Prairie State Wire

Thomas Devore for Attorney General has issued the following press release:

August 18, 2022 - Attorney General Candidate Tom DeVore spoke before the Illinois Republican Party’s State Central Committee on Wednesday. In his speech, he laid out the opportunity Republicans have in 2022 to bridge the party divide and emphasized the importance of the people who stood up to JB Pritzker over the past 2 years in changing government. Devore told GOP leadership that people of all political stripes are ready to take back their government if the party can make a compelling case. 

View Devore’s Speech here. 

Key Messages: 

You know, two and a half years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me dead at one of these events. I am being serious and sarcastic at the same time, because I’ve had the benefit in my life of growing up poor. My parents never went to college. My mom was on welfare. My dad spent most of his life pumping gas and then got hurt. I worked my way through college and then law school, and put my children in a position to live a better life than I had. That story is about what makes this country great. And many people have that story… but not enough. 

On March 17, 2020 - a governor got on television and told the people of this state: You can’t leave your house unless you have an essential reason. And - oh, by the way - I get to decide what is essential and what’s not. 

That’s what got my attention. I have no desire to be a politician whatsoever. But the message that you’re hearing is: If not us, who? 

We have to have a broader message than just “Republican and Democrat” because a lot of our Democrat neighbors feel left behind in this state and are looking for the same opportunities that I found for myself.   

We have to figure out a message that crosses over political ideology… I can assure you, everybody’s listening right now. The last two and a half years have given this party an opportunity to do something extraordinary. We need to communicate the ways in which our ideas lift everybody up, empower everybody. 

I can tell you, many of our Democrat friends - everyday people - they’re not enamored with what’s going on in their party. What’s our message to them? They want the opportunities that I had [to better their lives]. 

The Attorney General’s office of this state has failed to support opportunity for everybody. The crime in Cook County and Chicago is out of control because Kim Foxx is not doing her job and Kwame Raoul will not hold her to account because he cares more about being a politician that he cares about helping people. 

Corruption? We can talk about corruption in Illinois all day long. The Attorney General is not prosecuting anybody. We have to prosecute public corruption in order to level the playing field and create opportunity for everybody.