Chicago, IL — Tonight, the ILGOP is holding its Red Gala with Nick Shirley as the keynote speaker. In response, the Democratic Party of Illinois released the following statement:
“Inviting Nick Shirley to headline their gala signals that the ILGOP has completed their transformation into an extremist MAGA organization that values bigoted culture wars over the issues their voters care about most. Illinois Republican party leaders, elected officials, and candidates for office, including Darren Bailey, are lending credibility to an individual who spreads dangerous and hateful misinformation.
“Nick Shirley’s aim is to contaminate our politics with racism, xenophobia, and lies. By welcoming him to speak at their event, the ILGOP is revealing just how extreme they’ve become. Illinoisans can see clearly that the party has abandoned working families in favor of serving Donald Trump and his MAGA allies.”
Nick Shirley is a discredited, fraudulent conspiracy theorist with a documented record of spreading racist misinformation, especially targeting immigrant communities. Here’s who the ILGOP is inviting to their stage:
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Shirley promoted debunked rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating their pets — a rumor amplified by Trump.
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Shirley promoted a documentary that was described as being about “New Jersey’s Jewish invasion.”
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On January 6th, Shirley filmed himself outside the U.S. Capitol, where he interviewed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and one of the rioters who entered Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
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Shirley claimed voters were illegally registered through a California UPS store address, but records with the California Secretary of State revealed zero registrations at the UPS Store.
While the ILGOP turns its back on Illinois families struggling under Trump’s agenda, Illinois Democrats are fighting for Illinois every day, working to lower costs and protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms for every Illinoisan.
