Two GOP lawmakers feud over 66th House District race

ELGIN – A photo of a visit last week to an Elgin electric company ended up as a public feud between two Republican lawmakers that represent the same area – State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-66) and recently-appointed State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles).

DeWitte, Rep. Skillicorn pointed out, cropped Skillicorn out of a photo with others that visited the company. Skillicorn wrote while comparing the photos: 

Please notice the photos. The two House members on the left have been consistent supporters of employers and expanding the Illinois economy. Both Representative Amy Grant and myself opposed the biggest tax hike in Illinois history. The two senators on the right [Senator DeWitte and Senator Van Pelt] unfortunately are not as committed to employers and both supported JB Pritzker’s $45 billion tax hike.

You can see where the senator from the western suburbs cropped both the US flag and myself out of the photo. Stay classy Senator. 

Evidently, the feud has been going on for a while, because Senator DeWitte is reportedly backing a challenger to Skillicorn in the GOP primary – Carolyn Schofield, a member of the McHenry County Board. The Daily Herald reports: 

“The math is simple,” Schofield said in an official statement. “There are currently 44 Republicans in the House and a bill takes 60 votes to pass. Republicans cannot pass a single bill without Democrat votes. I’ll reach across the aisle to find common ground and build trust. By working together with respect, I’ll achieve results where the current office-holder has failed.”

State Sen. Don DeWitte voiced his support for Schofield and highlighted her County Board experiences as a tool that would serve her well in the state House.

It's true that the Republicans are suffering as a super-minority in the Illinois House, with little hope of breaking through that barrier in 2020. For Schofield, the answer to that dilemma is to "cross the aisle" to come to consensus with the Democrats. 

Skillicorn may need to look to his libertarian-minded conservative voters for support after he voted to legalize marijuana in Illinois. He endangered some of conservative base's support with that vote, although he has been an active and dependable conservative vote on most other issues that concern conservatives. 

Skillicorn issued a statement concerning the GOP challenger and her past support for tax hikes.

"Perennial candidate Carolyn Schofield is once again announcing her intention to run for State Representative in the 66th District," he wrote. "Voters in the Republican Party will be given a clear choice between a committed conservative who is resolutely opposed to tax increases and a candidate in Schofield who has never met a tax increase she didn’t like.

Skillicorn said Schofield once told Kane County GOP Executive Vice Chairman Jeff Meyer that the reason she supported so many property tax increases over the year was because the voters were not paying attention.

"Public servants should always be on guard for the taxpayers whether they are paying attention or not because protecting taxpayers’ hard-earned money is the right thing to do," he said. "The Illinois General Assembly already has a bunch of tax hikers. We don’t need more. My record on taxes speaks for itself. I have and will continue to stand up for taxpayers." 

And as for DeWitte's interest in knocking off Skillicorn rather than focusing on a Democrat challenger in the 66th, Skillicorn was just as frank. 

"It seems appropriate that Kane County’s tax hiking state senator is backing McHenry County’s version of Nancy Pelosi. They are two peas in the same pod," he told Illinois Review Wednesday.

Illinois' GOP Primary is in March 2020. Candidates are circulating petitions now.