Illinois GOP heads to RNC ready to bridge their own divide
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Representative Mary Miller speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas on Aug. 6, 2022. Photo: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Illinois GOP is heading into this week's Republican National Convention with a goal of uniting not just the country but their own state party.
Catch up quick: In the wake of an assassination attempt at former President Trump's rally on Saturday, officials from both major political parties have issued calls to tone down divisive rhetoric.
- The RNC is continuing as planned but with heightened security.
Driving the news: Prior to the rally at a meeting late Friday, Illinois GOP leaders selected Kathy Salvi to be the new chair of the state party. She'll begin on July 19, right after the RNC ends.
- Salvi, an attorney from Mundelein, edged out state Rep. John Cabello and former Cook County GOP chair Aaron Del Mar for the position.
- She unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate against Democrat Tammy Duckworth in 2022 and is married to former state Rep. Al Salvi, who lost campaigns for U.S. Senate and Illinois Secretary of State in the 1990s.
Between the lines: Illinois is a solid blue state, but state Democrats are divided as some are calling for President Biden to step out of the race.
- State Republicans have their sights set on winning back collar county voters who used to vote Republican before a 2018 "Blue Wave" and subsequent redistricting shifted party lines in the suburbs. But that could take time.
What they're saying: "I think everyone who is a delegate in Illinois understands that Illinois is not going to be a battleground state," Illinois GOP delegate Travis Akin tells Axios.
- "The disarray in the Democratic Party has not gone unnoticed for sure, but Illinois Republicans also recognize the tremendous challenges presented by the partisan maps the Democrats drew."
Flashback: Don Tracy, the GOP party chair since 2021, announced last month he would step down due to party infighting and the rise of the hard-right MAGA movement.
State of play: Under Tracy's leadership, the state party didn't win a single statewide election in 2022.
- But Tracy stated in his resignation letter that he didn't make his decision because of a Tribune article that quoted sources calling him "weak."
- Illinois' GOP is not a national player either. No Illinois lawmakers or delegates will speak on stage at the RNC.
Zoom in: Rep. Mary Miller, a Trump-endorsed Republican from downstate, is poised to take a larger role in the state party, starting at the convention where she'll announce that the state delegation chooses Trump as the nominee.
- Miller is the only Illinois elected official in the Congressional Freedom Caucus.
The intrigue: Given the push to tone down divisive rhetoric following the Trump rally shooting, Miller may have to change her style.
- The New York Times listed the congresswoman as one of the most fervent users of polarizing and invective rhetoric in Congress based on social media posts and comments on the House floor.
What's next: The RNC begins today in Milwaukee with 64 delegates from Illinois, including Miller and former state Sen. Darren Bailey.