Illinois House GOP Falls Further Behind Under McCombie and Hammond, With No Path to Gains in 2026
By Illinois Review
Two years into Tony McCombie’s tenure as Illinois House Republican Leader – with Norine Hammond serving as her deputy – the numbers tell a harsh truth: the caucus is weaker, poorer, and no closer to winning seats than when they began.
In fact, under their leadership, House Republicans are staring down 2026 at a staggering disadvantage that virtually guarantees continued Democratic dominance.
After the 2024 general election, the GOP did not gain a single seat. They also did not lose any – but that is hardly a victory. Republicans remain stuck at just 40 seats out of 118, holding barely one-third of the chamber…
Norine Hammond Makes Nearly Twice the Income of Her Own Constituents, While Skipping Local GOP Events Amid Ethics Concerns
By Illinois Review
Illinois State Rep. Norine Hammond, the House Deputy Minority Leader, continues to collect $109,500 a year in taxpayer-funded salary – nearly double the median household income in her district – while repeatedly refusing to appear at public events and distancing herself from the conservative values of the voters she represents.
Hammond receives a $98,000 base salary plus an $11,500 leadership stipend, giving her a paycheck 1.7 times higher than the $64,606 median household income in House District 94.
For context, lawmakers may also receive $178 per diem reimbursements and mileage on session days, though these are separate from fixed salary. All of this is for a legislature that meets around 70 days a year, making Hammond one of the highest-paid part-time state legislators in the nation…
‘No Show’ Norine Hammond: GOP Leader Skips Her Own Hometown GOP Forum to Party With ComEd, Allies of Pritzker, Brandon Johnson
By Illinois Review
Illinois House Republican Deputy Minority Leader Norine “No Show” Hammond didn’t just skip a Republican event Tuesday night – she skipped her own hometown.
Hammond was expected to appear at a GOP State Central Committee candidate forum hosted right in her backyard. Local Republicans, activists, and taxpayers filled the room, ready to hear from the leaders asking for their trust. Instead, they got an empty chair…
“PillowGate” Scandal Deepens: New Evidence Ties GOP Leader Norine Hammond Directly to Her Husband’s Taxpayer-Funded Decorating Firm
By Illinois Review
What began as an eyebrow-raising case of taxpayer-funded office redecorating is now unraveling into something far more serious – a potential ethics and conflict-of-interest scandal inside the Illinois House Republican leadership.
Records obtained by Illinois Review reveal that House Republican Leader Tony McCombie spent more than $17,000 of taxpayer funds on office furnishings and an additional $6,000 in “professional design fees” paid to Leonard Hammond Interiors, Inc., the firm owned by the husband of Deputy House Republican Leader Norine Hammond.
The invoices – marked only as “House Republican Leadership” – include vague descriptions such as chairs, pillows, lamps, flowers, and wall art but fail to specify which offices received the items…
Norine Hammond Betrays Conservatives – Backed Pritzker’s Law Letting Non-Citizens Serve as Police Officers
By Illinois Review
Illinois State Representative Norine Hammond’s voting record is under renewed fire as grassroots conservatives shine a spotlight on a series of Democrat-aligned votes that have resurfaced amid a growing storm of political controversies.
Hammond, the Deputy Republican Leader in the Illinois House, has long represented a deep-red district in western Illinois – where more than 70 percent of voters supported Donald Trump. Yet her voting record tells a very different story: one increasingly in lockstep with Gov. JB Pritzker’s progressive agenda.
At the center of the latest backlash is Hammond’s 2023 vote to allow non-citizens to serve as police officers – a Democrat-backed measure that became law on January 1, 2024. House Bill 3751 permits green-card holders and certain non-citizens with federal work authorization to be sworn in as officers in Illinois…
Norine Hammond Sided with Democrats on Climate Bank Bill That Could Hike Local Property Taxes
By Illinois Review
A 2024 vote by Illinois State Representative Norine Hammond is resurfacing – and conservative voters are furious.
Hammond, the Republican Deputy Minority Leader of the Illinois House, quietly sided with Democrats last year to pass Senate Bill 3597 – now known as Public Act 103-1023 – a measure critics say could lead to higher property taxes for families across Illinois.
The bill, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on August 9, 2024, authorizes local governments to take out taxpayer-backed loans from the so-called Illinois Climate Bank to purchase land and property rights for “clean energy infrastructure projects.”…
GOP Leader Norine Hammond Takes $50K from Liberal Groups Backing Transgender Lessons, Mask Mandates, Anti-Trump Agendas
By Illinois Review
Illinois State Representative and Deputy House Republican Leader Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) is drawing sharp criticism from conservatives after campaign finance records revealed she accepted $50,000 from far-left teachers’ unions that have long opposed Republican priorities and the Trump agenda.
According to filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections, Hammond received $10,000 from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2024 and $40,000 from IPACE, the Illinois Political Action Committee for Education, in 2022…