By Philip Nagel, Opinion Contributor
As the conservative grassroots movement in Illinois continues to grow, it has become evident to Illinois Republican party leaders that they are no longer needed or respected by the everyday hardworking citizens of this state.
The blind allegiance they have grown so accustomed too, has all but faded into the wind.
After more than two decades of losing, the people of Illinois – especially the grassroot Republicans – have had enough.
We have watched the Illinois Republican party establishment cower in fear to the liberal Democrats for far too long.
And the motto: “if you can’t be the Democrats, then join them” – is not acceptable.
Illinois conservatives are proud, strong, principled and we are done losing.
From the ashes of COVID, we have risen to take back the land of Lincoln in the form of a grassroots movement that threatens the IL GOP; their so-called “power and influence” over the people and their way of doing business.
As blue-collar workers from all walks of life decided to step up and run for office, IL GOP establishment party leaders had other ideas. For every grassroots candidate that stepped up, IL GOP party officials would recruit their own candidates – and viciously attack their conservative opponents in messaging and in mailers.
And oftentimes, those mailers would say the following words: “Paid for by the Illinois Republican Party.”
When party officials were finally held accountable for their actions targeting conservative candidates, including in mailers – their first reaction was to deny it. But when the evidence proved otherwise, they gave up and said that it would never happen again.
However, I am here to say that in 2023 – the practice of IL GOP officials recruiting candidates to run against the conservative ones still continues and “we the people” of Illinois will not tolerate it.
And we’ll expose it any chance we get.
Let the people decide who they want representing them instead of an elite, out-of-touch group of Republican insiders who know nothing except how to lose.
In Will County, the Senate Republican Organization (SRO) is again meddling in local races in a way that can only be described as “election interference.”
Again, let the people decide and not some out-of-touch campaign operative embedded within the SRO.
One can only imagine the deal-making going on behind the scenes as the SRO and the Will County Board leadership pick their own candidates to run against the conservative ones.
Desperate times call for desperate measures – and as the grassroots movement continues to grow across the state – our own party leaders are in panic mode.
But if the grassroots-supported candidate can beat the IL GOP’s candidate by 43 points in a Republican gubernatorial primary – my bets are on the grassroots.
Always have been. Always will be.
Philip Nagel was the Republican nominee for Illinois State Senate District 40 during the 2022 General Election.
