DuPage GOP elects first female leader
Darlene Ruscitti made DuPage County GOP history on Wednesday night by becoming its first female leader.
Nearly 300 Republican precinct committeemen broke out in applause after electing Ruscitti to the role of DuPage GOP chairman during their biennial county convention in Wheaton. Ruscitti was nominated by the only person expected to challenge her for the position — Naperville Township GOP chairman Rachel Ossyra.
“It's an honor to be your new chairman,” Ruscitti told the crowd of party faithful. “I'm really humbled by this all, and I'm really proud to be a Republican.”
Ruscitti, of Bloomingdale, is the DuPage County Superintendent of Education. Her two-year term as DuPage GOP chairman is an unpaid position.
She replaced state Rep. Randy Ramey, who last month announced that he wasn't going to try to keep the party chairman post because of a possible government appointment.
Before handing the gavel to Ruscitti on Wednesday, Ramey urged fellow DuPage Republicans to come together and focus on defeating Democratic candidates in the general election.
“We have to put behind us the battle scars from the primaries because now we've got to work as one,” said Ramey, who was defeated in a 23rd Senate primary by state Sen. Carol Pankau. “They (the Democrats) are coming after us. It's going to take all of our skills — all of our hard work — to keep this county Republican.”
Ruscitti says that moving the DuPage GOP forward is one of the reasons she wanted to become chairman.
“My goal is to get all of our Republican candidates elected,” she told the Daily Herald. “We have some really great candidates, and I believe in them. Otherwise, I wouldn't be stepping up to the plate.”
The three-term regional superintendent said the key to the party's success is the township organizations working together. Still, she said she's looking forward to re-energizing the party's platform.
“I think I bring some different skills to the table,” said Ruscitti, who also serves as chairwoman of the Illinois Victory Program, the state GOP's voter-identification and get-out-the-vote campaign.
Ruscitti holds a doctorate in education from Loyola University and bachelor's and master's degrees from Northeastern Illinois University. She has served as chairwoman of the Bloomingdale Township Republican Party.
While Ruscitti acknowledges the significance of becoming the first female at the helm of the DuPage GOP, she doesn't believe her gender got her elected.
“Right now, I'm the right person for the job,” she said. “People know me countywide. They know I've done a great job as (party) chairman in Bloomingdale Township. And they know what I'm capable of doing.”