The constant refrain during the Republican National Convention this week has been unity, but the Illinois Republican delegation has a fractured party, leaving delegates hoping a new state party leader could bring the same unity they’re seeing on a national level.
The Illinois Republican Party just voted in a new chair, former Senate candidate Kathy Salvi, bringing hope that the GOP will be more relevant in Illinois politics.
For the first time since the election last week, the chairwoman-elect shared her message for the party during a breakfast for delegates on Wednesday morning.
“We’re going to make Illinois red again,” Salvi said.
That’s a heavy lift considering Republicans haven’t had a statewide win since 2014 when former Gov. Bruce Rauner took down incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Salvi has run for office twice, including a 2022 bid for Senate where she lost to Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
“You learn a lot through a loss, and I’ve had the privilege of being a Republican nominee once. I lost a primary once. So, I think now at the helm of the Illinois Republican Party, I’ll be able to apply all of those lessons I’ve learned to winning elections in the future,” Salvi said.
The state’s Democratic Party has called Salvi a “far right extremist” with “Draconian views on abortion.” She sidestepped that criticism Wednesday.
“My position as the party chair will be to collaborate with every person who’s on the ballot to support them in winning their election, and I support the Republican platform,” Salvi said.
At the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, the state party was divided over whether to support former President Donald Trump, and there are still simmering squabbles. The soon-to-be outgoing chair, Don Tracy, announced he would resign at the end of the convention in Milwaukee, citing “local intra party animosities.”
Republican leaders acknowledge that they have work to do to turn things around.
“We’re going to bring balance back to Illinois. We’re going to have some change. We’re going to flip some seats in the House,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Tony McCombie.
McCombie wants to flip five Illinois House seats, including some in the suburbs and two open seats. While the GOP is gaining momentum on a national level, with Illinois still divided over Trump, McCombie weighed in on whether that impacts down-ballot races.
“The top of the ticket for Democrats and Republicans is challenging this year all around the nation, so I don’t think so. No,” McCombie said.