Bit of wishfull thinking, imo. The demise of the Republican Party in Illinois occured simultaneously with the 1994 “revolution” in Congress, instead of occurring after it.
The demise of the IL GOP happened after 1994. 1998 was the only year, during the past 20 years, during which Illinois elected a Republican to the U.S. senate and a Republican to be governor, during the same election. Those candidates were Peter Fitzgerald and George Ryan, respectively. Conservatives must have lost power before that election, since Ryan is pro-choice and pro-gun control.