Note: Following is a speech given by State Representative Martin McLaughlin at the McHenry County GOPAC dinner Friday:
Good evening, everyone.
It’s an honor to be here with you tonight.
Twelve years ago, an outsider—someone from the business world, with no government experience not welcomed by the establishment—ran for the top job with a little help from his friends. That had never happened before. But once elected, this person got to work, turning things around, reforming government, and lowering taxes.
That outsider was me. Hello, I am Martin McLaughlin, former mayor of Barrington Hills and currently the state representative for the 52nd District of Illinois.
Two years later, another outsider with no prior elected experience did something similar— But to be honest this time on a much, much larger scale and on the world stage. He won the top job, getting elected as the 45th president of the United States. He rolled up his sleeves—and started helping hundreds of millions of Americans from all walks of life rediscover the American dream. His name was Donald J. Trump. He didn’t just talk about change; he delivered it!
Under his leadership, traditional Republican policies FINALLY became a REALITY—cutting taxes, securing our borders, strengthening our economy, and standing up for working-class Americans.
I’ll never forget when he came down the escalator to announce his first campaign. My friend Mike Miller called me and said, “There’s the winner.” He asked me what I thought about Trump, and I told him that when I saw his list of Supreme Court judges. “He had me at hello.”
President Trump proved something that should be obvious…to self-described politicians: The best leaders actually keep their promises. Too many career politicians believe lying, half-truths, and backroom deals are just “how it’s done.” But Trump changed all that, and he and his family paid a heavy price for it.
Like in the movie Moneyball, where Red Sox owner John Henry told Billy Beane, “The first guy through the wall challenging the status quo always gets bloodied,” Trump faced relentless attacks from those desperate to protect their power. The Washington elites, deep state bureaucrats, and legacy media went “batshit crazy” and that may be an understatement. Today when you look at how they’ve responded to the DOGE initiatives & push for accountability. BSC doesn’t really cover it.
President Trump and his family have been attacked relentlessly, not because they failed, but because they succeeded!!!!
And that terrifies the political insiders.
You know, the ones with their hands in the cookie jar. And shame on the mainstream media for protecting them.
The Trumps—especially Lara—have the right stuff: toughness, resilience, grace under pressure and pure determination to prove all the so-called experts wrong and deliver for the American people.
Trump reminded America that power belongs to the people, not the political class. He took the economic principles and philosophies of Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell, dusted them off, slapped a big gold Trump “T” on them, called them his own put them in play and proved that conservative policies benefit everyone—not just the wealthy or the connected, but the hardworking middle class and working poor.
That is the formula for success that we, as Illinois Republicans, must embrace.
Too many Illinois Republicans treat the Trump movement and his POLICIES like the Heisman Trophy—holding them close while simultaneously pushing them away.
It has been said “We need to be a choice, not an echo.” Yet for too long, Illinois Republicans have tried to echo the Democrats, hoping that being “moderate” would win elections. It hasn’t. It won’t. especially when they have a 5-1 one money advantage. We lose when we fail to provide a clear contrast for voters to choose from.
I know this firsthand. In my last race, my opponent and her allies spent nearly 4 million against me. Every consultant and political insider in Illinois said I couldn’t win my suburban purple district. But I did. A 60 year old make conservative. And we did because independents and moderate Democrats—especially women—joined Republicans and put me over the top.
How? By focusing on the issues that all families care about: Issurs that UNITE us across political divides
- Affordability – Lower taxes and responsible spending
- Safety
- Better schools – Education that puts kids first, supports choice including homeschooling
That is a winning message.
We also need to recognize a huge opportunity right now. Millions of working-class Democrats—especially in Cook County and the suburbs—are fed up with their own party. They’ve watched their tax dollars get wasted on illegal migrants—yes, illegal—while their own communities suffer from crime, bad schools, and skyrocketing costs.
These voters are looking for a new home—and we should welcome them.
Illinois Republicans must stand firm on promoting conservative values—stop running as Democrat-lite.
We must reach out to disillusioned Democrats especially in our inner cities.
Continue the ground game—registering low-propensity Republican voters for vote-by-mail and increasing turnout in every election.
We have a once-in-a-generation chance to realign Illinois politics. But we must have the courage to stand for traditional Republican principles.
Donald Trump ran as an outsider and won against all odds in 2016. He won again with 77 million votes in 2024—perhaps with a little divine providence. If we follow that same formula—be authentic, be genuine, be clear in our message, and bold in our actions—we will honor those we pledge to serve.
With uncompromised, unafraid, unwavering conservative leadership, we can and will win again in Illinois.
God bless each and every one of us. And God help us put Illinois back on the path to success.
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