Will County Clown Car

11/07/2025

THE HYPOCRISY FILES: THEIR VIRGIN EARS! — The Illinois Republican Party paused its head start on losing next year's elections to feign outrage after Governor JB Pritzker dared to use a naughty word during an October 19 speech to a room full of adults, insisting the word should only be used during remarks broadcast live to millions of cable television viewers from an Oval Office setting.

The incident led the super minority party to issue a parental advisory about the dangers of children listening to the governor tacked onto a routine social media sermon warning of the dangers of DEI initiatives and pronoun proficiency:

“JB Pritzker is fueled by a weird hatred of President Trump. Illinois families have been clear that they don't want pronouns, gender insanity and DEI rammed down our children's throats. P.S. Don't let your kids hear Pritzker's potty mouth.”

A masterclass in the warning of dangers, the Illinois Republican Party's claim that Illinois families have rejected alleged Democratic values of individual freedom and inclusion underscored the peril of easily-accessible misinformation on the Internet, as Illinois voters have instead resoundingly rejected the Illinois GOP and its candidates.

While seemingly trivial, the tizzy from Illinois Republicans over a four-letter word illustrates an eagerness to deflect from substantive criticism of their policies and priorities with performative outrage and political theater.

𝗔 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗜𝗧 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘

In a fiery address to the Illinois Federation of Teachers convention in Rosemont, Pritzker delivered a blistering critique of Republican policies, accusing the party of undermining educators and eroding public education. Pritzker condemned GOP efforts to restrict bargaining rights, suppress discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues, and remove books from school libraries — moves he said reflect a broader agenda to “destroy public education” in favor of private institutions, a long-held conservative ambition.

“They honestly don’t believe in what you do,” Pritzker told the crowd.

“Books are being banned. History is being erased. Republicans want to take billions away from public schools and pump it into private institutions. They want to punish teachers for telling the truth. They want to criminalize educators for supporting LGBTQ students. They want to turn classrooms into cultural war battlegrounds.”

“I’m sorry to be vulgar,” Pritzker said, pausing briefly before delivering the line that brought the crowd to its feet. “But Donald Trump and his cronies can f**k all the way off.”

A mere two weeks later, Republicans scrambled into “all hands on deck” mode, and party soldiers sprang into action with noble efforts to distort reality and persuade voters tuned out from politics over the past ten years that they’re the standard-bearers of decency and morality.

𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗔𝗧 ‘𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦’ 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗗 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘

Thomas DeVore, the failed 2022 Republican nominee for Illinois attorney general whose law license was recently suspended for 60 days by the Illinois Supreme Court over multiple ethics violations, wrote, “This POS governor keeping it classy! Oh yes, the teachers in attendance roared with approval.”

Former state representative and failed Republican candidate for governor and US House Jeanne Ives helped prove Pritzker's point, using the opportunity call for “school choice now” on Facebook.

Jeanne Ives — the former state representative, perennial losing candidate for higher office and founder of the right-wing “policy advocacy and education network” Breakthrough Ideas — rushed to prove Pritzker’s point, seizing the moment to demand “school choice now” on Facebook.

Locally, State Representative Patrick Sheehan of Lockport joined the chorus and did his hair all the way up, reciting a list of past remarks from Pritzker that he interpreted as anything other than standard, run-of-the-mill political ‘fight’ jargon during an interview with the right-wing Illinois outlet The Center Square.

𝗚𝗢𝗩 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 ‘𝗚𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞’; ‘𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞’ 𝗢𝗞

Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski has spent several days attacking the man he hopes to unseat next November.

Dabrowski, who recently resigned as president of the ineffective right-wing Illinois think tank Wirepoints to launch his campaign, criticized Pritzker’s remarks as ‘gutter talk’ that he said “debases the office of the governor of Illinois.”

Dabrowski didn't just hit Pritzker, but criticized the teachers in the audience as well, lamenting, “I am also disappointed that the audience of teachers gave Pritzker’s comments a standing ovation.”

While ‘gutter talk’ from any political leader other than the president draws sharp rebuke from Dabrowski, the proliferation of partisan ‘pink slime’ outlets — publications designed to mimic legitimate local news in order to sway elections — appears to earn his tacit approval.

Lacking any hint of self-awareness, Dabrowski took to Facebook to share an article echoing his claim that Pritzker “continues to coarsen political discourse in this country.” The piece appeared in Chicago City Wire — one of dozens of faux local news outlets reportedly operated by failed Illinois gubernatorial candidate and conservative AM radio morning-drive blowhard Dan Proft, bankrolled largely by Republican megadonor Richard ‘Dick’ Uihlein.

𝗜𝗟 𝗚𝗢𝗣: 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗘, 𝗕𝗨𝗬 𝗔 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗘

The ginned-up faux controversy ignited by Republicans comes a full year before the 2026 midterm elections and just as Democrats notched sweeping victories nationwide.

Fueled by strong anti-Trump sentiment, Tuesday’s Democratic wins underscored the growing peril for Republicans and particularly in Illinois, where a Republican hasn't won a statewide contest since 2014.

The 2026 Illinois primary election is Tuesday, March 17.

*** SOURCES ***

“Illinois Gov. Pritzker defends profane language, tells Trump to ‘f*** all the way off’”
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/illinois-gov-pritzker-defends-profane-language-tells-trump-to-f-all-the-way-off/

“Breaking another presidential norm, Trump drops the f-bomb on camera”
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/24/nx-s1-5443337/trump-expletive-israel-iran

“President Donald Trump drops the F-bomb before the cameras. It wasn’t the first time”
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-venezuela-white-house-profanity-047697760ad2f482faaa92ec0eaa7bb7

IL GOP warns of Pritzker's ‘potty mouth’
https://x.com/ILGOP/status/1985415843937763494

“Ted Dabrowski slams Pritzker’s gutter language”
https://x.com/TedForIllinois/status/1985460104355852674

Ted Dabrowski: “You will hear no such language from me when I am governor”
https://www.facebook.com/TedForIllinois/posts/pfbid0gH26jQrUA8foiQFkpLx1tR9jfzhwxsedcSc1UWrTQ6MD5tb8fHvV3Q9f1j9XAx7kl

Jeanne Ives: “School choice now”
https://www.facebook.com/jeanneives/posts/pfbid02hxm7SLoVnExm7NdtYFpcJK1Vx2kpPWnYhUQtt19NFhMiHjVRBRozaMmhvjGhTVCol

IL State Rep Patrick Sheehan: “Profanity-laced tirade”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/833196269226138

“Gov. candidate Dabrowski: ‘Pritzker continues to coarsen political discourse in this country’”
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/676065930-gov-candidate-dabrowski-pritzker-continues-to-coarsen-political-discourse-in-this-country

10/31/2025

PARODY, PROBABLY: While children and adults alike enjoy the usual Halloween traditions, WCCC reporters investigated how MAGA Republicans were spending the holiday beloved by so many Americans, compiling the following tales from across the state that may or not be true.

𝗢𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗚𝗢: 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡

Oswego resident Jim Marter is crushed after coming in last place in the Pine Meadow Estates annual Halloween costume contest, losing all precincts in the subdivision for the sixth consecutive year.

When reached for comment, Marter fumed to WCCC about the results, suggesting voting irregularities and claiming, without evidence, that his opponents bused in residents from other subdivisions to illegally participate in the contest.

Marter, the perennial candidate who entered the contest dressed as an elected US congressman, vowed to run again next year, despite pleas from family, friends, neighbors and elected subdivision officials to finally take a hint and just throw in the towel already.

𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘: ‘𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘, 𝗞𝗜𝗗’

Wilmette resident and Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski was relieved to avoid having to make a last-minute Target run for Halloween candy Friday afternoon after discovering an old box of charts from his time as president for the ineffective Illinois conservative think-tank Wirepoints.

In a phone interview with WCCC, Ted For Illinois campaign spokesperson Ned Nickerson said, “Look, Ted was just relieved when he stumbled on that dusty box of useless Wirepoints charts in his basement. The more charts Wirepoints puts out, the worse the Illinois Republican Party does. So he was like, ‘hey, maybe these kids can use the back sides to draw on or something.’”

𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗟𝗘-𝗨𝗣 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗬 𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗦

In downstate Oakland, devout MAGA soldiers Congresswoman Mary Miller and State Representative Chris Miller are countering the secular Halloween holiday they refer to as the “Devil's socialist jubilee.”

Mary, the US Representative for Illinois' 15th congressional district, said she and her husband, state representative for Illinois' 110th district, instead follow the teachings of Republican Jesus with their own Halloween tradition.

“We must teach our children not to ask for handouts, but rather pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.”

Instead of passing out treats to children ringing their doorbell, the Millers take candy from their baskets as part of a Republican candy drive established to give back to the top 1% of Americans.

“It's important to instill Republican values early in life, like taking from lower- and middle-class Americans to give back to the real Americans, millionaires and billionaires who have been neglected by elected leaders for far too long.”

“It's especially timely this year, because I, along with my Republican colleagues, are fiercely loyal to President Trump and Republican leadership with our commitment to taking away socialist marxist communist safety net programs relied upon by moochers for decades.”

“Only when we eliminate demonic-enabling programs like SNAP and Medicaid will hungry children and people with debilitating health issues establish the will to fend for themselves.”

Upon requesting comment from her husband, Mary refused to allow him to speak for himself and abruptly ended the phone interview.

“Look, Chris and I are just happy to do our part as faithful stewards of Republican Jesus and devoted acolytes of our lord and savior, Donald John Trump.”

10/31/2025

A classic Halloween tradition!

Note to "socialists" on this spooky Halloween... keep off Steve Balich's lawn.

10/23/2025

“RIFE WITH TENSION”: Barrington Hills real estate developer and controversy-prone video gambling tycoon Rick Heidner is the latest to seek the 2026 Illinois GOP nomination for governor, tapping Homer Glen mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike as his pick for lieutenant governor in the increasingly combative primary contest.

Hours before the news was first widely reported Tuesday morning by Politico's Shia Kapos in her “Illinois Playbook” newsletter, Will County GOP chair and renowned ballot detective Christina Clausen took to social media to insist she was asked to be lieutenant governor for a gubernatorial candidate, too.

𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗩𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔

In a Monday evening Facebook post titled ‘Official Update,’ Clausen wrote she was “truly honored and humbled by the invitation,” but after “a lot of prayer, reflection, and conversations” declined the opportunity from the unspecified gubernatorial candidate.

“My heart is still right here, focused on strengthening the Republican Party, building our bench of candidates, and fighting for the future of Will County and Illinois,” Clausen mused.

Often having bitter exchanges in the public view, the two Will County Republican Christinas have a history of feuding and rivalry, largely over ties to controversial Republican Steve Balich that has divided area Republicans into a pro-Balich faction and another eager to move on, exasperated by Balich's history of incompetence, division and clownery.

While spearheading efforts to undermine the Homer ReSet slate backed by Neitzke-Troike as ‘fake’ Republicans, Clausen actively cheerleaded for the Balich-backed Freedom Caucus during February’s Homer Township Republican primary, despite an expectation to remain neutral and minimize Republican infighting as Will County GOP chair.

Months after that election saw Clausen's preferred slate easily defeated, Balich-aligned Republicans haven’t let up on their attacks against the mayor and are now pivoting to Neitzke-Troike as a lieutenant governor candidate along with her running mate, setting up Will County to be an influential and competitive battleground leading up to March’s primary.

The late arrival by Heidner and Neitzke-Troike into an already crowded gubernatorial primary race the Chicago Tribune recently described as “already spiraling downward over questionable campaign tactics” is certain to pour more fuel on the fire, and opponents have already been quick to pounce on discrediting Heidner from the jump.

𝗠𝗢𝗕 𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘: 𝗕𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

Founded by Heidner and his wife in 2012, Gold Rush Gaming grew to become the third-largest video gaming terminal operator in Illinois while the gambling magnate became increasingly at the center of investigations and controversies:

▪ FEDERAL INVESTIGATION ‘INTEREST’: While not a ‘target’ of an investigation, Heidner was “of interest to the FBI amid sprawling corruption probes that have wracked state and municipal politics”, with Heidner’s gaming company showing up in search warrants from 2019 involving Martin Sandoval, a former Democratic state senator who plead guilty to corruption charges.

▪ $5M IN OWED TAXES: A July 2023 Chicago Sun-Times article claimed Heidner and his wife owed $5 million in federal income taxes at the time.

▪ REGULATORY ALLEGATIONS: In December 2019, the Illinois Gaming Board [IGB] moved to revoke Gold Rush’s video‐gaming terminal operator license over an allegation that Heidner had offered a $5 million inducement to a parlor owner to prevent the removal of his machines from the owner’s locations, considered to be ‘illegal inducement” in violation of the Gaming Act. The complaint was dismissed in April 2021, however, after Gold Rush and the IGB settled. The company admitted no wrongdoing but paid a $30,000 fine for “unprofessional conduct, and Heidner claimed the complaint originated by a competitor in a ‘smear campaign.’

▪ MOB TIES: A 2023 analysis noted that Heidner “used to do business with reputed mob figures,” including a man convicted of tax evasion and operating an illegal gambling business; a banker whose earlier casino license had been revoked due to mob‐funding issues; and bingo operators who allegedly cheated veteran charities of $2.9 million.

Despite all his controversies, Heidner's primary opponents instead appear to be initially focused on hammering his history of campaign contributions to both Republican and Democratic candidates, with an early assist by a network of fake partisan newspapers widely described as ‘propaganda.’

𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗥

Local Government Information Services [LGIS] operates a network of dozens of pro-Republican publications across Illinois masquerading as local community newspapers but intended to deceive voters with pro-Republican ‘pink slime’ propaganda.

Despite universal criticism for journalistic malpractice and deceptive tactics, the propaganda network continues its efforts to manipulate voters, even as the Illinois GOP has become increasingly irrelevant since its 2016 launch.

Connected to ineffective Illinois GOP operative living in Florida, Dan Proft, LGIS is largely funded by Richard Uhlien, a Republican billionaire mega donor backing Dabrowski in 2026 after supporting Bailey in 2022.

LGIS has also been accused of efforts to influence GOP primaries by conspiring with certain campaigns while using its propaganda network to weaponize their Republican primary opponents, and LGIS wasted no time attacking Heidner.

Shortly after Heidner’s campaign news broke, LGIS' Chicago City Wire bashed his prior Democratic donations in an article titled “Rick Heidner, donor to Kim Foxx and Brandon Johnson, will seek GOP nomination for Illinois Governor.”

The pink slime outlet’s article was then quickly shared by Wirepoints, the conservative think tank where Dabrowski served as President until stepping down last month due to his campaign.

Meanwhile, in what she describes as a “contest rife with tension,” Politico’s Kapos reports on a “feud brewing” between the Dabrowski and Bailey campaigns, with ineffective Illinois GOP operative and low-rated AM radio blowhard, Jeanne Ives, “at the center of the controversy.”

𝗝𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘 𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚

In recent days, Dabrowski has refused to discuss the recent public disclosure of a harassment complaint draft involving Bailey’s 2022 campaign or answer questions about alleged ties between his campaign and LGIS.

While the allegations were never verified or filed in court, a link to the draft containing sensitive information was recently included into an otherwise mundane article about Bailey fundraising published on an LGIS outlet.

The controversy has reportedly led conservative donors to call on Dabrowski to remove Jeanne Ives from a campaign advisory role, alleging Ives, who was a supporter of and advisor for Bailey's 2022 campaign, to be the source of the leak.

Ives has denied allegations she conspired with LGIS in an attempt to discredit the Bailey campaign.

The 2026 Illinois primary is March 17.

** Sources **

Clausen gets ahead of Neitzke-Troike news to boast of her own opportunity
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0319qjjft4oGJiD8JQGa67y7dv6k4Hsj3oLjj79EUTbnm2NNL47Bnv8Jj7qzwFTYdal&id=100070573893401

“GOP governor’s race heats up”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/10/21/gop-governors-race-heats-up-00616227

“Barrington Hills video gambling mogul to seek GOP gubernatorial nomination”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251021/illinois-state-politics/barrington-hills-video-gambling-mogul-to-seek-gop-gubernatorial-nomination/

“Illinois video gambling mogul to seek GOP gubernatorial nomination”
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinois-video-gambling-mogul-to-seek-gop-gubernatorial-nomination

“All heck breaks loose on Illinois’ far right after ‘leaked’ document ignites firestorm”
https://capitolfax.com/2025/10/20/all-heck-breaks-loose-on-illinois-far-right-after-leaked-document-ignites-firestorm

“Republican race for Illinois governor already spiraling downward over questionable campaign tactics”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/21/illinois-gop-governor-race-infighting

“Video gambling owner pitching racetrack casino is in business with family whose financial ties to mob figures sunk Rosemont casino”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/10/11/video-gambling-owner-pitching-racetrack-casino-is-in-business-with-family-whose-financial-ties-to-mob-figures-sunk-rosemont-casino

“Rick Heidner, donor to Kim Foxx and Brandon Johnson, will seek GOP nomination for Illinois Governor”
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/675857953-rick-heidner-donor-to-kim-foxx-and-brandon-johnson-will-seek-gop-nomination-for-illinois-governor

“Rick Heidner, donor to Kim Foxx and Brandon Johnson, will seek GOP nomination for Illinois Governor – Chicago City Wire”
https://wirepoints.org/rick-heidner-donor-to-kim-foxx-and-brandon-johnson-will-seek-gop-nomination-for-illinois-governor-chicago-city-wire/

09/25/2025

THIS WEEK IN STUPID: “YOU EVEN PUNK, BRUH?” — Social media users are roasting DuPage County GOP chair Kevin Coyne for whining that the musical acts who performed at last weekend's Riot Fest '25 he attended on Sunday were too political for him.

The rant, posted on Monday to Coyne's personal X account, has gone viral — in part to him tagging a Riot Fest parody account with over 90,000 followers — and has racked up over 1.9 million views as of this posting.

[UPDATE, 9/25 6 pm: At some point this afternoon — and after more than 2.5 million views — Coyne deleted the post. See below for screenshot.]

Coyne wrote: “Riot Fest, it’s always so … Interesting. Could’ve done without all the politics from the stage but it was fun nonetheless. Apparently we can’t even go to concerts now without the political divide being tossed in our faces. We’ll still go back but it was obnoxious.”

First occurring in 2005, Riot Fest is an independent annual music festival in Chicago, traditionally and primarily featuring punk rock music, though artists from other genres across the musical spectrum, including rock, alternative, metal and hip-hop, also perform.

Many X users were quick to educate Coyne on music's ever-present relationship with political themes.

“Music has always been political,” replied one commenter.

“Folk, rock, blues, punk, new wave, metal, emo. Beatles, the Who, Springsteen, Rage, Tool, Megadeth, Paul Simon. Queensryche, Black Sabbath. Did you expect different?”

Coyne answered by suggesting political statements at Riot Fest weren't as ‘pronounced’ in past years, before pivoting to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, arguing that holding the event — that featured over 90 musical acts and required months of logistical planning — on the same day of Kirk's memorial “seemed baiting and heartless.”

Nevertheless, Coyne attended the music festival anyway.

𝗖𝗢𝗬𝗡𝗘'𝗦 𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗞 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗗

X users questioned his knowledge of punk rock's inherent connection with political expression.

- “Yeah man, the punk scene has never, ever been political. Its about as crazy as Rage Against the Machine suddenly spitting politics. Wild times.”

- “Rock music (especially punk) has ALWAYS been inherently political.”

- “You were unaware that Green Day was political before now?”

- “Were these the bands that you were hoping would not be political? Have you listened to any of their music before?”

- “Discovered-punk-four-minutes-ago ass opinion”

- “Its almost like punk is anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-loser. And if that offends you then…”

- “Have you ever even listened to music before?”

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗕𝗦

Other X users gleefully mocked Coyne with sarcastic surprise that he even ventured into Chicago for the event.

In addition to his role as the DuPage County GOP chair, Coyne also founded and chairs Safe Suburbs USA PAC, a defacto-Republican organization that peddles right-wing fear-mongering talking points in an attempt to win elections for Republicans in suburbs.

- “I’m surprised you came to Chicago and survived. Daddy Trump gonna be mad.”

- “Oh you were in Chicago? But I was told it's a hell hole and every suburban bed wetter cries about never going to the scary city cuz it's so bad. You're all bad actors.”

One user quipped, "Oh a GOP shill from Naperville, this isn't Ribfest buddy."

𝗖𝗢𝗬𝗡𝗘'𝗦 𝗗𝗨𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗣 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗕𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜-𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛

In the years since Trump's first victory, the historically-Republican DuPage County has seen a remarkably swift shift to the left, with the county now seen as reliably Democratic by political observers.

Even Coyne argued Trump is a ‘disaster’ for the suburbs, and, on that issue, he was right.

In the most recent election last April, DuPage Republicans lost 49 of the 49 contested partisan races.

** SOURCES **

Kevin Coyne Riot Fest rant
https://x.com/NaperCoyne/status/1970318507314127100

Screenshot of now-deleted X post
https://ibb.co/whsn2m1s

09/23/2025

KANE KLOWNTY KLOWNERY: The founder of a right-wing extremist group that played a key role in the January 6 US Capitol insurrection is scheduled to speak Tuesday at a now-private event as part of the ‘Pints & Politics’ series sponsored by Three Headed Eagle Alliance, a Geneva-based political organization chaired by Illinois GOP State Central Committee member Debbie Kanarowski.

Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and lost his left eye in 1993 working as a fi****ms instructor when he accidentally dropped a loaded .22 handgun.

Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers, initially an anti-government militia group involved in armed standoffs with federal officials, including the 2014 Bundy Ranch standoff in Clark County, Nevada, before later targeting the so-called ‘deep state’ conspiracy and eventually becoming involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election that led to the violent January 6 insurrection.

The event was originally scheduled to take place at Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva, but the club canceled the event after fierce public backlash to Rhodes' appearance and moved to an undisclosed private location.

The event has been promoted by Republicans and GOP organizations, including the Aurora Township Republicans who shared an advertisement for the event that described Rhodes as a “political prisoner due to his outspoken belief that the 2020 election was fraudulent.”

Despite years of claims of a ‘stolen election’ by Trump and Republicans, there is no evidence to support claims that voter fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 election.

The Facebook post by the Aurora Twp GOP, chaired by Danny Souri — ironically titled ‘ALL EYES ON US’ — falsely claims Rhodes was imprisoned for "daring to change the narrative.”

Kanarowski, the Three Headed Eagle Alliance chair and Illinois GOP State Central Committee member spinned Rhodes' involvement in the insurrection by stating he did not enter the Capitol building but “spoke and yet received an 18 year sentence in jail.”

While it's true he did not enter the US Capitol with other Trump supporters attempting to disrupt the certification of Biden's election, Rhodes, an Army veteran and Yale Law School graduate, was convicted by a federal jury of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for his role in orchestrating and preparing for the violence the occurred on January 6, 2021.

Souri, the Aurora GOP chair, blasted efforts to cancel the event at Eagle Brook Country Club as a free speech issue, saying “it’s NOT your place to try to shut us down," while ignoring the basic fact that the First Amendment does not apply to private institutions and that the club was well within its rights to cancel an event after weighing public opinion.

“This is about you having the right to hear the truth — unfiltered, unedited, and uncensored,” Souri said, despite people having the ability to hear Rhodes' lies about the 2020 election - just at a different location.

Tuesday's event comes at a perilous time for Illinois' Republican Party that has become increasingly irrelevant with voters since Trump first took office in 2016.

Political pundits repeatedly warned of Trump's toxicity with suburban voters, especially women, that would devastate the GOP in a state like Illinois where nearly 75% of voters live in the suburban and urban area of northeast Illinois.

But stubborn Republicans in Illinois ignored those warnings; with each election voters in Illinois told the party their MAGA candidates were too extreme, and with each election Illinois Republicans ignored those voters and instead continued to move further to the right with expected results as collar counties that were historically red became blue in the years since 2016.

The reality for the Illinois Republican Party is so dire that the last Republican to win an election for a statewide office was 2014 when Bruce Rauner was elected governor.

Instead of listening to voters, Illinois Republicans are still moving farther to the right as indicated by a suburban right-wing organization with ties to the state party's event featuring loser convicted for seditious conspiracy.

President Trump commuted Rhodes' prison sentence at the beginning of his second term in January 2025.

The midterm elections are Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

*** Sources ***

"Oath Keepers’ founder convicted as part of Jan. 6 riot to speak to GOP-tied group, creating conflict in Geneva"
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/22/geneva-oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes/

Promotion of Rhodes event by Aurora Twp GOP
https://www.facebook.com/AuroraTownshipRepublicans/posts/1225736882915372

09/05/2025

STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: State and local Republicans gathered in Barrington last week to enthusiastically smile and pose for photos with Donald Trump Jr at a private event he headlined, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it's been over a decade since a Republican has won a statewide election in Illinois.

Publicly, Illinois Republican Party leaders are shrugging off a sluggish start to their 2026 election efforts with an incomplete roster of largely lackluster candidates.

Things are so bleak for the party's attempts at maintaining any relevance whatsoever, some Illinois Republicans are even warming to the idea of a candidate — who lost his race by over 12 points in 2022 — to just try again.

But with the Illinois State Fair and Labor Day both in the rear-view mirror, Republicans are becoming increasingly less likely to turn the tide, despite any spin intended to prevent candidates, volunteers and voters from sitting 2026 out.

And while the November 2026 midterm elections are over a year away, Illinois primary elections are March 17, leaving little time to right the ship that hasn't seen a statewide Republican victory since Bruce Rauner defeated Democrat Pat Quinn in 2014 for governor.

With no candidates yet announced for comptroller or treasurer, Illinois GOP chair Kathy Salvi maintains Republicans have ample time to recruit candidates that she says will lead to “a lot of good Republican victories in 2026.”

But Salvi's spin is less comforting coming from a state party chair facing rumors from inside her party of her intention to resign well before the March primary.

The field of announced candidates is so uninspiring that even failed 2022 GOP nominee for governor, Darren Bailey, is seriously considering another run, either at the top of the ticket, or as Lieutenant Governor for Palatine Township Highway Commissioner and Cook County GOP chair, Aaron Del Mar.

A Bailey-Del Mar ticket would be a do-over for both men: Del Mar, running with Gary Rabine, came in fourth out of six candidates in the 2022 GOP primary for Lieutenant Governor with 6.5% of the vote, while Bailey won the party's nomination for governor, only to be trounced in the general election by Gov JB Pritzker, losing by more than 12 points.

Given the significant duration since their last statewide win, Illinois Republicans seem to have learned little, if anything, nor do they appear remotely interested to understand why Illinois voters can't stomach voting for their candidates.

𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣, 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the party's last statewide election win was in 2014, some seven months before Donald Trump rode down an escalator at Trump Tower to call Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists while announcing his candidacy for presidency.

In that time since, Illinois Republicans ignored all the flashing red warning signs of Trump's toxicity with voters in a state where roughly 75% of its population is urban and suburban.

Instead, with every election cycle that passes, the party is consistently plagued with its loud MAGA base insisting those losses are because candidates aren't MAGA enough for voters, moving the party even further to the right, with absolutely expected results.

Not surprising, 2026 is shaping up to be yet another election cycle where the MAGA wing dominates the narrative, forcing RINOs ("Republicans In Name Only") to keep quiet or just leave politics (or the state) altogether.

But MAGA Republicans in Illinois have a proven track record over the last decade of fooling themselves, and any remaining moderates try to put lipstick on that political pig or just do their best to ignore the orange elephant in the White House altogether.

While acknowledging Trump's toxicity, particularly with women and suburban voters, Salvi "urged party members not to publicize their differences with the president," according to a Chicago Tribune article highlighting infighting within the party.

Southwest suburban state senator John Curran told the Chicago Tribune “enthusiasm that the Republican base has for President Trump is a huge help here in Illinois.”

And party leaders are quick to repeat a talking point about a perceived improvement in Illinois for Trump in 2024, when he lost by less than ten percentage points, over 2016 and 2020 when he lost by 17 points. In reality, Trump received a mere 2,200 more votes in 2024 than in 2020, as Kamala Harris in 2024 underperformed Joe Biden's 2020 total by nearly 410,000 votes.

𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦, 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦

The aftermath of Trump's 2016 election for Illinois GOP was swift and expected, particularly in the historically Republican collar counties of Chicago.

Will County Democrats won big in 2018, winning every county-wide office and flipping the Republican-led county board.

Democrats in DuPage County have seen even bigger gains in the years since 2016 where, earlier this year, Republicans lost 49 of 49 partisan elections under the leadership of county GOP chair Kevin Coyne.

𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗢𝗥

Given the party's refusal to come to terms with the reality of Trump's unpopularity with Illinois voters, the Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board asked if Republicans will be able to "find a reasonable candidate for governor this time around?"

Bailey has yet to officially announce a decision, as he and Del Mar are still discussing a possible ticket together, with the Illinoize reporting a source told the outlet an initial meeting between the two "went well", and they both posed for a photo together with Don Jr at the Barrington event.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick was first to announce he was seeking the gubernatorial nomination, already selecting Aurora businessman Robert Renteria as his running mate.

Ted Dabrowski, a conservative activist from Wilmette, has yet to make an official announcement, but "sure looks like a man running for the state’s highest office," according to the Daily Herald, having created a campaign committee, filing paperwork with the Illinois State Board of Elections and loaning the campaign $250,100. He also recently resigned from Wirepoints, a right-wing Illinois political think tank that hasn't been able to accomplish much of anything for the Illinois GOP.

While Dabrowski may position himself as a moderate, the Tribune editorial board called him a "lightning rod" who would "have to completely reinvent himself as a bridge builder"; despite focusing less on social issues than Bailey, he will likely receive criticism for being a member of the anti-LGBTQ+ group New Trier Neighbors and for previously aligning with the Naperville-based anti-LGBTQ+ hate group founded by Shannon Adcock, Awake Illinois.

Finally, Lake Forest businessman Joseph Severino is ruffling feathers on social media — particularly in Will County — for regularly confronting behavior from members of his party he considers hypocritical.

Follow Will County Clown Car throughout the 2026 election season for complete coverage of the Illinois GOP circus.

*** SOURCES ***

"Illinois Republicans rally around President Donald Trump, but internal infighting continues"
Rick Pearson/Chicago Tribune, 8/14/25
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/14/illinois-republicans-rally-around-president-donald-trump-but-internal-infighting-continues/

"Editorial: For 2026, Illinois GOP must find a commonsense candidate"
Editorial Board/Chicago Tribune, 9/2/25
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/02/illinois-republicans-governor-ilgop-2028/

"Bailey, Del Mar Meet, But No Agreement on Ticket"
Patrick Pfingsten/The Illinoize, 9/2/25
https://www.theillinoize.com/articles/bailey-delmar-meet-no-agreement

"Wilmette's Dabrowski preparing gubernatorial campaign"
Russell Lissau/Daily Herald, 9/2/25
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250902/illinois-state-politics/wilmettes-dabrowski-preparing-gubernatorial-campaign/