A political committee backing Republican primary challenger Josh Higgins has filed a lawsuit alleging the Illinois Republican Party illegally used discounted nonprofit postal rates to benefit incumbent Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) in the 94th House District Republican primary.
The complaint, filed Wednesday by Citizens for Higgins and represented by former Republican attorney general candidate Tom DeVore, was submitted in Henderson County Circuit Court in the 9th Judicial Court.
It seeks a declaratory judgment against the Illinois Republican Party, its chair Kathleen Salvi, senior party officials, the House Republican Organization and its chair Amy Elik, and Citizens for Hammond, the political action committee backing Hammond’s candidacy.
According to the filing, the Illinois Republican Party used its non-profit postal permit, which under U.S. Postal Service rules allows it to send mail at significantly reduced rates, to send campaign mailer advertisements on behalf of Hammond, who is not eligible to use those discounted rates.
The lawsuit comes as some grassroots conservatives have objected to the state party’s involvement in contested Republican primaries rather than its focus on general election activities.
Hammond, the deputy House Republican leader, is facing Higgins and Bailey Templeton as challengers in the March 17 primary for the 94th House District, which covers Fulton, Henderson, Hancock, Mercer, Rock Island, Adams, McDonough, Warren, Mason, Knox, Henry and Tazewell counties.
Critics have accused party leadership of favoring establishment-backed incumbents over grassroots challengers, particularly in districts with heavily conservative electorates.
“The ILGOP is a qualified political committee under USPS Standards which has been issued a nonprofit mail indicia,” the complaint states. “Hammond is not a qualified political committee under USPS Standards and is not authorized to send political mail utilizing a nonprofit mail indicia.”
The lawsuit alleges that the use of the party’s nonprofit permit amounted to an improper subsidy in a contested primary and claims there was a coordinated financial arrangement between Hammond, the House Republican Organization, and the state party.
The lawsuit alleges that between April 2025 and January 2026, Hammond transferred $32,780 to the House Republican Organization followed on Jan. 16, 2026 by the HRO (House Republican Organization) advancing $50,000 to the Illinois Republican Party.
“There is an agreement between the ILGOP and HRO, that the $50,000 in funds which the HRO transferred to the ILGOP is to be earmarked to pay for, or otherwise provided consideration, to the ILGOP for sending political mail on behalf of, inter alia, Hammond,” the complaint alleges.
The filing further claims the ILGOP would not have provided its postal stamp for Hammond’s mailer “if not for having received the advance of $50,000 from the HRO.”
Federal postal regulations prohibit nonprofit political committees from using discounted rates if a candidate or another non-qualified entity pays for or assists with the preparation or mailing of campaign materials.
The lawsuit alleges the Hammond mailer violated those rules.
“Political mailings, such as the one for Hammond attached as Exhibit C, could not lawfully be sent utilizing the ILGOP nonprofit mail indicia given Hammond, and/or the HRO, neither of which is a qualified political committee under USPS Standards, paid for the costs of preparation and mailing, or otherwise provided consideration to the ILGOP in return for the mailing being made,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit contrasts Hammond’s mail costs with those paid by Higgins.
“Higgins has paid standard mail rates of over .40 cents per mailer just as any other candidate political committee, as Higgins is not an eligible organization under the USPS Standards authorized to utilize nonprofit mail rates,” the filing states.
Meanwhile, the complaint alleges Hammond’s mailers were sent “for a rate of less than .20 cents each.”
“As a result, Higgins is being harmed as its campaign must pay full mail rates to send political mailers while Hammond enjoys the benefit of significantly discounted rates for her political mail, which it is not allowed by law,” the complaint notes.
Grassroots activists have raised concerns about Hammond’s voting record, donations from teachers’ unions and Democrat-aligned interests and her involvement in the so-called “Pillowgate” scandal, in which Hammond’s husband was paid for renovations to the offices of Hammond and House Minority Leader Tony McCombie.
Higgins, an Air Force veteran and school board member, has argued that Hammond is out of step with the district’s conservative base, which he has described as overwhelmingly Republican. Activists supporting his campaign have accused the state GOP of improperly backing “insider” candidates and undermining fair primary elections.The lawsuit alleges that party and legislative leaders knowingly participated in the alleged scheme.
“The ILGOP, HRO, Hammond, Salvi, Janes, Fogarty and Elik acted in concert, in that each knowingly participated or otherwise acquiesced to, circumventing federal mail law with this scheme,” the complaint states.
Citizens for Higgins is asking the court to declare that the defendants’ actions violated federal postal standards and to issue injunctions barring further transfers of funds or campaign mailings connected to Hammond under the Illinois GOP’s non-profit mail permit.
“An immediate and definitive determination is necessary to clarify the rights and interests of all parties affected,” the complaint states.
No response to the lawsuit has yet been filed by the defendants.
A status hearing has been set for mid-February.
