Illinois Republican Party | |
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Chairman | Kathy Salvi |
Senate Leader | John Curran |
House Leader | Tony McCombie |
Founded | 1856 |
Headquarters | Springfield, Illinois |
Ideology | Conservatism |
National affiliation | Republican Party |
Colors | Red |
Seats in the U.S. Senate | 0 / 2 |
Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives | 3 / 17 |
Seats in the Illinois Senate | 19 / 59 |
Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives | 40 / 118 |
Statewide Offices | 0 / 6 |
Seats in the Supreme Court | 2 / 7 |
Cook County Board of Commissioners | 1 / 17 |
Website | |
illinois | |
The Illinois Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Illinois founded on May 29, 1856. It is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which consists of 17 members, one representing each of the state's congressional districts. Once the dominant party in Illinois, the state GOP has become a minority party within the last few decades, holding little power in the state. [1] The current chairman is Kathy Salvi, who has served since 2024.
The Illinois Republican Party was organized at the Bloomington Convention in Major's Hall in Bloomington on May 29, 1856. Its founding members came from the former Whig Party in Illinois after its members joined with several powerful local political factions including, notably, the Independent Democrat movement of Chicago that helped elect James Hutchinson Woodworth Mayor in 1848. According to The Cook County Album of Genealogy, Francis Schweinfurth Sr., who had emigrated with his family from Germany, was a factor in creating the Illinois Republican Party. he was known as devout Lutheran and a businessman in Chicago. He fought as an officer in the Civil War on the Union side. As a first lieutenant, he was captured and held prisoner of war at Chickamauga. He, with his brother, operated a bread baking business in Chicago. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.
The early Illinois Republican Party enjoyed many members from commerce who shared the vision of Illinois generally, and Chicago in particular, as a gateway to the Western frontier of the United States. The early party members quickly identified their shared anti-slavery sentiment which further differentiated them from the older parties based on the East Coast. Many early members of the party failed to gain statewide office or election to the United States Congress due to this anti-slavery view, although this early position of the party in Illinois would later propel several candidates to prominent office, including the Governorship of Illinois won by Richard Yates, and in the mid-1850s, the election of former Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth to one term in the United States House of Representatives.
On May 9–10, 1860 the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur. At this convention Abraham Lincoln received his first endorsement for president of the United States. Frank Schweinfurth, according to the Cook County Album of Genealogy, was a major force in nominating Abraham Lincoln. Until 1932, Republicans had virtually complete control over Illinois politics.
From 1932 to 1994, Republicans still usually had more control over Illinois politics, although Democrats still had a presence in the state and many noted Democratic politicians, most notably Adlai Stevenson II (lost to Republican Dwight Eisenhower twice), came from Illinois. President Ronald Reagan also came from Illinois, despite living in and serving two terms as Governor of California. The last time Republican carried in presidential elections was 1988, when George H. W. Bush won Illinois by 2.1% marginal points.
By the late 1990s, though, Illinois had started to become more Democratic in presidential elections, partly because the Republican's social conservatism in other states had started to alienated many Northeastern and some Midwestern Republican voters. Illinois rapidly became more Democratic in the second half of the 1990s and early 2000s. In contrast, most GOP candidates in Illinois gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in recent years have been almost indistinguishable from Democrats on both social and fiscal issues, with the notable exception of Peter Fitzgerald who won the Senate race in 1998. While this tendency has helped Illinois GOP candidates in the suburbs, it has alienated many conservative voters downstate.
Other than a brief majority from 1995 to 1997 as a result of the Republican Revolution, the Republicans have been in the minority in the state House of Representatives since 1982. In 2002, while the Republicans did well in 2002 midterm elections nationwide, the Illinois Republicans lost their majority when a Democrat became Illinois governor for the first time in 26 years and Democrats gained control of the Illinois Senate, putting the party in the minority for the first time in state history.
The 2010 elections saw the election of Illinois Republican Mark Kirk to the US Senate as well as a Republican sweep of Illinois US House seats. Republicans came within 5 seats of a majority in the Illinois House of Representatives and gained seats in the Senate. Republican nominee Bill Brady narrowly lost the gubernatorial election to Pat Quinn, leaving Democrats in full control of the redistricting process. This resulted in gerrymandering heavily in favor of Democrats. As a result of the redistricting process, Illinois Republicans suffered huge losses in the 2012 elections.
In 2013, the state party attempted to oust Chairman Pat Brady after he came out in favor of same-sex marriage. [2] Brady would ultimately resign and was briefly replaced by Jack Dorgan. In 2014, Tim Schneider, who was a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, was named the chairman of the state party.
In the 2014 gubernatorial election, Republican nominee Bruce Rauner defeated incumbent Governor Pat Quinn to become the first GOP Governor since George Ryan left office in 2003. Republicans also picked up two Illinois congressional seats and a seat in the Illinois Senate.
During the 2018 Illinois Elections, Rauner lost to J. B. Pritzker in a landslide with the party also losing two congressional seats (Roskam and Hultgren) and becoming a superminority in the state legislature.
By 2021, the Illinois Republican Party was a minority party wielding little power within the state. With a decline that goes back over two decades, the state GOP's shrinking influence is attributed to Illinois becoming a solid blue state, the loss of voters in suburban areas, and the divisive embrace of Donald Trump and Trumpism. [1]
The 2020 Elections saw a moderate swing back to the party in terms of votes, however this did not lead to major seat gains. The party lost one seat in the State Senate and gained one in the State House. However State Supreme Court Justice Thomas L. Kilbride was defeated in his bid for retention with the intention of flipping the seat to the Republicans in 2022. [3]
Schneider stepped down as chairman in December 2020 and was replaced by Don Tracy, who was the chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, in February 2021. [4]
The Illinois Republican Party is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which consists of 17 members, one representing each of the state's congressional districts.
Chairman | Term |
---|---|
Rebecca Paul | co-chairman ~1985 with Adams[ citation needed ] |
Victor L. Smith | 1960–1973 [5] |
Donald "Doc" Adams | 1973–1988 [5] |
Al Jourdan | 1988–1993 [6] |
Harold Byron Smith | 1993–1999 [7] |
Richard S. Williamson | 1999–2001 [8] |
Lee A. Daniels | 2001–2002 [9] |
Dallas Ingemunson | 2002 (interim) [10] |
Gary MacDougal | 2002–2002 [11] |
Judy Baar Topinka | 2002–2005 [12] |
Andrew McKenna | 2005–2009 [13] |
Pat Brady | 2009–2013 |
Jack Dorgan | 2013–2014 |
Tim Schneider | 2014–2021; Mark Shaw, Co-Chairman 2018–2021 |
Don Tracy | 2021–present [14] |
After the 2022 elections, Republicans hold 3 of the state's 17 U.S. House seats and none of the statewide offices. The Republicans are also the minority in both chambers of the state legislature.
Both of Illinois's U.S. Senate seats have held by Democrats since 2017. Mark Kirk was the last Republican to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 2010, Kirk lost re-election in 2016 to Tammy Duckworth.
Out of the 17 seats Illinois is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 3 are held by Republicans:
District | Member | Photo |
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12th | Mike Bost | ![]() |
15th | Mary Miller | ![]() |
16th | Darin LaHood | ![]() |
In 2018, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti lost their bid for a second term to Democrats J. B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton. No Illinois Republican has been elected to the office of Comptroller since 2010, the office of Attorney General since 1998, the office of Secretary of State since 1994, or the office of State Treasurer since 2010.
Some of the state's major cities have Republican mayors. As of 2023, Republicans control the mayor's offices in four of Illinois's ten largest cities:[ citation needed ]
James D. Oberweis is an American businessman, investment manager, and politician from the state of Illinois. The owner of Oberweis Dairy in North Aurora near Chicago, he served as a member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 25th district from 2013 to 2021.
William E. Brady is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from May 2002 until his resignation in December 2020.
Kwame Raoul is an American lawyer and politician who has been the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Kirk W. Dillard is an American politician and former Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 24th District from 1993 until his resignation in August 2014. He is also the former chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party. Dillard is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), serving as Illinois state leader.
Illinois is a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections and one of the "Big Three" Democratic strongholds alongside California and New York. It is one of the most Democratic states in the nation with all state executive offices and both state legislative branches held by Democrats. For most of its history, Illinois was widely considered to be a swing state, voting for the winner of all but two presidential elections in the 20th century. Political party strength in Illinois is highly dependent upon Cook County, and the state's reputation as a blue state rests upon the fact that over 40% of its population and political power is concentrated in Chicago, Cook County, and the Chicago metropolitan area. Outside of Chicago, the suburban collar counties continue trending Democratic while downstate Illinois can be considered more conservative with several Democratic leaning regions including Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal, Rockford, Peoria, the Quad Cities, and suburban St. Louis
Daniel "Dan" Joseph Seals is an American business consultant and a Democratic politician from Illinois. Seals was the Democratic nominee in three campaigns to become U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district. In 2006 and 2008, he was defeated by the incumbent Mark Kirk. In his third run, he was defeated by Republican candidate Robert Dold, on November 2, 2010, after Kirk vacated the seat to successfully run for the U.S. Senate.
The 2006 congressional elections in Illinois were held November 7, 2006 to determine who would represent the State of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives.
Pat Brady is the former chairman for the Illinois Republican Party, and a former federal and state prosecutor. Brady became the chairman in 2009 when Andrew McKenna resigned to run for governor.
The 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Illinois, concurrently with the election to Illinois's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Illinois on November 4, 2014. All of Illinois' executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Illinois' eighteen seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 18, 2014.
Jeanne M. Ives is an American politician. A Republican, she is a former member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 42nd district. She has run for governor of Illinois, and for U.S. representative for Illinois's 6th congressional district.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The special election for Illinois's 18th congressional district was held on September 10, 2015, between Republican Darin LaHood and Democrat Rob Mellon to fill the remainder of the term of Republican Aaron Schock, who resigned on March 31, 2015. LaHood won the election with almost 69% of the vote.
The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2018 Illinois general election and other midterm elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner ran for re-election to a second term in office, but was defeated by Democratic nominee J. B. Pritzker. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections and the Illinois Fair Tax. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who had been Senate Minority Whip since 2015, won reelection to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican nominee Mark Curran.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Illinois on November 6, 2018. The elections for Illinois's 18 congressional districts, Governor, statewide constitutional officers, Illinois Senate, and Illinois House were held on this date.
The 2018 Illinois Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Attorney General of Illinois. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who had served since 2003, did not seek re-election to a fifth term. Democrat Kwame Raoul won the election with 55 percent of the vote, while Republican Erika Harold took 43 percent of the vote.
The 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2022 Illinois general election. Gubernatorial candidates ran on tickets with candidates for lieutenant governor. The incumbent governor and lieutenant governor, first-term Democrats J. B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton, sought re-election together against Republican nominees Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey and his running mate Stephanie Trussell.
The 2022 Illinois Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Illinois Secretary of State. Incumbent Democrat Jesse White did not seek re-election to a seventh term. Alexi Giannoulias, a former state treasurer, won the open seat.