Illinois Republican Leaders Oust Vice Chair Mark Shaw Over 'Trans Delegate' Scandal

LAKE FOREST, IL — The Illinois Republican State Central Committee voted Monday to remove vice chair Mark Shaw in response to allegations regarding his conduct at last month's state GOP convention, where he was accused of having voted as a delegate despite not being one and challenging someone to a fight.

Shaw, who is also the state central committeeman for the 10th Congressional District, had been facing calls for his ouster from several senior party leaders, including the man who succeeded him as chair of the Lake County Republican Party two years ago.

Keith Brin said in a letter asking his fellow county chairs to demand Shaw's resignation that Shaw claimed to believe he was a delegate at the state convention even though he had been explicitly told he was not. And, according to the Lake County chair, an eyewitness spotted Shaw asking for multiple delegate badges to give to others.

"I guess I wasn’t aware there was a new category of identity in America. More specifically, in the Republican Party. We now we have people who 'identify' as delegates. It doesn’t matter that they weren’t actually delegates. But because they were above following the rules - the rules they most likely helped create - they were allowed to enter the convention as delegates. And we must forgive them their transgressions and ignore the rules because it’s all up to how they identify," Brin said.

"I should tell my Democratic Chair counterpart the Republican Party is now woke! We are election woke! All election identities are welcome and honored. I think we all should go to an electorally split county and claim that we identify as voters there and demand ballots. It works for Mark Shaw and the Republican Party, so why not," the county chair said in his June 10 letter to county chairs.

"This is all garbage. It’s hypocritical and embarrassing. How can we continue to spend resources on election integrity and allow this arrogance within the upper hierarchy of our Party? We are not talking about a first-term committeeman," he added. "We are talking about the second in charge of the Illinois Republican Party. This was not a mistake; this was a calculated action."

Brin's letter to county chairs came four days after state party chair Don Tracy told Shaw that he had "been directed to ask him to resign" in response to the desire of a "strong majority" of the state central committee to get rid of him.

The delegate badge controversy was compounded by the allegation that Shaw challenged another committee member to a fight following his unsuccessful bid to become a committeeman for the Republican National Convention, or RNC.

Shaw responded to demands for his ouster Saturday with a 10-page response containing his account of events, describing the allegations of voter fraud and incitement of violence as false.

According to Shaw, 35 of Lake County's 45 delegates did not even show up to the convention in Collinsville and no one had any problem with him voting along with the Lake County delegation. And he denied giving away delegate badges to anyone else.

Shaw also denied the accusation that he threatened to beat up Palatine Township Committeeman Aaron Del Mar, who he said had spent the weekend intimidating other delegates to defeat him.

"More ominously, Aaron reportedly incited attendees to 'charge the stage' at the [Illinois Republican Party] State Convention if his candidate, Dean White, was not declared RNC Committeeman," Shaw said.

"Aaron’s divisive, threatening and intimidating conduct resulted in an exchange of very charged words between us as he attempted to bully his way into a private meeting between White, [Chairman] Don Tracy, [General Counsel] John Fogarty and me," Shaw continued. "He menacingly invited me to fight him when I told him he was not invited to attend the meeting, and I was going to prevent him from doing so. Reflexively, I responded to his invitation by telling him that I would kick his ass. Obviously, a poor choice of words on my part, given Del Mar’s much younger age, better physical condition, and status as a former mixed-martial-arts athlete."

In addition to his claims regarding Del Mar, Shaw's response contained a series of criticisms of Brin, Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison and the party's former attorney general nominee, Tom Devore — who accused Shaw of being a "trans delegate" in a social media post.

State Sen. Jason Plummer, of Edwardsville, said the state central committee would be able to take action regarding the allegations of misconduct against Shaw at Monday's meeting.

Plummer, the GOP state committeeperson for the 15th Congressional District, said he had heard some good feedback about the state convention.

"At the same time, I am very disappointed about the various troubling things that have been relayed to me," Plummer said, "and the party must take appropriate steps to definitively address any wrongdoing."

GOP state central committee members voted "overwhelmingly" to remove Shaw as vice chair Monday evening, the Illinois Review reported, though he remains, as of Tuesday, a member of the central committee and finance committee.