By Illinois Review
Illinois House Republican Minority Leader Tony McCombie earns an annual salary of $145,000 – collecting an additional $52,000 as leader on top of her $93,000 salary as a legislator – making her one of the highest paid politicians in the state.
Illinois lawmakers remain some of the highest paid in the country.
While lawmakers may spend more than 60 percent of their time doing legislative work, the position is considered quasi full-time, meaning many lawmakers have other jobs when they are not in session. Some lawmakers run full-time law firms and real estate firms, while others work in marketing and business development since they are only in session around five months out of the year.
In Savanna, the community that McCombie represents in the legislature and where she served as mayor, the 2022 medium income was $45,474 and the medium property value was $64,700.
McCombie is under fire from Republicans and even her own constituents for joining with Democrats and supporting a bill in 2023 that expanded patient rights for transgender and non-binary individuals.
But the controversy continues – leading up too, and after voting in favor of the bill, McCombie received an influx of campaign donations from a progressive hospital association that’s been advocating for improved care for transgender and non-binary patients.
Donation records with the state board of election indicate that McCombie accepted $47,500 in campaign donations from the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, which has offices in Springfield, Chicago and Naperville, and advocates on behalf of hospitals, patients and communities to “develop sound healthcare public policy solutions that will broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of care to all Illinoisans.”
Not surprisingly, the association also focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives – including improving patient care for transgender and non-binary individuals.
During a tele-town hall meeting on Monday evening, McCombie called Illinois Review “fake news,” one day after the conservative, pro-Trump news publication exposed her support of the ‘woke’ legislation. Although the votes were in 2023, the bill’s effective date was January 1, 2025 – making the issue extremely relevant.
During a Wednesday radio interview On The Real with Peggy Hubbard, IR editor-in-chief Mark Vargas had a question for McCombie: since she supports expanding transgender patient rights in Illinois – does she also support men playing in women’s sports?
Vargas also discussed the controversy on the hit show, The StoneZONE with Roger Stone, where he shares co-host duties. Stone has served as a senior campaign aide to three Republican presidents – Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump and remains a close friend and ally of the 45th and 47th President of the United States. President Trump frequently shares Stone’s posts on his personal Truth Social account.
On Wednesday, McCombie was sworn in for another term as the representative of the 89th District for the 104th General Assembly, where she continues her role as Minority Leader of the House Republican Caucus.
