Kendall County Board chairman launches bid to challenge Underwood

YORKVILLE – Kendall County Board Chairman Scott Gryder is presenting himself as pragmatic conservative who can get things done in Washington, D.C. as he launches his candidacy for the 14th Congressional District seat.

Gryder formally kicked off his campaign with a reception on Feb. 24 at Yorkville’s Lakeview Grille, surrounded by a large crowd that included top county and municipal officials.

“We need to put an end to Washington’s unyielding overreach,” Gryder told his supporters. “Limited government is more than lip-service to me.”

The Kendall County native is among a crowded Republican field seeking the party’s nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Gryder is now in his third term as an elected member of the county board.

“While Illinois lost population to states offering competitive, pro-family, pro-business, pro-freedom policies, I drove a consensus-based agenda forward that helped propel Kendall County to the top in growth among all Illinois counties,” Gryder told the crowd.

Gryder said his record as a proven vote-getter for elective office makes him the Republican with the best opportunity to unseat Underwood.

GOP candidates include Kendall County Republican Party Chairman James Marter of Oswego and former Kane County Board member Susan Starrett of North Aurora. Also running is former conservative talk radio host Michael Koolidge of Rochelle and Jack Lombardi of Manhattan in Will County.

The primary election is June 28.

Among those showing support for Gryder’s bid were virtually all of the county’s top elected officials, including Sheriff Dwight Baird, State’s Attorney Eric Weis, County Clerk Debbie Gillette, Circuit Clerk Matthew Prochaska, Coroner Jacquie Purcell, Chief Judge Robert Pilmer and several county board members.

Also attending were Yorkville Mayor John Purcell, Oswego Village President Troy Parlier and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who is seeking the GOP nomination for Illinois governor.

In an interview prior to his campaign announcement, Gryder said he disagrees with the Republican National Committee’s characterization of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot as “legitimate political discourse.”

“When they are creating havoc that is not legitimate political discourse,” Gryder said, adding that those who participated in the riot broke the law and should be prosecuted.

“The Republican Party is all about law and order,” Gryder said.

However, Gryder does not believe that then-President Donald Trump was responsible for instigating the riot.

“It’s easy to point fingers,” Gryder said.

But Gryder also does not believe Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

“Joe Biden is in the White House,” Gryder said. “We have to accept that and move on.”

Gryder supported Trump and believes he was an effective president and that it was his style of leadership that cost him a second term in the White House.

“He talked too much. The tweets got to be too much,” Gryder said.

Gryder said Underwood will be a formidable opponent with the advantages of incumbency and financial support from the Democratic National Committee

“It’s not going to be easy. This is potentially a district that changes the balance of the House,” Gryder said.

“I entered this race because the country I love and the people of the 14th District are being failed by the current Democratic leadership in Washington and the tragic fallout of their misguided policies,” Gryder said.

Gryder said he is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and points to a resolution by the Kendall County Board supporting gun ownership rights that was approved last year.

“I’m a constitutionalist,” Gryder said. “If it’s in the Constitution don’t touch it.”

He also pointed to his work to move ahead with major transportation projects in Kendall County, including the Eldamain Road bridge, the Collins Road extension and the Route 47 widening.

“I’m pragmatic. I want to get things done,” Gryder said. “I feel like I’m a pretty good consensus-builder.”

Gryder said family kitchen table economics will be an important issue in his campaign.

“Inflation is out of control. Our debt has increased. We need a low-tax, low-regulatory environment,” he said. “I’ll advocate for business.”

Gryder said that efforts in Republican-controlled states to tighten voting regulations are not aimed at suppressing the vote.

“It’s a voter-integrity issue in my mind,” Gryder said.

Gryder grew up in Plano and graduated from Plano High School. He served internships with U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Before his election to the county board, Gryder was twice elected a trustee on the Oswego Public Library District Board.

Gryder is an attorney and lives in Oswego with his wife and daughter.