Chicago City Wire

Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) said Gov. Bruce Rauner has had his chance and now it is time for a change in the office with Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton).

“She (Ives) better represents the GOP platform and will be a more faithful and capable leader in Springfield than Bruce Rauner,” Morrison told the Chicago City Wire. “He had his chance to make a difference, but in many cases he’s actually made our state worse off. It’s time for new leadership in Rep. Jeanne Ives.”

Morrison made the comments in response to concerns that the party’s endorsement process was rigged. 

Rep. Tom Morrison

“I think Gov. Rauner and his closest allies are attempting to exert control over the Illinois Republican Party wherever and however they can, via elected officials, appointed board members, campaign workers, etc.,” he said.

He also said that local Republican Party organizations have their own way of doing things. 

“The various local GOP organizations have differing rules on how they endorse candidates. Those rules should be disclosed to the voters who receive sample ballots from the local organization. For example, in Palatine Township, just before the endorsement session, non-Palatine Township residents paid to become organization members in order to vote and swing the endorsement to Bruce Rauner and other candidates. Even if this is permissible, it certainly is misleading,” he said.

“That’s why I published my findings on the Palatine process: in order to help get the information out to the public," he said. "Some of my supporters wondered how Bruce Rauner got the endorsement when the in-person support for Ives was so strong at the endorsement session. The answer was the non-Palatine resident proxy votes.”

Morrison added he believed the process should be made more transparent. 

“I think the GOP should send out generic sample ballots without the candidates’ names typed in boldface font. It should have information about registering to vote, absentee voting, early voting locations, etc.,” he said.

Morrison's district includes Inverness and Palatine.