Prairie State Wire

Jeanne Ives has called for Republicans to boycott the 2024 Edgar Fellows program, stating, "And no media should call on Jim Edgar to give a Republican response to any issue." She made this statement in an August 5 post on X.

"No Republican should attend the Edgar Fellows Program that starts today," said Ives, Founder. "And no media should call on Jim Edgar to give a Republican response to any issue. S. Same goes for traitors Kinzinger, Ray LaHood, and Joe Walsh- who my college kid rightly called psycho when he heard him speak."

The Edgar Fellows program is a leadership training initiative developed by former Governor Jim Edgar. It aims to educate emerging political leaders about Illinois public policy and current issues. According to the program's website, it teaches attendees to build relationships across political and regional boundaries. Established in 2012, the program is a week-long workshop featuring instructors with diverse policy experiences, including former Illinois Supreme Court justices, elected officials from Cook County, and former U.S. cabinet members.

Screenshot of Jeanne Ives Aug 5 post on X | X

Participants in this year’s program will engage with public policy practitioners and experts on various issues such as artificial intelligence, the SAFE-T Act, workforce development, climate change, philanthropies, Medicaid, and the state budget. There are 41 new Edgar Fellows this year, including candidates for elected offices, current state legislators, business owners, and others. Some participants include Liandro Arellano Jr., candidate for Illinois State Senate District 37; Christopher Curtis, mayor of Kankakee; Rep. Nicole La Ha Zwiercan; Rep. Jason Bunting; Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel; Rep. Travis Weaver; among others.

Jim Edgar is a Republican who served as Illinois governor from January 1991 until January 11, 1999. According to the National Governors Association (NGA), he was raised in Charleston, Illinois and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Illinois University. Before becoming governor in 1991, he served multiple terms in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 1981 and was appointed Secretary of State before being elected in 1982 and re-elected in 1986. In his re-election campaign in 1994, he carried 101 of the state’s 102 counties according to his biography from the NGA.

Jeanne Ives is a former Illinois State Representative who served six years representing House District 42 according to Ballotpedia. She ran for governor in 2018 and sought election to represent Illinois’ 6th Congressional District in 2020 according to Ballotpedia. She resides in Wheaton, IL.