Rep. Rod Davis' campaign staffer fired after incident at rival's event: reports

Rep. Rod Davis’ campaign staffer fired after incident at rival’s event: reports

By Sun-Times staff

Levi Lovell | Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department via WCIA-TV

A man working on the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., has been fired after an incident at a campaign event for Davis’ Democratic opponent, according to published reports.

Levi Lovell, a field director for the Davis’ campaign, was arrested Wednesday outside a bar in Springfield after showing up at the gathering for Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, according to the State Journal-Register newspaper in Springfield.

Springfield Police Lt. Brian Oakes told the newspaper that Lovell went to Londrigan’s event at JP Kelly’s “purposely trying to record” her campaign workers and “trying to get them to say something inappropriate.”

Oakes told the newspaper that Lovell “smelled like an alcoholic beverage” and was “believed to be intoxicated.”

WCIA-TV in Champaign reported that Davis campaign manager fired Lovell as soon as the incident was brought to their attention.

Davis represents Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, which covers parts of Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield and Decatur, stretching west to the state line just north of St. Louis.

Mug shot of @RodneyDavis’ field director Levi Lovell arrested for aggravated assault. @WCIA3 has obtained video of the incident. Lovell chased @BetsyforIL & her husband around the bar asking menacing questions until he was asked to leave. That’s when he started throwing punches. pic.twitter.com/kviFvJj6zi
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 16, 2018

Video shows a drunk, belligerent Levi Lovell pestering @BetsyforIL and her husband at a campaign fundraiser. Bartenders and staff asked him to leave. He trolls them as “discriminating” against him because he’s black. View is obstructed, but it appears at least one punch landed. pic.twitter.com/eNgIVxkLxe
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 16, 2018

Pushing and shoving continues outside where @RodneyDavis’ field director demands to be allowed back inside. Perhaps ironically, this is precisely the sort of hooligan Davis says would upstage a town hall if he ever held one. Lovell previously interned for @RepShimkus, @GovRauner. pic.twitter.com/E1O0kWSGtL
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 16, 2018

Just in from @RodneyDavis’ campaign manager: “As soon as I was made aware of the incident, his employment was immediately terminated. This campaign has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or violence of any kind.” https://t.co/PLmb0hSXYG
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) August 16, 2018