Tazewell County Republicans Newsletter
August, 2017
Summer of 2017 is speeding by. Already, there have been numerous Tazewell County festivals and parades celebrating each community. Tazewell County Republicans participated in the Tremont Turkey Festival where we met and discussed the issues with many of our constituents at our GOP booth and proudly marched in parades at the Turkey Festival and at Hopedale’s 4th of July celebration. We still have more events and the Tazewell County Republicans will be a part of it! You will be able to find us with a booth and parading at the Delavan Fall Festival (9/2 – 9/4), the Pekin Marigold Festival (9/7 -9/10) and closing out the summer activities with the Morton Pumpkin Festival (9/13 – 9/16). You are invited and encouraged to participate with the Tazewell County Republicans by volunteering to work in the booth during these fun festivals and to march in the parades. We will be pulling our Tazewell County Republicans Trolley in each of the remaining festival parades and we NEED riders! There are plenty of seats and the more, the merrier. For more information, please contact the Tazewell County Republicans at [email protected] or through the “Contact Us” page on our website at www.tazewellgop.org.
The remainder of 2017 will prove to be a busy time as Tazewell County Republicans gear up for the primary election in March, 2018. Candidates are coming forward to earn voter trust for Tazewell County Clerk, Coroner and Sheriff. Now is a great time to become involved in the political process and help carry out the principles of the Republican platform. We have much to do and soon all our Precinct Committeemen will be canvassing neighborhoods, knocking on doors and discussing the issues we face at all levels of government. Be a part of our effort to Make America Great Again!
Lincoln Day Dinner 2017 
Since the last newsletter, the Tazewell County Republicans hosted Governor Bruce Rauner at the April 4th Lincoln Day Dinner at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria. Governor Rauner was able to spend time shaking hands and discussing issues with many of the constituents who were in attendance and then gave an informative speech on the state of Illinois and what we, as Republicans, need to accomplish together.
Already, the Tazewell County Republicans are busy planning next year’s Lincoln Day Dinner. It is our most significant fundraiser of the year and your participation and attendance is greatly needed. Keep an eye out for future emails and newsletters informing everyone of the date and location as it becomes available. It promises to be a worthwhile event!
Upcoming Events
Coming up on August 31, 2017 from 5:00 - 7:00pm is Congressman Darin LaHood’s Sizzle & Swizzle get-together with special guest House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Don’t miss this opportunity. Sizzle & Swizzle will be held at Brewers Distributing, 2421 West Townline Rd, Peoria. See the below publication for more information including how to get your tickets.
Join Illinois State Representative Keith Sommer at his campaign fundraiser on Wednesday, September 20th from 5:00 – 7:00pm at Green Acres, 605 W. Lakeland Rd., Morton. This special event is being hosted by Bobbi Keyser and Gene & Joanne Knapp and will feature Zehr Farms Premium Pork. Tickets are only $25 per person and kids and students eat free! Come out and support Rep. Sommer!
Stay tuned for dates of upcoming GOP breakfasts and other important events. We will send out an email blast to communicate these events as they are scheduled and confirmed.
From My Stump... 
By Jim Rule
Recently, my wife, Michelle, and I had the honor and privilege of attending a session of the Illinois State House of Representatives as guests of Representative Keith Sommer. For me, this was a huge opportunity as I am fascinated by our political process both in our nation’s Capitol and in our State Houses as well.
On this particular day, we witnessed the intense debate on bills proposing transgendered residents of Illinois the opportunity to change their birth certificates to reflect their desired gender and a proposal to approve state property tax relief for Cook County. Both these bills had passionate debate from both sides of the aisle and while Republicans were not victorious in stopping the passage of these bills, our government process worked that day.
This day highlighted a few things for me. First, although we are keenly aware of the major issues being debated in our government through the media of our choice, we are often not in tune with the smaller victories that our elected officials win on our behalf. Sometimes it’s just funding for a small project that needs to be done or perhaps it’s a bill to recognize the efforts of our first responders or the designation of a particular building as a landmark in order to preserve our history. We need to celebrate all the work our legislators do, not just the issues in the news and shrouded in controversy. This work is all-to-often, overlooked.
Second, most of us talk about holding our elected officials accountable at the ballot box. Recently, there have been actions by some of our legislators that have caused many to scratch their heads and question whether or not these politicians have our Republican best interests in mind. While I understand this frustration and the rhetoric that follows, consider this; our primary objective at this moment in time is for the Republican party to stop the Madigan corruption train and win nine (9) key congressional seats downstate as well as hold on to the Republican seats we currently have. These nine seats will give Republicans the majority of the House so that we can, once again, do what is best for the people of this great state. We must band together and pool our time and financial resources to help Illinois Republican candidates win these seats. Our efforts need to be laser focused on this objective. They need our help. This state needs our help and even though we do not reside in a county that has Democratic representatives, we still can and must do our part.
Tazewell County Republicans
http://www.tazewellgop.org/