Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Republican Party Chair Don Tracy announced his resignation, to take place no later than July 19, 2024. He cited "intra-party power struggles" as the primary reason for his decision. Tracy made this announcement in a June 19 letter, which was shared by Dean R. White in a Facebook post.

"When I took on this full-time volunteer job in February 2021, I thought I would be spending most of my time fighting Democrats, helping elect Republicans, raising money to pay for more party infrastructure, and advocating for Party unity," said Donald R Tracy, according to Facebook. "Unfortunately, however, I have had to spend too much time dealing with intra party power struggles, and local intra party animosities that continued after primaries and County Chair Elections. I hereby resign as Chair of the Illinois Republican Party, effective upon the election of my successor, preferably no later than July 19, 2024 at 5 p.m."

According to the Chicago Tribune, Tracy's resignation came shortly after Mark Shaw was removed from the state GOP’s Vice Chair position. Shaw had attempted to leverage his party position and role as a paid Trump adviser into the post of Republican National Committeeman from Illinois during last month's state convention. Despite urging from Republican county chairs and central committee members to remove Shaw, Tracy did not publicly voice an opinion and stated it wasn't within his power to force Shaw out. The Chicago Tribune also reported that Tracy's leadership "survived a no-confidence test among state central committee members" last May.

Screenshot of Don Tracy's resignation letter, from Dean R. White's Facebook post | Dean R. White Facebook page

In his letter, Tracy refuted a previously published Chicago Tribune article that raised questions about his leadership and discussed his reasoning further. "Like Vince Kolber, my friend and former Finance Committee Chair, I am also concerned about the current infatuation of some members of the SCC, few as they are, with certain individuals they call 'grass roots' leaders," he said. He added that recent events, including the RNC Committeeman election followed by the removal of Vice Chair Mark Shaw without due process, indicated a direction for the State Party with which he was uncomfortable.

Tracy was elected Chairman of the Illinois State Republican Party in February 2021. A businessman and lawyer from Springfield, he is a lifelong resident who owns Dot Foods, Inc., headquartered in Mt. Sterling, along with his siblings. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis School of Law. According to his biography on the Illinois GOP website, he is also of counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens Law Firm in Springfield.