McConchie's First Goal: Make Senate GOP Relevant Again
Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) will take over as Senate Republican Leader after outmaneuvering Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) for control of the caucus last week.
Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) isn’t one of those politicians that is larger than life or owns the room every time he comes through the door. He’s relatively unassuming, quiet, and thoughtful, especially in answering questions about his plans and the future of the Senate GOP.
McConchie spoke to The Illinoize for around 20 minutes Monday afternoon about his plans and priorities when he takes control of the caucus officially.
McConchie, who was elected to the Senate in 2016, says making Republicans relevant in the legislative process again starts with winning elections.
“You have to win at the ballot box, that’s what it is. And we have not been competing effectively for people’s votes. It’s clear in the current cycle with the fact that people rejected the Democrat vision of the future in a resounding manner, which was all around the graduated income tax.”, said McConchie. “The fact that people overwhelmingly said no to that, and we know why people did that. They did it because they did not trust Springfield with broader powers to reach into our pockets and continue to take more money out of them. So, what we have to do at this point is connect with those people. We need to get out and connect the Republican brand here in Illinois to the reason why people do not trust Springfield. I don’t know that was effectively done this cycle.”
Republicans we’ve spoken to call McConchie a “bright,” “brilliant,” “tough” candidate for leader.
McConchie says he’s going to be the kind of leader who brings Republicans together.
“I work with anybody that is interested in free markets, limited government, and is about real solutions we want the state to put forward. I get along with most anybody who is interested in that.,” he said. “I’m not an ideological purist. At the end of the day, I’m interested in how do we grow our numbers and be relevant. We all have opinions, but it’s about having the ability to make policy change. The way you get there is by having enough members that are part of your party and in the harness together. And that’s what I’m committed to growing and advancing.”
McConchie says he’s getting to work right away communicating with donors to try to compete with the Democratic financial advantage. Every seat in the Senate is on the ballot in 2022, and McConchie knows, depending on how the map is drawn, Republicans will need to take advantage of an midterm President and a Governor who he considers vulnerable in 2022.
Read our whole Q&A with Sen. McConchie here.