Frank Watson of Greenville was elected to the Senate Minority Leader position. Watson has largely flown below my radar so I don’t have much analysis in terms of his personality or interests. He does appear to have more of an interest in policy which is a good thing in general–not that I want any of those policies.
Geographically, it might be an important shift. As DuPage County grew, it took over the state Republican Party apparatus from downstate communities and suburban Cook. Suburban Cook has now gone Democratic, and DuPage isn’t as solid as it once was. With Cross an exurban legislator and Watson a true downstater, we may see an increase in urban rural tensions. This would not bode well for the Republicans because rural issues such as concealed carry and concern over suspect classification based on sexual orientation do not play well overall. Given Cross has strong Chicagoland ties, that might be overstating the immediate impact, but if the divide in Illinois moves more and more towards an urban/rural split, the Republicans will lose in an increasingly urban/suburban state.
Much to the chagrin of many in outstate, the county Republican Party operations have largely been hijacked by the Christian Right. If Watson is a continuation of this, the Illinois Republican Party may actually be in more trouble than even I thought in the long term.