CHICAGO – For the first time since 1988, the Illinois Republican Party chairman hails from outside Chicago and the collar counties. Saturday, the IL GOP State Central Committee voted in Springfield attorney and businessman Don Tracy over two other finalists.
Downstate conservative lawmakers lauded the pick.
State Representatives Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), Chris Miller (R-Oakland) and Adam Niemerg R-Dieterich) released a statement saying, "We have been and will continue to be engaged in this process, and we look forward to working with Chairman Tracy. Make no mistake about it- the election of Don Tracy as State Party Chairman is a big win for conservatives."
Tracy said in a statement he believes the upcoming election cycle can be "monumental" if the party seizes on the opportunities before them.
"We have a weakened Governor who can be defeated; we have a US Senate seat to win; we are well-positioned to win back Congressional seats; we can claw back seats in the state legislature if we recruit the right candidates; and lastly, we have an historic opportunity to elect a fourth Republican to the state Supreme Court for the first time ever," he said.
Sources from within the decision-making Saturday said while Tracy won the election, the State Central Committee was fairly divided over the direction the party is to take. The vote does demonstrate those with votes are unhappy with the Illinois Republican Party's ongoing minority status.
While the IL GOP has been following the lead of anti-conservative activists and consultants for years, the election of Tracy could indicate the growing power of downstate Republicans that deliver most of the state's conservative, pro-Trump Republican votes – granting them more weight in the party's decision-making.
Tracy's comments called for unity, and the downstate Republican lawmakers cheered him on.
"This isn't a Trump or anti-Trump deal. It's about putting the Republican Party in the best position to win by speaking to the middle class and working class families in Illinois who have disproportionately shouldered the burden of poor policies from our state's one-party rule for far too long."
