By Illinois Review
Earlier this week, former Illinois Republican Gov. Jim Edgar – who remains a deeply respected politician among IL GOP circles, announced on WMAY radio in Springfield that he was voting for Kamala Harris – calling former President Donald Trump the “worst thing that’s happened” for politics in America.
“I won’t vote for Trump. I’ve never voted for Trump. He’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to American government and politics,” Edgar told Springfield Morning News. When pressed by the host if he’d be voting for Harris, he said, “I will.”
Edgar did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. In 2018, after he was elected governor, JB Pritzker appointed Edgar to serve on his transition team as the billionaire businessman prepared to assume office several months later. Edgar appeared to be the only Republican to serve in that capacity.
From 1991-1999, Edgar served as the 48th governor of Illinois. Prior to his election as governor, Edgar served as Illinois Secretary of State from 1981-1991. And for two years, he served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
The former GOP governor remains a big fan of Gov. Pritzker. During a media interview in 2022, he said he thought Pritzker did “a pretty good job” during the pandemic, saying, “There will be people mad about the way he handled the pandemic. I think he did a pretty good job.”
Edgar was also “impressed” with Richard Irvin, who was the IL GOP’s favored candidate for governor during the 2022 primary election cycle. Initially, Edgar thought Irvin was a Democrat before running for governor as a Republican – a point that haunted Irvin during his failed campaign where he would lose to the conservative grassroots candidate Darren Bailey by 43 points.
The former governor remains a highly respected elder statesman within IL GOP circles, and after embattled IL GOP chairman Don Tracy resigned as chair of the state party in June, several sources said that Tracy was in touch with Edgar to inquire about his interest in the position and if he had any names to recommend.
Tracy’s family-owned business Dot Foods, where he is an owner, have made some political donations that tell an interesting story. In 2020, owners of Dot Foods made a $6,193 donation to presidential candidate Joe Biden, and in 2022, owners made a $3,900 donation to US Sen. Lisa Murkowski and a $4,900 donation to US Rep. Rodney Davis.
Sen. Murkowski remains one of former President Trump’s most vocal critics. After January 6th, she supported his impeachment and removal from office. On January 9, 2021, Murkowski said, “I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage.” In 2020, US Rep. Rodney Davis was one of 35 House Republicans to support the January 6th Commission to investigate the attack on the US Capitol – a move that angered Trump. Davis also said publicly that Trump needed to “grow up” and in 2016, he withdrew his endorsement of GOP nominee for President Donald Trump.
When President Trump visited Illinois in June of 2022, neither Porter or Tracy bothered to show up – choosing to skip the event altogether – despite serving as the Republican national committeeman for Illinois and chairman of the Illinois Republican party.
