illinois are taken care of."
Severin said he was looking forward to getting to work, teaming up with Sen. Dale Fowler and Reps. Paul Jacobs and Patrick Windhorst to take care of southern Illinois.