MILWAUKEE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - With their ticket now solidified, Illinois Republicans are feeling very confident about their chances in the coming elections.
Former state lawmaker Darrin Bailey unsuccessfully ran for governor and challenged Congressman Mike Bost for his seat. Now, Bost and Bailey say they stand shoulder to shoulder for Donald Trump.
Bailey’s always been there and says the rest of the party will be too, especially after the former president survived the attempt on his life.
“You saw a strong leader go down, stand up, with an attitude to fight, to bring back what this nation is, to make sure that not only those issues that we’re talking about here with the border…But, all of a sudden, when you take a leader like that, what happens? Our allies trust us again, and our enemies fear us again,” Bailey said.
Illinois Republicans came into this convention in flux. Party Chairman Don Tracy says he’s quitting at the end of the week because he couldn’t stop the infighting among members of his own party. Party leaders have selected Mundelein attorney Kathy Salvi to replace him.
Aaron Del Mar, a GOP committeeman from Palatine, wanted the job, but is happy to work with Salvi to keep the party moving forward.
“With us today, as part of our Illinois delegation, we have the most diverse group of people, many have very,very high levels of skill and skill sets that can be very advantageous to party if we can all cooperate and work together,” Del Mar said. “I think it’s the precipice upon Kathy Salvi to try and put together an administration and a team that utilize those skills that people have to the best efforts of uniting our party, getting us all on the same page.”
He said Salvi is in a better position to succeed where Tracy did not.
As you might expect, Illinois Republicans are pleased to see Senator JD Vance assume the role of vice presidential running mate to Donald Trump. They were thrilled to see the former president himself come to the convention floor as he did.
The day two delegation breakfast featured remarks from former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin. He warned his Illinois colleagues not to give up on or ignore voters who might not like Mr. Trump. He said his issues may win them over.
“When you talk to that longtime Democratic Black voter who cares about their kids’ education above all else about why we don’t want their kid trapped in multi-generational poverty, stuck in a poor-performing public school…We want to get them access to school choice and a better education. They’re listening,” Zeldin said.
He said he’s seen evidence of that in Chicago.
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