By Illinois Review
This week, the Illinois Republican Party mailed out letters to “grassroots leaders” soliciting donations after spending the last year belittling the conservative base of the party – even after blaming grassroots leaders for election losses during the 2022 midterm elections.
In the letter, embattled IL GOP chair Don Tracy begins by stating that “we’ve made some real progress in rebuilding” the party’s infrastructure.
“I often explain our role as building the roads and bridges that Illinois Republican candidates use to seek election or re-election,” Tracy wrote.
“Today, it’s grassroots leaders like you who fund these crucial roadways $25, $35, $50, $100, $250, $500, or even $1,000 at a time.”
The party is struggling to raise money – and sources within the IL GOP confirm that, and Tracy’s win-loss record rivals the Cleveland Browns in 2017 when they went 0-16.
And as the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board pointed out in a Nov. 11, 2022 editorial,
“Republicans lost every state constitutional office – governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer – and 14 of 17 congressional seats. In the General Assembly, not only did the GOP fail to gain any ground on Democrats’ supermajority, Democrats notched a record number of seats in the Illinois House. And in the Illinois Supreme Court, where Republicans had an opportunity to gain two seats…they came up short. Democrats now have a comfortable 5-2 edge in the state’s high court.”
During the 2022 Illinois Republican Primary, IL GOP leaders played favorites with their preferred list of so-called “establishment” candidates – even funding mailers that viciously attacked their conservative grassroots opponents.
During a quarterly IL Republican Party State Central Committee (SSC) meeting in Bolingbrook in December 2022, approximately 200 conservative grassroots activists filled the room in a stunning display to publicly share their grievances about the disappointing losses during the November 8th election; the lack of support they received from the party; and demanding that chairman Don Tracy resign.
The meeting was long, with many state central committee members praising Tracy during their committee updates and talking about the “red wave” that the GOP experienced in local races in counties like Gallatin, Coles, Hardin, Jefferson and Marion – counties unfamiliar to most people in the room, including SSC members.
But the most shocking moment of the day occurred when IL GOP leader and chairman of the finance committee Vince Kolber addressed the crowd bragging about how the party raised $2.2 million this cycle (compared to Pritizker spending $152 million), and then asking the room full of hardworking grassroots conservatives,
“I assume all of you have donated to the IL GOP?”
And when the room yelled back,
“No!”
He replied,
“No, then what are you doing here?”
The belittling and out-of-touch comment drew an immediate reaction from the crowd of grassroots conservatives, still stunned that a GOP leader would say something so offensive to a room full of people where many of them had driven hours, just for their voices to be heard.
Last January, Tracy joined Bishop on Air and blamed former Republican nominee for governor and grassroots candidate Darren Bailey for the midterm election losses, and said the IL GOP needs to re-evaluate their primary election neutrality policy moving forward.
Tracy and the IL GOP remained silent and refused to assist and support conservative grassroots school board candidates during the April 4, 2023 election despite messages from candidates to GOP leaders asking for help in the form of infrastructure support, walk lists and voter data.
And candidates confirmed with Illinois Review that IL GOP leaders replied to emails asking for help with messages that included,
“Sorry, we can’t help you.”
Tracy argues that the IL GOP can’t assist candidates financially that are running for office, but Tracy and the party didn’t have a problem financing mailers on behalf of their preferred candidates that attacked conservative grassroots candidates during the 2022 primary.
In May, Tracy spoke to a group of Republicans in Lake County where he publicly slammed his favorite target: the grassroots and accused them of being lazy during election season. As a witness pointed out, who was at the event with Tracy,
“..he [Tracy] brought up the fact that everybody’s pointing at him, but he goes, ‘Where are the grassroots? We don’t need people sitting in their chairs’…”
And last month, Tracy’s best friend – former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin, who despises the grassroots – announced that he was not going to run for Cook County State’s Attorney after analyzing numbers and reviewing polling data – and blaming former President Donald Trump – the leading Republican candidate for president, on his decision not to throw his hat in this year’s race.
After overseeing widespread losses that saw Illinois House Democrats strengthen their supermajority control in Springfield during the 2022 elections, Durkin announced that he would be stepping down as House Republican leader. A month later, Durkin announced that he would be resigning his seat and leaving the legislature altogether.
Just days before resigning from office, Durkin was the only Republican to join the Democrats – voting in favor of the assault weapons ban – a move that angered conservative grassroots Republicans across the state.
Even before Trump, Durkin had a history of losing. In 2002, he unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate, losing to incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Dick Durbin by a staggering 22 points.
From 2013-2023, Durkin served as the House Republican Leader where he comfortably maintained the IL GOP’s status in the minority.
In 2012, the year before Durkin was elected minority leader, there were 54 House Republicans – and when Durkin stepped down as leader and resigned from the legislature in 2023, there were only 40 House Republicans.
As he closed the solicitation letter, Tracy attempted to reiterate the party’s relevance in local, statewide and national races, writing,
“…whether it’s the race for the White House, targeted Congressional Districts, high-priority campaigns for the Illinois State Senate and House of Representatives, or important local school board races, the Illinois Republican Party provides the path that every successful Republican candidate travels to victory.”
Tracy then concluded with,
“I hope one of the first checks you will write is to our Illinois Republican Party, where you’ll be able to see it in action.”
