* I told subscribers about this earlier today, but I’ve received two responses, so let’s all take a look at House Republican Leader Tony McCombie’s statement…
This Election, Illinoisans Deserve Leadership, Not Divisive Gender Tactics
“As the first female Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives, I proudly stand on the shoulders of many trailblazing women who fought for gender equality in our government. But as we shatter more glass ceilings, we must demand that women be valued for far more than their reproductive capabilities.
“As Republicans, we care deeply about responsible women’s healthcare that goes beyond the narrow confines of abortion. This includes access to vital services such as mammograms, IVF treatments, birth control, mental health care, and preventative care. Democrats claim they want the government out of a woman’s personal choices, yet they consistently inject these issues into the political arena to score points. It’s time we take the politics out of it and work together to find consensus. Our approach is about supporting women holistically, valuing them for far more than just their reproductive choices.
“I’m tired of the terms ‘women’s rights’ and ‘women’s healthcare’ being reduced solely to the decision of whether to continue with pregnancy. This election cycle, Democrats are once again attempting to make abortion the centerpiece of every discussion, flooding mailboxes with scare tactics designed to convince voters that Republicans are anti-woman. This narrative isn’t just false—it’s offensive.
“Illinois already has some of the most expansive abortion laws in the country. Like it or not, it’s the law, and this election cycle will not change that. Here’s the truth: abortion access is not under threat in Illinois.
“What is under threat? The economic future of our families. As I travel across the state, I hear the real concerns of Illinoisans—the skyrocketing cost of living, high taxes, illegal immigration, and the lack of good opportunities. These are the issues that keep families up at night, and under Democratic control, they’ve only gotten worse.
“Yet, the Democrats are stuck on a single issue—abortion—ignoring the broader struggles women face every day. Women are concerned about far more than just one issue. We manage household finances, stretching every dollar as grocery prices, healthcare costs, childcare, housing, and taxes climb. We’re business owners, entrepreneurs, and breadwinners. To reduce women’s concerns to a single talking point demeans EVERY woman in this state.
“I’m proud that our Republican candidates in Illinois offer diverse, thoughtful perspectives on many issues, including abortion access. What unites us isn’t uniformity of opinion—it’s a shared commitment to solving the real problems that affect every Illinoisan. We’re focused on rebuilding our state’s economy, ensuring safety in our communities, and improving quality of life for all.
“As the first female Illinois House Leader, I call on my Democratic colleagues to stop using fear and reductive gender tactics as political weapons. It’s time to address the issues that truly matter to voters. Women, like all Illinoisans, deserve leadership that listens to their concerns and works to solve them. Let’s move beyond the politics of fear and give the people of Illinois the leadership they deserve.”
* Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…
“Illinois’ House Minority Leader claimed that abortion isn’t under threat for Illinoisans, even as we face activist courts blocking emergency health care, threats of prosecution for abortion patients and providers, and a national abortion ban. Her statement lays bare how disconnected from reality that party’s candidates are on this issue.
“McCombie wants us to focus on economic issues. We agree. Abortion is an economic issue. It’s disingenuous and dehumanizing for her party not to connect reproductive freedom and financial impact. One recent study showed more than 70 percent of those denied abortion care end up living in poverty.
“McCombie wants to shut down talk of abortion because the Republicans in these contested races are universally anti-choice, and, thereby, out of touch with the electorate. They know their extreme views are unpopular–that’s why you won’t see any mention of abortion on most of their campaign materials or websites. But they can’t distance themselves from Donald Trump, his radical anti-choice Supreme Court, or the Project 2025 agenda and its extreme abortion restrictions.
“Personal PAC welcomes conversations about abortion with Republicans. We’ve backed Republicans in the past, and we are ready to do it again—as soon as they reject this harmful and unpopular anti-abortion politics that risk sinking their candidates, and put their own women voters in danger.”
Some suggested follow up reading for Leader McCombie and all others who may be interested:
* Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)…
Leader McCombie’s comments about abortion are honestly sad. The Republican Party’s obsession with women’s uterii has been clear for decades. Because they don’t just vote to restrict access to abortion, they were also nowhere to be found when we expanded access to free-standing birthing centers to bring care to areas without maternity wards, voted against increasing access to Medicaid for post-partum care to combat maternal and infant mortality, and famously want nothing to do with making sure that families can afford to feed, house, and clothe babies once they’re born.
To borrow a phrase from my childhood, a hit dog gonna holler. Bottom line: it’s working. Keep talking about abortion and the full spectrum of reproductive care. The only reason she can say that access to abortion isn’t under attack here is because the people of Illinois have repeatedly expressed their belief that government interference in health care decisions is a non-starter with their votes for pro-choice Democrats.
Discuss.
…Adding… Gov. JB Pritzker…
Leader McCombie’s comments are the latest in a line of increasingly tired and desperate attempts by the Republican Party to distract from the radical, extremist policies that have alienated so much of their base in recent years. It was Illinois Republicans who claimed we didn’t need the Reproductive Health Act or other protections for reproductive healthcare that I enshrined in Illinois law—the same Republicans who then celebrated the ending of Roe and the attacks on IVF that would have spread to Illinois without those very same protections. It is Leader McCombie who demeans and reduces women by presuming that their bodily autonomy is a political talking point and not an existential threat to their autonomy and their political and economic freedom, and by presuming that women are not capable of caring deeply about more than one issue and making informed decisions on how to vote to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. While extremist Republicans are busy trying to strip rights from Illinois families, my administration not only protected reproductive freedom but increased funding to birth centers, worked to reduce maternal mortality, invested in early intervention and home visiting programs, and made healthcare more accessible for millions of Illinoisans—actual pro-family policies that go beyond empty rhetoric to make everyday people’s lives better.
- Sad - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:41 am:
Shorter McCombie: “Rather than moderate my position that the voters clearly hate, I will explain to the voters why they are wrong to care.”
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:47 am:
“What is under threat? The economic future of our families.”
We should put six Republican appointed religious reactionaries in charge of the economy, like we did with women’s bodies.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:47 am:
“Here’s the truth: abortion access is not under threat in Illinois.”
Here’s the actual truth: Illinois is in the United States so abortion access is under threat in Illinois.
– MrJM
- Socially DIstant watcher - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:47 am:
Republicans are going to rue the day Dobbs came out. As long as Republicans are trying to criminalize abortion, they’re going to be on the defensive and losing
- Roadrager - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:48 am:
==Shorter McCombie: “Rather than moderate my position that the voters clearly hate, I will explain to the voters why they are wrong to care.”==
Or, “I won’t do the thing all of my fellow party members loudly and repeatedly say they will do. Now, will I stop them or stand up to them when they do it? Also no.”
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 11:53 am:
My take on Leader McCombie’s comments is that she has seen the polling on this issue and is trying very hard to change the subject to avoid the upcoming tsunami that threatens to make her caucus smaller next year.
Can’t fault her for trying.
- James - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:01 pm:
I agree with McCombie. It’s always been weird to me that Democrats have made abortion the center piece of their party. Safe Legal and rare should be the position of both parties.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:01 pm:
“I’m tired of losing because my party has a wildly unpopular platform.”
Fixed that for you Leader McCombie.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:02 pm:
=“Let’s move beyond the politics of fear and give the people of Illinois the leadership they deserve.”=
Says a person at the top of a political party who stoke fears over who’s in the bathroom, who’s legally crossing our boarder, lies about the reality of crime in our communities and ignores the threats made to voters from the other party by her nominee for President.
There is one party backing fear in the United States, and it’s hers.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:07 pm:
“This Election, Illinoisans Deserve Leadership”
Can’t nor won’t get any leadership from the republican’ts. Vote Blue.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:08 pm:
“I’m proud that our Republican candidates in Illinois offer diverse, thoughtful perspectives on many issues…”
Can I get some of what she is smoking?
- Donnie Elgin - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:09 pm:
=Can I get some of what she is smoking=
Ask Breen
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:10 pm:
I do fault her for trying. In a misguided effort to derail the biggest issue the party faces, she draws more attention to it and shows a deaf ear. The timing is wrong. She had plenty of time to say something the past couple years rather than wait until the last 2 weeks of the cycle. I find this a self inflicted wound that likely pushes even more Dems to the polls.
- ItsJustMe - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:14 pm:
When interviewed by Onion News today, Abraham Lincoln said, “You must be confused dear people, Leader McCombie is a member of the Know Nothing party.”
- PolOp - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:15 pm:
Ultimately this will do nothing to change the electoral landscape one way or the other; however, it should certainly call into question those who are around Toni and how they could let this happen. This statement is nothing short of political malpractice.
- low level - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:16 pm:
==I proudly stand on the shoulders of many trailblazing women who fought for gender equality in our government. ==
Sure. I wonder what Susan Catania, Dawn Clark Netsch or Grace Mary Stern would think of the Leader’s comments…
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:22 pm:
==I proudly stand on the shoulders of many women to push them down into the handmaiden servitude that embodies the republican’t party.==
Fixed it for ya.
to push them down into the Handmaiden servitude that embodies the republican’t party.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:22 pm:
12:22 twas I.
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:25 pm:
Every time McCombie gets quiet for too long, it almost seems some people tend to drift into trying to retcon her into being an unfortunate moderate trapped in an extremist party.
Then she promptly makes sure to publicly say something to remind people who she really is.
- Benniefly2 - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:26 pm:
Perhaps she should have let the people who wrote the 2024 Illinois GOP platform document know her thoughts prior to finalizing the document.
https://illinois.gop/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/FINAL-Resolution-on-Life.pdf
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:33 pm:
===she has seen the polling on this issue and is trying very hard to change the subject===
Or it’s more likely about member management.
- Not a Superstar - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:44 pm:
No disrespect, Representative, but is this a real statement? You clearly lack the courage to take on the fringes of your party, so you just want us all to “agree” to your self-serving framing of the issues.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:49 pm:
“It’s always been weird to me that Democrats have made abortion the center piece of their party. Safe Legal and rare should be the position of both parties.”
Republicans never have any agency or control over the things they do, right? How could the world be so unfair to the small minority of religious fanatics who have been installed on the supreme court solely by republicans, vastly out of proportion to their representation in American society, for the specific purpose of outlawing abortion at every level.
Why did democrats do that to them?!?!
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:51 pm:
The Illinois General Assembly has gone from around 20 pro-choice Republicans to zero.
There are very few suburban districts that are not winnable with a decent pro-choice, pro-gun control candidate.
Campaigning on economic issues in communities where the median household income is six figures is tough.
- clec dcn - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 12:54 pm:
I agree with her on most of what she says. Women’s health care is not about abortions and much broader. Abortion the hot button topic of all time at the moment. Government should not get involved in it but has to based on laws of individuals and rights. The question is the right of the individual in the womb. The right of the other parent. Unfortunately, that will not get many elected to any office. I hope she keeps saying these things about the topic.
- Cosgrove - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:00 pm:
So, Tony McCombie is angry because a large majority of voters don’t think that her and her political party putting the health and lives of women at risk is a good idea. Sounds like she’s in the wrong business if she doesn’t understand the problem and has no idea how to fix it. Even rock rib conservative Liz Cheney is now calling out the anti-abortion movement for being so crazy. Maybe Tony should call Liz and get some advice.
- Steve - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:03 pm:
Cassidy wants men not to make decisions about womens health with men paying for womens health.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:08 pm:
- Cassidy wants men not to make decisions about womens health with men paying for womens health. -
There’s a winning slogan. Please spread that one around, Steve, your side will be back in the saddle in no time.
- Politix - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:09 pm:
“…with men paying for womens health.”
You’ve got to be kidding.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:09 pm:
“Cassidy wants men not to make decisions about womens [sic] health with men paying for womens [sic] health.”
And you get to decide where you go on roads that other people paid for — isn’t freedom lovely?
– MrJM
- Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:17 pm:
My issue with McCombie’s efforts to more broadly define women’s healthcare is that her party has shown absolutely no interest in doing so. What legislation has been advanced at the state and/or federal level by the GOP that would lead me to believe otherwise?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:28 pm:
Steve, that has to be the crudest, dumbest, most self-revealing comment you have ever left here. Congratulations, incel.
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:37 pm:
What Rich said… but with a couple profanities thrown in.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:47 pm:
==Unfortunately, that will not get many elected to any office==
You wanna know why? Because the majority of people disagree with you. I love what Governor Walz has said during this campaign - mind your own damn business.
- Telly - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 1:52 pm:
== it’s more likely about member management. ==
Agreed. She does a decent job articulating an unpopular position. It won’t change anyone’s mind. In fact, just drawing attention to the issue is likely a mistake politically. But I bet it makes some of her members feel good that someone is saying what they’re thinking.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 2:38 pm:
“The right of the other parent.”
The right to force their partner to be pregnant?
Doesn’t exist.
– MrJM
- Suburban Mom - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 2:47 pm:
===It’s always been weird to me that Democrats have made abortion the center piece of their party. ===
It’s because like most women I’d like to not die, and I’d also like to have cancer care available to me for uterine and cervical cancers. Many of the procedures used for those very common types of cancers are the same as those used for abortion — such as a D&C to remove polyps — so ob/gyns can’t get adequate training to treat cancer because they can’t get D&C training in many states because of abortion.
There’s actually a shot that helps prevent a lot of cervical cancers, but Republicans want women not to get that either (because it might encourage them to have sex) and they want men to not get it because “they don’t get cervical cancer.” (No, but they get some pretty nasty cancers of the male parts and/or the throat from the same virus.)
Abortion is the centerpiece because abortion is the camel’s nose under the tent that Republicans are using to take away all women’s health access. Including birth control. Including HPV vaccines. Including cancer care. Including life-saving pregnancy interventions.
Tell me you know nothing about women’s health care without telling me you know nothing about women’s health care.
- NotMe - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:04 pm:
“The right of the other parent.”
Awww, look how easy it is to use gender neutral language. Good on ya.
- Roadrager - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:05 pm:
Re: the Pritzker response
Dinner is served. McCombie got cooked. Were she a person capable of shame, this might be a time for reflection.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:06 pm:
ToniMac is against “divisive gender tactics…too bad this position did not evolve before Dobbs. If we still gave out The Pickle she would be THE front runner
- vern - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:07 pm:
===I call on my Democratic colleagues to stop using fear and reductive gender tactics as political weapons. ===
Pretty rich demand from a leader in the party whose closing message is “Kamala is for they/them.”
- Politix - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:11 pm:
“The right of the other parent.”
Some of you are really terrifying.
- Gregg - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:23 pm:
As much as I am thankful that the leadership position that she has ascended to provides inspiration to daughters just like mine, her statement is disappointing. The inconvenience that Leader McCombies party is feeling pales in comparison to the catastrophic consequences that families and Women in many States across the Country are having to deal with due to her party’s position on the issue. My family knows the impact that taking these decisions away from a Mother can have for decades. I would rather talk about the credit rating upgrades, the rainy day fund, Evidence Based Funding, and so many other issues, and Democrats all across Illinois are indeed talking about them. I wish this conversation was not having to take place in Illinois, or anywhere else in our Country, but one look at any votes in our legislature pertaining to protecting Women, even in the EMTALA debate, in which the “ Life of the Mother” exception was front and center shows their priorities, and it’s anywhere but the side of the Mother.
- very old soil - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 3:56 pm:
“The right of the other parent.”
Like her rapist?
- Suburban Mom - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 4:03 pm:
Remember way back during debate on the ACA when our own John Shimkus took Steve’s position?
But Republican Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois took the cake on Thursday night when he questioned why men aren’t exempt from paying into insurance plans that cover prenatal care. “What about men having to purchase prenatal care?” he said. “Is that not correct? And should they?” -Vox
For some reason we all get to pay for Viagra and prostate cancer care, but men take exception to paying for birth control, prenatal care, abortion, women’s cancer care, since those things only happen to the Less-Than-Full-Humans with Less-Than-Full-Rights.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 4:18 pm:
=It’s always been weird to me that Democrats have made abortion the center piece of their party.=
I think you might have that a bit backwards as it was the GOP that put the issue front and center. The Democrats prefer to keep these issues between a woman and her doctor. It’s the so called freedom folks that disagree. And the fact that they would call the response of the Democratic Party decisive is galling.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 4:25 pm:
This WaPo article ought to be lesson 1 as to why the republican’ts should be voted out of office.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/21/idaho-consent-law-teens-health-care/
- State of the Union - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 4:52 pm:
And right on cue is Gov. Pritzker. Always, always more than willing to punch down.
- Soccermom - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 5:10 pm:
Somebody said that these abortion bans empower rapists to forcibly choose the mothers of their children.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 5:44 pm:
- Always, always more than willing to punch down. -
Some of you just live to whine. She’s a legislative leader in a coequal branch of government, is he not allowed to respond to her?
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 6:01 pm:
“Always, always more than willing to punch down.”
If the IL-GOP ever took the high road, then he’d finally have occasion to punch up.
– MrJM
- OneMan - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 6:11 pm:
I get why she is making the point she is making. It’s an interesting point to make to say “I know my party wants this but we will not be able to ever pull it off”
I’d be a bit curious what the reaction is from conservative Republicans. I suspect they are not happy with her downplaying their pro-life positions
- Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 9:31 pm:
=I suspect they are not happy with her downplaying their pro-life positions.=
I suspect they saw the message before it went out. It’s not all that dissimilar to how Republicans have tried to thread the needle on redefining women’s health elsewhere.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Oct 22, 24 @ 10:23 pm:
House Republican Minority Leader Tony McCombie demonstrates once more that she and her caucus bring nothing to the table. On an issue of critical importance her position is to gaslight millions of women in the State of Illinois and lie to them about the fact that no law in the State of Illinois will protect against a national abortion ban.
The Illinois GOP has nothing to offer to the people of Illinois and no compelling argument for voters and this statement makes it clear that their leaders do not have any intent to attempt to make their political party relevant to the People of Illinois.
Perhaps she supports Donald Trump because the only thing will make her party relevant is if he criminalizes political opposition to the GOP.