At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin earlier this month, I spoke with a number of representatives and activists from Illinois who told me more about the state of GOP politics in their state.

"Illinois is in the heartland," said Regan Deering, who is the current Republican nominee for Illinois’ 88th District State Representative. "We have a really passionate membership of citizens in Illinois who are staying engaged." Though voting blocs typically mean the state is controlled at all levels by Democrats, Deering argues that the state is meant to be Republican. 

Coming on the heels of the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump, the potential effects of the shooting were also a hot topic amongst convention attendees.

"Even as a statewide politician we recognize that people sometimes get their ideologies ramped up and so they feel like they can take matters into their own hands... For him to stand up and give that fist pump and lion's roar, I think that it sent a message around the world that in America we stand up for what we believe in, and we'll never stand down," said Deering. 

My interviewees weren't optimistic that Trump's shooting would alter the tone of political discourse for the better. "First they tried to assassinate his character, then they tried to assassinate his business, then they tried to put the man in jail. And when none of that worked, they tried to kill him," said Aaron Del Mar, Palatine Township Republican Chairman. "That tells you where the far-left base is. They know that we're going to win in November and they will do anything they can to try to stop this whole momentum, this whole concept of putting America first."