A host of Illinois Republicans won’t attend this month’s Republican National Convention, distancing themselves from presumptive party nominee Donald Trump.
According to Crain’s, the list of lawmakers skipping the convention includes Gov. Bruce Rauner and Sen. Mark Kirk.
Trump’s ascension to presumptive nominee has created a wedge in the GOP. His divisive campaign rhetoric has caused some lawmakers to completely disavow the frontrunner.
Last month, Kirk called Trump's inflammatory comments about the heritage of a Hispanic judge presiding over civil fraud lawsuits against his beleaguered Trump University “un-American” and walked back his tacit endorsement of the billionaire.
Trump reportedly slammed Kirk Thursday for pulling his endorsement during a private meeting with Senate Republicans, according to the Washington Post. He also vowed to win Illinois, a state that is historically blue.
Kirk, who did not attend the meeting, responded to the report in a statement Thursday.
"As I stated last month, I have come to the conclusion that Donald Trump lacks the judgment and termperament to lead our military and our nation," Kirk said in a statement.
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Comptroller Leslie Munger and other high-profile statewide Republican officials will also be absent from the convention.
Meanwhile, the list of attendees from Illinois is noticeably thin. Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar both plan to attend, as does Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider, who serves as the state GOP chair. Schneider will be there alongside former chairs Jack Dorgan and Pat Brady, who was elected as a delegate for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Cubs part-owner Todd Ricketts is also expected to be in Cleveland for the convention. Trump, who has been the target of ads paid for by family matriarch Marlene Ricketts, has called out the Ricketts family on several occasions.
Additionally, Rep. Peter Roskam confirmed to Crain’s that he would attend, but “not as a delegate or a Trump supporter.”
