The Republican National Convention will open Monday in Milwaukee.
Daily Herald file
When the balloons drop at the final night of the Republican National Convention, Illinois’ delegation will cheer lustily as always.
But what distinguishes the 2024 cohort compared to previous ones is a marked absence of establishment figures.
At the 2012 convention in Tampa, Florida, the delegation was headed by mainstays such as former Gov. Jim Edgar, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford and Republican leaders from the General Assembly.
Trump’s ascendancy in 2016 shifted the trajectory with moderates like Gov. Bruce Rauner absent from the RNC in Cleveland and a new wave of MAGA delegates emerging.
That trend continues when the convention opens Monday with fiery 2022 gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Darren Bailey surfacing as one of the alpha delegates.
There are no “superstars” going to Milwaukee, said political scientist Kent Redfield, University of Illinois at Springfield professor emeritus.
Palatine Republican Aaron Del Mar, who ran as lieutenant governor in 2022, described a shift to grassroots activists instead of traditional Republicans and wealthy donors.
“I think that we’re excited about the Republican National Convention holistically,” said Del Mar, an RNC delegate and member of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee. “It will give an opportunity for all to put our personal feelings behind us and move forward in the right direction and try to unite this state.”
Also missing from the attendees are suburban Republican state lawmakers, many of whom are moderates reflecting the suburbs they represent, Redfield noted.
Some ran in the primary as delegates for other presidential candidates, such as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the case of state Sen. Don DeWitte.
“If you look at what is going on at the federal side and state party side — clearly the political hard-right is making their influence within the state of Illinois known,” the St. Charles Republican said.
In the last decade, Trump has failed to win majorities in Chicago-region counties with the exception of McHenry.
“That hard-right agenda just does not sell once you get north of I-80, or east of I-39,” DeWitte said.
Adding to the mix is churn at the top. Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy announced his resignation in June, citing infighting among Republicans as the reason.
Once a successor is picked, “I think there will be a lot more stability,” Del Mar said.