Illinois Legislative News: July 22, 2024
Third Reading Consulting Group
On July 12, Kathy Salvi was elected as Chair of the Illinois Republican Party after outgoing Chair Don Tracy announced his intent to step down following the Republican National Convention back in June. State Rep. John Cabello and former Cook County GOP chair Aaron Del Mar ran against Salvi for Illinois GOP Chair.
Salvi was raised in Waukegan and graduated from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein. She received her B.A. in communications from Loyola University Chicago and later received her J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Salvi previously served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Justice Harry D. Stourse of the Second Appellate District of Illinois and later was an Assistant Public Defender in the Lake Country Public Defender’sOffice. She now practices personal injury law at the firm Salvi & Maher LLP. Salvi served on the Board of the Midtown Educational Foundation from 1993 to 2013 and participated in the United Nations Conference on Women in 1995. She is married to former State Rep. Al Salvi.
In the 2006 midterms, Kathy Salvi ran for the Republican nomination in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, ultimately placing second in the primary. 16 years later in 2022, she was the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Tammy Duckworth, ultimately receiving 41.5% of the vote. Her Senate platform centered around making the U.S. energy independent, combating inflation, increasing border security, and supporting U.S. allies abroad.
Since being elected party Chair, Salvi has advocated for unity and supported all Republican candidates and viewpoints across Illinois. Specifically referring to Republicans perpetuating party infighting, Salvi addressed supporters saying, “I think all of us here need to start calling those people out,” to avoid disagreements affecting overall party goals. Speaking to her vision of the future, Salvi cited her main goal as making the party competitive again by picking up seats in both the General Assembly and Congress in November. She hopes by showing that Illinois Republicans can be successful again, she can attract a new donor base, which has been lacking since former Gov. Bruce Rauner and billionaire Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin left the state.
Important Upcoming Dates – Statewide
November 5 – 2024 General Election
November 12-14 – Veto Session Week 1
November 19-21 – Veto Session Week 2