Illinois GOP faces calls for overhaul after major midterm losses

Illinois Republicans look to rebuild after midterm losses as Chicago mayoral race heats up

FOX Chicago's Brandon Pope examines Aaron Del Mar's plan to rebuild the Illinois GOP following election losses and the latest developments in Chicago's mayoral race.

CHICAGO - CHICAGO - Republicans in Illinois are feeling the effects of major losses in the midterm elections.

Their most recent lieutenant governor candidate, Aaron Del Mar, is unveiling his plan to rebuild the party.

Del Mar calls for GOP overhaul

What we know:

On Monday, Del Mar called for a statewide convention in March 2027 to establish new party bylaws, a leadership structure and an agenda to make the party more competitive.

His plan calls for a new representation map, as Del Mar believes "a party that ignores entire regions of Illinois won’t have a chance to compete."

Del Mar is also demanding a better candidate selection process, with a year-round recruitment and training structure, rather than one that begins six months before an election.

Del Mar pushes for immediate changes

What they're saying:

"The Illinois Republican Party is decimated," Del Mar said. "If we are going to recover from the results of Tuesday’s election – we need to build a strong foundation that can facilitate future success. I want to bring Republican activists, elected officials, and party leaders to a convention to develop a workable plan to move our party forward. We can’t wait until 2028 to do this important work. It needs to happen now."

Republicans face major election losses

The backstory:

The call for reform comes after Republicans lost eight seats in the General Assembly, shrinking their margins and expanding the Democratic supermajority.

How bad have things gotten for the Illinois GOP?

Historically Republican, McHenry County voted for a Democrat for governor for the first time since 1852, before the Civil War.