C.J. Baricevic seeks Democratic nod in 12th District; Watson considers run

A primary race may be shaping up for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ 12th District House seat now held by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro.

On Monday, Belleville lawyer C.J. Baricevic formally announced his candidacy for the seat, while St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson confirmed that he will be talking with party leaders in Washington, D.C., about a possible run.

After saying months ago that he was exploring the idea of a run, Baricevic stepped behind the lectern before a crowd of more than 100 supporters and declared he was running. His formal announcement came a day before Watson was set to fly to Washington, D.C., to meet with organizers in the Democratic Central Campaign Committee. A critically important funder of Democratic House races nationwide, the committee is seeking to persuade Watson to enter the race for the March 15 Illinois primary.

The Democrats are trying to win back the 12th District House seat, which runs from Alton and includes the state’s 12 southernmost counties. Bost won it in November after beating one-term incumbent Bill Enyart, D-Belleville. Previously, Democrats had held that seat since World War II with two congressmen — Melvin Price of East St. Louis and Jerry Costello of Belleville.

Charles John Baricevic, 30, who goes by C.J., is the son of John Baricevic, the chief St. Clair County Court judge, the former county board chairman and a leader of the St. Clair County Democratic Party.

The younger Baricevic discounted the DCCC’s efforts to court Watson.

“We’ve spent the last three-and-half months reaching out to constituents all across the district,” Baricevic said. “Not just in the metro-east, but through every county in the district. And the response has been unequivocally positive. ...We’ve got real excited people who are really excited about the race.”

Baricevic, who has not previously run for public office, said he wanted the support of the constituents of the 12th Congressional District.

“And if the people outside the district feel otherwise, that is certainly their prerogative,” he said. “But my main concern is focusing on what the people of this district want.”

Watson, 59, said Monday that he loves his job as county sheriff, but wants to hear the DCCC’s pitch anyway.

“It’s such an honor to be asked,” Watson said. “I have to give it some thought.”

Watson said he has spoken with Costello, a longtime friend. Costello held the 12th District seat for nearly a quarter of a century before retiring in 2011.

Watson made it clear the Democratic leaders in Washington will have a tough sell on their hands. He said he loves his job as sheriff and would be very reluctant to leave it.

“I love what I’m doing,” Watson said. “I don’t know how they’re going to drag me away from here.”

During a speech Monday that fired up an audience at the Steamfitters Local No. 439 office in Caseyville, Baricevic promised that he “will be a congressman who will fight for working families who clock-in and who work hard and who need a congressman that works for them. ... Too many young people leave our area because of a lack of jobs — we need to change that.”

Baricevic drew loud cheers when he criticized Bost’s voting record of the last six months in the U.S. House.

“Mike Bost has been a rubber stamp of the Republican Party,” he told the excited crowd, many of whom were members of labor union from across the metro-east.

Bost, through a campaign spokesman, declined to respond directly to Baricevic’s jab.

Instead, in a written statement, Bost said he “looks forward to debating the issues as the campaign unfolds,” and that “his focus remains on growing Southern Illinois jobs, strengthening Scott Air Force Base, and securing a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. He's always believed that the people come first, not politics.”

C.J. Baricevic grew up in Fairview Heights, graduated from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Law School in 2011 and is a labor attorney in the Belleville law firm of Chatham and Baricevic. He has also served as an appointed public defender in St. Clair County.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 5:17 PM with the headline "C.J. Baricevic seeks Democratic nod in 12th District; Watson considers run."