Dwight Kay can’t figure out how the politics are adding up.
“On the campaign trial, I’m hearing a lot of people talking about (Rep.) Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), yet some of the endorsements being made from some of these GOP organizations don’t reflect that,” Kay, the Glen Carbon Republican running for the seat held by Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in the 112th House District, told the East Central Reporter. “Something just seems off with that.”
A growing number of Republican leaders suggest there’s a good reason for that, contending that the Illinois GOP's endorsement process may be “rigged” to favor Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Dwight Kay
In one recent instance, Republican leaders at a Palatine Township Republican Organization endorsement session charged that Chairman Aaron Del Mar, a longtime Rauner supporter and 2016 appointee to the Illinois International Port District, argued he wasn’t required to provide other group members with rules for the meeting.
Eyebrows were also raised when Rauner won the Cook County Republican endorsement over Ives despite her winning 55 percent of the city vote.
“Jeanne Ives is what Illinois needs right now,” Kay said. “She’s one of the sharpest minds I know and I’ve never once known her to misrepresent herself or the facts of a situation. That’s the kind of person this state needs if we’re ever going to dig ourselves out of this ditch.”
As for his own campaign, Kay, a former 112th District state representative, said he is still going door to door connecting with voters.
“I’m hearing that the people of my community have no respect for state government based on the way they are treated on things like taxes,” he said. “They know they are paying more then most counties and they know that the state has some of the highest taxes in the nation. They’re made to feel like renters instead of owners. They don’t like the new income tax hikes. Elections tend to be pocketbook issues, and Springfield has the attention of these voters.”
The 112th District includes Glen Carbon and parts of Maryville, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Granite City and O'Fallon.
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