Prairie State Wire

Even in defeat, Jim Dodge vowed to remain true to who he is and his principles.

“I knew going in this was going to be a tough road, but I thought this was a discussion the people of Illinois deserved to have,” Dodge told the Prairie State Wire of his run for Illinois Treasurer against incumbent Democrat Mike Frerichs. “I gave people something to think about, and I exit this race still feeling proud and unapologetic about being a small-government conservative.”

With more than 89 percent of the vote in Tuesday night, Dodge trailed with 39 percent to Frerichs' 57 percent, prompting him to concede within an hour after polls closed, accordng to NBC Chicago. Libertarian Michael Leheney earned less than 4 percent of the vote.

Dodge noted that his opponent had more resources and outspent him, which contributed to his defeat. But Dodge also said his loss signals a need for conservative lawmakers in Illinois to engage in some serious soul searching.

“When you look at how too many Republican candidates in Illinois are coming up short tonight, the question has to be how do you rebuild?” he said. “I know we need to do a better job of showing voters what we stand for and how we plan to improve their lives. It’s one thing to have ideas, but it takes a lot more to have a ground game capable of going out and effectively delivering that message.”

Local GOP candidates also were hurt by how some voters now feel about the Republican Party on a national level, Dodge said.

“I had many people say to me on Facebook that they were voting blue because they were upset with President Trump or something that was going on with the White House,” he said. “A lot of that seemed to be filtering down to local races. Personally, I don’t think the financial malfeasance that has hampered Illinois for so long has anything at all to do with Donald Trump.”

Dodge said he thinks Democrats may have been more effective in delivering their message, even though he’s convinced much of it has no merit.

“For many voters, talk of raising taxes just on the rich and of a progressive [tax] resonates,” he said. “To know government is to know that it’s untrue, but a lot of people think it sounds good.”

Dodge insisted J.B. Pritzker used some of those same deceptive tactics in his takedown of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

“It was a little about what Rauner did and didn’t do, but more about Pritzker being willing to do and say anything to win,” he said. “I worry that Illinois could soon be hurtling toward even more taxes and greater financial ruin.”