Del Mar, Ives, Plummer In Mix for Illinois GOP Chair
Illinois GOP State Central Committeeman Aaron Del Mar, who is seeking the State GOP Chairman position.
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After Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy announced Wednesday he would resign his post by next month, speculation has already ramped up on who will step in to the role.
State Central Committeeman, former Cook County GOP Chair, and 2022 GOP Lt. Governor candidate Aaron Del Mar confirms he is seeking the open chairman position. Sources say both Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) and former State Representative Jeanne Ives are interested in the position, both also serve on the GOP State Central Committee.
All three were at the center of an effort to oust Tracy last year.
Del Mar, of suburban Palatine, was the running mate of businessman Gary Rabine in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. The pair finished fourth in a six-way race.
Del Mar was a critic of Tracy in the recent fallout over a delegate scandal involving longtime GOP party official at the GOP state convention last month.
“I’m very excited about the grassroots support and support I’ve received from county chairman across Illinois,” Del Mar said Thursday night. “I’m hoping I can bring stability to the party.”
Del Mar says he would only seek the position in the “interim,” but said he would leave open the possibility to take on the job on a permanent basis in 2025.
Del Mar, 45, is of Filipino descent and would be the first minority chairman of the Illinois GOP. He’s a former independent circuit mixed martial arts fighter.
Neither Plummer or Ives returned messages from The Illinoize Thursday, but sources say they have both been “making calls” about the position.
We’re told some influential GOP donors have been attempting to recruit a candidate for chairman outside of the existing State Central Committee drama. One named mentioned Thursday was of former Congressman Rodney Davis, who served five terms in the House from 2013-2023. But Davis said late Thursday he is not interested in the position.
Tracy is expected to stay on through next month’s Republican National Convention.