Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has recruited a senior state lawmaker to oust Rep. Robin Kelly as chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, according to multiple recent reports.
Pritzker, along with Chris Welch, the speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, has cited concerns over fundraising and voter engagement efforts as reasons they are seeking to replace Kelly with state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, an adept party insider who has held a Chicago-area state House seat since 2007.
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The governor and his allies have argued that because of Kelly’s status as a sitting congresswoman and the strict federal fundraising rules and contribution limits she is subject to as a result, the Illinois Democratic Party’s fundraising efforts have been seriously impeded with her at its helm. Behind the scenes, Pritzker’s efforts to replace Kelly are also seen as part of his broader attempt to reshape the state’s Democratic establishment in his own image.
A billionaire businessman, Pritzker’s successful 2018 campaign against incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner marked his first time holding elected office, and his tenure has seen various conflicts with the entrenched Democratic political machine that dominates state politics. Besides this latest effort to take down Kelly, Pritzker was an influential force in pressuring longtime former state House Speaker Michael Madigan to resign over his alleged involvement in an extensive bribery scheme, for which he is currently under federal indictment. The governor also sparred behind closed doors with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over COVID-19 restrictions and associated public health orders, along with a controversial paid sick leave bill.
But Kelly, who recently told reporters that she was “not friends” with Pritzker, is not without her own high-profile backers in the race. Lightfoot, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison are among a slate of influential Democrats who are expected to support Kelly’s bid for reelection as party chairwoman. And Kelly, who succeeded Madigan as chairperson after he quit politics, previously beat back a Pritzker-endorsed rival when she won her bid to fill the remainder of the ex-state House speaker’s four-year term atop the state party last year.
Consequently, even with the support of Pritzker and other top Democrats, Hernandez is expected to face a daunting task in convincing a majority of the 34-member state party central committee, which includes Kelly, to depose their leader. The central committee is set to vote on a party chairperson for a full four-year term when the body meets in Springfield on July 30.
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First elected to Congress in a 2013 special election, Kelly represents the 2nd Congressional District, which extends from Chicago’s southern suburbs to straddle the Indiana state line. Kelly replaced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who resigned amid a federal investigation over improper use of campaign funds. Jackson later served time in federal prison on charges stemming from the investigation.
A spokeswoman for Kelly directed the Washington Examiner to the Democratic Party of Illinois. A spokesman for the state party has not responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
