2020 IL Senate race: on Civil Rights

Mark Curran: The wrong people moved in, and changed Lake County

But he went a little further than that. "You know, the wrong people moved in, what have you," Curran said at the Illinois Republican County Chairman's Association breakfast in Springfield. "We need to change that and we will."

It's unclear whether Curran was talking about the demographics or the politics of the county. Curran later told the Sun-Times he was referring to "Chicago transplants that vote Democrat and do not mind paying high taxes," noting Lake County has the highest property taxes in the state.

He said any assumption that he was talking about demographics is just from "partisan liars." "It's nonsense that I would ever refer to minorities," Curran said. "It's horrible to even think that."