Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise spearheaded the effort to remove Cheney from the House GOP committee chair position BLOOMINGTON â Four Illinois Republicans representing the partyâs past, present and â perhaps â future sat on a panel in Bloomington on Thursday evening, sharing thoughts about state government, politics and where the party stands in relation to those. Former Gov. Jim Edgar, state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady and state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, speaking before a packed room at the Bloomington Country Club, agreed that the party needed to unify ahead of 2022 and tolerate a big tent.