Is the Illinois Republican Party dead?

An evaluation of the Chicago and Illinois GOP and their loyalty to grassroots Republicans.

Val Ojeda, Columnist file photo (2021)

Val Ojeda, Writer

Illinois Conservatism is dead, yet the liberal ideology of the Democrats stands strong in the Land of Lincoln. The Illinois Democratic Party in the midterm elections won every constitutional seat in state government, including the re-election of the Governor J.B. Pritzker.

They control 14 of 17 Congressional seats. They also control by supermajority both the Illinois House and Senate seats in the general Assembly. They actually gained more seats this election by wins, while Republicans resigned their seats in droves during and after the election. Both GOP minority leaders of the House and Senate resigned in disgrace after their humiliating losses. First it was Jim Durkin in the House leading HRM Victory fund resigning his leadership post then later his district seat. Next was Dan McConchie, the minority leader in the Senate, heading the SRO victory fund. He, too, resigned his leadership post.

File photo/Michael Madigan & Jim Durkin

The Illinois Republicans lost control of the state in almost every seat challenged by a Republican.

Illinois has 59 seats in the Senate. The Democrats now have control of 40 of them. The Illinois House has118 seats. The Democrats now control 78 and the Republicans control only 39. The Democrats gained so many seats in the midterms that Democrats are being seated in the Republican side of the house because they ran out of desks on the Democrat side. Unheard of!

If you are a Republican lawmaker in the Illinois House and Senate it is nearly impossible to pass new legislation because it will never make it out of Committee or ever see the floor for a vote. The lobbyists and unions own the Democrats. Good luck getting a capital project in your town or funding for schools or the Police.

This was the most devastating losses to Republicans in Illinois history. It was a massacre. The Democrats rejoiced.

Not only did the Democrats overtake the State House, but they wiped out every Republican leadership post including their deputies. This was thanks to 100 million dollars provided to them by J.B. Pritzker. Meanwhile, both GOP caucuses only raised a few hundred thousand dollars. Their biggest donor, Ken Griffin, abandoned them to move to Florida and billionaire Dick Uhleine threaded softly and helped them very little, instead betting on Dan Proft and his PAC, People Who Play By The Rules to distribute dollars where Proft saw fit, which was nowhere.

Proft offered very little help to candidates with the 50 million dollars Uhleine gave him. Some money was directed to candidates but Bailey never received the help needed so he could win. Instead, Profit sat on the money and became a millionaire himself with the money that he was to distribute to help candidates win. Unbelievable. I hope Uhleine remembers this mistake because Griffin made the same mistake. Proft is a failed candidate for Governor. He has no business consulting races. Instead he should stick to the radio and change his name to profit!

Many candidates that ran for Illinois House and Senate seats received zero help from the House Republican Majority victory fund, or its equal in the Senate Republican Organization Victory Fund. Many were recruited and baited to run with promises of financing up to a hundreds of thousands of dollars later to just be given in kind photos worth $5,000.00 that you could have taken off your Apple iPhone. Others were given just 1,000 walk cards. Such was the case of Phil Nagel, Heather Brown, Stacey Keagle and Christine Shanahan McGovern. They were recruited by Nick McNeely who was the field manager for the SRO working on behalf of then leader McConchie. 

This was the fix. The scam. Nick McNeely, who represented the Illinois Senate Republicans, would recruit candidates for Senate seats. The problem is that McNeely is not even a Republican. He's a Libertarian and votes as such. He has served almost 20 years as a staffer in the General Assembly, working on GOP staffs in the Senate and the House including legislative director. Come election time he decides who's going to run. Yet, he's not perfect. Likewise, he has been disciplined and suspended by the state for campaigning while on the state clock. He is a strong supporter of Richard Irvin and is anti-Trump.

McNeely would recruit potential contenders, then make false promises of campaign financing and wins. Later, it was proven to be a bait and switch. For appearances, they would publicly support certain candidates in the GOP primary, then in the general election abandon everyone. Now remember, many of these candidates were listed on their websites with their pictures as their choice candidates, yet these same nominees couldn't even receive a phone call back from them. No money was given. Just ignored. If you were lucky, they gave you 1,000 poorly printed door hangers. That's it. 

But why? To show activity. To solicit money not for new candidates but themselves!

In the case of a very popular Senate candidate in the 40th District, Philip Nagel, they afforded him an audience with the Libertarian Nick McNeely. Because Nagel shared his beliefs on parental rights, his anti-abortion stance and his support of Darren Bailey, he was disqualified to be their candidate in that important race. This man is the husband of a Latina woman and the father of Latino children. He is a proud veteran of the Air Force and the War on Terror. A firefighter with a clean record. Instead, McNeely and leader McConchie decided to go with someone else.

The choice that your Illinois Senate Republican leadership went with over this proud veteran Nagel was with Karina Vela. Vela is an anti-police advocate and a protestor/member of Black Lives Matter. According to public records obtained by the Freedom of Information Act, Vela was arrested numerous times, including for theft and domestic battery. During the election, she tried her best to quash these arrests in public records to no avail. Photos were found of her holding signs spewing bitter-police hate for BLM. Her voting record shows she has pulled Democratic ballots and has campaigned for numerous Democratic races. On Facebook posts she called out Trump supporters as racists. Vela is a minority and Nagel is white.

The Illinois Senate spent tens of thousands of dollars in the GOP primary against Nagel. Vela attacked his family and more. Later in the primary the people spoke and voted for Nagel, delivering him the win by 78% over Vela. The people could not understand why the GOP leadership supported a Democrat plant like her yet, they endorsed and supported another Black Lives Matter supporter, Richard Irvin, who ran in the primary against Darren Bailey for Illinois Governor. Irvin endorsed Vela.

In the 18th Senate District, another Bailey supporter who was recruited by the Senate Republicans was also abandoned after she declared support for Bailey instead of their choice Irvin. She is a resident of Mt. Greenwood in Chicago.

Christine Shanahan McGovern, a mother of two that sells real estate and is a substitute teacher, started her race in May 2021 to get in early to promote her campaign. It worked because she developed quite the following. She already was vocal in the community because she was an initial founder of Back the Blue. She worked hard and self-financed her campaign meanwhile assisting other candidates, even recruiting others to run. 

File photo/ Christine Shanahan McGovern

Her opponent was Senator Bill Cunningham, who holds a leadership post. He received millions of dollars in donations and even $50,000 from the Chicago Police Union. With very limited funds and donations, McGovern lost only by a few percentage points. She could have won this one seat easily and took out the Democratic leadership post with just a few more thousand dollars. Yet, the help never came from the Senate Republicans. If you were to visit the Senate Republican Majority Victory Fund website, you will find her picture and biography as their choice for that seat, yet she received not much more than a dollar to even help her buy her campaign signs. Again, they offered her a few handouts and nothing much more. Another lost seat. It was rigged. 

Heather Brown and Stacey Keagle suffered the same consequences. This also happened with many of the proud grassroots conservatives that their only downfall was supporting the Republican nominees for Governor, Darren Bailey.

Tom McGill in his Senate race pleaded for help from the Senate Republicans as he was slated and they couldn't even afford him a phone call let alone data. 

I can name candidates from across the state that reached out to me during the general election wanting reasons for why they have been ignored. A couple dozen at least. Because of who they supported for Governor that's why. 

Coincidence? I don't think so.

During the Republican primary for Governor, over 500 elected officials and GOP leaders from across the state supported, endorsed and donated to Richard Irvin. Irvin, who received 50 million dollars from Billionaire Ken Griffin, was easily defeated by Bailey in June. That very month, President Trump came to Illinois to endorse Bailey for Governor, which enraged the GOP leadership, including GOP National Committeeman Richard Porter and Chairman Don Tracy. 

File photo/ Don Tracy & Richard Irvin

To the GOP elite, the country club Republicans as I call them, they claim that Donald Trump and any of his followers are the true enemy, not the Democrats. That's how much they hate our Republican President. They sold out. 

Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger is a RINO and closet Democrat, but he is Rush Limbaugh compared to anyone that sits on the Illinois Republican State Central Committee. All are RINOs that hold direct responsibility for our midterm losses. They created the split in the party, and we witnessed it on December 8th when they had their state meeting and they were met with hundreds of pissed off grassroots Republicans that placed losses on the committee, and its leader Chairman Don Tracy.

Tracy, if you remember, is a lifelong Democrat who ran for state office as a Democrat and continues to donate to Democrats, including to Joe Biden. This was the choice of the Illinois GOP to lead the Republican Party into the future. 

That day the people were upset. They demanded Tracy's resignation, but we're met with hostility instead. The committee hit back. They threw many out when the committee used their bully, State Central Committeeman and Sergeant of Arms Steps Boulton, to forcefully remove grassroots speakers like a bouncer at a speedy bar in Chicago. They even called the Police on former Senate candidate Peggy Hubbard.

Stephan Boulton is also the Chairman of the Chicago Republican Party. He is a bit of a celebrity these days as he has been exposed of his bully and RINO ways by the Illinois Review Publication that has been doing a great job by telling the real story to the people of the inner and corrupt workings of the Illinois GOP. The Chicago GOP is an empty shell organization that caters to anti-Trumpers. They scored a deficit in elected GOP Precinct Committeemen. They hold next to zero of any seats in Chicago, and, as usual, they have yet to run anyone for Mayor of Chicago as a Republican Conservative.

File photo/ David Krupa & Stephan Boulton

The Chicago GOP's excuse is that it's a non-partisan race but yet, every single candidate in the race for Chicago Mayor pulled Democrat ballots and are die-hard abortion supporting liberals including Paul Vallas and Willie Wilson. Boulton and the Chicago GOP are now going to OFFICIALLY endorse a DEMOCRAT for Mayor. Their choice…. Paul Vallas.

Vallas is as liberal Democrat as you can get. He supports abortion up to birth and attacks President Trump daily, demanding his arrest. Do you get why they are going to support him?

In the past, they supported and endorsed Willie Wilson, a Democrat who endorsed Lori Lightfoot for Mayor. Even though Wilson donated, but a few thousand dollars to Police causes, let us not forget the millions he's donated to Black Lives Matter, even bailing out the BLM protestors that attacked the Police in Grant Park in 2020. 

The Northwest Side GOP Organization that campaigned for Irvin also endorsed Wilson, a Democrat for Mayor.

This was and is their choice?

Now comes Lynn Franco, a Precinct Committeeman in Chicago presently under attack by Stephan Boulton. Franco is in her 70s and was recruited to run for Cook County Commissioner. She was slated late in the game and wasn't given a chance to win. She self financed her race and was offered no help by Boulton, who recruited her just so he could have bragging rights in the amount of slated GOP candidates. Not only that, but she lost and only after she had some questions the wrath of the bully Boulton met her in a slew of hateful emails and social media posts.

File photo/ Lynn Franco

Ever so graceful and kind, Franco brushed off the attacks and is a proud grassroots conservative fighting to protect our great cause.

If it's not Boulton, it's David Krupa. Yesterday he attacked a Republican Senate candidate, Christine Shanahan McGovern, for her stance in violence. What kind of background does he have in his professional experience to delegate opinions in such matters. He's not a Cop. At his age you would think he would have had military experience. Nope. Just a child with a pointless opinion. Like Boulton, Krupa has a history of attacking women. Public records show that yet with an order of protection that was placed on him and the victim, his ex-girlfriend was hiding in fear. He attacked her physically as he also attacked Franco mentally. A senior citizen. 

Krupa is a precinct committeeman and a failed candidate that ran for city council. At his age, he has a lot to learn. For instance, he has attacked this writer by threats in a phone call. He's a big fish in a very little pond. Outside his own FaceBook no one knows that he even exists. I responded in kind, explaining that he had better be perfect, or I would make him famous on a daily basis. Unlike him I've spent decades around the block. He backed off….for now. I look forward to seeing him again if he so wants too. 

Aside from Chicago, why are the Democrats so successful in Illinois, but the GOP is broken?

I place the blame on not practicing our conservative values and fighting for them. The Illinois GOP is split and broken because the leadership gave up to the Democrats. They have sold out to the highest bidder. The Democrats for years never challenged certain seats if you played along. 

The Republican reasoning is to “unify” with Democrats. Progress through unity. To work with them or to embrace liberal ideologies. To embrace abortion. What? To embrace the killing of a child? Yet that's what Greg Hart, who ran for DuPage County Chairman, did in a paid ad provided by the Illinois GOP. 

The Democrats will NEVER embrace Conservative ideals. If they do, that makes them Republicans. We should never embrace the Democrats. Instead, rid ourselves of the “Moderate Republican” name and practice being REPUBLICAN! Not middle but right. 

We cannot afford to make backroom deals with liberals or endorse them. When asked yesterday whom to vote for in the race for Chicago Mayor, I said none. They are all Democrats. I would rather sit on my hands than to vote for any of them. They all are bad. You vote for representation. Which one of those candidates will ever represent a Republican, and you should be ashamed of yourself to vote for any of them knowing their stance on abortion and their attacks on Republicans!

Let us address the elephant in the room. Chicago. To win Illinois, we need to win Chicago. You can take every registered voter in the state, and you still can outnumber the votes in that one city. In the midterms primary only 8% of Republicans voted. Double that in the general. That was no Red Wave, it was a Red Ripple. Instead we had a Blue Hurricane.

Then what can be done? 

It starts by winning the small races and building our way up to 2024 and 2026. Let us start in Chicago. The prize. It begins with eliminating the current Chicago GOP “leadership” because they are dead weight. They have been proven ineffective and corrupt. They are not real conservatives and are a threat to the grassroots. We cannot buy Chicago like Rauner did so we need another strategy.

David Krupa placed the blame on the GOP losses on the collar counties but yet what did the Chicago GOP produce. Absolutely nothing. When was the last Chicago Congressman have you seen? The last Republican Mayor they had was over a hundred years ago. It's time for them to go. If a coach doesn't produce wins you fire the coach. 

Chicago needs new leadership and these bullies such as Boulton and Krupa are not!

We will not be intimidated by a bunch of RINO thugs that do not want to promote true conservatism and win races. The first Republican generation was the Party of Lincoln. The last generation was the Party of Reagan, but now we are the Party of Trump. 85% of Republicans support the man and his policies.

We want to win like Trump. We want to win for our children. To promote our ideals as protectors of our Constitution. To protect our gun rights. To lower taxes. To fight for life and protect the babies. To reduce government and promote America First. To secure our borders and prevent wars. Marriage is between Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve. 

We shall not bend. We shall not embrace the Democrats whatever the situation or vote for them in "non-partisan" races. It's time to make an investment in this cause. By putting in the work needed to support those that will be our voices in elected office to fight for those rights that we defend. If the State and national party chose not to invest in quality candidates, then donate to candidates directly. Bypass ever donating to the GOP again at any level. 

Growth starts with investment. How much are we willing to invest to save our great state, not with money but with blood, sweat, and tears. It starts with us.

This past election we lost Dupage County to the Democrats. It's as blue as Cook County. We lost Kane County in 2020 and Will County is at a loss with their defeats. They had some great candidates take losses in executive offices, county seats, General Assembly and Congress. Where was the leadership?

Bal Ojeda is a Republican Author, Media Personality, Strategist and Consultant. Ojeda manages federal political campaigns also serving as President Trump's Hispanic Coalition Leader. Ojeda is also a businessman, entrepreneur and the founder of FAMA a 501c3 Chamber of Commerce. Ojeda served as law enforcement Veteran Officer/Detective.