Champaign County GOP leader hails Trump’s return

A gathering of Illinois Republicans -- including Champaign County GOP Chair Susan Mantell -- stand and applaud President Donald Trump, as they view his second inauguration at a watch party hosted by southern Illinois Congressman Mike Bost.


The chair of the Champaign County Republican Party was in Washington D.C. Monday to watch President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

Susan Mantell joined other Illinois Republicans at a watch party held by downstate GOP Congressman Mike Bost. They filled a large room in the Joseph Cannon House Office Building, named for the Danville Republican who served as Speaker of the House at the turn of the last century.

Because of cold temperatures, the inauguration was moved indoors to the U.S. Capitol building, making a large outdoor audience impossible. However, Mantell said it was a thrill to view the inauguration on video screens with a crowd of enthusiastic Republicans.

“It was amazing to be in a room filled with patriots and to just feel the relief that our country is back on track.”

Mantell says she was most impressed by President Trump’s pledge to secure the southern border, and his energy policies, which she says will help bring prices down. 

“He focused a lot on just providing safety and security for the American people again and returning us to an environment that we will be able to actually pursue the American dream.”

Mantell also hopes Trump’s return to the White House will inspire more Champaign County Republicans to run for elected office. She says those candidates need to be ready to lead.

“We’re definitely looking for leaders in Champaign County,” she added. “And I think that President Trump getting back in office will hopefully give us a renewed spirit, that if we all move in the right direction, that we’ll have some wins coming in.”

Republicans once dominated city and county offices in Champaign County, but right now, they are a superminority on the Champaign County Board. 

With a defeat in the coroner’s election last year, Republicans no longer hold any countywide elected offices in Champaign County.

Urbana is one of the few communities in Champaign County to have partisan elections featuring Democrats and Republicans, but no Republican has served in the city government since 2021.

 

Jim Meadows

Jim Meadows has been covering local news for WILL Radio since 2000, with occasional periods as local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered and a stint hosting WILL's old Focus talk show. He was previously a reporter at public radio station WCBU in Peoria.