RNC Committeewoman Candidates Deny Results of 2020 Election
Former President Donald Trump campaigns near Quincy in 2022. (Photo: Quincy Herald-Whig)
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Two longtime activists in Republican politics are hoping to represent Illinois on the Republican National Committee.
Delegates at the Illinois Republican Party state convention in Collinsville Memorial Day weekend will select a new National Committeeman and National Committeewoman, the state’s two representatives on the Republican National Committee.
The current national committeeman, Richard Porter, and national committeewoman, Demetra DeMonte, are term limited from to continuing to serve on the RNC. (We told you about the race for national committeeman earlier this week.)
In Illinois, where Donald Trump lost the state by more than a million votes in both 2016 and 2020, GOP leaders in the state are seeking a path forward in the fall with Trump popular downstate and a drag on down ticket Republicans in the Chicago suburbs.
Three Republicans are seeking the position as a liaison between the RNC and the state party. But potentially the most notable name is one that was left off the final list of candidates.
Former state representative Jeanne Ives, who sits of the Illinois GOP Central Committee and has run for governor and congress, was seen by many as a prohibitive favorite to win the spot. Due to party rules, she was removed from contention because she can’t appear in Collinsville at the state convention in person.
A nominating committee of 17 will interview candidates for the post at the GOP convention Memorial Day weekend and will recommend a candidate for the post to the full slate of convention delegates.
Hardin County GOP Chair Rhonda Belford, who chairs the Republican County Chairs’ Association is seeking the slot. She also sits on the state GOP central committee and previously ran for State Representative in 2006. She is joined by 9th District state central committee member Joan Lasonde, a former GOP congressional candidate.
A third candidate, New Trier Township GOP committeeman Julie Cho, is also seeking the slot. She did not return messages from The Illinoize.
Joan Lasonde
Both Lasonde and Belford questioned if President Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.
“I would say no [he didn’t],” Lasonde said.
“[Biden] did get the office, that’s evident,” Belford said. “Election integrity processes weren’t strong enough to stop him from taking [the White House].”
No matter who takes the spot, they will be working to bring together a party split along geography. President Donald Trump is considered a heavy asset for the GOP downstate, while his candidacy is considered toxic for Republicans in the suburbs and city of Chicago.
Lasonde, a longtime GOP campaign operative, says the party should focus on messages that work across the state and win more down ballot seats.
“Let’s find some common ground. Let’s find an issue that we’re both passionate about and that we both agree on and go from there,” she said. “One of the best things we can do for President Trump is get out of the super minority (in Springfield). We want to make policy changes. And in order to make policy changes, you need a seat at the table. And in order to get a seat at the table, you’ve got to get to [a majority].”
Belford takes an approach more akin to organizing the party statewide.
Rhonda Belford
“We need to be tying the southern part of the state and the northern part of the state together,” said Belford, a registered nurse and small business owner. “We need to be unifying together. I think its time for somebody from the southern part of the state who can tie in [everyone.]”
Belford predicted there “is a strong possibility” Trump could win Illinois in November, though he never topped 41% of the vote in the state in either 2016 or 2020.
Neither questioned Trump’s installation of his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, as an RNC co-chair, even though she has limited campaign experience.
Where the two differ, though, is if the RNC should pay for former President Trump’s criminal legal defense. Lasonde supports it, especially if donors know the money could be used for it. Belford opposes the idea.
