Dupage Policy Journal

Gordon "Jay" Kinzler fears the direction Illinois is taking after Republican losses Tuesday night, including his own state House race in the 46th District. 

Kinzler netted 42 percent of the vote against Rep. Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park), despite running what he considered to be a great race that hit all the conservative touchpoints.

“The thing is Republicans find it very hard to fight the demographics of our district,” he said. “There’s no other way to say it; it’s very Democrat leaning and everything is set up in their favor.”

With the deck stacked, Kinzler is not optimistic for the state. “I don’t see a good scenario with J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan now standing at the head of this state,” Kinzler told DuPage Policy Journal. “In general, you need to have checks and balances. There’s no such thing in Illinois, and citizens are just being dragged around for the ride.”

With Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner outmatched in the governor's race by Pritzker, a Democrat billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotel chain, things were harder for GOP candidates across the state.

“Rauner had issues with messaging and when you have turmoil at the top the ticket it can often trickle down to other races,” he said. “Though a Republican governor, it’s pretty obvious that he didn’t always lead well when it came to Republican principles.”

Despite his tough loss, Kinzler said he plans to continue working on the issues that he thinks will make a difference for the people of the state and his district.

“I’m optimistic that as we educate voters more on the issues they will come around to have a better understanding of the issues we face as a state and commit themselves to what needs to be done,” he said. “Over the long haul, that’s what would be in the best interest of us all.”

The 46th House District includes all or parts of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Lombard and Villa Park.