Republican state Representative Jeanne Ives, from Wheaton, made a name for herself as one of the most outspoken far-right conservatives in the legislature. She gave up her seat to challenge Bruce Rauner for governor, but even though she lost, Ives said she’ll still carry the torch for conservatives in the state.
Despite being vastly outspent, Ives shocked many when she came within three percentage points of beating Rauner in the 2018 primary. In the process, she won over the conservative base.
Pointing to the beating the state's GOP took in November, Ives described the party as "ineffective" and said they need to unite on basic policy principles to have any hope in future elections.
“If we can’t agree, in one of the highest taxed states, that we don’t need new taxes to solve our problems... as Republicans if that can’t be a core belief that we believe in Illinois, then I don’t know what else we can agree on, quite frankly,” said Ives.
As she wraps up her term, she hasn’t confirmed her next move for employment, but plans to help mold and guide future candidates.
“I’ve got this, sort of, platform now which is great so I hope to pull good candidates up into the field so we can actually compete and win against the Democrats,” said Ives.
Ives has not ruled out another run for governor.
