McKenna Comments on '08 IL GOP Convention

What  IL GOP Chairman Andy McKenna has to say about last weekend's convention:

On behalf of our party staff and State Central Committee, I would like to take a moment to thank all of those who were involved in making this past weekend's Illinois Republican State Convention a success. All 102 counties sent delegates to this year's convention culminating in one of the largest turnouts ever for a Republican state convention in Illinois with nearly 1,400 people in attendance.

Further it was the first time in 22 years that delegates on the floor were allowed to vote on important issues. Issues some considered important, like Senate Bill 600, were given a floor vote. Every delegate was allowed to stand and represent his or her position on the direct election of State Central Committee members and SB600 was overwhelmingly rejected.

The convention delegates took their roles seriously and came together to pass a new platform, elect a new National Committeeman, a new National Committeewoman, selecting At-Large Delegates for the GOP's National Convention, and choosing Illinois' Presidential Electors.

Our speakers at the general session were a phenomenal group of individuals who gave fantastic presentations. Chairman of the Site Selection Committee Tolbert Chisum, DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett, U.S. Senate Candidate Steve Sauerberg, House Republican Leader Tom Cross, Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson, County Chairmen's Association President Randy Pollard, and State Representative Aaron Schock reiterated, with passion, our theme of bringing change to Illinois.

I would like to thank all of our State Central Committee members and Convention Committee Chairmen for an open process. In particular, I would like to commend the work of our platform committee, and its chairman, Gene Dawson, who put in an extraordinary amount of time to produce a platform that makes us all proud.

Our National Committeeman/National Committeewoman Committee chaired by Bobbie Peterson did an excellent job presiding over an open and fair process for selecting our new committeemen and committeewoman. I want to extend a note of congratulations to our new National Committeeman, Pat Brady, and National Committeewoman, Demetra DeMonte.

We were honored to have a phone call from our next President, John McCain, who reminded us that he is ready to take on Barack Obama and his liberal policies.

I was pleased to present the first-ever Henry Hyde Leadership in Excellence Award to Ruth O'Connell for her many years of service to the Illinois Republican Party.

State Representative and U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Jim Watson's message from Iraq to the Republican Party is one we should all be proud of, remembering our men and women who are serving proudly overseas protecting our freedoms. Click here to listen to Representative Watson's remarks.

Many of you have requested copies of the Lincoln video played at the beginning of the convention. To view that video, click here.

We must thank the Macon County Republicans, led by Chairman Jim Gresham, for the countless hours they volunteered in order to make the convention one to be remembered for years to come.

This convention was a huge success and it's due to all of the grassroots leaders like you. In the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the Presidency, this weekend Illinois Republicans showed they still hold the legacy of Lincoln close to their hearts and are ready to bring real change to Illinois.