Did Keith Brin sell an Illinois State Senate Seat?

After Senator Dan McConchie unexpectedly stepped down, Lake County GOP chair Keith Brin had the sole power to appoint his replacement. He did not choose a Republican.

Putting politics aside and just focusing on the science of elections, the Lake County Republicans have been an objective failure under the two years of Chair Keith Brin.

In the current 2025 elections, a majority of Lake County partisan races have no Republican candidate. In 2024, Brin’s first major election, the Lake County Republicans ran on a decisively anti-Republican platform.

Keith Brin’s top ally, shield township GOP’s Dan Rogers, told ABC News the ILGOP “should run more candidates who support gun control and abortion rights."

While the gambit could have worked, it did not, as the three Liberal Republican Candidates that the Lake County GOP put their support behind all experienced blowout losses.

CCP linked Real Estate broker and liberal Republican Jim Carris lost his election by 20%, underperforming conservative Illinois congressional candidates in districts with similar election odds.

County Board Candidate Ben Grum lost by over 17%, and liberal Republican Lake County States Attorney Mary Cole lost by 10%.

In addition to the resounding losses, Brin’s decision to run candidates against the Republican platform armed Illinois Democrats with a valuable talking point that harmed other down-ballot Republican candidates.

A reasonable voter could say, “If the Lake County Republican Candidate for Congress can’t vote for Trump, why should I?”

Facebook/ Jaquelene Garretson Abene records Jim Carris demonstrating his liberal bonafides

or “If the Lake County States attorney candidate is sending out mailers professing her love of an abortion, then Republican candidates that support the republican platform plank of preserving the sanctity of life must then be too extreme.”

Facebook / Mary Cole posted and sent mailers bragging about her liberal position on abortion

Keith Brin has also repeatedly abused his elected power, making him unreliable as a voice to attack the Lake County Democrat Party on similar issues.

Before becoming Lake County ‘s Republican chair, Brin was pushed out as Lake County circuit clerk because he was known for wasting funds on trips and food. The most popular recipient of his lunch meetings was the now-closed Graffiti Grill, owned by top Brin ally Dan Rogers. Brin's unopposed win as Lake County chair allowed his self-serving behavior to continue

Facebook / Dan Rogers and Keith Brin at Vine street BBQ competition on “Team Pork Place”

Facebook / Dan Rogers and Jewish Keith Brin cooking pork ribs

As Lake County GOP chair, Keith Brin spent over 35,000 dollars on one of his legal clients' Cor strategies for “consulting.

Illinois Secretary of State

” As a result of Brin's self-interested spending, Lake County GOP’s cash on hand has dwindled to just above 10,000 dollars.

Illinois Sunshine/ Lake County Republican Central Committee

Criticism has also been met with resistance during Brin’s tenure, as revealed by FOIA requests that show Brin's attempts to use a strained Grayslake Police force against two separate Republicans who criticized his tenure, including a female.

Now, after 26th district Illinois State Senator Dan McConchie resigned, the Illinois state constitution provided Brin with the first consequential task of his two-year tenure.

Lake County encompasses most of the 26th district. Despite the technical involvement of other GOP committee persons, Brin’s vote was sufficient to select a successor.

One credible rumor put a six to seven-figure price tag on buying the seat.

Aaron Del Mar, who the Illinois Record has criticized for selling “Las Vegas showgirls” and having a transactional past, decided to symbolically resign as Illinois GOP Co-chaiir for a second time due to Brin’s apparent handling of the appointment.

Facebook / Aaron Del Mar’s passive aggressive status was read and second resignation was assumed to be about the McConnchie replacement process

The ILGOP claimed that the appointment process would be open to all Republicans in the district and that Brin would pick a successor based on merit.

However, Brin botched his constitutional responsibilities by picking Democrat/Independent Darby Hills as the replacement for pro-life conservative Dan McConchie. On the podcast “smoke filled room”, COR strategies president Colin Corbett has credited the liberal, never-elected, rich housewives' win to a “good interview.”

Facebook / Darby Hills

However, the full video of the appointment process (below) shows a visibly shaken Keith Brin with fidgeting Kane GOP Chair Andro Larrone providing cover.

Zoom video / Recorded By Jaqueline Abene Abeteson

The Illinois Record believes the rumor that Darby Hills has committed using COR Strategies is a more likely explanation for Brin’s decision.

Facebook/ Collin Corbett

Facebook / Collin Corbett the photo that Cor Strategies self described “founding visionary” chose as his profile picture

Politics aside, Illinois state law states the appointee must qualify as a Republican.

Daily Herald / Rusell Lissaue

Hills did not meet the low qualifications of a Republican, which can be met by voting in a republican primary, signing a Republican's petition for office, or holding a role in the local Republican organization.

Local Republicans took the matter to court, seeking a temporary restraining order, which caused Brin to restart the appointment process.

Daily Herald / Russell Lissau

Instead of finding a Republican to replace a Republican, Brin doubled and postponed the appointment to February 28th. In the meantime, Brin would help declare Darby Hills as an Ela Township Republican Precinct captain, thus making her a legal Republican “in name only.”

Facebook / Ela Township’s Lynn “the chin” O’Brien with Keith Brin

Now, the actual decision is not final, but the Illinois record is disgusted by the lengths Brin and other entrenched ILGOP officials will go to use their public office to benefit themselves.

The Collar counties are the primary driver for President Trump’s loss in Illinois. And one has to wonder how hopeful the Lake County GOP future would be if Brin spent the same energy advocating for Republican positions as he did in finding loopholes to empower a rich liberal who has never won an election before. Who knows, Trump may have won in Illinois.

Politico / 2024 election map shows how the collar counties drove President Trump’s loss in Illinois

Yet the reality is the only conservative the clumsy Keith Brin seems interested in is conserving his limited power.

Facebook / Lake County GOP hosted political abuser Tom Devore for a night of drinking and political talk

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