Republican Dold Among Illinois No-Shows At Party Convention
(CBS) – There will be a number of empty seats in the Illinois delegation at this year's Republican National Convention. They include some of the state's highest-ranking members of the GOP.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports.
In any other election year, you probably wouldn't find the Republican congressman from the 10th district, Bob Dold, at home.
On Monday, though, he was meeting with constituents instead of attending his party's nominating convention.
Presumptive nominee Donald Trump is the reason why.
"I am not going to be supportive of Donald Trump," he says. "For me, it's a very personal thing."
When Trump questioned the hero status of onetime POW Sen. John McCain, it hit home.
"My uncle was the second one shot down," Dold says. "He spent eight years and a day in a prison in Vietnam. So, if anybody wants to say that his service to our country is anything less than heroic is unacceptable."
The state's highest-ranking republican, Gov. Bruce Rauner, was signing legislation banning the sale of synthetic drugs and choosing to stay away from Cleveland.
He's not alone. Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti and state comptroller Leslie Munger are both convention no-shows as well.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk's office says he's remaining in the state, too, to meet with police and veterans,
Kirk has been critical of Trump and, like Dold, is a moderate up for re-election. Both are in tight races, and analysts say supporting Trump could negatively impact their campaigns.
Another Illinois no-show 18th District Congressman Darin LaHood, though he is on record as saying he'll support the nominee.
