By Illinois Review
Illinois State Sen. Terri Bryant, who serves as Assistant Republican Leader in the Illinois Senate, is facing mounting criticism after publicly calling her own constituents “idiots” on Facebook.
Screenshots from Bryant’s Facebook page show her personally responding to voters with open insults. In one exchange, she told Curtis Winston, “Once again you are an idiot.” In another, she replied to Parker Anderson, “You are an idiot.”
The remarks have infuriated conservatives who expect professionalism and respect from their elected leaders. As a member of Senate Republican leadership, Bryant is supposed to model integrity and discipline. Instead, she resorted to personal attacks on the very people she represents.
But the controversy doesn’t stop there. In 2019, while serving in the Illinois House, then-Rep. Bryant voted with Democrats to pass Senate Bill 1939, the controversial law that doubled the state’s gas tax from 19 cents per gallon to 38 cents per gallon, effective July 1, 2019.
The measure – championed by Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, and then-House Speaker Michael Madigan – became one of the largest tax hikes in state history. It continues to punish working families and small businesses every time they stop at the pump.
Despite widespread conservative opposition, Bryant joined Democrats to approve the bill, betraying the trust of the taxpayers she claims to fight for.
Campaign finance records also reveal that Bryant has accepted contributions from Ameren, a powerful utility company’s political action committee that routinely donates to Democrats. Ameren’s PAC has a long history of backing liberal lawmakers and supporting Democrat-led policies in Springfield – raising serious questions about Bryant’s loyalty to conservative voters.
Adding insult to injury, Bryant earns over $100,000 a year in her role as a state legislator – a part-time position where lawmakers are free to hold other jobs for much of the year. Illinois’ legislative calendar typically runs about five months in Springfield, with additional short sessions in the fall – meaning Bryant collects a full-time salary for what is effectively part-time work.
According to a financial analysis, the median household income in Bryant’s 58th District is just $56,900 — meaning her taxpayers earn roughly half of what their senator makes in a job where she reports to work only part of the year.
For many grassroots conservatives, the pattern is impossible to ignore: an out-of-touch lawmaker who insults constituents online, votes with Democrats on major tax increases, accepts money from liberal PACs, and collects a six-figure salary while Illinois families struggle.
At a time when hardworking Illinoisans are paying more at the pump, more in property taxes, and more for basic necessities, Bryant’s arrogance is a slap in the face. Leadership isn’t about belittling voters or padding paychecks – it’s about service, humility, and accountability.
