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The United Republican Fund (URF) occupies a unique place in the annals of political history. Founded in 1934 as the Citizens Finance Committee, the URF [as it was renamed in 1956] was established by a group of business and civic leaders who felt it essential to have a committee of volunteer citizens who would raise and distribute all Illinois Republican Party funds fairly and efficiently.

The moving spirits behind the URF have been such notable Illinoisans as U.S. Vice President Charles Dawes, Silas Strawn (Winston & Strawn), Stanley Harris (Harris Bank), Edward Ryerson (Inland Steel), R. Douglas Stuart (Quaker Oats), John Swearingen (Standard Oil), Gov. Richard Ogilvie, Sen. Chuck Percy and a host of other business and political leaders.

As Illinois’ oldest, independent Republican organization, the URF has spearheaded a variety of GOP programs and activities since its inception seven decades ago. Our work has helped elect principled Republicans to federal, state and local offices, including 6 Presidents, 5 U.S. Senators, 72 U.S. Congressmen, 6 Illinois Governors and scores of Republican State Senators and Representatives throughout the years.

MISSION

The mission of the URF is to advance conservative principles, ideas and policies by equipping and electing to office men and women who endorse and promote the Republican values of individual freedom and responsibility, limited and ethical government, the rule of law and free markets.

VISION

Our vision is to be Illinois’ premier conservative organization and a catalyst for conservative Republican victory throughout Illinois. Our immediate objective is to take back a Republican majority in the Illinois State Senate, and Illinois House.

VALUES

The guiding value of the United Republican Fund is service, performed with integrity, transparency and professionalism. Our desired reputation is one of quiet competency, wisdom, strength, influence and leadership.

PHILOSOPHY

The URF is philosophically center-right. However, we believe in—and practice—Ronald Reagan’s model of inclusive conservatism. We believe that actions speak louder than words. Accordingly, we focus on the successful implementation of our strategy and the realization of Republican victory throughout Illinois.

The United Republican Fund believes in the four L·I·F·T principles:

(L) Limited Government

• Illinoisans deserve a government which is fiscally responsible. Waste, fraud, corruption, and duplication in government must be eliminated. Public debt, except for infrastructure, should be avoided. Government budgets should fit within existing revenues. Spending reductions, not tax increases, are the preferred solutions to revenue shortfalls.

• Taxation should be restricted to the most minimal levels, and the burden of taxation should be spread as equally as possible among Illinois citizens. Taxation should never be employed for the purposes of redistributing wealth or restricting productivity, economic growth, or savings.

• Government policy should encourage self-sufficiency and promote the work ethic among Illinoisans. Public funds should not be used to support persons who are capable, albeit unwilling, to provide for their own needs. Government welfare programs for the needy should strive to enforce the dignity of the individual, strengthen the family unit, and encourage the individual's potential for self-sufficiency.

(I) Individual Liberty

• Laws restrict the free exercise of liberty and property. Consequently, no law should be passed unless there is a compelling reason to do so. The proponents of any law should have the burden of proof that passage is necessary.

• The rights of an individual should include, but not be limited to, those rights guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States. They should also include those God-given rights of freedom, not specified in any written document, which necessarily exist in a nation where the individual is more important than the state. Conversely, these rights should not negate the responsibility of the individual's obligation to conduct himself as a responsible and productive member of society.

• All citizens are entitled to security of their persons and property. Government's primary task is the maintenance of law and order to ensure these rights are protected. Accordingly, the system of justice must afford each person access to competent representation and a level playing field to ensure the imperatives of justice can be met.

(F) Free Enterprise

• Through free markets, individuals and groups form relationships and exercise self-government. The state should only intervene to establish minimum health and safety standards, and encourage competition. When the government does choose to use its power to regulate free people, it should be exceedingly cautious to use the least burdensome method possible.

• As individuals have the right to choose in free market systems, they are vested with the responsibility to inform themselves and make choices that best suit their needs. While government should actively enforce fraud statutes, it should not attempt to protect the public from what it perceives as poor choices by eliminating those possibilities from the market.

• Private property is the cornerstone of a free nation. Therefore, community needs should override private property rights only in the most convincing circumstances - not merely for the sake of convenience. In those instances when a compelling need does exist, property owners should be justly compensated for their whole loss.

(T) Traditional Values

• Traditional American values must be preserved and impressed upon each generation. Duty, honor and love of country are some of those values, but equally important are the pursuit of justice and equality before the law.

• The family is the foundation of society; therefore, the state should generally encourage its formation and interfere in its function as little as possible. Family unity and inter-dependency is necessary to foster and encourage culture, learning and long-term national stability. Marriage is intended to be a permanent relationship between one man and one woman and is a foundation for healthy and stable families.

• Human life is sacred and inviolable from conception to natural death. Protection for the unborn and elderly, and compassion for the sick and infirm, are essential elements of a culture of life; and necessary for the health of civil society.