* Tina Sfondeles for the Sun-Times…

At the official rally on the Director’s Lawn, Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, addressed Pritzker’s remarks a day earlier accusing Republicans of persuading GOP voters to “believe their lies.”

“The problem is that here in Illinois, we have a low tolerance for bull—-,” Pritzker said on Wednesday.

“Democrats’ tolerance for bull—— might be low, but their tolerance for corruption is apparently sky high,” McCombie said Thursday to cheers from fellow Republicans. “They’re huddled up right now on yet another trial brought on by bribery, lying and self-interest.” […]

Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said most voters “don’t want the extreme, expensive, unsafe policies being shoved down their throats by the Democratic majorities in this state.”

* Capitol News Illinois…

Illinois’ National GOP Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte, meanwhile, strategized on how to deal with the issue of abortion.

“Abortion is a topic that kind of sounds tough to talk about,” she said. “And that’s pretty much what our candidates did in 2022.”

While the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade put the decision on abortion rights back to the states, DeMonte said, Republicans should push back against claims that it did more than that. And they should pressure Democrats to define the acceptable limits for abortion, she said.

“The Democrats won by spewing lies in 2022,” she said. “Make no mistake, abortion will be their number one on their playbook in ‘24. Why change a winning strategy? We are the ones that must change – we Republicans must put Democrats on the defensive on abortion.”

* Rick Pearson…

Party leaders also acknowledged that abortion rights, which motivated Democratic voters — particularly women in the once GOP-rich suburbs — and led to election successes last year, will remain a critical 2024 election-year issue that they will have to try to counter.

“Why change a winning strategy?” Demetra DeMonte, the state’s Republican national committeewoman, said of Democrats during a breakfast meeting of GOP leaders. “We are the ones that must change. We Republicans must put Democrats on the defensive on abortion.”

Noting an “unending drumbeat” of Democratic ads on abortion rights last year, DeMonte and other Republicans said the GOP must work to label Democrats as extreme on the issue.

* Craig Wall…

Republicans held their annual breakfast meeting Thursday, where navigating the abortion issue was another touchy topic.

“In Illinois, we’re not talking about life or choice. We’re talking about extremes,” McCombie said. “We’re talking about late term abortions. We’re talking about repealing parental notification. We’re talking about taxpayer funding. We’re not talking about choice or life in Illinois.

*** UPDATE *** Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick responds to Leader McCombie…

At Personal PAC, we’ve been crystal clear: abortion rights. No exceptions. Leader McCombie’s rhetoric crosses a dangerous line, indeed calling reproductive choice back into question. This moment calls for the principled expansion of abortion access and improvement of equity across the state. As a non-partisan advocacy organization, we would welcome the partnership and support of any General Assembly member or candidate in this fight.

* The Pantagraph…

Still, even if Illinois Republican leaders wanted to redirect the conversation away from the former president and his legal troubles, there were signs of his continued hold over his party, including Trump campaign signs.

It is a reminder of the conundrum facing state Republicans as the former president is politically toxic, with moderate suburban voters needed to win general elections, but remains a favorite of the party’s downstate base.

This was clear in the Republican primary race for the 12th Congressional District, which features incumbent Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, and former GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey. Both have endorsed Trump.

“It’s bogus, it’s a complete witch hunt,” Bailey told reporters at the fairgrounds on Thursday. “What’s going on should be illegal. We need more attorney generals across the United States actually filing indictments against Joe Biden and many of the other people in office.”

* State Journal-Register…

Bailey concluded his term in the state Senate in January after a failed gubernatorial attempt in 2022. He never ruled out a return to politics in the months following and announced his run for the Illinois 12th Congressional District in July.

There, he will face off against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, a five-term congressman representing 34 counties in southern Illinois. Bost was not in attendance for GOP Day, but was joined by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for an O’Fallon campaign event that afternoon.

Bailey characterized the Bost-McCarthy event as a “sign of desperation,” from his primary opponent and attempted to link him as a Washington insider.

“Mike Bost has been very loyal to DC and I expect DC to be very loyal to Mike Bost,” Bailey contended. “When I get elected, my loyalty is going to go to the people in the 12th congressional district.”

* More…

* WAND | Illinois Republicans bash Pritzker, push for conservative family values in state politics: House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said she’s optimistic for a productive session when she was sworn in for the 103rd General Assembly in January. While McCombie’s team consistently asked for meetings with Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, she said Welch was not honest or transparent with the House Republican Caucus. McCombie said the spring session was chaos and Welch showed he is the “master of mismanagement.”

* WGN | ‘Let’s talk about Illinois’: GOP leaders turn focus away from Trump at State Fair: There was visible support for the former president at a picnic on Thursday despite the allegations that he orchestrated a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. “I believe an indictment does not prove that you’re guilty,” Republican voter Paul Hofmann said. “I would like to see a change in venue. All of this is politics and politics can be a very brutal sport.”

* Sun-Times | Copi dokey? Illinoisans getting hooked on renamed invasive carp delicacies at State Fair: “We have been very busy,” said Darla Drainer, co-owner of the Grafton-based shack, which was contracted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to serve up copi. “People have been seeing the signs all over the place. People just absolutely have loved it. Every time I ask: ‘Thumbs up. Very good.’”