By Illinois Review
A new mailer bearing the Illinois Republican Party’s postage permit surfaced over the weekend in a race supporting preferred candidates against the Trump Delegate incumbent, signaling that the IL GOP has resumed its postage discount scheme – a practice that has kept the state party a target in an ongoing federal post office investigation.
As President Ronald Reagan famously stated, “There you go again.”
Two years ago, this publication revealed that the Illinois Republican Party had weaponized its postage discount to attack conservative Republican candidates during the Spring 2022 primary. Initially the IL GOP denied allowing preferred candidates to use its postage discount, until IR obtained exclusive audio from then Chairman Don Tracy admitting to the scheme.
The practice continued again in Will County races in Spring 2023. The scandal ultimately led to former Will County GOP Chair Tim Ozinga’s resignation.
Sources have confirmed to IR that the matter had been referred to the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service, who still may be conducting an independent investigation.
Despite assurances from former IL GOP Chair Don Tracy that the party would stay “strictly neutral” in contested races between Republican candidates, it appears the IL GOP is back in the game of allowing its preferred candidates to use its postage discount in contested elections against other Republicans.
This past weekend, Republican voters in Chicago suburb Orland Park, Illinois, received a mailer indicating that it was “Paid for by the Illinois Republican Party” supporting three candidates for a nonpartisan fire district race.
The incumbent who these IL GOP-endorsed candidates are trying to oust?
Trump Delegate and GOP donor Beth Damas.
The mailer includes several allegations about the fire district’s finances, including one claim that the fire district allegedly overpaid for insurance in order to benefit former Cook County Commissioner and Orland Township Republican Committeewoman Liz Gorman.
Beth Damas, who spoke with IR, found the IL GOP’s involvement in this local nonpartisan race against her, a lifelong Republican, to be “completely disgusting.” She stated,
“The statements on this mailer are completely false and bear no resemblance to reality. I am proud that under my watch, the Orland Fire Protection District’s finances have never been stronger. We shifted the insurance contract away from an agency associated with Michael Madigan’s family to an independent agency, providing better coverage and saving the fire district nearly a million dollars annually. This was a board decision following a regular bid process, and the notion that Liz Gorman somehow benefits from this is unfounded.”
Liz Gorman served as the 17th district Commissioner on the Cook County board as a Republican for thirteen years. In 2018, Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed her as the Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway. She continues to serve on the board of the Regional Transportation Authority.
Following Gorman’s departure from the Cook County Board, IL GOP State Central Committeeman Sean Morrison was appointed to fill her seat. Morrison narrowly survived a Democrat challenge for the seat in 2017, after allegations surfaced that Morrison penned a letter to a Cook County judge seeking permission for one of Morrison’s senior vice presidents to continue to travel on business while the employee was facing criminal charges for solicitation to meet a child. Nineteen days after the letter was submitted, Morrison’s employee was arrested in Colorado on charges of trying to sexually exploit a child using the Internet.
Morrison served as co-chair of the failed Richard Irvin for Governor campaign in 2022, where Irvin lost to former State Senator Darren Bailey by 43 points. During the primary campaign, it was reported by WTTW’s Paris Schutz that in 2018, Irvin sent text messages calling Trump an “idiot” and a “bigoted racist.” Irvin also texted the friend, “I hate Trump too!”
In 2022, Gorman unsuccessfully challenged Morrison for her former Commissioner seat. Disclosures reveal that Morrison spent more than $180,000 to fend off the challenge.
Last year, Morrison joined the Democrats and voted in favor of reallocating $70M of county funds to provide health care and food service for illegal aliens in Chicago.
Beth Damas is running for re-election to the Board of Trustees of Orland Fire Protection District. Her slate, Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety, includes Republicans Donald Jeffers and Bridget Tolan.
The election is April 1, 2025.
