SPRINGFIELD – Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) issued the following statement after he was chosen as Leader-Designate of the Illinois State Senate Republican Caucus by its members this afternoon:
“I want to thank my colleagues for choosing me for this important role.
“There are exciting days ahead. Illinois voters sent a powerful message this week by overwhelmingly rejecting the constitutional tax hike amendment and sending the message that they do not trust state government with broader taxing powers.
“We Senate Republicans hear you loud and clear and are ready to act.
“During my tenure in the legislature, I have made meaningful reform my top priority. Our caucus will embrace a fundamentally new direction for Illinois. We need balanced budgets, smaller and smarter government, lower taxes, economic reforms, and a world-class education system that prepares our next generation to stay and succeed here, not flee to another state.
“We will work every day to rebuild voters’ trust, weed out corruption, grow our caucus, reform our spending and revive what makes Illinois such a great state.
“I look forward to partnering with my House Republican colleagues to give voice to the message voters sent us on Tuesday signaling their distrust of state government and to fight for the reforms they so clearly want.
“We have no time to waste. Let’s get to work.”
In his first act as Leader-Designate, Senator McConchie chose Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) as his Deputy Leader.
“There is no denying that we are at a crossroads as a party and a state,” said Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “I believe Dan is the person best equipped to guide us down a new and different path. He will put in the thoughtful action needed to recruit fresh, more diverse candidates and engage groups who have not previously seen a place for themselves in the GOP. It is a new day here in Illinois, and I am looking forward to working with Dan as his Deputy Leader to help rebuild our organization and our state.”
“I am proud to have supported Dan as the new leader of our caucus because he has the intelligence, work ethic and curiosity needed to build our Senate Republican Caucus,” said Illinois State Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington). “His passion for policy is unmatched, and we need that focus on real solutions to bring the people of Illinois the reforms they deserve. I am looking forward to working alongside him and our colleagues as we build a stronger, more effective Senate Republican Caucus.”
More about Senate Republican Leader-Designate McConchie can be found here.
Also at the organizational meeting, the Senate Republican Caucus re-elected Scott Kaiser as the Assistant Secretary of the Senate and Dirk Eilers as the Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms.