Interviews with some optimistic Illinois Republicans, encouraged by President Donald Trump’s reinvigoration of conservative ideals, reveal how they view the political landscape as it shifts within the Democratic stronghold known as the Prairie State.
Trump’s first term in office was inundated with uncertainty about possible impeachment and hesitant support from allies. The first 70-some days of his second term, however, have been marked with a determined focus on policymaking and stronger support from political allies in Washington D.C., according to former state Rep. Dan Caulkins, a Decatur Republican.
“The first election was somewhat of an anomaly. I don’t think a lot of people thought that Trump was going to get elected,” said Caulkins. “When he did get elected, I think there was a lot of reluctance on the part of Republicans to be active and supportive. Particularly in Congress, because of the way Democrats and the media portrayed Trump that maybe he is going to get impeached. However, this election was very different.”
One part of this renewed support, even in the face of criminal allegations, is the growing social acceptance of Trump and the more conservative ideals he embodies, according to Caulkins. In communities of mixed political affiliation, the choice of suppressing or openly embracing Trump and his further right-leaning ideals came with the risk of not being taken seriously by other political groups.
With Trump circumventing those allegations, gaining greater voter support in his third election and winning his second term after perceived failings of the Biden administration, many conservatives, even those leaning center or independent, have been more open about expressing their support of Trump as a leader, according Caulkins.
Trump’s focus on traditional conservative issues such as immigration, government spending, “anti-wokeness” and less federal oversight also has reinvigorated right-leaning, rural communities.
Government spending has always been a particularly relevant discussion in Illinois, as conservatives believe state taxes are too high compared to surrounding states. But Trump’s efforts to cut spending through the “Department of Government Efficiency” have made this issue all the more relevant.
According to Republican state Sen. Steve McClure of Springfield, Illinois should focus on attracting and retaining businesses by lowering taxes.
“I can say a constant theme from people that I represent is that we need to pay less in property taxes and I agree with them,” said McClure. “We have to have an environment that creates jobs, that keeps people here, that makes people want to come and live in Illinois…and right now we’ve got a lot of people leaving our state. So we’ve got to fix that issue.”
Trump’s conservative base comprises predominantly people who are not particularly focused on politics or the specifics of government operations. Rather, they are farmers, blue-collar workers and people who are more concerned with minding their business and raising their families than expanding government reach and regulation, according to former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy of Springfield.
“He [Trump] speaks in large generalities, broad strokes, he oversimplifies things in a way the average person understands him,” said Tracy. “He communicates to people who are not focused on politics every day. They don’t want to be dependent on the government and just want the government to leave them alone so they can raise their kids and do their jobs. They want somebody to give it to them straight to the point, and that’s what Trump does and does it very effectively, and I’m painting with a broad brush here.”
Outside of cities like Chicago, Bloomington, Rockford and Springfield, most of the state’s territory is farmland and small communities. These large swaths of land predominantly make up the Republican base of Illinois but don’t hold the voting power that can compete with the concentrated population centers under Democratic control.
Despite the relegation of Republicans to a super-minority in the Illinois Capitol, grassroots movements in major cities are making an effort to push Democratic stronghold counties more conservative, according to Caulkins. With Trump as president once again, and Republicans in control of the U.S. House and Senate, organizations like the Black-run Chicago Flips Red movement are becoming more emboldened and pushing harder to make a dent in Cook County and other deep blue communities.
Caulkins says the success of Trump is making some independents and even some Democrats open up to the idea of leaning more conservative.
“It [Republican leadership in Washington] has opened up possibilities to some Democrats and independents who are not happy with how the state and particularly some of the parts of the state have been governed,” said Caulkins.
This article appears in From bedsides to the boardroom.
There’s a lot of deal with in this story. Let’s start with…
“Trump’s focus on traditional conservative issues such as immigration, government spending, “anti-wokeness” and less federal oversight also has reinvigorated right-leaning, rural communities.”
While spending and deregulation truly are “traditional conservative issues”, the fixation on immigration as a completely negative thing is much more recent.
Trump’s focus on rounding people up and sending them, without due process, to prisons here and abroad, is brand new and, I think we will learn, unconstitutional.
“Anti-wokeness” is not a traditional conservative value, though it’s certainly been embraced by many Republicans in the Trump era, which has been marked by a constant braying that policies that attempt to give equal opportunities to all Americans are unfair to white people.
Finally, it is, at the least, an exaggeration to claim the second Trump term has been focused on policymaking. What we’ve seen so far is mostly a series of Executive Orders focused on using government resources to punish people/institutions the President considers enemies.
The targets of his wrath include those who believe the Constitution should be followed which, once upon a time, was a traditional conservative ideal.
You can see in HCMcB’s response the issue we have in America/Illinois. Saying “fixation on immigration” twists the narrative in order to denigrate those who support controlling our borders.. The “fixation” is on illegal immigration.
We are seeing the courts uphold the ability of the Executive Branch to deal with people here illegally. The other issue is those who have come here temporally, on a student visa or other plans. Since when is it acceptable for visitors to inject themselves in our politics and internal affairs?
Wokeness is more than DEI. Staying on that one part, why did the Supreme Court have to intervene in college admissions? Remember what DR. King was “braying” about? Talk to someone who has had to sit through a DEI class that required them to denounce their whiteness.
Finally, President Trump has been issuing EOs to set the government on the right course while allowing Congress time to pass legislation that will put those EOs into law. If you thing protecting girls and women from biological males in their safe spaces and sports is punishing his enemies, OK. If you think closing the border is punishing his enemies, OK. If you think putting an end to “sanctuary cities and states” in order to get illegals out of our country is…you get my point.
It still is a “conservative idea” to believe the Constitution should be followed. The Democrats/Left have trashed the Constitution with their attacks on free speech, the 2nd Amendment and the 14th Amendment. They have weaponized the justice system and prosecuted their enemies over the last 4 years without regard to the Constitution.
If Republicans pass tax cuts for the rich, you can pretty much guarantee they will end the dollar as the reserve currency. The rich don’t care as they have billions. What you have now will be the high point in your life once Trump & his cohort tank the dollar permanently. The city will need more beds and overnight shelters. If you thought the tent city was bad, wait til the entire city looks like that.
Trump & Musk are eliminating the waste and fraud in this nation. Who in their right minds & worked hard all their lives to acquire what they have, would object to eliminating waste & fraud. More money in the workers pockets & more money in the taxpayers pockets. I’ve listened to the left. They twist what has been said in the Trump Administration to stir the proverbial pot to scare people to death. That’s ok, because ‘they’ will have their judgement day and believe me, it won’t be pretty. God always wins.
It’s amazing some of the most prominent Republicans in the state of Illinois still don’t understand why Trump got elected. Looks like another election cycle of losses for Republicans is coming to Illinois. They’ll just pretend to like Trump while doing everything behind the scenes to undermine his presidency.