by Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Illinois State Rep. Tony McCombie, the Illinois House Republican leader, will visit Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on Sept. 9 to discuss the party’s policy agenda and review the issues she believes will influence the November general elections in Illinois.
McCombie, R-Savanna, will participate in a discussion with John Shaw, institute director. The program begins at 6 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom B. The institute will host a reception in the Student Center’s John W. Corker Lounge at 5 p.m.
Registration to attend the discussion is recommended but not required.
“We are eager to learn more about the policy agenda House Republicans are advancing under the leadership of Rep. McCombie,” Shaw said. “We are also interested to learn how House Republicans view the elections in November and how they would like to influence the policy debate in Springfield next year.”
Democrats hold a 78 to 40 supermajority in the Illinois House. McCombie, the first woman to serve as House Republican leader in the state, has said she would like to cut into that majority in this fall’s elections.
A native of Savanna, McCombie earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University. She served on the Savanna City Council and as the town’s mayor before she was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2016. Elected the House Republican leader in November 2022, McCombie formally began her new role in January 2023.
McCombie represents the 89th Illinois House District, which includes all or parts of the northwestern counties Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago. She is a small business owner, operating Blue Appraisals, and is a real estate broker for the Mel Foster Company.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions on the registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
More information, a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events are available.