Rep. Tim Ozinga's Surprise Resignation
Rep. Tim Ozinga of Mokena resigned Monday.
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Rep. Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena), often seen as a rising young star in Republican politics, abruptly resigned from the House Monday.
Ozinga, 37, an executive with the family-named south suburban concrete business, was elected to the House in 2020. He immediately became a fundraising force in the House Republican caucus, raising more than $4.6 million between 2019 and the end of 2023.
Ozinga’s resignation came as a shock to many House Republicans, and we’re told few, if any, members of leadership were notified ahead of time.
Ozinga gave no reason for his resignation in a brief statement posted on his website Monday.
"I will continue to dedicate my time and efforts to make Illinois a better place,” Ozinga said. “I remain committed to advocating for the people of my district and moving the State of Illinois in the right direction."
His resignation became effective at 11:59 P.M. Monday night.
Ozinga did not return messages Monday seeking comment.
Many House Republicans we spoke to Monday said they believe Ozinga was frustrated in the job.
“I think he was just tired of being a legislator,” said on Republican. “You can’t get anything done [as a Republican] and he felt like he could be more effective doing other things.”
He was expected to run the House campaign arm, the House Republican Organization (HRO) in 2024, but was replaced as chairman of the committee quietly last September.
Ozinga was replaced by former HRO chair Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), who said at the time Ozinga was focused on his “Big Tent Coalition” GOP organization.
It isn’t clear if Ozinga will continue to operate the group or if they he will continue as Chair of the Will County Republican Party.
Numerous Republicans have believed for some time Ozinga was positioning himself for a statewide run in 2026, and many we spoke to Monday say Ozinga may be stepping away from the legislature to begin to begin laying the groundwork for a 2026 campaign.
It appears Republicans are planning to replace Ozinga with Lockport Alderman Patrick Sheehan, who narrowly lost a race for State Senate in 2022. Sheehan did not return a message Monday night.
Democrats do not currently have a candidate in the race for November, though it is considered to be a safe Republican seat. President Trump won the district by 16 points in 2020 and 17 points in 2022.
Ozinga is the sixth House member to leave the chamber since lawmakers were sworn in last January.
