By Illinois Review
In southern Illinois, frustration is growing among grassroots Republicans who say their state senator has developed a reputation for not showing up.
State Sen. Jason Plummer, who represents Illinois’ 55th Senate District, is increasingly being referred to by constituents as “Part-Time Plummer” – a nickname that reflects what many say is a troubling pattern of absence from local political events across the district.
Plummer’s district stretches across parts of the Metro East and southern Illinois, including portions of Madison, St. Clair, Bond, Clinton, Fayette, and Effingham counties. It is an area where local political events – Lincoln Day dinners, county GOP meetings, and grassroots gatherings – serve as the backbone of Republican organizing.
For decades, those events have also been where voters expect to see the elected officials they helped send to Springfield.
But many activists and local Republicans say Plummer often isn’t there.
In recent months, constituents say the senator has skipped multiple events throughout the district, including gatherings in Bond, Fayette, and Effingham counties. For volunteers who spend countless hours organizing these events, the absence of their own senator has become increasingly frustrating.
For many in the district, the concern is not about a single missed event — it’s about a pattern.
That frustration reached a boiling point earlier this year during the Clinton County Lincoln Day Dinner.
The event was historic for local Republicans. It was the first Lincoln Day Dinner held in Clinton County in more than 15 years, and the turnout reflected the excitement. Nearly 300 people attended, making it one of the largest Republican gatherings the county has seen in years.
Plummer did technically attend.
But according to multiple attendees, the senator’s appearance was brief. He reportedly stopped in for about ten minutes, sat briefly at the VIP table so attendees could see he was present, and then left shortly afterward.
For many in the room, the visit felt less like engagement and more like checking a box. That moment helped cement the nickname now circulating across the district: “Part-Time Plummer.”
Grassroots activists say the nickname reflects a deeper concern that their senator has grown disconnected from the voters who elected him.
The situation has become even more ironic given Plummer’s role in the current Republican gubernatorial primary.
Plummer serves as chairman of Ted Dabrowski’s campaign for governor. In recent weeks, the Dabrowski campaign and its allies have repeatedly criticized fellow Republican Darren Bailey for missing certain debates and campaign events during the primary.
But Bailey supporters point out a key difference.
When Bailey skips an event, it is typically because he is attending another campaign stop somewhere else in the state. His schedule has often involved multiple events in a single day as he travels across Illinois meeting voters.
Yet the Dabrowski campaign has remained silent when its own campaign chairman skips events across his Senate district – often simply choosing not to attend.
For many grassroots Republicans, the contrast has not gone unnoticed.
In southern Illinois, politics has long been personal. Voters expect to see their elected officials at community events, shaking hands, listening to concerns, and building relationships.
Many constituents say that is simply not happening.
Perhaps most troubling to some voters was Plummer’s absence from funeral services connected to the Bailey family – even though the Bailey family lives within his Senate district and are among the voters he represents.
For many grassroots Republicans, that absence reinforced the perception that their senator has taken their support for granted.
As the nickname “Part-Time Plummer” continues to spread, many constituents say the message is simple: in southern Illinois politics, showing up still matters.
And many voters are starting to wonder why their senator so often doesn’t.
