House Republicans Struggle To Recruit Top Candidates
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie and her political apparatus are struggling to recruit top tier candidates. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Former DuPage County Board member Greg Hart, who lost a close rase for DuPage County Board Chairman in 2022, is considered a dream candidate for many Republicans down the road, either for congress, statewide office, or any number of possibilities.
He’s young (36), good looking, has a business background, and speaks like a Republican ready to move on from the Trump-era bludgeoning many suburban Republicans have been enduring since 2016.
It makes perfect sense to many that House Republicans would target Hart as their golden goose in a potential race against Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass (D-Elmhurst).
Ladisch Douglass won the eastern DuPage County based district over former Rep. Deanne Mazzochi by just 364 votes last year. House Republicans, reportedly including Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), believed Hart was the right Republican to win the district in 2024, especially in a district President Biden won by nearly 17 points four years ago.
Except, Hart isn’t interested.
“I am not interested in running for any elected office at this time,” Hart said. “I will do everything in my power to support Leader McCombie and the House Republican team, including by campaigning to defeat Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass.”
House Republicans say Hart wasn’t their “sole” option and they’ve been targeting many different potential candidates. It’s likely DuPage County Board Member Kari Galassi jumps into the race, we’ve been told.
But, losing Hart is part of a trend for House Republicans, who seem to be struggling to find top tier candidates in their most competitive races. We’re told much of the problem lies in DuPage County, where the GOP is having a difficult time finding challengers for Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville), Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville), or Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn).
The GOP also has struggled to find candidates for potentially competitive races in the Quad Cities, Bloomington-Normal, and the Metro East.
But House Republican Majority Executive Director Tony Esposito played up their candidate recruitment.
“House Republicans are actively recruiting high quality candidates in every corner of the state. Throughout our recruitment process, we’ve heard a clear message that is compelling local leaders to run: the failed democratic policies and the culture of corruption require checks and balances in Springfield,” Esposito said. “We look forward to supporting dynamic candidates in competitive districts across Illinois.”
The pickup opportunities are already few and far between for Republicans in 2024 as no Democrat represents a district Donald Trump won in 2020, while seven Republicans represent Biden-won districts. Add the likelihood of a Trump-led ticket in 2024 and the GOP’s organizational and financial woes, and there are concerns as to why top tier candidates would jump on board high profile races.