Illinois GOP says little of indicted Trump at State Fair, vows to rebuild after last year’s losses

SPRINGFIELD — After humbling defeats across the state last year, Illinois Republicans on Thursday spoke of rebuilding and trying to gear up support in the Chicago suburbs ahead of next year’s elections — and most are steering clear of delving into the effects of former President Donald Trump’s fourth criminal indictment.

While Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy vowed the GOP must beat President Joe Biden in 2024 and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2026, he kept his focus on local elections and bashing Chicago as “a great city with lousy governance.”

Last year, Illinois Republicans were walloped in the general election after embracing former state Sen. Darren Bailey as their gubernatorial candidate — opting to support the far-right, Trump-endorsed candidate over more moderate options. Pritzker’s spending in the Republican primary helped to boost Bailey, whom he saw as a weaker challenger. Democrats also added numbers to their supermajority in the Illinois House.

Bailey, who did not appear at the morning Republican Day event, is running for Congress against U.S. Rep Mike Bost in southern Illinois’ 12th District. Both were endorsed by Trump in last year’s elections.

This year, Tracy acknowledged the party is rebuilding and rethinking its strategy, arguing the GOP must embrace early voting and voting by mail to compete with Democrats. The state party chairman also said the party is boosting its team with a get-out-the-vote director to work with local parties to “spread the message and to provide guidance.” Later at a GOP rally on the state fairgrounds, Tracy admitted he’s spending a lot of time in Chicago “because that’s where the votes are.”

“If we’re going to win again in Illinois, we have got to make more of a dent in Chicago. Get above 20%, 25%, and we’ve got to win back the suburbs,” Tracy said. “So we’re focusing on that this year.”

Richard Porter, national committeeman of the state party, described the reshaping of the party in a different way.

“I’d like to suggest a working definition of Republican, which is not crazy, and believes in truth, justice, freedom and the American way,” Porter said. Porter, in his last year of a term as national committeeman, said the party needs to recognize “anyone who’s not crazy.”

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., who walked out a side door to avoid reporters’ questions, did not mention Trump in his address at the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee & County Chairmen’s Association breakfast. LaHood said he’s focusing, instead, on holding the Biden administration accountable.

Without mentioning the Republican presidential frontrunner’s name, LaHood said simply, “We have to fire Joe Biden and take back the presidency in 2024. For me, if I look at 2024, it’s about winning. That’s what we have to be focused on. Politics is about the future, not about the past.”

The two top Republicans in the General Assembly both spoke of their frustrations in the focus on Trump’s latest indictment — despite the former president undoubtedly playing a major role in next year’s contests. And they spoke of the need for practical policies for the many Republicans in the state.

Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, told GOP state central committeepeople and county chairmen that most voters “don’t want the extreme, expensive, unsafe policies being shoved down their throats by the Democratic majorities in this state.”

“It is up to us to show them another way,” he said. “I believe we have a great opportunity over the next few years to strengthen the GOP in Illinois by bringing in new voters and bringing back those who have gone astray.”

Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, offered some gentle bashing of Democrats — who a day earlier spent much of their time criticizing the GOP and their policies.

“I’m fairly new to politics compared to many of you in this room, but I think it’s extremely important that Republicans don’t spend time beating up on other Republicans and, quite honestly, we don’t have to because the Democrats give us enough material that we can just take their material and beat up on them just fine enough,” McCombie said.

Asked later if she was talking specifically about Trump, McCombie kept things general.

“I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t think it’s about that,” McCombie said. “But I’m always so curious as to why is it always about Donald Trump? Here we are in Illinois. Let’s talk about Illinois.”

Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout