We Endorse Sen. Chris Balkema – It’s Time to Go on Offense

Written by David E. Smith

For more than two decades, Republicans have been in the minority in the Illinois Senate. Democrats have held a veto-proof supermajority for much of that time. After losing five more seats in the 2026 general election, Illinois Senate Republicans should be asking themselves a simple question. How much worse does it have to get before we change course?

State Senator John Curran of Downers Grove has led the Republican caucus for nearly four years. In that time, the state budget has ballooned, and Democrats have expanded the size and scope of state government. State lawmakers legalized assisted suicide, removed gender-specific pronouns from state law, mandated insurance coverage for abortion drugs and cross-sex hormones, expanded abortion “services,” and required mental health screenings in our public schools. That’s just a sampling from the list of horribles.

Dropping from 19 seats to just 14 in the 59-member Illinois Senate is an unmitigated disaster. For far too long, Illinois Republicans have tried to appease Democrats, soft-pedaled their own values, or stayed silent on important cultural issues to avoid the self-righteous wrath of Democrats and their media allies. Silence and milquetoast responses have only hurt the caucus and those of us who champion pro-family values.

Why would we expect more of the same to get us out of this mess?

We’re thrilled that State Senator Chris Balkema (R-Pontiac) recognizes the need for change and is challenging Curran for Senate Republican leader. As Balkema put it:

A defensive strategy is not a winning strategy. We must pivot, change the way we operate, and run an aggressive, unified campaign to win seats back. The next two election cycles will decide who draws Illinois’ legislative maps for the following decade. The planning starts today.

Balkema’s plan calls for recruiting strong candidates early, raising the money to help them compete, and getting Republican officials and grassroots activists working together. That means coordinating with Illinois House Republicans, the state party, county chairs, precinct committeepersons, and national allies. It also means keeping county chairs up to date on which races still need candidates so they can help recruit them.

Chicago and Cook County Democrats are happy to have an opposition party that’s reluctant to fight back or even defend its own platform. It is hard to believe that the Senate Republican Organization (SRO) let nine of 39 Illinois Senate races go uncontested in this last election. That must change.

The next Senate Republican leader’s top priority should be to win back the majority. That means holding Democrats accountable through tough oversight, taking the fight to them on the Senate floor, and aggressively pushing back against their woke big government policies. It also means giving Illinois voters a clear, optimistic vision of what Republicans would do with a majority.

Chris Balkema is a solid Christian leader and an across-the-board conservative. He’s right to challenge the status quo. It’s time for Senate Republicans to go on offense.

We heartily endorse Chris Balkema for Illinois Senate Republican leader. Please keep this in your prayers.