IL GOP Chair: Donald Trump ‘Will Lift’ Republican Party


Illinois Republican Chairman Tim Schneider has had the tough task of uniting a fractured party behind Donald Trump.

On Tuesday Schneider had the honor of casting the state’s roll call votes at the Republican National Convention.

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“It was amazing announcing the roll call totals,” said Schneider. “I’ve never been to a convention before and they asked me to announce the roll call vote, and it was a real privilege for me to do that.

“I was honored to do that. It’s been a historic evening for me.”

While announcing the state’s votes, Schneider called Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner “the greatest governor in the country,” despite Rauner’s decision to skip the convention.

With the state’s ongoing budget impasse, backlog of unpaid bills and massive unfunded pension liability, “the governor’s time is best spent in the state of Illinois,” Schneider said.

Another high-profile Illinois Republican who opted to skip the convention, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, said Donald Trump’s candidacy could cause long-term damage to the Republican Party.

“I don’t see that as the case at all,” Schneider said. “Donald Trump will lift the Republican Party and actually bring more states in play than we’ve ever seen before.”


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