Illinois Republicans use state fair rally to respond to Democrats

(The Center Square) – Politics continued taking over the Illinois State Fair Thursday with Republican Day.

In Springfield at the fairgrounds Wednesday, Democrats during Governor's Day said their piece on why they need more power. Thursday, Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi said Democrats bring taxpayers “one big hurt.”

“All the mistakes in Springfield are being saddled on our poor small businesses and residents of this state and that has got to end,” she said.

Salvi said poor policies are driving crime, excessive business regulations, high taxes and continued outmigration.

Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, echoed that and said Democrats have delivered, but not good things.

“Democrats delivered hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party while forcing businesses to pay more,” Curran said.

Curran also said Illinois Democrats have delivered a billion dollar tax increase, the third highest unemployment rate in the nation, second highest property taxes and the most corrupt state.

Wednesday, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said Democrats aim to get even more seats for their supermajority.

Thursday, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said more Democrats will hurt taxpayers by allowing them to pass bigger budgets onto taxpayers.

“So, I don’t know if he wants five more progressives that can be tax-and-spend Democrats? I know that’s what Illinoisans do not want and that’s certainly, in the suburbs, they don’t want that,” McCombie told The Center Square. “They’re already having high cost issues right now, inflation, high property tax, high groceries, high gas, they don’t want that either.”

McCombie noted the most recent budget that barely passed in the early morning hours in late May took three attempts because there weren’t enough Democrats willing to go along with the largest spending plan in state history.

Another line Democrats used in their messaging Wednesday was to call Republicans “weird.” McCombie responded with a phrase for Democrats.

“They’re just out of touch,” McCombie said. “They’re out of touch.”

After last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where former President Donald Trump received the official party nomination, Democrats will gather in Chicago for their national convention to officially nominate Kamala Harris.