Division among Republicans at the state and national level has given many in the party an opportunity to rise up under the platform of unification, and Stanton Bond, the state central committeeman from the 14th Congressional District, hopes to do just that during his second term.
Bond, who ran to create a healthier GOP for the state, understands that the committee is “not a campaign organization,” a criticism the party has received during recent campaigns and elections.
“First and foremost, I want to ensure that we identify and elect Republican candidates who support the Republican Party Platform,” Bond told Kane County Reporter. “I want to ensure that all voices within our party are heard respectfully and their views placed squarely on the deliberations table at all our meetings and during all policy choices.”
Stanton Bond
Bond’s words come after the announcement that the candidate for Republican State Central Committee in the 15th Congressional District, Bob Winchester, has sought legal counsel to challenge his loss in the race to state Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet).
“I am very concerned about my friend and state central colleague Bob Winchester and the allegations of election impropriety related to his being unseated," Bond said. "Those allegations are serious and deserve a full and fair hearing."
Speculation points to the party’s current leadership under Chairman Timothy Schnieder and even the state’s Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner as the origin of the party’s current state.
“I think we also have to take an honest look at what caused our divisions and respect them," Bond said. "We need a uniter and not a divider.”
Many within the party believe Mark Shaw, chairman of the Lake County GOP, is a strong contender for Schneider's seat. Bond expressed high praise for Shaw and his potential action plan.
“Mark Shaw is the current highly successful Chairman of the Lake County Republican Central Committee and handed to me five years ago his ideas for a strategic party business plan," Bond said. "I still have that plan and it is every bit as needed today as it was five years ago.”
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