* Tribune…
At Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair last month, Bailey made a pitch for party unity. That same day, his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, a member of the governing Republican State Central Committee, made an unsuccessful closed-door pitch for $150,000 from the state GOP for get-out-the-vote efforts on behalf of the statewide ticket. His request was rejected because no plan existed on how to spend the money.
Just days ago, Del Mar appeared in a Facebook video with Thomas DeVore, the party’s unsuccessful 2022 attorney general candidate whose law license was suspended for 60 days last year for various infractions, including having a sexual relationship with a client. Del Mar vented his frustrations with the state GOP.
In the video, DeVore noted that new state GOP Chair Bob Grogan, the former DuPage County auditor, serves as treasurer of the campaign fund of Ted Dabrowski, whom Bailey defeated for the 2026 GOP governor nomination. DeVore said rather than help Bailey, Grogan wants to help Dabrowski become the 2030 nominee.
“I would like to think that that’s not true,” Del Mar told DeVore of Grogan as they sipped bourbon. “I have my concerns certainly.”
* The DeVore angle brings us to this…
* From Mr. DeVore…
* Center Square regarding Rep. Severin’s post…
The post had more than 500 comments, many of which included threats and hateful sentiment against Severin, believing the caption that claimed Severin was endorsing Pritzker’s third gubernatorial run.
Public sentiment in the comments of Severin’s post addressing the false image largely supported him, with many of the nearly 200 comments expressing they wouldn’t see an issue with the second image if it were real.
The lawmaker denied that he endorsed or would endorse Pritzker when asked.
I ain’t even going in there to look.
* As far as the state party stuff, the party and the statewide ticket should’ve been working together on a plan for months. Nobody apparently thought to do anything, or try harder.
Then again, $150K wouldn’t do much.
- Sue - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 9:43 am:
Promoting Ted in 2030? Not likely. But whatever money the IL GOP actually has, is far better spent helping candidates in the most competitive State Senate & House races, to minimize losses.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 9:50 am:
===Then again, $150K wouldn’t do much. ===
A lot of the people that I have known over the years that would be capable of drafting a workable statewide plan that considers the views of all of the stakeholders and the appropriate targets for any kind of statewide effort for GOTV would also not consider it to be appropriate to accept that work when the budget for the project isn’t sufficient enough to fund any kind of statewide turnout project and there’s neither the plan nor the time to fund raise to pay for it. This is without considering that trying to find someone that can do that who isn’t already very busy with other campaigns or contracts in the month of September is also unlikely.
===Sue - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 9:43 am:===
Sue’s right. In those competitive races I’m not sure the top of the ticket is terribly helpful.
===His request was rejected because===
Dinosaurs.
- oh my - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:03 am:
The Illinois Republican Party is an embarrassing joke. Even Aaron Del Mar whines about it — even as he sits as one of just 17 members on its governing board, i.e., the state central committee. He’s been on it for years. The total lack of leadership is hardly a new revelation. And yet Aaron Del Mar thinks he’s qualified to be one heartbeat away from being Governor of Illinois. In 55 days we’ll find out what voters think of that preposterous proposition.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:14 am:
Kwame eagerly endorses either for 2030.
Call it over by 7:02, roughly two minutes after this election.
By the by, I was at the fair this past Friday to see Night Ranger. 100-degree heat and those seventy-year-olds still brought it.
- Um, no - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:19 am:
Clowns - all. When the Dave Severin’s & Norine Hammond’s of the world are the enemy - the whackadoodles are firmly in charge and there is no space for good, honest, decent people in the ILGOP.
Severin should wear the fact that he is the complete opposite of a cretin like DeVore on his sleeve like a badge of honor.
- Sue - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:23 am:
As of the end of Q2, the Illinois Republican Party (that specific legal entity) had $225K.
https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/D2Quarterly.aspx?id=QuQx4poVSz%2blJ%2fGsm6sAgw%3d%3d
The House Republican Organization had $360K. The Senate Republican Victory Fund, about $160K. No huge donations since then.
It is absurd for Bailey to demand that they exhaust their funds on one losing campaign solely in order to lose by a less embarrassing margin.
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:35 am:
“His request was rejected because no plan existed on how to spend the money.”
The ILGOP in a nutshell. Internal fighting, perpetual wining and victimhood, and people more interested in being the nominee than actually being the elected official.
A once-proud statewide force that now looks more like the internal operations of a flailing third party.
- Fayette County - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:45 am:
The Republicans nominated a man for Attorney General who has had his law license suspended and now has posted a fake AI generated photo on his page. Maybe the problem with the state of the Illinois Republican Party is not the so called RINOS but the actual people many in the party nominate and continue to support.
- Chicago Voter - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 10:47 am:
Rep. Severin has to be one of the nicest guys under the dome. He’s a good man that doesn’t deserve this nonsense.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 11:07 am:
Bailey’s and Del Mar’s platform won’t fly in Illinois any more than Pritzker’s would fly in Texas. But the Illinois GOP has forgotten they’re in Illinois.
They’re like a shoe salesman trying to sell an 80 year-old woman a pair of combat boots.
- Northfield - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 11:08 am:
Where are the grownups?
Thompson, Edgar and Topinka are all turning in their graves over this foolishness of today’s ILGOP.
- low level - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 11:18 am:
== Thompson, Edgar and Topinka are all turning in their graves over this foolishness of today’s ILGOP.==
Yes. They were worthy opponents. Not so much with the current crew.
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 11:34 am:
“Where are the grownups?”
They jumped to the private sector years ago after seeing the direction things were going. Everything we’re seeing online now they were seeing ten-fold at local party meetings.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 12:04 pm:
Once they drank from Rauner’s well, they forgot how to dig their own well. When the IL GOP became MAGA, they ceased being a viable alternative in the State.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 1:39 pm:
Seriously, Bailey/Del Mar couldn’t have a staff member even bother to provide a plan for the $150,000? On one hand it’s not much, on the other, it’s a remarkable amount of the cash on hand.
- fs - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 3:14 pm:
== Seriously, Bailey/Del Mar couldn’t have a staff member even bother to provide a plan for the $150,000? ==
They could’ve even just asked ai to put together one for them. But I guess they would rather use that software to create slanderous and sloppy pictures instead of something of actual value. Everyone has their priorities, I suppose.
- The Ford Lawyer - Tuesday, Sep 8, 26 @ 4:15 pm:
TBF Devore had not (yet) had his license suspended when he was the AG nominee. The current nominee is Bob Fioretti, a lawyer without any disciplinary problems, but with a long history of running for stuff and a short history of being a Republican.