Hoping to counter Vice President Kamala Harris’ newfound momentum and challenge Democrats up and down the ballot this fall, Illinois Republicans rallied at the state fairgrounds on Thursday.
This year’s Republican Day came four days before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and, like the dark clouds encircling Springfield for most of the morning, intended to place a damper on what Democratic leadership has brought to the state.
More: Pritzker calls Trump a ‘loser’ as Dems champion Harris, Walz during Governor’s Day
Leadership, however, within the Illinois GOP recently underwent change by bringing in former U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi to serve as the party chair. It was intra-party tensions that led to former chair Don Tracy to step down in June, but now she said the party is unified.
Illinois Republican Party Chairwoman Kathy Salvi speaks during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.
“If we can look at what joins us, not what divides us, there’s no stopping us,” she said during the Republican Day rally at the state fairgrounds.
That unity Republicans say they have largely extends to their support of former President Donald Trump in his quest to return to the Oval Office.
A renewed excitement exists for Trump, Salvi said, whether that be for long-standing backers, former Democrats or first-time voters. Sharing in that enthusiasm is former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who alongside others in the party projects excitement surrounding Harris will die down soon.
“The left is so excited that they have a candidate with a pulse, that’s a fairly low bar,” he said, serving during the Trump administration. “I mean, we have a president in Donald Trump that not only has a pulse, he has a fire inside of him to save this country.”
However cooperative fellow Illinois Republicans are can’t deny their current status in Springfield and Washington as Democrats have super-majorities in the Illinois General Assembly and 14 of Illinois’ 17 congressional districts. No Republicans serve in statewide office either.
The party is hoping to flip the script by heavily encouraging voters to vote early, some during Thursday morning’s Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee and County Chair’s Association joint meeting expressing support for embracing October as “Voting Month” instead of such a focus on Election Day on Nov. 5.
It’s a reversal of sorts from when Trump previously lambasted vote-by-mail in 2020. He and Republicans nationwide are now backing the party’s “Swamp the Vote USA” campaign.
Shifting a safe blue state red also won’t be made any easier due to a lack of major campaign funders with former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin leaving Illinois for Florida. And while Republicans aren’t expecting such a donor to enter the playing field before November, they still feel confident they can challenge Democrats down ballot.
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said Wednesday he is confident House Democrats can add to their super-majority. Not so fast, says House Minority Leader Tony McCombie.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie speaks during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.
The Savanna Republican is aiming to add five seats this fall and says the party platform of taking on crime and lowering taxes is appealing to the average Illinois voter, but more work needs to be done on getting the party’s message out she said.
But with Trump on the ballot again this year, some wonder whether a candidate that has lost the state by more than 15 points in 2016 and 2020 will or has hindered the party in congressional and state legislature races.
McCombie seem to believe that won’t be the case.
“I would argue Trump is not the reason for 78,” McCombie, referring to the number of Democrats in the Illinois House, told reporters outside the Inn at 835 Thursday morning. “I would argue that it is because of Speaker Welch’s mismanagement of the crafting of the maps.”
Contact Patrick M. Keck: [email protected], twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois Republicans rally behind Trump, push for early voting
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Publish date : 2024-08-15 21:33:00
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