Billionaire/reality TV star/GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump will hold a rally in Springfield on Monday, less than 48 hours after hosting "Saturday Night Live."
The 7 p.m. rally will be held at the 10,000-capacity Prairie Capital Convention Center, the same capital city venue that hosted inauguration ceremonies for Gov. Bruce Rauner in January.
State Journal-Register political writer Bernard Schoenburg broke the story on Tuesday. He quoted Trump supporter and unsuccessful 2009 congressional candidate Rosanna Pulido on the significance of the Trump appearance:
"It's a great feeling," she added, saying Trump's theme of "make America great again" is "just off the charts for me."
Kent Gray of Leland Grove is Illinois state director of the Trump campaign. He referred a question of why Trump chose Springfield for the Monday rally to national spokeswoman Hope Hicks, but she did not immediately return messages.
Rosemarie Long, who chairs the Sangamon County GOP, said the local party has not endorsed for president in 2016, but she plans to attend the rally.
"I think it would be very interesting to meet Mr. Trump," she said, and she hopes to get the chance.
Free tickets to the rally are available at www.eventbrite.com. Trump has made numerous appearances in Chicago, where his Trump Tower is a prominent part of the skyline, but the Springfield event will be a gauge of how Trump's candidacy is playing outside the city.
Schoenburg's full story is here.
Trump's "Saturday Night Live" visit will be his second as host, but presents challenges far different than those of his 2004 appearance, says former "SNL" writer and Sirius host Dean Obeidallah...
You can read more about Trump's "SNL" appearance over at Reboot Illinois.
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