MUNDELEIN – While the State Central Committee of the Illinois Republican Party was meeting in Tinley Park to discuss the retention of Pat Brady as Chairman following his lobbying for gay marriage, a crowd that surged to 150 people at one time gathered in front of State Rep. Ed Sullivan’s district office in Mundelein to protest his recently announced intention to vote for the same-sex marriage bill currently being considered in Springfield.

The rally organizers told Illinois Review that the rally was organized in just a few days, and the fact that so many people came out to protest is a clear indication of the true majority voice of the district.

The protest included a number of elected Republican officials, including current and former GOP township chairs and precinct committeemen. At the close of the rally, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran (R), Father O’Reilly of the Mundelein Santa Maria del Popolo parish, and rally organizers, Eric Burgess(Vernon Township Republican Chair) and Elise Bouc, all spoke to the crowd about the importance of traditional marriage and its impact on providing the most optimal environment for children as well as being a key contributor to our society’s stability. 

Representative Sullivan has described the response to his announcement as being “overwhelmingly positive.” Given the large number of residents who have expressed their disapproval with his decision, the math just doesn’t add up to being “overwhelmingly positive,” noted one organizer. In fact, the news of his announcement has generated a significantly negative reaction in many of the political groups, churches and private schools in the area, with many voters expressing a determination to challenge Sullivan in next year’s primary election.

Representative Sullivan’s district 51 is located in the northern suburbs of Chicago and includes parts or all the communities of Libertyville, Mundelein, Long Grove, Kildeer, Fremont, Lake Zurich, Deer Park, Barrington and Vernon Hills.

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