Senate GOP Wants to Keep McCombie Away
Senate Republicans and Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) are working to keep Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savana) out of a potential senate primary. McCombie says she is considering a run for House in a new district or a run for Senate against freshman Stoller.
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It appears Senate Republicans are trying their best to keep Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savana) out of a potential Senate primary against freshman Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) in 2022.
We reported that McCombie plans to move south from her home in Carroll County to Whiteside County, where Sterling and Rock Falls are in her current district, to prevent a primary with fellow GOP colleague Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport).
It gives McCombie two options: run for a House district currently occupied by Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) or a Senate district that would likely lead to a primary with Stoller.
If Demmer runs for Secretary of State, as he’s considering, it would leave a House seat open for McCombie. It’s likely McCombie’s team considers Stoller an easier target than Demmer.
Stoller’s campaign sent a release last week saying the GOP can “ill afford a very divisive primary that eats up resources on both sides and would make [the] district more vulnerable to a Democrat in the general election.”
Stoller even brought Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) to a GOP meeting in Whiteside County, McCombie’s backyard, last night, to endorse Stoller while McCombie was in the room.
McConchie’s statement:
"Tony McCombie has said that our real goal is to increase the number of Republicans in the State Senate. But I respectfully note that her creating a primary against a uniquely successful Republican State Senator by moving into the 37th District will not move us to that goal."
"Instead it will spend needless resources in a primary that should be reserved for the general election. I call on her to avail herself of numerous other opportunities to serve before her that will not create a Republican Senate primary. That is what will help us gain seats and a larger voice for Illinoisans"
McCombie sent us a statement last night:
“As a supporter of fair maps, I believe in the value of competitive elections in Illinois. Voters benefit when they have a choice at the ballot box. I continue to explore a run for state senate and am enjoying talking with voters throughout the district.”
McCombie defeated a Democrat in a general election, upsetting then-Rep. Mike Smiddy in 2016. Stoller did not face a primary or general election challenge when first elected in 2020.
One Republican operative tells The Illinoize McCombie is a threat to Stoller because she “works her a** off.”
His campaign is also quick to point out that Stoller, who has only been in office for six months, has more cash on hand than McCombie. They’re also making the point Stoller outraised McCombie 5:1 during the last quarter.
