Month: July 2021

Today the Illinois Republican Party is joining the Illinois House and Senate Republican caucuses in a lawsuit challenging the partisan legislative maps drawn and passed by Illinois Democrats in the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.

“I am proud to join Republican leaders in Illinois who are fighting to put the power back in the hands of the people. Voters should pick their politicians instead of politicians picking their voters,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “From the Speaker of the House to the Governor, Democrats fundamentally betrayed the people of Illinois when they ran for office supporting an independent map-making commission and then broke their word by ramming through partisan redistricting. The Illinois Republican Party is standing up for our democracy as Democrats openly and proudly disenfranchise voters.”

The lawsuit argues that the use of American Community Survey (ACS) estimates violates federal law, including well established “one-person, one-vote” principles under the U.S. Constitution. Republicans aren’t the only ones criticizing Illinois Democrats’ partisan map-making process devoid of transparency. 

President Joe Biden recently spoke passionately in communications to the National Democratic Redistricting Committee that the partisan redistricting process performed by House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, and approved by JB Pritzker, was part of an “unfolding assault taking place in America today, an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in free and fair elections.” He said politician-drawn maps are “an assault on democracy, assault on liberty, and an assault on who we are as Americans.”

Chairman Tracy added, “The ILGOP joined the lawsuit today because the people of Illinois need all the help they can get in restricting the ability of a billionaire bully like JB Pritzker to ‘suppress and subvert the right to vote in free and fair elections,’ as President Biden said.”

The lawsuit requests that the court declare the Democrats’ plan to be unconstitutional, invalid, and void ab initio. The lawsuit also requests that the court direct Speaker Welch and President Harmon to make their appointments to the Illinois Legislative Redistricting Commission as required by the Illinois Constitution.

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After filing its second quarter state and federal fundraising report last night, the Illinois Republican Party is proud to announce it has raised $459,775 ($131k state / $328k federal) during Don Tracy’s first full quarter as ILGOP Chairman – the state party’s best quarter in over 10 years outside of a large contribution from former Governor Bruce Rauner in 2015. 

“I made clear from the beginning that raising the necessary funds to combat the entrenched and corrupt Democrat machine would be one of my main objectives as Chairman,” said Tracy. “I believe our team at the state party, including our newly formed finance committee, rose to the occasion and delivered results Republicans across Illinois can be proud of. I cannot thank our finance team enough for the work they have done these last few months.”

Members of the Illinois Republican Party Finance Committee are Chairman Vince Kolber, RNC National Committeeman Richard Porter, Lynn O’Brien, Brian Kasal, Kathy Salvi, Kevin Crumly, Julie Cho, and Roger Claar.

The ILGOP collected 2,027 individual donations, bringing their total to 4,105 contributions for the year. “These funds will be used to implement a much needed ballot integrity program, conduct volunteer training, deploy campaign technology and buy advertising,” explained Tracy. “We aren’t backing down. We are fighting to save Illinois.”

The ILGOP’s record quarter and positive momentum stands in stark contrast to the Democratic Party of Illinois which has been hamstrung by its new Chairwoman’s inability to raise money. Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-2), who defeated Governor Pritzker’s hand picked candidate to become DPI Chairwoman in March, has been waiting on a ruling from the Federal Election Commission regarding her restrictions on raising non-federal funds.

Yesterday, the FEC ruled that Kelly, as a member of Congress, is barred from raising any money for state and local elections and cannot be involved in appointing anyone to the DPI committee now tasked with raising those funds and deciding how to spend them. One FEC commissioner said Kelly is now performing in a “purely honorary role.” 

While Illinois Republicans are surging, Illinois Democrats are embroiled in internal divisions leading to the selection of an ineffective and powerless state party chair heading into the 2022 cycle.

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It was just announced that Carol Pope, Illinois’ Legislative Inspector General, has resigned her position citing a lack of ethics reform, making her job virtually meaningless. Illinois Republican Party spokesman Joe Hackler released the following statement in response:

“The Illinois Democrat Crime ring has struck again, successfully eliminating another obstacle in their pursuit of power and state sanctioned grift. Carol Pope’s resignation is another sign that Democrats feigned efforts at ethics reform this past session was nothing more than lip service. Illinois Democrats and the remaining Madigan Machine have made a career of using their power for personal gain and they have no desire to break up the system now. That should be clear to everyone.”

State Democrats, who control all levers of government, have failed to pass any meaningful ethics reform that would give teeth to the LIG to pursue the type of public corruption that has plagued this state and has been uncovered of the course of two years by federal investigators. Pope said in her resignation letter that her former office “has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations.” Illinois Democrats have designed it that way and stand in the way of making a change.

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