Team America's 10th District Blog

Checking in With Senator Mark Kirk... and the News is Good (UPDATED)

2012-01-28T16:17:00.003-06:00

I checked in with Senator Mark Kirk's campaign chairman, Michael Morgan, this afternoon, and I think the news on Senator Kirk is very good, considering. I was a bit concerned, as I have been hearing in some circles up here in Lake County that the public reports about Kirk have been a bit whitewashed, and that the Senator was in far graver condition than was generally being reported. I am happy to say that such is not the case, and that Kirk is progressing very well.

Clearly, there will be quite a recovery ahead for Mark, but it appears that things are going well for right now, so I for one am breathing a little easier today.

UPDATED: I saw the Trib just posted a feature on the issues and challenges with rehabilitation after a stroke. No new info on Kirk's condition in the article, but it offers some interesting experiences from several people who have had to confront such a challenge -- bottom line, few recoveries are identical.

Lake County Republican Federation Hosts Candidate Forum for GOP County Office Candidates

2012-01-25T19:34:00.013-06:00

This morning, the Lake County Republican Federation hosted the Republican candidates for the county-wide offices (State's Attorney, Coroner, Recorder of Deeds, and Circuit Court Clerk) to a packed room at the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest.

Yours truly emcee'd the event, which kicked off with the Pledge of Allegiance by my friend Circuit Court Judge Daniel B. Shanes. I noted in my opening remarks that the event was one of our regular "Leadership Council" breakfasts, which are a complimentary thank-you to the Federation's top donors - Our Gold, Silver and Bronze Circle donors. I didn't really need to sell those in attendance on the mission of the Federation, but I took a minute to note that the funds raised by the Federation allow us to to staff and maintain a professional, full-time headquarters, that is accessible for meetings, candidate support, voter outreach and provides a base of operations, in addition to financial and project support to the Republican Central Committee.

I then provided a brief update on Senator Mark Kirk's condition, and Lake County Republican Chairman Bob Cook provided the customary recognition of elected officials and candidates (although in a room full of candidates, Bob joked that it might be simpler if he just introduced those few who did not seem to be running for something!) We then we got right into the program.

The format of the breakfast was a candidate forum in which we asked each of the candidates to come up and give a 3-4 minute talk on themselves and why they felt each was the best candidate for his or her office. A brief Q&A session followed each set of candidates. Almost all of the candidates attended, including:

State's Attorney Candidates: Louise Hayes, Mike Nerheim and Bryan Winter

Coroner Candidate: Steve Newton

Circuit Court Court Clerk Candidates: Keith Brin and Jerry Dietz

Record of Deeds Candidates: Bob Bednar and Marty Blumenthal

One of the other points I made in my comments was on the value of primaries. While most candidates (maybe all of them) really dislike (hate?) them and really wish they had no opponent, primaries can serve very important purposes in that they give us, the voters, a real choice among candidates who share our values and philosophy, to enable us to make individual decisions about who we feel is the best candidate.

On the candidate side, it tends to make people work harder, earlier, raise money and refine their skills and message. While it can be expensive and demanding, by and large, the winners of primaries tend to emerge battle tested and in a better position to take on the Democratic nominee. Above all, primaries need not be destructive, if conducted with honor and professionalism, and if we call pledge to come together after the race to support the successful nominee against their Democrat counterpart in the fall general election.

Based on the enthusiasm in the room and the quality of our GOP candidates for office, I have no doubt in my mind that if the Republicans can get their message out, we will enjoy great success at the polls come this November.

So, as you have come to expect, here are the pix:

Jan Zobus came to represent both Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Bob Dold

County Board Candidate Jeff Werfel, Coroner Candidate Steve Newton and County Board Candidate Scott Helton

Everyone had a great time chatting, networking and noshing.

County Board Chairman David Stolman and former Lt. Governor Corrine Wood.

Circuit Court Clerk Candidates Jerry Dietz and Keith Brin take questions after their presentations.

Here's Keith Brin chatting with attorney Mark Shaw, who came to represent State Rep. Candidate Lauren Turelli.

Here's a long shot of the room with me, Recorder of Deeds Candidates Marty Blumenthal and Bob Bednar during Q&A.

Mark Kirk Update - So Far, So Good

2012-01-24T21:02:00.005-06:00

The news we are getting on Senator Mark Kirk seems quite positive, considering. Here is an update from the Daily Herald, and you can see video of a noontime update from Kirk's doctor on the NBC-5 website here.

I think many of us got a bit of a chuckle when we heard today that Mark asked for his Blackberry - the two thoughts that came to my mind, were, 'how typical' and, better yet, 'that has to be a good sign.'

I confess my enthusiasm got the better of me and I fired off an e-mail to his private e-mail address, thinking there might be some chance he would read it, but I felt a little foolish after considering he's probably in no shape to actually ready anything right now, and, moreover, I then heard that the doctors (wisely) had refused his request.

So far, so good. It will be a long road, no doubt, but so far, there appears to be no reason not to hope that Mark will not be the 'same old Mark,' at least mentally, who we all know and respect.

Senator Mark Kirk Recovering After Stroke Surgery

2012-01-23T11:08:00.004-06:00

From Mark Kirk's Press Office:

Statement on Senator Kirk's Medical Condition
　
　
CHICAGO - A spokesperson for Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) today released the following statement regarding the Senator's medical condition:　
　
"On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck.　 He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke.　 Early this morning the Senator underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke. The surgery was successful. Due to his young age, good health and the nature of the stroke, doctors are very confident in the Senator's recovery over the weeks ahead."
　
To answer questions regarding Senator Kirk's condition and prognosis, his doctors will hold a press conference at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
　
###

Wow, that's a complete shock. I am sending prayers and well wishes to Senator Kirk for a speedy recovery and hope you do the same.

Hinz Clues In to John Tree Foreclosure Fiasco In IL-10 (UPDATED with Sheyman Fundraising Numbers)

2012-01-19T10:38:00.008-06:00

As simply an amateur, part-time political blogger, it's always nice to see the MSM pick up on something that you broke, oh a few months ago, finally get some attention.

This time, it's Greg Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business who has picked up on the personal problems of 10th Congressional District Democratic hopeful John Tree. We reported on this back in mid-November of last year. We might add that, at that time, Hinz was gushing over Tree as having a resume out of central casting. We, of course, did some digging and figured out about the foreclosure, among other troublesome bits of his personal history (Tree, not Hinz).

Hinz's research (which may have been spoon-fed to him by the campaign of Brad Schneider, one of Tree's primary opponents), however, uncovered even more than we reported, which is that in addition to the foreclosure of a home in Elmhurst associated with his first marriage, there is also, according to Hinz, a foreclosure proceeding currently going on with respect to his current home with his second wife (got all that?).

There's a little more, though. When confronted by Hinz for the story, Tree's campaign manager, Pete Giangrco, tried to explain away the first foreclosure on the Elmhurst house by noting that Tree's wife, not Tree, lived in it:

Pete Giangreco, the campaign's chief consultant, says that only Mr. Tree's ex-wife, not Mr. Tree himself, actually lived in the first house and the bank involved ended up accepting an outside sale.

I'm not sure why that's actually relevant, but I assume the implication here is that the house was occupied solely by Lisa Tree, John Tree's first wife, and the foreclosure was all her problem and fault, not his. I guess this was supposed to be where she lived without John Tree either during/after the divorce? The Hinz article does not go into any additional detail.

But, something doesn't add up. According to what we can see on the web, the Elmhurst house was purchased (by John Tree) for a tidy sum ($985,000). That's quite a set of digs to buy for your soon-to-be-ex-wife. The purchase date was 6/30/2005, assuming that info is accurate.

According to the DuPage County Court Clerk's site, though, the Tree/Tree divorce wasn't filed until August 2006.

So, John Tree bought his wife a house a year prior to their divorce being filed, for almost a million bucks, but he never lived in it?

If I were Brad Schneider's campaign, I'd keep digging and feeding Hinz that info. Hopefully we helped him out a bit. No thanks are necessary.

UPDATE: Steve Sadin at Patch reports that Ilya Sheyman's camp stated that he has raised $180,000 for the past quarter, crushing John Tree's $101,000 (of which $20K was a candidate contribution). Sheyman also got the endorsement of the Libertyville Democrats and the Lake County Federation of Teachers.

"Sneaky" Pete Couvall Endorses Democrat John Tree for Congress in IL-10

2012-01-17T12:34:00.004-06:00

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, who never misses a chance to carry water for the Dems, plugs Democratic congressional hopeful John Tree (who is running for the Dem nomination to take on Congressman Bob Dold in the November general election) by reposting a Tree press release touting his past quarter's fundraising and listing some new endorsements.

We can see how his fundraising stacks up against the other major Dem hopefuls, such as Ilya Sheyman and Brad Schneider, once they release their results (although I would suggest that Tree's $80K raised and $20K self-contribution ain't much to crow about), but I got a really evil chuckle after reading down his press release and seeing that one of the new top endorsements that Tree is bragging about is none other than our old friend and well-known Democratic hatchetman for Terry Link, "Sneaky" Pete Couvall:

I just never get tired of reposting that video.

You all remember Pete Couvall, right? His most recent claim to infamy was his hiring of two campaign workers to collect signatures for State Senator Terry Link, which workers ended up being indicted and pleading guilty when it was discovered that they had forged the names (some right out of the phone book, as well as a sampling of dead folks) on Link's nominating petitions in 2008.

I really thought Link and Couvall were going to go down in flames for that, but they somehow managed to escape lasting taint, and that dynamic duo has certainly not shied away from continuing involvement in politics.

Many folks in Waukegan could go on for hours with stories about Couvall, but I would venture to say that except for the folks who are directly involved and support the Link-Couvall power structure up there, Tree may lose half the Democratic voters in Waukegan (where Ilya Sheyman seems to be particulary strong, by the way) by associating himself with Couvall. Couvall has had a history of supporting questionable candidates and officials, including, among others, former Lake County Coroner Richard Keller (another guily plea there).

Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but for a guy who is seeking to take on a reformer mantle, I'm a bit surprised that Tree is out there looking for support from the likes of Couvall. Wow.

GOP Township Endorsements Rolling In for Primary Candidates

2012-01-17T07:24:00.008-06:00

Over the past few days, my inbox has been inundated by various GOP candidates touting their endorsements by the various Township Republican organizations. If you are a GOP candidate with a primary opponent, such endorsements can be a nice boost for your campaign and give you an edge over your opponent. At the very least, it gives you an excuse to send out a press release and something to say on your literature. I think the newspaper endorsements still carry more weight among the general public, but since primaries are run in Illinois along party lines, the endorsement of several Republican groups can be quite helpful, if you have enough money and manpower to inform the primary voters. Such endorsements are certainly not something that usually makes it into the newspaper, so candidates are on their own for publicizing such things.

For the uninitiated (and I had someone ask me a question about this just yesterday), such endorsements are given by the township Republican organization, which is the official GOP organization for each township (in other words, it has nothing to do with the elected township government officials, such as Township Supervisor, highway commissioner, assessor, etc.). The Township GOP organization is made up of elected and appointed precinct committeemen, and these committeemen select a chairman of the Township organization. Again, these are all positions only within the Republican Party, and the Dems have a mirror structure on their side, doing pretty much the same thing.

The way most Township Republican groups run their endorsement sessions goes like this: First, the Township organization decides among themselves if they will do endorsements at all. Many do, but some don't, and some switch back on forth every cycle. It's all up to the committeemen who hold those posts at the time. Next, the organization invites each candidate to come to an 'endorsement session,' which is a meeting of the group (often a Saturday morning) where the candidates come and are given 5 minutes or so to make their stump speech and take questions. The committeemen then vote after all the presentations are done, and a certain majority of the vote is needed to endorse a candidate (the exact percentage of the vote needed is again up to the committeemen to decide amongst themselves -- for example, Cuba Township requires 67% --, and the vote is usually 'weighted', which means that precinct committeemen who had more people turn out in their precinct to vote in the last election get a weighted vote based on those results). Still with me? Well, that's the open side of the story. The 'backroom' part of the story is that candidates often work their personal relationships and lobby the individual committeemen to try to gain supporters and form coalitions to obtain the endorsement, all before the actual endorsement session. Nothing wrong with this, in my view; that's just the way it works. Many committeemen (and I used to be one, myself), find this welcome and flattering, and say that it's the only time during the year that they get any attention! (there aren't a lot of perks in being a committeeman, but this is apparently one of them).

In any case, this is by no means supposed to be a comprehensive list (and we're only concentrating on contested primaries), and feel free to self-report in comments, but here is a select few (all listed 'Townships' are the Township Republican Organization for each such township and should not be confused with the government of the township itself):

Keith Brin for Circuit Court Clerk: Endorsed by Libertyville, Cuba and Wauconda Townships

Lauren Turelli for State Rep., 58th Dist.: Endorsed by New Trier Township

David McSweeney for State Rep. 52nd Dist: Endorsed by Cuba and Wauconda Townships

Dan Donahue for County Board: Endorsed by Libertyville Township

Bryan Winter for Lake County State's Attorney: Endorsed by Wauconda Township, Cuba Township and Libertyville Township (with a very rare unanimous endorsement from Libertyville)

Steve Newton for Coroner: Endorsed by Wauconda, Cuba and Libertyville Townships

Nick Sauer for County Board: Endorsed by Wauconda Township

Bob Bednar for Lake County Recorder of Deeds: Endorsed by Cuba and Libertyville Township

Adding... GOP candidate Don Castella took a bit of a hit this morning in the Daily Herald, with an article about a personal Facebook post Castella made regarding his religous viewpoint that gays must 'repent.' Given the opening, Castella's opponent, incumbent State Senator Terry Link was quick to respond, calling Castella' comments, "mind-boggling." While I support Castella against Link, I think that I, along with many Republicans, don't support Don's views on this issue. Even Lake County GOP Chairman Bob Cook was quick to distance himself and the party from them, saying that Castella's views "are not the views of the Republican Party." On the other hand, Castella is entitled to his religious views, just as Senator Link is, and it's worth noting that neither candidate seems to have sought to inject their religious views into the campaign (the DH article notes that the comment from Castella was made from his personal, not campaign, Facebook account, and Link stated in the article that he doesn't want religious issues to be a focus of the campaign due to the separation of church and state).

I'm sure we will be hearing more on this issue, but I think it's interesting that Terry Link is even responding to questions concerning Castella at this point, as Link seems to have always viewed himself as invincible in his district and barely seems to have acknowledged GOP challengers in the past.

"Not Sure" Is the Clear Winner In 10th District Dem Poll

2012-01-13T08:55:00.006-06:00

The first Dem poll of the new year in the hot race for the Tenth Congressional District here in Illinois was conducted between January 3-4, 2012, of 410 likely Democratic voters, and the results are not too surprising:

Ilya Sheyman...........23%

Brad Schneider.........21%

John Tree...................5%

Vivek Bavda...............2%

Not sure.......................49%

The poll itself was conducted by Public Policy Polling, but was commissioned by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) PAC, which is supporting Ilya Sheyman. The relatively small poll sample, and the huge margin of error (+/- 4.8%), leads us to think we ought not put too much stock into this particular poll. Also, the fact that Ilya Sheyman and Brad Schneider are statistically tied leads one to think that aside from the suggestion (pushed by PCCC) that Democratic voters in the 10th are looking for a 'bold progressive' candidate, there might not be much here to talk about.

However, some of the policy/position questions asked and the responses are rather interesting; for example, when asked about whether Israel was at the top of voters' concerns, only 4% responded yes, compared to 37% each for Wall Street 'accountability' and job creation.

The biggest take-away from this poll is that it's still wide open, and all of the candidates have some work to do to get their message out. As we have been saying for some time, Ilya Sheyman still seems to be the front-runner with the advantage of the best ground-game and volunteer base. He's positioned himself as the most leftist, 'progressive' candidate (whatever that means), so if he can finally start raising some real money to get in people's mailboxes, he's got a real good chance. Veteran and businessman John Tree had a surprisingly poor showing in this poll; despite hiring some expensive consultants and trying to make a big splash out of the box, he doesn't seem to be getting much traction, at least according to this poll (which, again, we're not putting a lot of faith in).

Since a group supporting Sheyman paid for the poll, you can bet that he is touting it, but Schneider is not taking it lying down. So far, no response from the Tree campaign that we know of. He's probably just trying to forget it exists. Or maybe his expensive handlers haven't told him yet, for fear that Tree will get some sense and pull out, and cut off his paid hack team's gravy train.

"Not Sure", of course, is the real winner here. Where's a Dan Seals when the Dems need him? Hahahahahah.

Race To Succeed Karen May Starting To Get Interesting: Turelli and Neerhof Wage Fundraising Battle

2012-01-10T07:08:00.013-06:00

One of the more exciting races in northern Illinois is bound to be the race to succeed retiring State Representative Karen May, in the newly-redrawn 58th District. The lone Democrat who has filed, interestingly, is former prosecutor Scott Drury, who TA readers will remember dropped out (was coaxed out?) of the race for Lake County State's Attorney in a crowded field of candidates. You may also remember that Drury's first campaign tag-line since moving from the SA race was that he is "fed up" with Springfield. We suggested a while back that he may want to re-think that slogan, since his party is the one we have to blame for the current state of affairs down in the State Capitol.

Things are even more interesting on the Republican side, though, as two strong candidates are poised to duke it out for the GOP nomination. On one hand is Lauren Turelli, who ran a strong race against Karen May last cycle (getting an appreciable percentage of the vote against the seemingly unbeatable May), and on the other, Dr. Mark Neerhof, who recently issued a press release touting his fundraising results for this past quarter.

According to Neerhof's press release, Neerhof raised/"invested" nearly $75,000 in a traditionally slow fundraising quarter. Neerhof is campaiging from a conservative platform, emphasizing tort reform, pension reform, and reversing the Democrats 66% state income tax increase. Neerhof also hit the mailboxes in the District with this piece:

Despite the fact that Tureli ran a good race against May last cycle, she apparently was not planning to challenge May again, instead opting for a county board run. With May's decision not to run, Turelli quickly reassessed the race, and decided to jump in after securing promises of support from many local prominent Republicans, as well as the House Republican Organization (HRO).

I spoke with Turelli's campaign chairman, attorney Mark Shaw, yesterday, and he told me that Turelli had raised more than $30,000, and pointed out several things about Neerhof's claimed numbers. First, according to the disclosure forms filed by Neerhof, $45,000 of that $75,000 noted above came from the candidate himself in the form of loans or contributions to the campaign. Second, the disclosures also reveal a small number of large contributions ($1,000 or more) from a small number of people (about 10 contributors). In contrast, said Shaw, Turelli's contributions came from almost 60 donors, and does not include any large loans or contributions from the candidate herself.

Shaw also told me, oficially, that "we're glad to see that there's a lot of interest in this race, which we believe is the result of Lauren's previous campaign against Karen May last cycle."

Shaw told me that, even with HRO in Turelli's corner, they were by no means resting on their laurels and counting on Turelli's name recognition and candidate profile to carry them through an easy primary. "She's going to continue campaiging on the issues she ran on last time, and we're going to be competitive in fundraising," he said. "She's out there working every day."

State Senator Dan Duffy Reaches Out on the South Side

2012-01-02T07:27:00.005-06:00

"I'm from Barrington, and I don't need your vote," State Senator Dan Duffy told folks at a south side barbershop recently, "but I'm here because I vote on legislation that impacts your community. I want you to ask me questions," he said.

Kerry Lester has a great feature on State Senator Dan Duffy in this morning's Daily Herald, in which she chronicles Duffy's efforts to reach beyond the confines of his own constituents in northern Illinois, as have several other legislators who are participating in a program organized by the nonpartisan Young Government organization, which brings in groups of legislators to African-American communities.

Duffy also noted that the Republican party needs to do a better job of reaching out to African-Americans, many of whom, Duffy has learned, think that the Republicans "have just written off" blacks, which obviously impacts the GOP's ability overall to build bridges and a broader base of support statewide.

Is a statewide race in Duffy's future? As Duffy mentioned to Kerry Lester, "If people are going to win statewide offices, then... you need to be receiving votes and building relationships in the African-American communities."

Well, even if Duffy is more concerned about the success of the Illinois GOP in general, rather than any statewide ambtitions of his own, it's great that Republicans like Duffy are really starting to get the idea of reaching out to minorities to learn about their concerns and problems, and figuring out how to give them an option beyond the Democrats.

Did I mention that Duffy is a fellow Augustana grad and fraternity brother? Well, now I have. ;-)

And, yes, I know the photo is from a Libertyville parade, not a south side barbershop, but that's the best photo I had. You can see Duffy's outreach photos on the DH website along with the full article.

Happy New Year and a Look at the Presidential Matchup

2012-01-01T08:53:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone, and our best wishes here at Team America to you all for a happy and prosperous one!

First, a housekeeping item from The Management:

Regular readers will note off late that, as sometimes happens, tempers in comments can flash a bit in the vigorous give-and-take among commentors that we usually encourage. Lately, though, some of it's gotten a little out of hand and, frankly, is getting a little stupid and irritating.

We like having viewpoints challenged, records of candidates and politicians examined and debated, and healthy debate about the issues of the day (try to get fair treatment like that on a liberal blog).

But when the back-and-forth degenerates to simple 'I know you are (or your side/party/whatever is) but what am I?', the blog becomes a lot less fun to read and participate in. So, I'm giving everyone fair warning that comments that are just juvenile and have no redeeming intellectual value are going to be deleted. If you have something of value to add to the discussion, regardless of your viewpoint (and our track record proves that we respect all comers who have something intelligent to say), it'll be recognized. If not, see ya.

'Nuf 'Sed.

Now, to the topic of the day. We don't spend a ton of time on national politics here, as other forums can do that a lot better; the focus of this blog has really always been local Tenth District/Lake County stuff. But, we can't ignore the fact that this is a presidential election year, and numerous comments have already noted the downballot effect that the presidential race will have on our local elections, particularly in the 10th Congressional District. It's still an eternity in politics 'till the November election, and we don't even have a clear Republican nominee yet. But, the latest polling in Iowa shows Romney to be the front-runner, which position was in doubt for much of the past 60 days, with Rick Santorum coming on strong.

What does that mean? My personal thought it that undecided Republicans are finally getting to the point where they must make a decision (and Iowans largely show respect their first-in-the-nation status by putting a lot of thought and consideration into their votes, and demand the candidates show up in person to defend themselves and their platforms), and while many Mom and Pop Republicans have flitted from candidate to candidate to give them a 'test drive,' the closer the actual caucus vote comes, the more the question shifts to who will have the best chance in November to beat Obama. The fast answer to that question, almost from the first day of this cycle, seems to have be Romney, and the latest Rasmussen polling seems to support the notion that Romney in fact has a good shot to dethrown Obama. But, Hillary also figured she was the 'inevitable' candidate, and look what happened there.

We saw what happened to Newt Gingrich's lead in Iowa evaporate after about $8 million in negative ads flooded the airwaves; similarly, once Team Obama gets back to focusing on Romney as the clear GOP nominee (which they have taken only baby steps towards so far) with about a billion dollars to smash him with, we'll have to see where those head-to-head numbers look in September-October.

Anyway, getting back to my original point, what does everyone think the impact of the Presidential race will have on our local candidates across the board? My sense tells me that there is going to be a serious enthusiasm gap among the Democrats in rallying to Obama's banner this time around. He's gravely disappointed many of his most fervent followers, and his strategy now must be to create fear in his supporters that, as disappointing as he's been, the other side would be far worse, repealing ObamaCare, cutting taxes for the billionaires, and turning their backs on the poor and middle class. Will that message drive Dems to the polls this fall? It remains to be seen, but I have always suspected that in Illinois, now that people have gotten the historic thrill out of voting once for Obama out of their systems, and knowing that it's almost certain that Obama will win Illinois no matter what, Obama's coattails in this state will be quite short (more common people than you might think apparently understand that under the Electoral College system, as long as Obama is thought to be a lock on the state already, it gives all but the most zealous 2008 Obama supporters a great excuse to keep their money, avoid working the race, and maybe even finding more important things to do on election day).

Given that a moderate Republican like Mark Kirk has shown he can win the state, perhaps Obama should not be quite so complacent. But, in any case, unless the local Dems show up to the polls in some serious force this fall, local pols like Congressman Bob Dold have more than a fighting chance, even in some of these new districts.

One of the side stories in this race I have been watching with interest is speculation that Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden will switch VP-SOS roles, and this will be matched up against whatever GOP candidates wins the nomination with former SOS Condolezza Rice.

I think both these scenarios are possible; Obama will play the Hillary card only if he feels so desperate that he thinks Hillary is his only lifeline to a second term; his ego won't allow him to go down that road unless he's convinced it's the only option (watch, though, the public story will be that it's all because Uncle Joe Biden just really would rather be SOS, and heck, Obama's a nice guy so he agreed to throw Joe a bone -- or some other ridiculous rationalization. Bleech.)

Okay, enough musings from me. What do y'all think?

Dem Hopefuls Crowd 10th District Congressional Race to Battle Congressman Bob Dold (UPDATED)

2011-12-28T07:19:00.006-06:00

Veteran reporter Steve Sadin of The Patch has been doing a great job lately on keeping an eye on local affairs in the 10th District and Lake County, and he posted a nice update on the 10th District race from the Dem side, now that petition filing is getting close to closing.

As Sadin notes, so far, it seems that incumbent Congressman Bob Dold has not drawn a GOP opponent. We have not heard anything on the street about any credible candidate sticking his or her neck up to discuss a possible run, to say nothing of actually circulating petitions (I'm sure we would have heard about that), so I think it's safe to say that Dold will run unopposed. I suspect his million-dollar-plus warchest probably also had something to do with dampening the enthusiasm of any potential Republican competition.

Not so on the Dem side, as in addition to the candidates we've been talking about over the past few months, Sadin notes that yet another one has filed petitions (Aloys Rutagwibira of Hainesville), for a grand total of five Dem primary hopefuls: Rutagwibira, progressive activist and organizer Ilya Sheyman of Waukegan, Deerfield management consultant Brad Schneider, air force reservist and businessman John Tree of Long Grove, and Mundelein attorney Vivek Bavda.

Assuming that all of the Dem candidates survive any petition challenges and that they all stick it out (the Dems in the 10th have had a history of not shying away from contested primaries), it will be interesting to see how having so many candidates on the ballot will effect the race. I think at this point, our view is that Ilya Sheyman is the likely beneficiary, as he seems to be the most organized and have the best boots-on-the-ground campaign team (as well as having been in the race the longest). Both Tree and Schneider will have to rely on spending money to buy help and name recognition. The other two, well, lots of people run for Congress for lots of reasons, and it's not always to actually win.

Stay tuned campers, it's about to get very interesting.

UPDATED: Today, Crain's blogger Greg Hinz dishes on several congressional races and implies that the 10th is not the red-hot pick-up prospect that the Dems planned for, largely due to the failure of the Democrats to recruit a top-level contender to battle Bob Dold. Hinz's take:

Mr. Obama's popularity also will be a factor in the north suburban 10th Congressional District.

GOP incumbent Bob Dold, a sometimes-moderate in an increasingly conservative Republican Party, on paper is vulnerable. But his stock has risen among GOP pros, and Democrats oddly were unable to recruit any of several state lawmakers who would have been instant favorites in the 10th.

We'll see who wins the Democratic primary: contenders Brad Schneider, Ilya Sheyman and John Tree all have a shot. Then we'll see if Mr. Dold really can convince voters he's been reborn in the mold of John Edward Porter or Mark Kirk, the district's prior two moderate GOP congressman.

State Senate Races In Lake County Will Make For An Interesting Cycle

2011-12-27T08:35:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone, and hope you are all enjoying the holidays. I need to get some actual work done this week, so for now, I thought I'd see if anyone has any thoughts on the race to replace outgoing State Senator Suzi Schmidt in the 31st District, since Daily Herald reporter Russell Lissau just did a big article on the fact that the GOP candidates (all four of them) seem to be lagging behind County Board Member Melinda Bush on the Dem side.

While we're on the subject of State Senate races, it looks like State Senator and Lake County Dem Chairman Terry Link may have a serious contender in Vernon Township GOP Chairman Don Castella (it looks like the other potential Republican contender, Greg Jacobs, is going to get kicked off the ballot for filing with an insufficient number of petition signatures). Don is a pretty conservative guy, for sure, but he's also very, very good at social media (he's a prolific Facebook poster) and I think he's the kind of opponent that Link could easily underestimate.

Dold Blinks on Temporary Payroll Tax Extension; Will House Do The Same? (UPDATED)

2011-12-22T15:11:00.003-06:00

UPDATED: As you probably know by now, the House is expected to pass the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut.

* * *

Well, despite the steadfast attempt of the House and several members of the U.S. Senate to hold out for a year-long payroll tax cut extension, it seems to now be clear that the Senate is not going to budge. Facing this stalemate, it looks like the House is going to have to negotiate, or many folks will be impacted. From Congressman Bob Dold:

Rep. Dold Calls on House To Pass Two-Month Payroll Tax Extension Immediately

Calls on Senate to Appoint Conferees Immediately and work Towards a Long-Term Solution

U.S. Representative Robert Dold (IL-10) issued the following statement today on extending the payroll tax holiday:

"For months I have been advocating for the extension of the payroll-tax holiday and have been working in a bipartisan way in Congress to find common ground so we can get things done for the American people. It is clear that the Senate will not negotiate with the House so I am calling on House Leadership to immediately pass the Senate’s temporary two-month extension. Furthermore, I am calling on Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to immediately appoint Senate conferees so that both bodies of Congress can come together and work out a long-term solution.　

"It is unfortunate that the American people have to worry this holiday season about whether or not they will be giving more of their hard-earned money to the government. That is why I believe it is necessary to pass the two-month extension so that the people of Illinois aren’t faced with a tax increase on January 1st. But let me be clear- the Senate must come to the table and work with the House so that we can find a permanent solution so that hardworking Middle Class families aren’t faced with the same uncertainty in 60 days. In the spirit of the season, let’s end the games immediately and pass the two month extension."

###

When Does a Vote For a $1,000 Tax Cut Become A Vote for A $1,000 Tax Hike? Only In the 10th Dem World of Fuzzy Campaign Math (UPDATED x2)

2011-12-20T22:03:00.006-06:00

So, you might ask, since when is holding out for a $1,000 tax cut instead of settling for a $167 tax cut actually a vote to raise taxes on middle class families by $1,000?

You might want to ask Democratic congressional hopeful John Tree.

From a John Tree e-mail asking for $10 for his campaign fund to defeat that horrible, tea party sympathizing Bob Dold:

Friend,
　
It's unbelievable. 　In the midst of this very tough economy, Congressman Bob Dold voted this morning to raise taxes on middle-class Illinois families.
　
On Saturday, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly - Democrats and Republicans - for a bipartisan compromise on the payroll tax cut and extending unemployment benefits.
　
Congressman Dold could have shown some courage and broken with the Tea Party crowd that runs the House Republican leadership and voted for a bipartisan payroll tax cut extension. Instead, Dold voted to raise taxes on middle-class families by an average of $1000, just in time for the holidays.

Really, Mr. Tree? Let's read Congressman Dold's explanation of this vote:

Dear Friend,

As you may have heard there is a debate going on in Congress today about extending the payroll tax cut for working American families. The President asked Congress for a one year extension on the payroll tax cut and that is what I supported. Last week the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that provides a one year payroll tax cut and protects seniors' health care for the next two years by ensuring doctors in the Medicare program don't have their reimbursements cut by more than 27 percent. The Senate in turn passed a measure to cut taxes and protect seniors for only the next sixty days. I voted today　to take this bill to conference to work out the differences. 　

Under the House plan an American worker making $50,000 is certain to receive a tax cut of $1,000 next year. While under the bill passed by the Senate on Saturday that same worker would only be guaranteed a $167 tax cut. Another feature of the House legislation is a pay freeze for congressional members. The Senate didn't include this key provision in their bill.　

Now the Senate is refusing to take the bill to conference to work out the two sides differences and is refusing to come back to Washington before the end of the year.

Hmm... I guess you, the voter, can take a look at the position taken by each campaign and decide who you are going to support. That's what makes our Democracy great. But, I would suggest to you that Tree's position that not supporting the Senate's temporary $167 tax cut is not the same as voting for a $1,000 tax hike. It's much more logical to use that same logic against Tree's position and point out that the Senate, if they did nothing more, would be supporting a $833 tax hike for the year, compared to the House cut of $1,000. This kind of disingenuous manipulation of the facts is something that most 10th District voters are smart enough to see right through.

By the way, I went over to the Tree website to see what his press release on this issue stated, and I noticed that Tree has completely reworked his biography to make his relationship with his current (second) wife and the parentage of his children clear. I can only assume this is in response to our previous post questioning his original vague language on the subject, since Tree brought it up on his website in the first place.

While you have to give Tree credit for tacitly admitting his misleading language by fixing it to address our concerns, I do have to say that such actions only encourage me...

UPDATED: The Daily Herald spoke to Congressman Dold and asked him if the vote to have a formal negotiation with the Senate on the payroll tax issue was a political "punt." According to the DH:

He said "absolutely not."

"I think what we don't want to do is say we're going to do (the payroll tax extension) for two months." He called that "a punt" instead.

The article continues:

Dold said he's spent time talking to Kirk - his predecessor in the 10th Congressional District in northern Cook and Lake Counties - about the deal.

"We have notices that we are ready to come back at any time," Dold said.

"It is the right policy because one of the lessons of Europe is that you can't run retirement security programs without contributions to retirement security," Kirk told C-SPAN. "Seniors have enough to worry about as it is without the Congress voting on a bipartisan basis to undermine contributions to Social Security."

UPDATED x2: Seems like Greg Hinz at Crain's is drinking the Dem Kool-aid on this one.

Holiday Cheer with Lake County Conservatives

2011-12-18T17:35:00.014-06:00

Last night I spent a nice evening with the movers and shakers of the Lake County conservatives, as a guest at the annual Republican Assembly of Lake County (a/k/a the RALC) holiday party. As usual, the event was held at White Deer Run golf course in Gregg's Landing in Vernon Hills. Coincidentally, Don Castella, who is Vernon Township GOP chairman and is running for the Republican nomination for 30th Senate District to take on incumbent State Senator Terry Link, is having a fundraiser there this coming Tuesday at 5:30 pm. The event even featured a surprise drop-in visit by Congressman Joe Walsh. Walsh spoke very briefly (for Walsh) and noted that while he is very excited to be running in the new 8th District to face (most likely, we think) Tammy Duckworth, he is a bit sad that no part of Lake County is in the new district.

Without further ado, here's my pix:

Colonel Raymond True, the founder and chairman of the RALC, gets things going.

Mundelein Trustee Ed Sullivan, Sr., Rita Mathias and State Representative Sid Mathias.

County Board Chairman David Stolman and Sid.

David Stolman and Lake County GOP Chairman Bob Cook.

Waukegan Township GOP Chairman and County Board candidate David Pfeiffer, former county board member Bob Powers, and former county board member and candidate for State Senate, 31st District, Larry Leafblad.

County Board Member Ann Maine, former 30th Senate District candidate Keith Gray, and Joanne Tonge.

State Senator Dan Duffy and attorney and Lake County State's Attorney Candidate Bryan Winter.

Dan Duffy, long-time GOP anti-tax activist Jack Martin, and Ray True.

Dan Duffy, businessman Eric Burgess, Kris Duffy and former Lake County Recorder of Deeds candidate Dana Sabonjian.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, Green Oaks Trustee Dan Sugrue, and candidate for 29th State Senate District Arie Friedman, M.D.

Lake County Recorder of Deeds candidate Bob Bednar and State Senate Candidate (30th District) Don Castella.

Calling Bullpucky On Barack for Test Message 'We didn't know it was this bad'.

2011-12-13T22:19:00.011-06:00

Some time before the November 2008 election, when Barack Obama was really picking up steam and about ready to roll over HRC, it became pretty apparent to many that the 'hope and change' hype surrounding Obama was simply starting to take on a life of its own, and that no one, even the Obamastar, was going to be able to live up to the expectations that were being set, even half a year before the actual election. I therefore found it quite telling when, as early as May 2008, the Obama campaign was already working behind the scenes, subtly, it seemed, to try to manage expectations without dampening enthusiam and hope... because that's really all the campaign had.

Now we are hearing a new test theme being thrown out there by the Obama camp to see how it plays: essentially, if only we had JUST KNOWN how bad the economy was before the election, we could have let the American people know just how bad the first few years of the Obama presidency would be (not his fault, mind you), but you know, just so expectations were not put so darned high and unrealistic that we now look like we completely failed.

Well, I have to call bullpucky on Obama; first of all, he knew it was bad, and he told us, sorta, that the next president (him) was going to need time to fix it... and that was when the deficit was a few trillion LESS than he cranked it up to be currently:

"Well look," Obama said. "If I'm elected I won't be sworn in until January 2009. And then let's take the example of healthcare. My goal is to have the bill passed by the end of 2009, but we're still gonna have two or three years. Same with changing the tax code. So we're looking at two or three years away, and frankly we're going to have to figure out where the economy is at because the next president is going to inherit a mess. The president has put us in a deficit. We've got four trillion dollars of debt more than we have when he took office. All those veterans who are coming home are going to have to be cared for."

He added, "My goal is in my first term is to get us on the right track."

Yes, that's what he said, but few were listening, or wanted to listen. We did, though, and looking back, it seems clear that he was indeed laying the groundwork for exactly this situation. I first looked in this back in May 2008, and then later as the election grew nearer, as I set forth in a post on Halloween in 2008 (how apropos). Here are those two posts repeated below. [note that several of the original internal hyperlinks no longer work because of the age of the links]

Um, I hate to be an I-told-ya-so, but....

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden: Obama Already Working to Lower His Own Bar for Effecting "Change," Should He Be Elected

No one ever said Barack Obama wasn't smart, or that he didn't plan far down the political road. From what I've read and heard recently, he's already figured out that his grandiose promises of "change" pose a problem for him: no one, no matter how skilled, how 'messianic', can change something like the way Washington, or indeed the country, works overnight. Even more simply, many people massively overestimate the effect a single individual, even the president, or his or her administration, can have on the course of the country (little things like the global economy, rogue nations, acts of God, etc., can throw a little wrench into even the best-laid plans of a president).

So, what's the problem that Obama faces? Well, when you campaign on a promise of "change," and you don't deliver, people will lose faith and you will come under massive criticism for failing to meet your own goal. So, Obama, ever the clever politician, is already seeking to diminish expectations for the effectiveness of his presidency, should he win. He has already realized that he cannot meet the promises he has made, even as vague and empty as they are, given that he has positioned himself as the guy who will turn Washington around on a dime the first week he's in office.

This attempt to manage expectations has not happened overnight. Only a few weeks ago, Obama promised grand change to an enthusiastic crowd, but then admitted it'll be a long slog:

"I'll be honest with you," he said. "We've dug ourselves into a hole, and it's going to take some time to get out." He also said that change for some issues could be "two or three years away."

Now, we're hearing it may even take him two terms.

Wow, ya gotta hand it to this guy. He hasn't even gotten the Dem nomination, but he's already campaigning for his second presidential term.Clearly, he's buying some insurance. Don't blame me, he says, if my first term is a failure by the very standards I've set--the problem in Washington is simply too big for anyone to handle in only four years, and the GOP has made such a mess of things, what could anyone have done?

The message is subtle, but it's clear. Obama doesn't believe the package he's trying to sell to the masses, because it's unrealistic. Obama is sowing the seeds now to be able to say in the future, I never promised you a rose garden.

Oh, but you did. And now, you're already backing away.

Friday October 31, 2008

Obama Promises Everything; Already Preparing to Deliver Nothing

Folks, I called this months ago (back in May, actually), even before the current economic crisis was so apparent. Now that Obama's folks seem comfortable in the prospects of winning the White House, they are already laying the groundwork to admit to the American people that they can't deliver on all the crap that Obama promised. BIG. SHOCK. PEOPLE.

What will the excuses be?

Will he be like Rod Blagojevich, who is still trying to blame some problems on former Governor Ryan, though Blago's been in office six years now? Or will Obama blame the Congress, again kind of like Blago, whose party has a virtual lock on the state legislature--considering that Obama, if elected, will likely have significant Dem majorities in both the House and Senate?

Or will he simply say that not even Superman could have fixed the mess he inherited?

Oh, wait, you told us you WERE Superman.

If you vote for Obama, DO NOT COME CRYING LATER.

Don't Let Top Dems Brush Aside Their Affiliation with Blago

2011-12-08T07:07:00.007-06:00

Now that disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, as Darth Vader might say, 'the circle is complete.' All of the Dems who cozied up to Blago, kissed his ring and eagerly posed for pictures with him (as well as curried favor and looked for political support), are now, of course, coming forward, as they did after he was indicted, and denouncing him as the lying, thieving manipulator that, gosh, had they just KNOWN, they never would have even breathed the same air as him.

Poppycock.

This is Illinois. The politicos cozy up to those politicians whose star appears to be on the rise, and they will dump anyone in a millisecond whose career and fortunes turn toxic.

Governor Quinn, who ran twice with Blago, said yesterday that both he (Quinn) and the People of Illinois, were 'let down'. Uh, yeah.

Senator Dick Durbin issued the same statement he did when Blago was convicted: "I hope today’s sentencing finally draws this sad chapter in Illinois history to a close."

I don't know if State Senator and Lake County Dem Party Chairman Terry Link said anything publicly yesterday, but I do remember what he said a while back in defense of his close association with the Governor: 'We were duped.' Yeah, sure. Let's not forget that Link was so completely duped that he was one of the "Blagojevich 26," as the Chicago Tribune coined them, who stood in the way of removing Blago from office years earlier when they had a chance by opposing a recall amendment to the state constitution.

I also don't know if 10th Dems Chairman Lauren Beth Gash said anything yesterday, but she was probably just hoping I wouldn't run the above picture again.

No chance of that; commentor FOKLAES has been waiting for it, I'm sure.

29th Senate District Race May Take Turn to the Left With Late Entry of Gambling Investment Banker Milton J. Sumption

2011-12-07T06:44:00.010-06:00

Dr. Arie Friedman, a pediatrician and veteran, positioned himself well in the months heading up to the filing period for the 2012 primary and so impressed the local GOP that, as far as I know, no serious potential primary competition ever surfaced, and now that the filing period is over, Friedman has a clear path to the GOP nomination with no primary opponent. That's important, since in the race to succeed retiring State Senator Susan Garrett, every dollar will count, and Friedman will have the luxury of hoarding his cash for the time being, as well as avoid having to beat up (or being beaten up by) any fellow Republicans.

They are not so lucky on the Dem side, though -- even with the early endorsement of Garrett, West Deerfield Township Supervisor and presumed front-runner on the Dem side, Julie Morrison, pulled a primary opponent in none other than Milton J. Sumption, an investment banker from Lake Bluff.

Sumption had an ill-fated brief run for Congress in the 2010 cycle, when he bowed out of the Dem competition once he realized he'd get his clock cleaned by Julie Hamos and Dan Deals. That apparently didn't stop Sumption from pursuing public office, however, and now he's back to try for State Senate.

While his resume describes himself as a 'business consultant,' he made his money as part of the 1%, interestingly focusing at least in part on the gambling industry.

In the prior campaign, Sumption took a lot of heat for parachuting in and thinking he could buy the election (as many on both sides of the political spectrum have done over the years, to be sure), as we see that much of his campaign fund came from himself.

Here's one blogger's perspective on Sumption back in 2009:

Milton J. Sumption announced this past week that he was withdrawing his candidacy for Congress in the North Suburban Illinois 10th Congressional district.

If you are scratching your head and saying, "Who?," you are not alone.

Milt Sumption is a 40-something resident of Lake Bluff, who briefly had a low level job in Senator Tom Daschle's office in the 90's, then made a small fortune as an investment banker on Wall Street, got out just before the crash and decided to buy a pricey home on the North Shore and run for public office.

As often the case with overacheiving business types, he declined to start with something modest like school board or even the county Board, but reckoned that only his rapier intellect could save the rubes of Mark Kirk's district from themselves. So he jumped right in to run for the U.S. Congress. A fellow has to start somewhere, why not the top?

But after spending a few grand to get on the ballot and accosting voters door-to-door in his posh neighborhood, Milt came to the sad realization that he had no name recognition, no base and not a snowball's chance in hell against the relatively veteran Dems, State Rep. Julie Hamos and perennial candidate, Dan Seals.

At least Milty had the good sense to pull the plug on his 3 month campaign whimsy before a bevy of political consultants could milk his hubris for all it was worth.

Ha ha. That blogger sounds a lot like us. Frankly, if we'd cared at the time, we might have posted something very similar, but looking back, this guy didn't cause much of a blip on our radar. I guess we were right.

In any case, Sumption's entrance into the race now means that Morrison has to spend money and likely tack to the left, as well as defend her record on public spending and job creation as a Township trustee in the face of Sumption's likely angle that he, as a private sector guy, is just what is needed to clean up Springfield.

It's looking better and better for a likely State Senator Arie Friedman all the time.

Senator Mark Kirk Marks the Anniversary of His First Year In the U.S. Senate

2011-12-06T06:49:00.003-06:00

Senator Mark Kirk marked the anniversary of his first year in the U.S. Senate with a floor speech reflecting on the challenges and successes of the past year.

h/t Lynn Sweet.

We'd like to reflect as well on the tough battle we fought to put Kirk in the Senate, from the testy primary all the way through the general election fight against our old friend and B-Ball player Alexi Giannoulias. Thanks to all the Team America supporters who helped out.

Five more years like this, please.

Thanks to Illinois Gun Control Laws, You May Have to Be A Mixed-Martial Arts Expert to Avoid Being Beaten and Robbed

2011-12-05T20:58:00.005-06:00

Score a rare win for the good guys -- a Tribune story today tells us how a gun-wielding punk, who was out on parole for burglary already, tried to rob a mixed-martial arts expert and wound up with a bullet wound in his own foot, and being soundly thrashed:

The victim was sitting in his car near Kenneth Avenue and 55th Street about 11:30 p.m. Friday when a man came up to the car and asked him for a light, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.

The man in the car replied that he didn't have a light, and the other man pulled out a handgun and demanded the driver's valuables, Mirabelli said. The driver handed over his cash, wallet and valuables, and the gunman then ordered him out of the car.

At some point, the older man was able to grab hold of the handgun, and during a struggle, the robber discharged a round, striking himself in the ankle, Mirabelli said.

The victim was able to hold the robber until police arrived. When he turned the robber over to police, the victim told them that he participates in Ultimate Fighting Championships, a mixed-martial arts competition, Mirabelli said.

Nice. The sad part is, here is a convicted felon who obviously was able to obtain a gun, no problem. Mr. Would-Be-Victim would have indeed been a victim, had not the man been able to physically overcome the robber with his own muscle and skill. Sadly, not everyone is able to do that, which is why carrying a gun is the great equalizer.

When is this state going to get the fact that gun control laws largely operate only to keep guns out of the hands of lawful citizens and empower criminals to go after anyone they please? The only thing they have to worry about is whether their victim just happens to be a mixed-martial arts champion.... and what are the odds of that?

No worries, though, the robber will no doubt someday be out on the street again, and next time will no doubt target some little old lady who may or may not be a martial arts champion.... but he can be fairly sure that he is the only one in the matchup who will have a gun.

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one."

What Will Be the Impact of the Top of the GOP Ticket for IL-10 and Local Races? (UPDATED x2)

2011-12-05T09:04:00.005-06:00

Over the past week or so, I attended a few campaign meetings for some of the folks I am helping out this cycle, and the question of the impact of the eventual GOP Presidential Nominee will have on local races is really starting to be asked, now that we have basically winnowed down a wide field to two front-runners, Gingrich and Romney (although did I see a poll somewhere that, egads, Ron Paul is still in the running?). Up to now, the large number of candidates made it a bit of a silly exercise to try to predict the impact our eventual nominee would have on local races, but we're getting to the point where that question is no longer quite so academic.

A few people I talked to over the weekend noted that the local Dems (a/k/a Terry Link) have packed every race they could with a candidate, any candidate. Some of these candidates reportedly don't have a lot of interest in the office; rather, they are doing it because they were asked (begged), and don't plan on spending a lot of time, energy or (especially, their own) money. They figure, quite literally, that 'if it's a great Obama year and he sweeps me into office, great. Otherwise, no big whoop.'

Given the lack of motivation on the part of such candidates, the respective top of the ticket becomes even more important. Columnists like Charles Krauthammer seems to be increasingly concerned that the two main candidates on the GOP side are so flawed, that Obama, despite his best efforts not to be re-elected, will nevertheless squeak by.

So, what does everyone think about the GOP ticket, who the eventual nominee will be, and how that will affect our local races?

UPDATED: From The Hill, here's kind of a frightening assessment of where things might head if Newt Gingrich continues to gather momentum.

UPDATED x2: Here is Gingrich's response (to Nancy Pelosi, from the above link). This could be getting quite interesting....

Congressional Candidate John Tree Is A Hero, And He Wants You to Know About It

2011-11-30T21:48:00.003-06:00

On a lark, tonight I checked in with Google to see how John Tree, the newest Dem candidate hopeful for Illinois' Tenth Congressional District was doing. To my amazement, I caught a bizarre developing story being discussed by several news outlets: apparently John Tree found himself being asked by a United Airlines flight attendant to 'step in between' her and an unruly passenger in first class. You can read more details here and here, as well as an account by self-appointed Tree-hugger Lynn Sweet. From the details we can piece together, it doesn't seem like Tree was the only passenger involved in subduing the unruly passenger, however.

While a somewhat differing account is being offered by an Illinois GOP staffer who was also on the plane, the interesting thing to me is that, the Tree campaign team wasted no time in issuing a press release detailing their version of the events.

So - Tree's on his way to DC to do his reserve military service: military creds, check.

He's called upon to help subdue an unruly passenger and pitches in: kudos.

Did he do it for political gain? Even we would not suggest such a thing.

But, after the escapade, Tree campaign manager Pete Giangreco wants to make absolutely sure everyone knows about it: you better believe it.

Team America rating of the Tree campaign's self promotion: Shameless.

Congressman Joe Walsh May Run in 8th District After All (UPDATED)

2011-11-29T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Daily Herald is reporting that Congressman Joe Walsh may stick with running in the redesigned 8th District (assuming the new map survives its court challenge), with the intent to face off against the winner of the fierce battle on the Dem side between Tammy Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi. This would allow the GOP to avoid a costly primary in the 14th District between Walsh and incumbent Randy Hultgren.

Cal Skinner over at the McHenry County Blog (most of which is in the new 14th District) provides this analysis:

A Walsh candidacy....would make the Beltway Republicans, who are pleased with Hultgren’s performance, happy two times over:

Hultgren would be assured of re-election and

Walsh might just be able to get re-elected as well, thereby thwarting the goals of the state and national Democratic Party to eliminate one of the suburban Chicago 2010 GOP freshmen.

And, might I add, should Walsh dispatch another Democratic Party favorite, say, Tammy Duckworth, he would be poised to run for the U.S. Senate against Democrat incumbent Dick Durbin in 2014.

I think Walsh might have a chance in the 8th, but at the very least, it will cause the Dems to turn somersaults and spend money there to gain a victory for their nominee, whereas they probably figured their eventual nominee would have been a shoo-in against a no-name Republican.

UPDATED 9;40 pm: Here's an updated article from the DH. It seems that Walsh is still officially mum, but an announcement could come very soon.

Court-Ordered Extension of Congressional Filing Deadline Means More Time for Dems to Find Their Man (Or Woman) in IL-10

2011-11-22T21:22:00.002-06:00

As regular Team America readers know, we like to focus on politics in Illinois' Tenth Congressional District, and that means that, of course, there is no more important race this cycle (at least to this 10th District Blog) than getting Congressman Bob Dold re-elected. Appropriately, we have been following the movements behind enemy lines on the Democratic side of no-man's land with great interest, as the Dems offer up one candidate after another, and as each hopeful casts out their name with varying degrees of fanfare, claimed masses of support, and commitments for the Big Buck$ necessary to win against Dold's impressive >$1 million war chest.

Some of the Dems have clearly had the knives out, ready to slash away at their fellow liberals to earn the nomination, regardless of the damage to each other, or their party. So far, though, none of the announced Dem candidates: Ilya Sheyman, Brad Schneider, Vivek Bavda, and John Tree, have seemed to light the North Shore set on fire, just yet.

Sheyman is slightly left of Attila the Hun, Schneider's network peetered out after the first quarter of his fundraising efforts, and Bavda, even the Dems don't take seriously. Tree looked good on paper, but once you start to look more closely, he has as much baggage as anyone.

So, the 10th District Dems may be relieved to hear that due to the GOP lawsuit over the unconstitutionality of the Dems' redistricting plan, the appellate panel hearing the case has kicked the filing period back from beginning next Monday, all the way to Friday, December 23rd, through Tuesday Dec. 27th (anyone besides me notice that this period includes Christmas?). That gives the Dems plenty of time to try to find yet another winning candidate to finally give them a chance to wrest away the 10th from Republican rule.

Given that four men are in the race, I would think that a female candidate would have a great chance to stand out in the Dem primary. Maybe our friend Lauren Beth Gash hasn't quite given up her dreams of finally socking it to Mark Kirk (in a manner of speaking, of course, since he's now in the U.S. Senate). Time will tell.

Lake County's Newest Congressman Peter Roskam Starts Making the Rounds

2011-11-22T14:17:00.003-06:00

No, there hasn't been some new election that took place while you were out shopping for turkey; it's just with the new congressional remap (assuming that holds up), part of the new District 6, currently represented by Peter Roskam, will encompass a portion of the southwest part of Lake County, including some of Long Grove, parts of the Barrington area and Lake Zurich.

Steve Sadin of The Patch reports on an event in Buffalo Grove yesterday that Roskam attended in support of Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman, at which Roskam dished on the Supercommittee and the upcoming 2012 presidential election. Your own Team America even got a question in, as noted at the end of the article. Check out the whole thing here. Also, there are some pictures on David's Facebook page.

Yes, we know that calling Roskam a Lake County Congressman right now is a bit premature, but work with us. Roskam is certainly acting like the new map is already a done deal, and we expect to see a lot more of him over the next year.

Lake County GOP Readies for Battle at Committeeman Breakfast

2011-11-19T12:18:00.028-06:00

This morning, the Lake County Republicans gathered at Austin's Fuel Room for a unity breakfast and rally to kick off the 2012 election cycle. The breakfast was sponsored by the Lake County Republican Central Committee, the Lake County Republican Federation, and the Republican Assembly of Lake County. County Chairman Bob Cook preached unanimity among the Lake County GOP, and when all the major Republican groups can get together like this, the Democrats better watch out. The breakfast was well attended and was standing room only by the time the program began with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and singing of the National Anthem by Emily Bednar, who has been singing at GOP events since she was eleven years old (she's now in college!)

Many, many elected officials, including three Congressmen (Dold, Walsh and Hultgren) attended, and plenty of great candidates getting a few final signatures on their petitions. So, without further ado, here's my pix.

The packed room

Congressman Bob Dold and 29th Dist. Senate Candidate Dr. Arie Friedman

Candidates for 31st Dist. State Senate: Michael White, Lenny Jarrett, Larry Leafblad, and Joe Neal.

Emily and Bob Bednar. Bob is running for Recorder of Deeds.

Rich, a committeeman, and County Board Members Bonnie Thompson Carter and Linda Pedersen.

Circuit Court Clerk Candidate Keith Brin, County Board candidate Rick Lesser, and Moraine Township GOP Chairman Lou Atsaves

30th Dist. State Senate Candidate and Vernon Township GOP Chairman Don Castella, and Green Oaks Trustee Dan Sugrue

Congressman Bob Dold and Team America Superfan Bob Goodman

Keith Gray, Ed Kelly (representing Senator Mark Kirk), and Judge Lou Berrones

State's Attorney Candidate Louis Hayes, and State Rep. Candidate Lauren Turelli

Congressman Randy Hultgren

Libertyville Township GOP Chairman Ed Kelly, and former chairman John Emerson

State Senate Candidate Joe Neal and Coroner Candidate Steve Newton

Lake County State's Attorney Candidates Mike Nerheim and Bryan Winter

County Board Candidate Nick Sauer

Bob Powers, Susan Gravenhorst and Steve Carlson

Dan Sugrue and Bob Cook

State Representatives Ed Sullivan, Jr., Kent Gaffney, and JoAnn Osmond

Congressman Joe Walsh did his usual great job of firing up the crowd.

County Board Candiate Jeff Werfel, 30th Dist. State Senate Candidate Greg Jacobs, and State's Attorney Candidate Mike Nerheim

Some of the Shine Coming Off Democrat John Tree's "Central Casting" Resume

2011-11-16T10:41:00.008-06:00

Crain's blogger/columnist Greg Hinz was quite impressed with the resume of political newcomer, businessman and veteran John Tree, who has thrown his hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination for the 10th Congressional District here in northern Illinois; indeed, Hinz gushed that Tree's resume was "right out of Central Casting in the politically moderate, heavily Jewish 10th District."

At first glance, it seems like Hinz was spot-on; Tree is a fairly young, successful businessman (not unlike Congressman Bob Dold, in fact) and veteran, who also seems to be a good fit for the demographics of the newly-revamped 10th District. About the only downside is that he doesn't live there, but heck, that sure never discouraged Dan Seals.

Peel back the onion layers on Tree's resume, though, and some interesting things start to surface.

I found my first hint of tarnish on the shine while looking into Tree was when I was researching the value of his lovely home in Long Grove for the post I put up earlier this morning on whether his wealth was going to be a problem for him among progressive Democratic voters more inclined to vote with the so-called "99%", not the "1%", like Tree. I saw that Tree's home on the property tax bill is in the name of him and his (current) wife; Michelle, but that Michelle had a different last name (Healy).

More looking revealed that Michelle Tree is not John Tree's first wife, and that Tree was divorced sometime around or after August 2006 from his first wife, Lisa N. Tree. The court file in DuPage County is 2006 MR 001089, if anyone cares to look it up.

Also of potential interest is that Michelle Healy was John Tree's business partner before she became his wife, with whom Tree made his fortune in resurrecting an old health-drink brand, Metrecal, which they were promoting as far back as late 2004 and early 2005, according to the Crain's archives.

So what, you say? Plenty of people have unhappy marriages and get divorced, and some get remarried as a result (or because) of an office romance. Could be just what happened here.

But, the interesting thing is that on Tree's campaign website, poor Lisa Tree is nowhere to be mentioned. Rather, the website seems to strongly imply that all of his children are the result of his marriage with Michelle Healy:

John is married to Michelle Tree and they have had five children. Their oldest daughter Stephanie died tragically from an accidental drug overdose in 2011.

At the least, the oldest daughter certainly could not have been the product of the relatively fresh Tree-Healy marriage, contrary to the implication of the website. Why the misdirection?

One other thing of note is that the home John Tree apparently shared with his former wife Lisa in Elmhurst was the subject of a foreclosure sometime in 2006 or 2007 (you can also see that in the DuPage County court records, Case No. 2006 CH 001846). One might wonder why a rich guy like Tree had to lose a home to foreclosure (if that's in fact, what happened) only to wind up in a mansion later in Long Grove.

Curiouser and curiouser, to say the least.

You tell me if for some reason Mr. Tree wants to wash away his prior marital history to Lisa Tree. But as Dem operative David Axelrod knows well, a number of Chicago politicians have seen their political careers implode over what was revealed in their divorce files. It's too early to tell if this could be another one of those cases, but I guess we'll wait and see...

Democrat John Tree Definitely Not Part of the 99%; Let's See How that Plays in IL-10

2011-11-16T06:50:00.011-06:00

It's very popular for Dems right now to ally themselves with the so-called "99%" of 'regular folks' out there who are just plain mad at the Wall Street bankers, special interests, heck, just about anyone who they can blame for the poor economy and job prospects, not to mention the ever-growing "wealth gap."

Well, the latest 10th District Democratic candidate to hit the campaign trail, John Tree, is going to have some explaining to do to the 99% of folks who want to know why the heck they should vote for someone in the 1% (after all, isn't that how they plan to run against Congressman Bob Dold?)

Take Mr. Tree's house, for example. He's a successful businessman, who has done quite well for himself. So well, in fact, he bought a house in Long Grove not too long ago for around $1.8 million. Not too shabby -- and certainly not just your average "Tree House" (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Now, the last thing your Team America would do is to suggest that Mr. Tree doesn't deserve to enjoy the fruits of his labors and ingenuity. After all, the government didn't hand Mr. Tree that nice house; he had to go out and earn it. Heck, Team America aspires to someday be as successful as Mr. Tree, so I'm certainly not going to begrudge him his wealth.

But, try explaining to the 99% up in Waukegan and other areas of the 10th District (which doesn't include Mr. Tree's house, by the way) that Mr. Tree pays more in real estate taxes on his Long Grove mansion (more than $43,000 a year) than many of them even take home for their annual salary, assuming they are fortunate enough to have work.

Do the Dem primary voters really want to hear a 'pick yourself up by your bootstraps and go out and be a success like me' message coming from someone like Mr. Tree? (heck, starts to sound even a little like Herman Cain, for cat's sake) Or will they find Mr. Ilya Sheyman's 'free stuff from the government is your entitlement' progressive message more appealing?

Better get that high-paid campaign team working on crafting that message, stat, Mr. Tree.

Why is Anti-Tea Party Democrat John Tree Running Against Bob Dold and Not Joe Walsh?

2011-11-15T11:37:00.009-06:00

The Tribune's Patch has a nice article on the various Democratic candidates for their party's nomination for the 10th Congressional District, and it's clear they all have their knives out, trying to elbow each other to claim "front runner" status among the Dem contenders.

Of greater interest in the article, though, is the discussion of Tree's motivation to run for Congress, primarily his disgust with the 'tea party' crowd in Congress, but which does not explain why Tree would pick Dold's district to run in instead of tea party darling Joe Walsh:

Tree’s motivation to become a member of Congress sprang from his anger when he said he felt members of the Tea Party were threatening the country’s economic stability.

“Last summer I was working at the Pentagon when the debt ceiling debate was going on,” Tree said. “The Tea Party was holding their own party (the Republicans) hostage and threatening to shut the country down.”

Okay, so why run against Dold rather than Walsh, if the 'tea party' is what must be stopped? Besides Lauren Beth Gash, I don't know if anyone could possibly consider Dold a tea party candidate.

Our own Lou Atsaves comes to the rescue to point out this discrepancy, though:

That experience motivated Tree to serve the country as a representative in Congress as well as a colonel in the Air Force reserve. Though he admits to living a block outside the 10th District, he chose to challenge Dold rather than admitted Tea Party member Rep. Joe Walsh (R-McHenry).

“Dold had a chance to stand up and show leadership,” Tree said of the Kenilworth congressman’s stance during the debt ceiling debate. “He could have broken with his party and supported a bipartisan deal. He did not show the courage.”

Tree’s comments surprised Moraine Township Republican Chairman Lou Atsaves of Lake Forest.

Atsaves explained Dold was one of 40 Republicans and 100 members of Congress to recently sign a letter asking the Congressional Super Committee, charged with reducing the federal deficit an additional $1.3 trillion, to consider all methods possible including increased revenue.

“I deal with a lot of Tea Party people both as Moraine Township chair and with the Lake County Republicans. The Tea Party is not comfortable with Dold,” Atsaves said. “They were upset when he signed it (the bipartisan letter)."

Connecting the dots to figure out Tree's motivation to run against Dold rather than Walsh is not too hard: Tree obviously thinks the 10th District is much more favorable to a Democratic challenge. Clearly, though, if Tree was really interested in cutting the legs out from under the tea party, it would be more effective to go after their poster-child, Walsh, than a moderate like Dold.

So much for Tree's ideals. Looks like he fails the very first test of honesty and character, and won't even admit his real reason for seeking to challenge Bob Dold.

Sad.

Honoring Our Nation's Vets

2011-11-11T07:27:00.004-06:00

Let's take a political time-out with a simple message today to remember all of our brave men and women who wear (and have worn) the uniform of our nation, in whatever branch, to serve and protect our great country from those who would seek to harm us.

Especially for those of us who have never served our country in the armed services, let's make sure we don't forget to honor those who have, and that in large part, the freedom we enjoy has been bought dearly by the sacrifices (too often with lives) and dedication of such brave men and women.

Make sure you thank a vet today.

Rummel Poll Shows Strength for Lauren Turelli

2011-11-10T18:50:00.004-06:00

Someone sent me the results for a poll commissioned by former Lake Forest Mayor Mike Rummel that I think has a lot to say about the strength of his former opponent, Lauren Turelli, in her race to succeed outgoing State Representative Karen May in the 58th Legislative District.

Team America readers will recall that Turelli originally began this cycle as a candidate for Lake County Board, District 12, with former Lake Forest Mayor Mike Rummel and attorney Scott Helton also vying for the GOP nomination. After Karen May announced her retirement, however, Turelli switched over to the 58th District race, in which she had faced May one cycle before, and lost a tough race.

With May out of the picture, Turelli no doubt sensed the opportunity, and Keith Gray of Mettawa (himself a former candidate for State Senate against Terry Link in 2008) dropped out of the race and endorsed Turelli, leaving Dr. Mark Neerhof as the only other announced Republican candidate to challenge Turelli.

Got all that?

So, on to the poll I mentioned. Mike Rummel, a former mayor of Lake Forest (by the way, due to term limits, it seems you can't swing a cat in Lake Forest without running into a former mayor) commissioned a poll while Turelli was still a candidate for county board. Given that the new District 12 has a substantial overlap with the 58th District, the matchup of Turelli, Rummel and Helton ought to give primary opponent Mark Neerhof (as well as the Dems) quite a bit of concern.

A few excerpts from the poll of 141 likely voters: Turelli handily beat both Rummel and Helton if the vote were held that day, 34-22-4, with 28 undecided and 17 no opinion. Turelli also compared well with both Rummel and Helton with fav/un fav perception, running about even with long-time county board member Susan Gravenhorst, who is not running. Looking at the specific Lake Forest numbers from the poll, Turelli is also strong, which bodes unfavorably for Neerhof in the 58th District race.

The other bad news is for Helton, who has a lot of ground to catch up on with Rummel, who now, according to this poll at least, would be running away with the primary election with Turelli out of the county board race. In addition, Rummel has posted some very impressive fundraising numbers for a county board race, in excess of $35K.

Desperate Democrats Still Fishing for a Hero in IL-10; "John Tree" Latest Contenter for Dem Nomination (UPDATED)

2011-11-09T13:28:00.007-06:00

UPDATE 11/10/11 3:40 pm: Lynn Sweet once again brings us the latest; this time, candidate Ilya Sheyman's reaction to John Tree's candidacy, wherein Sheyman blames "Chicago political bosses" for sticking their noses into the 10th District Dem primary. Read it here.

Original post:

In a clear showing of how desperate and unhappy the Dem powers-that-be are with their field on candidates to take on freshman Congressman Bob Dold in Illinois' Tenth Congressional District, the Dems have fielded yet another candidate, businessman John Tree.

Lynn Sweet has a detailed post here.

I have no idea who this guy is, but if you look at the press release quoted in the Sweet post, he has a professional campaign hit squad all ready to go. That tells me he's probably pouring (or is expected to pour) a ton of his own dough into the campaign, as he looks to be a successful businessman (and lives in Long Grove, which probably says something). I could not find any FEC reports that are available yet to prove or disprove my theory as to his finances and assets.

Given that Tree basically needs to buy name recognition in the short months left before the primary, pouring the money into the hired hit squad is really his only option.

But, Tree ought to ask Dick Green how that strategy worked out for another rich businessman with no grass roots support or political experience.

ADDING - Tree's press release states that:

John was motivated to run for Congress when it became clear that extremists in Congress put their narrow partisan interests ahead of our shared national interests.

However, if we look at the Tree campaign team, we don't see any partisan "extremists" (all Dems, of course) that his campaign staff has worked for in the past, do we??? Jan Schakowsky, anyone???

More later.

Today's Edition of 'Calling in Favors' (or, if you like, 'Launching a Missile to Kill a Mouse')

2011-11-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

I saw with some amazement today that the Daily Herald blog has noted that U.S. Senator John McCain is coming in to headline a fundraiser for investment banker David McSweeney, who is running for the GOP nomination for former State Rep. Mark Beaubien's seat in the 52nd legislative district. Sweeney is running against former house GOP staffer Kent Gaffney, who was appointed to fill the Beaubien vacancy when Beaubien passed away suddenly this summer.

Interestingly, I did not find what I expected when I reviewed the FEC.gov website, which was that I expected to see a lot of McCain contributions from McSweeney during McCain's presidential run. But, either I'm not looking in the right place, or McSweeney hasn't contributed to McCain in the past. McSweeney definitely throws a lot of money around to various Republicans, though, so it's safe to assume, I think, that Senator McCain is more than simply interested in finding a good Republican nominee to take over the legislative duties in the Barrington area.

Breaking... State Senator Suzi Schmidt to Not Run Again (UPDATED)

2011-10-31T05:27:00.008-05:00

T.A. got word late last night from a reliable source that State Senator Suzi Schmidt will not run for her job again. As most people are aware, her domestic difficulties with her husband, Bob Schmidt, boiled over into the public eye as the result of calls to 9-1-1 that Senator Schmidt made, in which her statements could be taken to be an abuse of her position with respect to her conversation with the 9-1-1 dispatcher.

Former Lake County Board member Larry Leafblad, quick to try to take advantage of Schmidt's weakened political position, announced that he would run against her a few weeks ago, but he lost his re-election bid for county board to the Democratic challenger, Lake County Board Member Melinda Bush of Grayslake. Not a lot of ethusiasm among the GOP ranks for Leafblad's candidacy, from what I have heard.

The word is that Joe Neal (who happens to be the son of Bob Neal, a long-time Lake County GOP Chairman) will run, and he may have the backing of some prominent Lake County GOP-ers. Joe Neal is currently Newport Township GOP chairman.

Much more as this story develops.

UPDATED 10:00 am: Illinois Review is reporting that Lake County Tea Party founder Lennie Jarratt is throwing his hat in to the ring to replace Suzi Schmidt.

So, so far it's three guys, Leafblad, Neal and Jarratt. Can we expect a female to break up this meatball party and walk away with the nomination based on gender voting? We shall see.

We have early word that State Rep. Sandy Cole will NOT be running; however, time can always change someone's mind, I guess.

ALSO - Vernon Township GOP Chairman Don Castella announced over the weekend that he will seek the GOP nomination for State Senate in the 30th District against Terry Link. Greg Jacobs has flip-flopped a few times on which race he was running in, but last word was that he was running in 30, so this may set up a conservative primary battle.

"Fed Up" Scott Drury Better Look Around to See Which Side He's On

2011-10-26T07:08:00.005-05:00

As regular Team America readers know, we've been following with interest the flips and flops of Democrat Scott Drury, who was running gung-ho for Lake County State's Attorney, until just this past weekend. Drury was very concerned that the retiring Lake County State's Attorney, Michael Waller, had "abused" the principles of justice while in office (although he gave no examples on his website) and pledged to "restore justice" to Lake County. Again, no examples, just soaring rhetoric.

As we reported yesterday, Drury has now dropped out of the Lake County State's Attorney's race, in favor of jumping into the 58th Legislative District race, to try to replace retiring State Representative Karen May.

Of course, Drury is no doubt still very concerned about the lack of justice in Lake County, but apparently that did not stop him from jumping over to a different race when the opportunity presented itself.

Of course, "justice" isn't really a theme that resonates in a race for the General Assembly, given the legislative branch is concerned with matters of state budget, pensions, governance, etc. So, Drury needed a new theme.

One theme Drury may be trying out is that he is "fed up," with the condition of the State.

“A major reason I am running for this office is because I am fed up with the condition of our state,” stated Drury.

Actually, I think that's a great theme. I'm certainly fed up with the condition of the state, too. Every day, the news seems to get worse and worse, as more corruption, pension scandals, sweetheart deals and general malfeasance is uncovered with respect to how this state has been run.

But, there's one problem: the Democrats, and specifically speaker Mike Madigan, have had a stranglehold on state government for what seems like, oh, almost forever. Drury's running as a Democrat. He can't win the May seat without the help of the very establishment that's been busy running this state into the ground for years now. Yet, Drury claims to be "fed up."

Something here doesn't click. Mr. Drury, if you truly want to be an "independent" voice, why not run as an independent, and swear off support from the Democratic Party and Mike Madigan? Without such a commitment, your claims to be "fed up" with state government and your pledge to be an 'independent voice' simply ring hollow.

A true independent voice, or simply another Democratic opportunist hack?

Your move, Mr. Drury.

Latest Whispers: Scott Drury to Run in 58th District for Karen May's Seat (UPDATED)

2011-10-24T22:34:00.003-05:00

As we noted earlier, we have now had several reports that former Democratic Lake County State's Attorney Candidate Scott Drury is dropping out of the State's Attorney Race and will enter the 58th Legislative District to try to succeed retiring State Rep. Karen May. I also heard today that House Speaker Mike Madigan himself was recently involved in trying to recruit a candidate to carry the torch for the Dems against presumptive front running GOP candidate Lauren Turelli. It looks like Drury may be it.

Drury began his campaign committed to the notion that the State's Attorney's office was soft on prosecuting 'political insiders' (although no examples are given on his website, and no names are named), and his experience and leadership was needed to promote 'justice.'

Well, if it turns out that Drury will bail on the State's Attorney race to run in 58, I can think of a number of questions that ought to be asked of him, beginning with, if he was so committed to bringing justice to Lake County through his legal experience, why the sudden change of heart and what makes you so qualified to serve in the General Assembly -- a very different job than the Lake County State's Attorney.

UPDATE: 4:45 pm: Apparently Drury has released a statement confirming his flip over to the 58th legislative race. See Patch for more details.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Yet Another Candidate Enters Race for Lake County State's Attorney (UPDATE: DRURY TO SWITCH RACES?)

2011-10-22T08:38:00.003-05:00

We knew that the announced retirement of long-time Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller would encourage a plethora of candidates among both Republicans and Democrats, but this is really getting interesting. Only a day or so ago, yet another candidate (this time, one the Dem side), announced her intention to join the race.

That makes 4 Democrats, 3 Republicans, for everyone keeping score at home.

The new candidate is Karen Boyd Williams, a Mundelein lawyer. According to the Tribune's article, Williams is a human resources professional-turned attorney.

Williams' Linked-In page tells us that she is a DePaul Law School Graduate (can't be all bad!), but she has only been licensed to practice law since 2007 (according to the ARDC website). She appears to have gone out on her own to practice immediately after graduating law school, but has done a lot of volunteer legal work for Prairie State Legal Services and other organizations.

Williams seems light on experience to be state's attorney, but does seem to be committed to the community, unlike some of the other Dem candidates.

UPDATED 10/24/11: Someone sent me a tip yesterday that Democratic candidate for SA Scott Drury might be planning to pull out of the SA race and jump in the 58th District Race. More on this as it develops, if it does.

The New York Times Takes a Swing at Joe Walsh (UPDATED)

2011-10-18T07:01:00.004-05:00

I guess when The Grey Lady, that bastion of liberal ideology thinly disguised as journalism, takes a swing at you, you ought to regard that as a badge of honor. Especially if you are just a freshman Congressman from Illinois. Whatever you're doing must be really worrying the liberal elite.

Hopefully that's the way Congressman Joe Walsh is taking it, since the New York Times published a nice hit piece on Walsh yesterday.

The NYT goes through Walsh's various troubles with his divorce and other tidbits (have you heard his driver's license was suspended? Twice? Horrors!) to set up the real question so that us parochial voters here in Illinois can hopefully understand it -- don't you people see what kind of a hypocritical, loose-cannon you losers out in the cornfields have elected?

The thing about Joe, though, is that he cares little for what anyone thinks about him, especially an outfit like the NYT, except that he does care for the people who elected him. A lot. And Joe doesn't back down from such criticism, either:

Mr. Walsh, a self-employed consultant whose income fluctuated in the years leading up to his election, shrugs off his financial history, calling it part of why voters related to him during last year’s campaign. “I talked openly about every aspect of my life,” he said. “The fact that I lost a home a few years ago, the fact that I struggled financially. I told people, ‘If you want a building full of millionaires who all have perfect credit scores, then Joe Walsh is not your guy.’ ”

Nor, he contends, do his financial troubles matter much to the job he was sent to do. “I didn’t go to Washington to manage anybody’s money,” he said. “What I want to do is limit what they take from you, so you can manage your money.”

As one of the most visible members of the Tea Party on the national scene, one can understand why the NYT would want to paint Joe in the most unflattering light possible -- take a look at the snapshot they ran on their Internet version of the story -- and implies that, don't worry, his election must have been some kind of fluke, and we're in little danger of being saddled with this bozo a second time around.

What the story doesn't mention, though, is that Walsh had almost a half-million dollars in cash-on-hand in his campaign account, no credible Dem opponent as of yet (yes, we know he has a primary to get past first), and a core group of solid (dare I say rabid) supporters. NYT notwithstanding, anyone who sneers and writes off Joe Walsh at this point would be making a big mistake.

UPDATED: The Daily Herald Blog noted the NYT article too, but they were more interested in what insight could be gleaned into the presumed matchup between Walsh and Randy Hultgren.

Dems Badly Lag Congressman Bob Dold In Fundraising for 10th District Race

2011-10-17T07:33:00.005-05:00

Campaign finance disclosure reports are filtering in from all around, but it's not good news for the Democrats seeking to take on freshman Congressman Bob Dold in northern Illinois's 10th Congressional District.

Dold himself had a solid fundraising quarter, $376,000, bringing him to a total cash-on-hand figure of almost $1 million. He's expected to need it to fend off the Democratic competition, since the remap of the 10th gave the Dems a further advantage in an already Dem-leaning district.

But, as we like to say in Chicago, you can't beat somebody with nobody. And so far, it seems that Nobody is all they have showing up on the Dem side.

Progressive activist Ilya Sheyman may been good at coordinating door-knocking campaigns, but apparently he must not have worked in the fundraising department at MoveOn.org, as his quarterly fundraising was only around $150,000. That's still a little better, though, than his Democratic primary competition, lawyer Brad Schneider, who raised just under $80,000, once you back out a $100,000 loan to himself (on the last day of the reporting cycle, as WBEZ pointed out). With the loan, Schneider has a bit over $400,000 in the bank, which is nothing to sneeze at, but pales in comparison to Dold, who has no primary opponent (and which total, by the way, also includes the $50,000 the candidate gave himself his first quarter). Also, we don't know how much of Schneider's contributions must be reserved for the general, due to the large number of over-limit contributors he had in his first fundraising quarter. Ya gotta win the nomination first to spend that extra dough in the general, pal.

We've seen this kind of pattern with well-heeled candidates like Schneider before -- a good first quarter fundraising effort when all of the candidate's well-off friends and family max out their contributions right away. Once you get beyond your close-in network, however, the appeal of the candidate to the rest of the district becomes more apparent.

Steve Sadin over at Patch reminds us that there is another candidate on the Dem side, as well, Vivek Bavda, but he's hardly even worth an honorable mention, with under $30,000 in the bank (even including a $25,000 loan to himself).

Technically, it's not too late to get another candidate in the 10th District on the Dem side, but Dold's million-dollar war chest is sure to scare off anyone with any brains. The Dems' failure to recruit a top-tier candidate has got to be very frustrating for them.

Lake County State's Attorney Race Shaping Up to Be An Expensive One

2011-10-12T06:49:00.002-05:00

As regular TA readers know, the race to succeed retiring Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller is a popular one -- six announced candidates so far -- and could wind up being a fairly expensive one as well.

As a county-wide office, it takes money to reach the likely primary voters, and given that none of the candidates have held any significant public offices before, to our knowledge, it's going to take a lot of coin to get their name out there. Most of the candidates, with the exception of federal prosecutor Scott Drury, are fairly well known in the Lake County Bar circles of lawyers and judges, but that doesn't count for a whole heck of a lot among the voting populace.

Recognizing that money is going to be key, GOP hopeful Louise Hayes made raising a lot of dough a focus of her campaign from the get-go. She announced her first quarter's worth of fundraising yesterday, with an impressive $130,000. No public announcement from any of the other candidates that I have seen so far, but here's Hayes' press release:

GOP’s Louise Hayes Builds Impressive Campaign Fund
Career Prosecutor Builds Six Figure Campaign War Chest

Lake Bluff 10/10/2011 — Louise Hayes, a veteran Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney running for the office’s top job announced that since she began her campaign for State’s Attorney in August, she has surpassed all fundraising goals. In less than two months of fundraising, Hayes has raised over $130,000 in support of her campaign to become Lake County’s first female State’s Attorney.

Hayes said, “I’ve always expected a spirited Primary and General Election and am so grateful for the almost 150 people that have made donations to my campaign fund. Our strong fundraising shows that I am capable of putting together a strong campaign, one that will bring me to victory and allow me to continue my passion, working on behalf of justice and victims’ rights.”

Hayes stands apart from the GOP pack in other ways also. She is the only Republican candidate that has spent her entire career as a prosecutor. She has prosecuted hundreds of cases on behalf of the people of Lake County and has a thorough understanding of the justice system.

Currently she works in the Mental Health Court, the Veterans' Court, and runs the Grand Jury. Each Grand Jury meets weekly for four months, and indicts those charged with murder, sexual assaults, weapons violations, and numerous other violent or property offenses. Hayes recently extradited from Mexico a fugitive who is awaiting trial on a murder charge in Lake County.

In addition to keeping the office running within budget and ensuring justice, Hayes also has set goals to:

• Continue excellent programs run by the office including the Lake County Domestic Violence Council, the Lake County Children’s' Advocacy Center, and the Major Crash Assistance Team.

• Reallocate funds to the Cyber Crime Division. This division of the office prosecutes criminals who misuse the internet, for example those who prey on young children.

• Protect the ever-growing elderly population from abuse, by continued collaboration with outside Lake County agencies. This includes continued training of law enforcement personnel to recognize the abuse that elders suffer at the hands of others.

• Implement a post-conviction review board made up of attorneys, law enforcement personnel, scientists, and other representatives of the community.

Hayes is a graduate of Stevenson High School, and currently lives in Lake Bluff. She is a graduate of Purdue University and of John Marshall Law School. She and her husband have been married for close to 25 years and have four children, all educated in Lake County's public schools.

###

Businessman Keith Gray to Bow Out of 58th District Race for Karen May's Seat; Will Support Lauren Turelli

2011-10-11T10:22:00.002-05:00

As we predicted, my friend and Mettawa neighbor Keith Gray will announce today that he has withdrawn his candidacy for the 58th Illinois House District, which seat is held by Karen May. Gray's move is geared to support Lauren Turelli, who announced her candidacy for the seat on Monday. Recent comments here have supported Gray as a team player, in looking out for the interests of the party over his own.

In another show of class, Gray has transformed his previously-scheduled kick-off fundraiser scheduled for October 26th at 6pm at Bertucci’s in Highwood, into a fundraiser for Turelli’s campaign.

In a press release to be sent out later today from the Gray campaign, obtained by TA, Gray states:

“Lauren and I have been friends for a long time, and I made a promise to her a while ago that should she seek public office again I would support her. In Illinois politics we see the negative results of so many broken promises by politicians, and I feel that it is most important to uphold my honor and keep a promise made to a good friend and fantastic candidate,” Gray explained.

“By stepping out of the race I can ensure my Party does not waste resources in a tough Primary battle when those resources should be spent showing the voters the clear differences between the Democrats, who raised taxes on families and businesses, and Republicans, who understand we must grow our way back to prosperity.”

Gray also says:

“What’s more important than politics and ego is that we elect someone to represent the voters in the 58th District who understands the vital importance of putting a stop to Springfield’s reckless spending and shifting the focus to pro-growth policies that will create jobs for our hard-working residents and improve Illinois’ economy. I believe Lauren Turelli is that person and I will work tirelessly to ensure she is elected.”

Very, very classy. Keith's race will come, and I will be excited to see him in office someday soon.

As we also reported earlier, the other GOP contender for the seat, Dr. Mark Neerhof, came out within hours after Turelli's announcement was confirmed, to state that he was staying in the race.

Lauren Turelli To Announce for 58th State Representative District; Keith Gray Likely to Bow Out (UPDATED)

2011-10-10T09:49:00.003-05:00

(scroll down for Tuesday's update) I just heard from Lauren Turelli, who has widely been rumored to be looking once against at running for a second time in the 58th State Representative District, now that long-time State Rep. Karen May has announced her retirement. Interesting, two other Republicans were looking at the race and anounced their intentions to run, even before May announced her retirement. One of these, Keith Gray (who previously ran against Terry Link for State Senate in the 30th District) is a close friend of mine, and we have been talking extensively about what he would do should Turelli enter the race. Keith told me pretty clearly that, for the good of the party, he would most likely bow out if Turelli officially got in, as Keith's primary goal is to help gain this seat for the GOP -- and he's not ashamed to admit that, given her name recognition, Turelli is likely the stronger candidate.

So -- this morning, TA exclusively learned that Turelli has made up her mind, and she's in. She will announce her candidacy later today and release the following:

REPUBLICAN LEADERS EXCITED BY
LAUREN TURELLI’S RUN FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE

County and state Republican leaders are excited by Lauren Turelli’s decision to seek the office of State Representative for the 58th District. Recently, the state drew new boundaries for District 58 creating a Lake County-centered district with 92% of the voters residing in Lake County and 8% residing in Cook County. Turelli, a Republican from Lake Forest, made an impressive showing in last year’s election against incumbent, Karen May (D-Highland Park), when only 72% of the district’s voters resided in Lake County and 28% resided in Cook County. May surprised many with her recent announcement that she would not seek re-election to a seventh term in the new district.

In announcing her candidacy, Turelli said “I am deeply honored and humbled by the outpouring of support from district residents and Republican Party leaders who have encouraged me to continue the fight to repair the damage done to Illinois by years of mismanagement in Springfield.”

As a small business owner, former teacher, and mother of three, Turelli understands the many challenges placed upon Illinoisans from run-away deficit spending, heavy tax burdens, underperforming schools, and a jobless rate exceeding the national average. More specifically, Turelli noted that, “record numbers of businesses are fleeing Illinois to neighboring states because of Illinois’ hostility to job creators. In addition, Illinois’ irresponsible deficit spending and unfunded pension liabilities have brought the state to the brink of insolvency. Any person seeking to effectively represent the residents of this district in Springfield must begin asking hard questions about expenditures which impose substantial, additional financial burdens upon our already overtaxed residents, and must develop creative solutions to encourage businesses to flock to Illinois instead of fleeing from it.”

Turelli cited her strong support from Republican Party leaders throughout the district, the county and the state. Among her supporters are Mark Shaw, Lou Atsaves and Daniel Bryant, Chairmen of West Deerfield, Moraine and Shields Township GOP organizations, respectively, many of their precinct committeemen, Bob Cook, Chairman of the Lake County GOP, and Representative Ed Sullivan, a member of the Illinois House GOP Leadership Team.

Specifically, West Deerfield GOP Chairman Mark Shaw commented that, “Lauren ran an extremely impressive, issue-oriented campaign against a long-time, incumbent in a strongly Democratic district and did very well. In fact, this time, Lauren only needs to persuade approximately a couple of dozen voters in each of the district’s precincts to shift their support behind her message of fiscal responsibility, a business-friendly environment, and an educational renaissance, for her to represent the residents of the 58th District.”

In addition, Moraine GOP Chairman Lou Atsaves acknowledged that “Lauren’s ability to unite differing viewpoints within the party and among the electorate demonstrates that she will be an even-handed and effective voice for all of us in Springfield. That’s why Township Chairmen from all over Lake County selected her to represent them as Lake County GOP Chairwoman.”

Also, Shields GOP Chairman Daniel Bryant observed that “Lauren’s selection as Lake County’s GOP Chairwoman, as well as her award for generating the highest voter turnout in her precinct in last year’s primary election, demonstrates her broad-range appeal among the electorate.”

Lake County GOP Chairman Bob Cook praised Turelli’s strong leadership skills when he said “I asked Lauren Turelli to serve with me as Lake County GOP Chairwoman because I knew that she had the leadership qualities necessary to bring all factions of our party together in a united effort.”

Finally, Representative Ed Sullivan, a member of the Illinois GOP Leadership Team, congratulated Turelli on her strong showing in the race for State Representative last year by noting that “I was excited by Turelli’s candidacy last year and am even more excited this year because she represents the common sense values that the 58th District deserves, and is our strongest candidate to win this election.”

Turelli also highlighted her diverse experience with fiscal, budgetary and pension-fund issues through her work in institutional finance and her service on numerous volunteer boards. Currently, Turelli serves on the Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Board, which oversees the City’s many parks and beachfront. As a board member for A Safe Place, Lauren was involved in budgeting for a new transitional home for victims of domestic violence. Lauren also served as the Chairman of Lake Forest Caucus’ Second Ward organization. “These responsibilities have prepared me extremely well to represent the residents of this new district at the state level,” Lauren added.

In closing, Lauren said, “my husband, Ken, my three sons, and I have lived in Lake Forest and the district for virtually our entire lives, and we are totally vested in serving our community in particular, and this district in general. It would be a privilege to represent our area in Springfield as a State Representative.”

UPDATE 10/11/12: 7:15 am: I exchanged some e-mails with Keith Gray yesterday and I think it's likely we'll hear something official from him today. I strongly suspect he will relinquish his place and let Lauren Turelli run with it. I also suspect an endorsement announcement is in the works.

Meanwhile, though, the other announced GOP candidate, Dr. Mark Neerhof, isn't quite so ready to back off. Shortly after I got the Turelli press release yesterday, poltical strategist Brad Goodman e-mailed me to make sure I knew that Neerhof wasn't planning on giving Turelli a free ride. I also got a press release to that effect (below). That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. I think Turelli can use the practice to hone her campaign in preparation for taking on the Dem nominee in the general election. The Lake Forest edition of The Patch has the update on the Dems who are looking at the race.

Dr. Mark Neerhof Welcomes Lauren Turelli to the
Race for Illinois’ 58th District
Doctor looks forward to a spirited primary campaign

Lake Forest 10/10/2011—Today, Dr. Mark Neerhof welcomed Lauren Turelli to the GOP Primary for Illinois’ 58th House District.

Campaign Spokesman Brad Goodman said, “Mark was looking forward to being the Republican that would defeat Karen May in November 2012. When Representative May decided not to run for reelection, then Lauren Turelli decided to jump in the race. We look forward to a spirited Primary Campaign with Lauren. Mark is in this campaign to win the GOP Primary and bring the common-sense values of the 58th district to Springfield.”

Neerhof is an obstetrician having served patients in the Chicagoland area for over 20 years. He is an attending physician at NorthShore University HealthSystem and a Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago.

Dr. Neerhof is also an executive board member and founder of the Illinois chapter of Docs4PatientCare, a nationwide organization of physicians committed to a healthcare system that preserves the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship, promotes the quality of care, and supports affordable access to all Americans while protecting patients' freedom.

Neerhof said, “I am running for State Representative because Springfield is broken and nearly bankrupt. The Democrats have done nothing meaningful to bring spending under control, and know of no other response to increasing deficits other than increasing taxes. This approach has cost Illinois hundreds of thousands of jobs.”

Neerhof will bring a fresh perspective as a physician and fiscal conservative. He will work to ensure Illinois gets its fiscal house in order. He will use his expertise as a physician, well versed in matters related to health care reform, to make health care better and more cost-effective. Medicaid is the leading budget item in Illinois and is rapidly growing. It is wasteful and inefficient and needs to be reformed.

Neerhof’s priorities for Springfield also include:

• Reversing the 66% tax increase that Karen May voted for in January and keeping taxes low for individuals and businesses in Illinois

• Cutting fees and regulations on small business that cost Illinoisans their jobs

• Reforming Illinois’ public pension system

Neerhof is committed to ensure his campaign will have the funding needed to win both races and become the next State Representative for Illinois’58th district.

Karen May Won't Run Again in 58th District

2011-09-28T11:29:00.002-05:00

Wow, this is some real news. First Susan Garrett decides not to run again for State Senate, and now Karen May announces she will not run in 2012 for the 58th State Rep. District.

Are all the incumbent Dems anticipating that they will be getting a whuppin' in 2012? What happened to the Dem-controlled remap that was supposed to further entrench these incumbents for the next 10 years. Crazy, man, crazy.

So far, two Republican have announced for this race - former State Senate Candiate and businessman Keith Gray, and Mark G. Neerhof, DO. Much more on this race, which has now instantly become a hot one, as we go on.

Here's May's e-mail to supporters and press release:

Dear Friends,

I want to share with you the news that I have decided not to run for re-election in 2012 and to thank you for your support over the past decade. It was a very difficult decision because I love serving the citizens of this district and working in Springfield for the issues that are important to us. With your help, we have had many successes, but without the distraction of a campaign, I can concentrate on completing my legislative agenda in the next 15 months. G-d willing, I intend to sprint across the finish line. Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings.
Sincerely,

Karen May

News…from State Representative Karen May

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 28, 2011

State Rep. Karen May: Not Running for Re-Election Highland Park Lawmaker Will Complete 12 Years of Service in Capitol

Highland Park, IL- State Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park, on Wednesday announced she will not seek re-election next fall to the post she has held since January 2001.

After serving as a member of the Highland Park City Council and Highland Park Historic Preservation Commission, May first took office as state representative after winning election to the office in November 2000. Area voters have re-elected her overwhelmingly since then, but after serving more than a decade in the Legislature, May decided now is the time to finish her legislative tenure.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to serve my community in a number of ways over the years, and having the honor of representing people as their advocate in our state’s capitol certainly tops the list,” May said. “This job allows you to have such an incredible impact on people’s lives. It has been a lot of hard work, but so gratifying and rewarding.”

Since taking office, May has maintained a full-time constituent service office to help meet the needs of local residents. May said that public service begins at home, and that helping to improve access to often complicated government programs has been a priority for her.

“Helping people navigate state bureaucracy and deliver critical services is the most important part of being in public office,” May said. “I’ve strived to be open and accessible. Our jobs involve an incredible amount of constituent service and with the help of an amazing and dedicated local staff we were able to provide resources for people to get the help they need.”

With more than 10 years in office, May has worked on a number of legislative issues, including environmental protection, ethics reform, property tax relief, common sense gun control laws, better access to more affordable health care and state budget reforms.

In light of exponentially growing state pension liabilities, May has spearheaded changes to the state’s pension laws to rein in abuses. Last year, she pushed for significant pension reforms, including banning those receiving public pensions from also receiving taxpayer-paid salaries and reducing the maximum pensions that retired public employees may receive. The reforms in the law are expected to save the state as much as $100 billion over the next 40 years. May has also pushed for new limits on pensions this year by passing legislation to stop abuses at the local level.

As the leader of the Green Caucus in the General Assembly, May has also fought aggressively for tougher laws protecting Illinois’ natural resources and ending the production of harmful consumer products. To remove mercury – a powerful neurotoxin that can critically harm the nervous system and lead to serious brain and nerve damage – from the environment, May passed a law creating a program to capture mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles before they are destroyed. The Illinois EPA believes the plan could prevent the release of up to 400 pounds of mercury a year. May has also passed laws that ban the sale or distribution of medical devices that contain mercury, including blood pressure cuffs, and require all elementary and secondary schools in Illinois to purchase environmentally-sensitive cleaning supplies that do not expose students and teachers to harmful chemicals.

As the economy tanked and state revenues declined, May was a leading advocate of budget reforms that tightened up government costs and demanded the state spend no more than it takes in. She has consistently opposed pay hikes for legislators and helped pass state budgets that reject pay raises for lawmakers.

May looks forward to actively representing the 58th district during the remainder of her term.

“I am grateful for the support of the community that has elected me for six terms and I will continue to provide the representation and services that the district deserves.”

# # #

Another No-Name Democrat Enters the 10th District Race

2011-09-19T09:34:00.002-05:00

The Patch has a nice article today noting the entrance of yet another inexperienced, no-name Democrat who is throwing his hat into the race for the Democratic nomination to take on freshman Congressman Bob Dold in the 2012 general election.

Enter Vivek Bavda, 34, a Chicago attorney who lives in Mundelein. Like fellow Dem hopeful Ilya Sheyman, he is the son of immigrants, and he feels he has a compelling story to tell. From what I can tell from the Patch article, Bavda is another far-left Democrat who believes the government must step in to solve all of our problems. Swell.

I bet Dan Seals is watching all of this from his new job at DCEO and grinding his teeth, given that he could easily walk into this race today and take the nomination, I'd bet. I'd also bet that he'd lose the general, even with the revamped 10th District, so he's probably a lot better off with his new cushy state job.

State Senator Susan Garrett Appears Poised to Endorse in 29th Senate District (UPDATED)

2011-09-02T08:19:00.004-05:00

A blurb in the Lake County News-Sun caught my eye this morning:

State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, and West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison, Democratic candidate for the 29th Senate District will hold a joint press conference Sept. 8, at 11 a.m. at the Italian Kitchen Restaurant, 648 Deerfield Road, Deerfield. Garrett said she will be making a statement about the upcoming election for her Senate seat, which she has held since 2002. Morrison announced last month her intention to seek the Democratic nomination for that seat.

It's not too difficult to figure out that Garrett will be endorsing Morrison to run as the Democratic candidate to fill her spot. So far, I don't believe any other Democrats have announced their intention to run, although Township High School District 113 Board Member Annette Lidawer of Highland Park said she was thinking about it. The Garrett/Morrison announcement, timed right before petitions are due to begin being circulated, may well be designed to scare away any competition and clear the field for Morrison.

In any case, whichever candidate emerges on the Dem side, they will have a formidable opponent in veteran navy pilot and physician Arie Friedman. With Sid Mathias having announced to run against Carol Sente in the 59th Legislative District, Friedman should have a clear field on the GOP side, and is already kicking his campaign into high gear.

If I were the Dems, I'd be more than a bit nervous about this seat.

UPDATED 9/5/11 7:20 pm: Well, we didn't attend the press conference, but it turns out we were right about Garrett endorsing Morrison. Not like it wasn't a no-brainer.

Constituents have expressed a need for legislators in Springfield to create jobs. Morrison said she heard that message and would work to bring more jobs to the district if elected.

Oh, really? Would you have voted against the 66% income tax hike? Please, someone ask her that, stat.

Lake County Political Races Heating Up With New Candidates for State Senate and State's Attorney; Is Michael Bond Serious About IL-10 This Time?

2011-09-01T07:31:00.010-05:00

A couple new announcements on the Lake County political scene this week show that we're in for a lot of hot races leading into the March primary.

First, yet another candidate has declared for State's Attorney in the wake of long-time State's Attorney Michael's Waller's announced retirement, Reginald "Reggie" Mathews, of Lindenhurst, who like fellow candidates Louise Hayes and Chris Kennedy, is also a current Assistant State's Attorney. That brings the total up to six candidates, three Republicans and three Democrats, for those keeping track.

Next, current Lake County Board Member Melinda Bush (District 6), of Grayslake, has announced her candidacy for state senate in IL-31, against Republican incumbent Suzi Schmidt. Schmidt knows Bush well, given that they served on the County Board together when Schmidt was county board chairman. Some were expecting former State Senator Michael Bond to run again for this seat and try to recapture it for the Dems. He still might; Bond has not announced his intentions, and may still also be considering a run for Congress in IL-10. Bond, as Team America readers may recall, made a short-lived, abortive attempt to gear up for a congressional run in 2010, but backed out before he really got started (although he did actually announce his congressional candidacy and set up a website). He lost his bid for re-election to the State Senate that same cycle. More background on Bond here.

Given the lackluster field in the IL-10 race on the Dem side, and the prospect of facing Bush in a Dem primary for his old job in IL-31, I would not put it past Bond to make a run for Congress (for real, this time), but I guess we'll have to see.

In other news, Dr. Arie Friedman has made official his bid for Susan Garrett's State Senate Seat in the 29th Senate District, and one of his colleagues, Dr. Mark Neerhof, is planning to run against State Representative Karen May. Much more on that race later.

Republican Assembly of Lake County Serves Up Fun and Food at Annual Picnic; Walsh Won't Run Against Dold

2011-08-29T20:45:00.036-05:00

This past weekend, I attended the Republican Assembly of Lake County (RALC) 10th Annual Picnic in Wauconda, and wow, was the weather great! After a summer of too many storms and too much heat and humidity, it seems that we're finally catching a break these last few weeks of summer, and about 100 people attended the RALC event and took advantage of it.

Lots of elected officials and candidates attended, including Congressmen Bob Dold (pictured above getting his custom-made burger) and Joe Walsh, State Senators Suzi Schmidt and Dan Duffy, State Representatives Ed Sullivan, Jr. and Sandy Cole, and many others.

While many elected officials gave lively and energizing speeches, no one was as animated and fired-up as Congressman Joe Walsh, who in addition to firing up the crowd, was emphatic that his fellow Congressman Bob Dold needed to be re-elected and sent back to Congress next term. While Walsh did not say so explicitly, one would think that Walsh's statements at the picnic definitively rules out a run for Walsh in the 10th District GOP primary against Dold. Walsh did not further elaborate on his plans, though he made it pretty clear he thought he was needed back in Washington.

Here's the pix:

Below, State's Attorney Candiate Bryan Winter laughs with ASA Rod Drobinski.

Another State's Attorney candidate and current ASA Louise Hayes is flanked by Mundelein Trustee Ed. Sullivan, Sr. and his son, State Rep. Ed Sullivan, Jr.

Long Grove Mayor Maria Rodriguez, County Board Chairman David Stolman, and State Senator Suzi Schmidt.

Bryan Winter talks with Congressman Bob Dold.

Ed Sullivan, Jr., Bob Cook, and County Board candidate David Pfeifer.

Candidate for County Coroner Steve Newton.

State Rep. candidate Greg Jacobs and State's Attorney candidate Mike Nerheim.

One of TA's biggest fans, Libertyville Committeeman Bob Goodman.

RALC founder Colonel Raymond True gets the program started.

State Senator Dan Duffy fires up the crowd.

The crowd.

GOP County Chairman Bob Cook points out the attending elected officials and candidates.

State Senator Suzi Schmidt and Congressman Joe Walsh.

Yours truly, Team America, with Bob Dold and Green Oaks Trustee Dan Sugrue.

ASA Louise Hayes Joins Republicans Running for Lake County State's Attorney

2011-08-23T09:15:00.006-05:00

My friend Louise Hayes, who I have known for years, has announced her candidacy for Lake County State's Attorney, in the wake of long-time State's Attorney Michael Waller's retirement. Hayes has hired Brad Goodman for PR, and has been making calls and sending fundraising e-mails and the like for the past month or so.

Hayes's angle is to be "Lake County's First Female State's Attorney," which isn't a bad hook. Hayes has many years of experience in the office, but given the recent blasting that Waller has taken over the past year or two regarding the Jerry Hobbs issue and other DNA-related kerfuffles, it will be very interesting to see if Hayes's deep prosecutorial experience ends up being a hindrance or a help. Hayes has been pointing out that she personally has had nothing to do with any of the DNA cases that have caught the attention of the media.

Hayes joins private municipal attorney Bryan Winter and former ASA (now in private practice) Mike Nerheim in the race on the GOP side, and another former ASA Chris Kennedy and former AUSA Scott Drury on the Dem side.

Here's Hayes' press release:

Louise Hayes Announces Candidacy for Lake County State’s Attorney
Only Career Prosecutor to Enter the GOP Primary Aims to Become Lake County’s First Female State’s Attorney

Lake Bluff 8/23/2011—Today, Louise Hayes a veteran of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office announced her candidacy for the GOP nomination for Lake County State’s Attorney. Hayes has served under both former State’s Attorney Fred Foreman and current State’s Attorney Mike Waller.

Hayes has prosecuted hundreds of cases on behalf of the people of Lake County and has a thorough understanding of the justice system. She also prides herself on working for victims’ rights. Currently she works in the Mental Health Court, the Veterans' Court, and runs the Grand Jury. Each Grand Jury meets weekly for four months, and indicts those charged with murder, sexual assaults, weapons violations, and numerous other violent or property offenses. Hayes recently extradited from Mexico a fugitive who is awaiting trial on a murder charge in Lake County.

Hayes said, “I will work with the County Board and its budgetary constraints, as tough times call for tough measures, but I will always ensure that justice is served in the Lake County.”

In addition to keeping the office running within budget and ensuring justice, Hayes also has set goals to:

• Continue excellent programs run by the office including the Lake County Domestic Violence Council, the Lake County Children’s' Advocacy Center, and the Major Crash Assistance Team.

• Reallocate funds to the Cyber Crime Division. This division of the office prosecutes criminals who misuse the internet, for example those who prey on young children.

• Protect the ever-growing elderly population from abuse, by continued collaboration with outside Lake County agencies. This includes continued training of law enforcement personnel to recognize the abuse that elders suffer at the hands of others.

• Implement a post-conviction review board made up of attorneys, law enforcement personnel, scientists, and other representatives of the community.

Hayes is a graduate of Stevenson High School, and has lived in Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove and Lake Bluff. She is a graduate of Purdue University and of John Marshall Law School. She and her husband have been married for close to 25 years and have four children, all educated in Lake County's public schools.

Hayes expects both a challenging Primary and General Election and has committed to ensure her campaign will have the funding needed to win both races and become Lake County’s first female State’s Attorney.

State Rep. Sid Mathias To Challenge Fellow State Rep. Carol Sente in Remapped 59th Legislative District (UPDATED WITH PRESS RELEASE)

2011-08-17T15:24:00.008-05:00

Political watchdogs in northeastern Illinois have been speculating ever since the Dems released their new map that incumbent Republican State Rep. Sid Mathias (53rd Dist.) and incumbent Democrat State Rep. Carol Sente (59th District) might go head-to-head in 2012, as the Dems saw fit to draw Mathias (barely) into Sente's 59th District. Such a race would pit two well-known, moderate and likeable incumbents, one center-right, and one center-left, battling for the hearts and minds of the middle, in an area of the state known for ticket-splitting and often choosing personality over politics when it comes to their elected officials.

It looks like that nuclear scenario is going to come to pass, as Sid Mathias has finally made up his mind, and will run in the new 59th District in 2012. Mathias told Team America this afternoon that he "is looking forward to a positive race on the issues with Carol." Sid knows that this will be a challenging race, but told me that he feels very good about his decision and is very enthusiastic about getting started with his campaign.

The Dems have recently taken a lot of heat for playing redistricting games and delighted in drawing various incumbents and threatening candidates into or out of current districts to protect the Dem-favored incumbents wherever possible (Mathias's house is a mere two blocks or so into the newly-revised 59th District). The Dems may have just been a little too smart for their own good this time, though, as the choice to stick an experienced, well-known and affable candidate like Mathias into a district with a relative newbie like Sente is more than a bit of a risk. In fact, it may be that whatever college intern working for Madigan who helped with the map may not have noticed that while the new 59th District doesn't include much of Sid's current district (53) -- no doubt by design -- it actually does include somewhere around half of Sid's previous district (which had much more of Lake County in it than it has now) before the last remap in 2000, as Sid pointed out to me.

"I'm looking forward to re-acquainting myself with many of my old constituents, and meeting new ones as well," Sid told me, a bit tongue-in-cheek.

But, the Dems are the ones who may not be laughing too hard come next November. As a longtime State Rep, and a former mayor of Buffalo Grove (not to mention one that has a train station named after him), Sid has first-tier name recognition all over the area. I am convinced that Sid is the best possible candidate that the GOP could have hoped to run in this district; we now have a real shot at taking this one back.

Sid plans to send out an official press release later tomorrow.

Photo shamelessly stolen from: LakeCountyEye

UPDATED 8/22/11 11:00 am: Here is the text of the long-awaited press release:

MATHIAS ANNOUNCES BID FOR REELECTION
Veteran Lawmaker Stays Put, Will Run for State House

State Representative and former Mayor of Buffalo Grove Sid Mathias (R, Buffalo Grove) is announcing his intention to run for re-election to the 59th Representative District citing his longstanding reputation for finding solutions in Springfield accompanied by a strong need to maintain the fiscally conservative momentum created this past Spring.

“People are desperate for leadership right now, pragmatic leadership willing to work together to find solutions,” said Mathias. “As a full time legislator, I have a proven track record for not only protecting taxpayers, but also cutting through the bureaucratic clutter to bring real ideas forward,” he added.

Throughout his career, Mathias has used his background in law and local government to carve out a place in Springfield, focusing on local transit, mental health, municipal and legal issues. He currently serves as Minority Spokesperson on the Cities and Villages and Mass Transit committees. He also sits on the Judiciary Civil Law, State Government Administration and Tollway Oversight committees.

As a consistent taxpayer advocate, Mathias took the lead, immediately proposing the first legislative to roll-back the Cook County sales tax (HB715, 96th GA) on the heals of the massive sales tax hike. His legislation helped drive the discussion and pushed Democrats into finding a solution.

With an eye on public safety, Mathias successfully sponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at enhancing the public safety of children by cracking down on internet solicitation (HB3283), requiring parental controls by internet providers (HB3289) and by allowing schools to expel student for gross disobedience and bullying via the internet (HB3281).

Understanding job creation is perhaps the most important step to recovery, Mathias successfully guided a measure through the house this past spring aimed at workforce development. The measure, HB2927, sought to create job growth by providing business incentives to hire additional workers by fully leveraging the federal funds provided by both the Emergency Employment Development Act as the 21st Century Workforce Development Fund.

In addition to his work on statewide issues, Mathias has also consistently engaged in local problems, including the ongoing need to expand Route 53 and the continued expansion of commuter rail service. As Mayor of Buffalo Grove, he was a leading force in bringing commuter rail service to Buffalo Grove and beyond, and served as Chair of the North Central Metra Service Mayoral Task force, eventually leading to the Buffalo Grove station bearing his name. And as recently as last month, Mathias was named and ex-officio member of the Illinois Route 53 Blue Ribbon Advisory Council. The Council is charged with bringing a regional consensus on whether to move forward with the Lake County Corridor expansion

“This will be a tough election. However, I am not only looking forward to reconnecting with many of my former constituents, but also continuing to challenge those in Springfield who can’t seem to stop spending,” stated Mathias. “There is an urgent need to continue the positive momentum towards fiscal conservatism that was created last spring, and I am up for this challenge”

The tough election Mathias is referring to ultimately stems from the recent redistricting process in which Mathias was “redrawn” into an entirely new legislative district that will contain over 95% new territory for the veteran lawmaker. Ironically, this is not a new situation for Mathias, who found himself with the same choice ten years ago when the same legislative Democrats who crafted this map drew him out of his old district.

As the longtime mayor of Buffalo Grove, Mathias was elected to the Legislature in 1998. He is a graduate from Roosevelt University and the DePaul University College of Law and is a semi-retired attorney. His wife, Rita, is a retired teacher from School District #102 and they have two married sons; Elliot, a graduate of Northwestern University and Scott, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He and Rita have six grandchildren.

###

Dr. Arie Friedman to Announce for 29th District State Senate Seat in Wake of Susan Garrett's Retirement (UPDATED)

2011-08-14T14:14:00.006-05:00

As we hinted at previously, Dr. Arie Friedman of Highland Park has decided to throw his hat in the ring to run for the new 29th District State Senate seat in 2012, for which incumbent Susan Garrett has decided not to run for again. You can view his committee documentation here.

As Team America readers know well, Friedman ran a good race in the Republican primary against now-Congressman Bob Dold in last cycle's 10th Congressional District race, and has stayed active in the local political scene. He is very well thought of in the party among both conservatives and moderates. He also recently started a PAC, focused on heathcare and health insurance reform. Friedman is a navy veteran, having served as a wartime helicopter pilot and is currently a pediatrican in private practice. He and his wife Michelle are the proud parents of five children.

Friedman talked to Team America this weekend and told us that, after careful consideration, he's made his decision, and he's in.

"I will be making a formal announcement regarding my intentions in the 29th State Senate District at the end of the month," Friedman told Team America. "In the meantime, setting up this campaign committee is an essential step towards building a team, raising money, and making sure we hit the ground running. I'm very grateful to the friends and supporters who've been encouraging me to run - not the least of whom is Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran who has volunteered to be my campaign chairman."

Friedman pointed out that "one of the most important characteristics of the new 29th District is its very high percentage of independent voters. I strongly believe that independent minded citizens see how dangerous and unacceptable our fiscal situation has become. Frankly, Michelle and I are afraid that our own children won't be able to stay in Illinois if things continue this way. We should all be asking ourselves how much of what has gone on in Illinois for the past decade do we want more of?"

Friedman is going to be a formidable candidate. Just his military service alone impresses:

Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Friedman served in the United States Navy as a helicopter pilot. During his seven years of active duty, Dr. Friedman flew SH-60B Seahawk helicopters out of Naval Air Station North Island, California, from which he deployed twice, including once to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm. Upon completing his fleet tour, Dr. Friedman returned to Pensacola, Florida, as a military Instructor Pilot teaching advanced helicopter operations and tactics. During the span of his naval aviation career, Dr. Friedman conducted 406 shipboard landings including 183 at night.

Wow.

Friedman told me he likely will be making his official announcement at a campaign event he has planned for Monday, August 29th. More details on that to come. Friedman's website, though not yet active, will be friedmanforsenate.com

So far, no other Republicans have come forward in the wake of Garrett's retirement announcement to announce their candidacy. Current State Rep. Sid Mathias was rumored to be considering a run for the spot, among exploring other options. I was skeptical of that report, until I discussed it with Sid himself, who confirmed to me that the 29th senate seat was on his radar, but he had not yet made up his mind. I told Sid I really hoped he would decide to run again for state rep in the redrawn 59th Legislstive District, into which his home was mapped, which would pit him against current Democrat Carol Sente. I think Sid would have a great chance against Sente, and Friedman would be a great candidate in the 29th, especially given the lackluster field that the Dems seem to be contemplating now. Hopefully these guys can work it out.

I'm getting more excited about the 2012 cycle than ever. Thoughts, reactions?

UPDATED 9:00 pm: I am waiting for a call back from Sid Mathias to confirm, but very reliable sources are telling me that Sid has made up his mind and will challenge incumbent Carol Sente in the 59th Legislative District. Much more on this later.

Quinn Pick of Giannoulias to Head Community College Board Widely Panned

2011-08-12T08:01:00.004-05:00

The latest "huh, what?" headshaker regarding a long list of individuals tapped by Governor Quinn for important state positions or jobs without -- seemingly -- much in the way of qualifications except for political connections --is really taking this issue to a new level. Earlier this week, Quinn appointed former U.S. Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias -- who of course lost the race to our own Mark Kirk -- to head the state's community college board. This position, albeit an unpaid one, is simply the latest in a series of questionable appointments given to political cronies and influencers in the Democratic party, which appointments have attracted much attention and criticism from the Tribune and others.

Giannoulias's appointment to this position lacks even any semblance of credulity given his lack of credentials. Even the appointment of three-time loser Dan Seals to a high-level position in the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity was more defensible, given that Seals had actually worked in the private sector (even if sporadically, and not recently) and had a few business degrees.

Alexi's qualifications for this new position? Well, to our knowledge, he's never attended a community college (his degrees are from Boston University and Tulane Law School). He's never taught at one (yes, we know he's going to be teaching a class this fall at NU, but so far, he's never taught a single student). He's never had any experience with higher education from a faculty or administrative level of any kind.

What he does have, though, is the need to build up his thin resume and keep his name in the paper to keep momentum going for whatever his political endgame is. U.S. Senate 2014 (stepping into Dick Durbin's shoes as he retires), anyone?

Uncle Pat, "Mr. Reform Our Government," to the rescue!

Quinn's track record of questionable appointments is really taking heat in the press and the blogosphere, topped off by this latest embarrassment. Even our own Lake County News Sun is shaking its head.

Used to be, people were chosen to lead our state government based on what they could do for it, not what the postion could do for them.

Sad, sad, sad.

Tribune Looks at Dem Redistricting Games

2011-08-09T07:40:00.004-05:00

None of this is news to us political junkies, since as soon we saw the new map that was proposed, we could tell that the Dems were playing games with the district boundaries to keep their incumbents safe, but the Trib today does a nice job of connecting the dots to show how all over the Chicago metro area, the Dems carved out Republican and even some non-incumbent Dem competition to protect their favored sons and daughters.

Take former state senate candidate Keith Gray, for example, who lives in Mettawa just down the road from me. Except next cycle, he will be in a new district, where the line placing him in Republican State Senator Dan Duffy's district, instead of his former district, in which Democrat Terry Link is the incumbent, goes right down the street out his front door. I'm still in Terry Link's district (lucky me), but Keith was drawn into the district next door. Any guesses why?

Senator Link, of course, flatly denies he would stoop so low as to play such games:

"It's kind of blatant, but I kind of expected it," said Gray, president of Rondout School District 72.

Link, the Lake County Democratic chairman, dismisses the notion that a Gray rematch was considered in the mapmaking.

"I got to tell you something, and I'll swear on a stack of Bibles — I don't even know where Keith Gray lives," Link said. "I could care less where Keith Gray lives. ... Do you really think I lose sleep over Keith Gray?"

Meethinks the gentleman doth protest too much.

Notice, however, that he did not give someone direction to map Gray out of his district. He just says he doesn't know exactly where Gray lives.

In case you might just think this is a coincidence, my friend Dan Sugrue, who ran against Carol Sente in the 59th legislative district, is also moved to the neighboring district where Republican incumbent Ed Sullivan, Jr., is the state rep.

Map or no map, folks, make no mistake: the Lake County GOP is fired up and ready to go. We're hopping mad about our plummeting 401Ks and the state income tax increase, and we're not going to take it any more!

Senator Mark Kirk, Congressman Bob Dold Lead Lake County GOP in Lake Forest Days Parade; Dems Trail Behind (Literally)

2011-08-03T11:44:00.029-05:00

Fresh from the post debt-crisis dénouement, Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Bob Dold flew back home to Chicago in time to lead a strong Lake County GOP contingent in the 150th Year Celebration at the Lake Forest Days parade. In addition to Kirk and Dold, Keith Brin for Circuit Court Clerk marched with his family, County Board Candidate Scott Helton had many supporters, and just-announced State's Attorney candidate Mike Nerheim also marched.

The Dems tried to make a decent showing, but their main contingent trailed behind the GOP (literally), as they were the next parade position, and had substantially fewer marchers overall. Their close placement meant, though, that I had the chance to chat with a few of them, including State's Attorney candidate Chris Kennedy, and also Congressional candidate Ilya Sheyman.

I had a nice talk with Sheyman, who seems in person like a nice kid, but I don't think he's going to get a lot of traction against Dold. Sheyman's first priority, though, is defeating primary opponent Brad Schneider, who came in with a strong fundraising quarter, handily beating Sheyman. Sheyman told me that he does not plan to match Schneider dollar-for-dollar, but is not concerned, as he believes that his grassroots support and organizational skills will more than make up the difference. We also both got a chuckle out of his fascist/socialist/anarchist politics, as I put it previously. At least Sheyman thought it was funny, unlike some of our oversensitive commentors a while back.

Sheyman also thought that the current Dem field, himself and Schneider, was likely to be it as far as Dem candidates were concerned. He may be in for a bit of a surprise in that regard; I simply don't see the Dem powers that be let Dold walk away with such weak competition in a district that they moved heaven and earth to set up for a Dem victory.

In any case, here are the pix:

Below is Scott Helton, Candidate for County Board:

Decorating the truck:

Team Dold makes a strong showing:

Kelley Folino helps decorate the truck:

A lot of prep work goes into getting the truck ready. Props to Moraine Township GOP Chairman Lou Atsaves (left), who organized the GOP parade entry:

Here's one of my favorites, the Caputo Cheese Float:

Here is the Sunset Foods old-fashioned fruit truck:

Keith Brin for Circuit Court Clerk gets ready to march:

Another Sunset Foods car:

A new business, Spash Zone!, will be opening soon in Vernon Hills. The bathtubs are actually driveable!

Congressman Bob Dold works the crowd:

Iyla Sheyman, Dem Congressional Candidate. He's 25, but looks at least 26 or 27.

Sheyman's team looked a little lonely:

A typical Sheyman supporter:

Sheyman's primary opponent, Brad Schneider, showed up with a few people too:

Republican attorney Mike Nerheim, fresh off his official announcement for State's Attorney, came with supporters:

Nerheim poses with Chris Kennedy, who is running for State's Attorney on the Dem side:

Senator Kirk and Bob Dold take time to say hi to Keith Brin:

Everyone loves a little dog, including Senator Kirk, who is giving Laura Lambrect's six-year-old pooch a scratch:

I usually shun the limelight, but Senator Kirk and Congressman Dold insisted that TA pose for a picture:

Kids for Kirk. 'Nuf 'Sed.

Many Are Waiting In the Wings to Succeed Mike Waller as Lake County State's Attorney (UPDATED x3)

2011-07-30T08:11:00.011-05:00

Well, after months of speculation about the future of Mike Waller, who has served as Lake County State's Attorney for 22 years, Waller has now finally made official his decision to retire after completing his current term.

As many speculated that Waller might retire (and those in the know, knew pretty positively that this was coming for a while), many candidates on both sides of the aisle have already announced or expressed interest, as more are sure to come.

So far, TA's unofficial tally is:

Democrat Candidates

Chris Kennedy (former ASA, has announced)

Scott Drury (possible self-funder, reportedly has formed a committee) (UPDATED: Looks like Scott Drury will announce August 8th)

Reggie Matthews (current ASA)

Republican Candidates

Bryan Winter (municipal attorney, has announced)

Louise Bryant Hayes (current ASA, not yet officially announced)

Mike Nerheim (former ASA) (UPDATED x2: Nerheim will announce this coming Tuesday, apparently. His website, which is not yet live, will be mikenerheim2012.com)
(UPDATED x3: Nerheim has now made his bid official and his website (link above) is up and running)

If anyone knows of any more, let us know in comments.

State Senator Terry Link, the Lake County Democratic Chairman, has picked his horse already (Kennedy) and is reportedly frowning on any other potential Dem candidates that are poking their heads up. Here comes the intimidation, back-room buy-offs, and other schenanigans to clear the field.

I don't see that happening on the Republican side, so I think we may have a rocking and rolling primary, as Senator Mark Kirk used to like to say.

State Senator Susan Garrett Will Not Run for Re-election (UPDATED x3)

2011-07-27T10:30:00.006-05:00

I had heard rumors of the possible retirement of State Senator Susan Garrett, and it turns out they were correct. Garrett sent out a press release announcing that she's hanging it up. She also makes clear that she's done with public office (although she pledges to serve out her term to January 2013), much to the disappointment of many Dems who were begging her to run against Congressman Bob Dold in the 10th Congressional District.

This may really open the door for a Republican to make a run in her senate district; cue Dr. Arie Friedman, perhaps?

UPDATED 7/28/11: Here's some follow-up by The Patch, with some interesting reaction by Senator Terry Link:

Though no names have been mentioned as a possible replacement, state Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan), one of Garrett’s mentors when she entered politics, knows a solid candidate will have to emerge.

“We have some very large shoes to fill both as a legislator and because of her character. She set the bar very high,” Link said. “Lake County and Illinois are losing a fine legislator, who represented her district as fine as any person could.”

If Link's comments are to be believed, I find it interesting that Garrett left the Dems in the lurch without an heir apparent. Last night at an event for Circuit Court Clerk Candidate Keith Brin, some of us were chewing over this, and few prospective Dem names were apparent to any of us, either. Of course, Lauren Beth Gash's name was raised, but her personal agenda remains a mystery. I also heard rumblings that Dan Seals might be thinking about yet another run for the 10th District (gasp of horror from the crowd), but I bet that he's probably getting quite used to his new cushy state paycheck and benefits to throw himself back into the fray, especially in light of Congressman Bob Dold's successful at fundraising so far.

UPDATED x2: Looks like the Julie Morrison announcement (mentioned in comments) is now official.

UPDATED x3 7/29/11 6:30 am: Another possible Dem contender whose name was raised yesterday here in comments, Annette Lidawer, has talked to the Patch and confirmed her interest. The Patch also tried to get an official answer out of Dr. Arie Friedman on the GOP side to see if he's ready to throw in, but he didn't give them anything to print. Since Garrett's retirement announcement, Friedman has been quietly (?) telling GOP insiders at various recent campaign events that he's throwing in, though, so don't be surprised to see an official announcement here around the end of the month.

Warren Township Republican Organization Hosts Milton Friedman Economic Freedom Dinner Featuring John Tillman

2011-07-20T08:58:00.004-05:00

The Warren Township Republican Organization will be hosting its "Milton Friedman Economic Freedom Dinner" next Thursday, July 28th. Mike Amrozowicz, Warren Township Republican Chairman, is doing a great job leading this group, and they recently opened up a permanent township Republican office, something not many townships in Lake County have been able to accomplish:

The Friedman Dinner will be held at the Heather Ridge Clubhouse, 5900 Heather Ridge Drive, Gurnee, IL 60031, and the keynote speaker will be John Tillman, CEO, Illinois Policy Institute. There will also be a panel discussion with comments from several members of the Illinois General Assembly. Tickets are $50.00 and can be purchased online at warrengop.com. Cocktails start at 6:00 PM and dinner is at 7:00 PM.

Former 10th District Congressional Hopeful Dr. Arie Friedman Forms State PAC; We Wonder What's Next...

2011-07-19T12:13:00.005-05:00

Dr. Arie Friedman, who ran in the Republican primary for the 10th Congressional District in 2010, has formed a state PAC called the Doctors and Patients Alliance of Illinois. Friedman is a former Navy helicopter pilot and pediatric practitioner from Highland Park. After losing in the 2010 GOP primary to now-Congressman Bob Dold, Friedman has remained active on the political scene, leaving many of us to wonder what's next in his political future. The formation of this PAC could well be seen as a prelude to another run for office, perhaps against Jan Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District, or maybe Susan Garrett, if serving in the State Senate might be attractive.

When I spoke to Friedman about the PAC, he was reserved on his political future but hinted that he was seriously considering some options. Meanwhile, he told me that the PAC has already raised more than $14K and will be looking to support candidates and advance its agenda, which is spelled out on the website:

The Doctors-Patients Alliance of Illinois (DPAI) was created to give doctors and patients a powerful voice in Springfield. By developing a grassroots network of doctors and patients, DPAI serves as a political force that will educate and influence lawmakers and voters, while providing the media with real human-interest stories about the impact of government-controlled medicine.

DPAI respects the intelligence of the citizenry and understands that the truth will always be the best medicine. Securing solutions to the healthcare challenges facing Illinois and the nation is our ultimate goal. To achieve our goal, we outline and advocate for those solutions, while explaining the devastating impact ObamaCare will have on families, medical practitioners and the Illinois economy. Our audience is both lawmakers and voters.

DPAI understands that real change is secured at the ballot box. By working directly with state-level candidates, DPAI educates candidates and provides financial support and endorsements to lawmakers and those seeking office who share our vision of protecting the doctor-patient relationship.

DPAI knows that government-controlled medicine is unhealthy for our state and our nation. Market driven solutions are the cure, and doctors and patients working together can write the prescription.

While Friedman asserted that the PAC is non-partisan, based on the viewpoints espoused on the website, you can safely guess that this group won't be endorsing any pro-Obamacare candidates any time soon.

David Barkhausen to Run for Lake County Board (UPDATED)

2011-07-19T06:51:00.004-05:00

My friend David Barkhausen, with whom I served on the Board of the Lake County Republican Federation for about 10 years and got to know quite well, is throwing his hat in for County Board in the new 13th district, which will have no incumbent running. The Lake County News-Sun has an article up about Barkhausen, who is currently Shields Township Clerk and who served in the General Assembly for more than a decade. Gazebo News has more:

Barkhausen said his top priority would be maintaining strict controls on Lake County spending. “County government is the second largest item on our property tax bills after public schools,” Barkhausen said. “County Board members have an obligation to maintain the County’s strong fiscal position without adding to this burden.”

“I offer proven leadership to carefully review Lake County’s fiscal policies,” Barkhausen maintained, pointing to his past public service at the state and local level as an example of the type of representation he would provide to Lake County government.

David is a hard worker and a well-qualified guy. Good luck David!

UPDATED 7/20/11: Here's another article from The Patch, which has a lot of additional detail about the race and Barkhausen's platform.

State Senator Dan Duffy Says "Game On" In 26th District

2011-07-18T11:27:00.002-05:00

My friend and college fraternity brother Dan Duffy is running for re-election in the newly-remapped 26th District. I haven't run the voter numbers in the new district but at first glance, it looks even more Republican than the old one. I have little doubt that Dan is going to continue to shake up Springfield for a number of years to come.

I assume (although I have not seen an official announcement) that Ed Sullivan, Jr. will run for re-election in his state rep district, and I would further assume that newly-appointed Beaubien replacement Kent Gaffney will also run in the other legislative district, which two districts combined make up Duffy's senate district. Duffy was critical of Gaffney's appointment, so it will be interesting to see if Duffy supports Gaffney - especially in the event of a primary, which seems likely.

Here's his press release:

State Senator Dan Duffy running for Re-Election in 2012

For Immediate Release
July 18, 2011

Lake Barrington, Illinois - After sitting down and discussing future
options with his family, State Senator Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington)
has decided to run for re-election to the State Senate in 2012. “The
boundaries of the 26th district may change but my duty and message
remain clear,” said Duffy. “I have a vision for Illinois that puts us
FIRST – not last. We still have a lot of work to do to get Illinois
back on track.”

A small business owner, Senator Duffy originally ran for office in
2008 pledging to do everything he could to Encourage Job Growth, Fight
Corruption, and Keep Taxes Low. He has evaluated every piece of
legislation based on those three key principles. Senator Duffy has
been extremely active and outspoken in his efforts to promote a more
business friendly work environment, shine a light on the inner
workings of our state government - and he has fought hard against
excessive regulation, litigation and taxation. “I believe we need
more people with real-world experience doing their duty by serving in
our state government,” Duffy explained.

As the youngest of 11 children and the father of five kids, Senator
Duffy recognizes the impact critical legislation can have on our daily
life. As a small business owner for over 15 years, Duffy understands
– first hand - how to create jobs, balance a budget and live within
our means. “I believe it is imperative to continue promoting these
principles in the State Senate, “Duffy stated.

“It has been an honor to represent the people of the 26th district for
the past three years. I am very blessed to have the best volunteers,
donors and supporters in the state,” said Duffy. “I strive to be the
voice of ALL people and will continue to get others engaged in our
political process so we can put our state on a path to success.”

Dold too Bold for Carol Sente, So It's Back To the Drawing Board for Dems; Quick, Get Susan Garrett on Speed Dial, Stat!

2011-07-15T21:47:00.004-05:00

Not overly surprising, but it turns out that Carol Sente was just toying with everyone when she leaked to Lynn Sweet earlier this week that Sente was thinking about challenging Congressman Bob Dold for the newly-remapped and Dem-friendly 10th Congressional District. The Daily Herald has an article up here, but seems mostly concerned with whether or not fellow State Rep. Sid Mathias will challenge Sente for the 59th legislative district, since he has now been drawn into the district with the latest remap.

Sente put out a press release today stating:

While I am flattered that many constituents and friends asked me to consider running for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, I believe there is too much unfinished business in the General Assembly. The challenges we face in Illinois and in our communities requires dedication, resolve and commitment to put the practices of the past behind us, and it is crucial that we continue to improve upon the reforms we have begun.

I guess cooler advisors and friends must have convinced Sente that the new 10th District wasn't quite drawn as a walk-away for a Dem as some might like to think, or was intended, plus anyone running against Bob Dold is already about a million dollars behind, not to mention facing a three or four-way primary before even getting to the general.

So, Dems, it's back to the drawing board, unless socialist/facist/anarchist Ilya Sheyman is your cup of tea. I bet not a day goes by that Susan Garrett's phone isn't ringing off the hook.

Tribune Whacks Quinn Over Political Hires, Including Dan Seals

2011-07-15T07:20:00.003-05:00

It's always nice to wake up in the morning and see the Tribune taking a whack at the Dems, especially when its Dan Seals. I could tell someone at the Trib was doing a little research based on the blog hits on my sitemeter over the past couple weeks, and today the Trib unveiled their little research piece on the number of political appointments to highly connected Dems made by Governor (not reformer) Pat Quinn. Right there on the front page is the reference to Seals' recent appointment to a cushy six-figure state job after losing three times in a row in his bid for Congress. We looked at this way back in May when the appointment was made.

Rick Pearson at the Trib says that "In the case of Seals' hiring and others, Quinn's awarding of jobs resembles a consolation prize for falling short in a bid for Congress."

Um, resembles???

I'm still laughing, though that former State Rep. Julie Hamos, who Seals narrowly defeated in the last primary, got a better paying job out of Quinn.

It's nice to know that there's a safety net for unemployed Dems named Uncle Pat. So, Illinois Dems, get out there and run, and even if you lose, you win.

Bob Dold Raises a Cool Half-Million for IL-10 Re-election Bid; Dem Contenders Trail

2011-07-14T06:29:00.002-05:00

I'm in a bit of a rush this morning but the Patch has a good rundown on Q2 fundraising totals in IL-10 thus far:

Dold collected $541,330 for the quarter ending June 30, bringing his total fundraising to $931,535 during the current campaign reporting cycle. Dold collected $310,889 for the quarter ended March 31 and $79,316 last year after the election, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He has $748,546 cash on hand.

Also according to Patch, the Dems contenders are all lagging pretty far behind:

At this point three Democrats have declared their candidacy to run in March primary for the right to oppose Dold in the general election. The candidates are Waukegan community organizer Ilya Sheyman, Deerfield management consultant Brad Schneider and Wheeling attorney Robert McKenzie.

Schneider said Monday he raised $321,085 for the current quarter. Sheyman disclosed July 1 he collected nearly $110,000 for the same period. McKenzie has not reported financial information.

As we noted earlier this week, State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) of the 59th District was reportedly toying with the idea of announcing against Dold, but was supposed to make a decision by this Friday. I suspect that if she is at all serious, she was waiting to see how Dold did in Q2 fundraising. Unless Sente gets in, I think the Desperate Dems will continue to cast about for a legitimate candidate to take on Dold, lest they suffer the humiliation of losing to Dold in a district they specifically remapped to enable a Dem to easily win.

State Rep. Carol Sente to Challenge Dold in IL-10?

2011-07-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) of the 59th District is thinking about throwing in for the newly-remapped 10th District. How real this thought might be and how much might be a little vanity on Sente's part remains to be seen. I have heard, however, that the Dems are casting about with a pretty big net, desperate to catch a potential candidate that will have a better chance of winning against Congressman Bob Dold than socialist/progressive Ilya Sheyman.

Sweet also reports that another announced Dem primary candidate, Brad Schneider, will report over $300,000 raised and in cash on hand for the quarter, but I will be curious to see how much of that was actually raised versus being contributed by the candidate.

Lake Bluff Independence Day Parade Features Politicians and Classic Cars

2011-07-04T21:50:00.021-05:00

My, but this has been a fun-filled and action packed 4th of July weekend. I started off the day attending the Lake Bluff 4th of July parade, which has huge - was over 100 entries, for this tiny community. I wanted to attend some other parades, especially Mundelein's, but painting the deck got in the way. In any case, as usual, here are the pix:

Here's the parade kickoff.

There were several old fire engines.

Hot race cars and classics abounded.

I don't often feature Dems, but I will admit that State Senator Susan Garett had one of the best classic cars in the parade.

Keith Brin had a number of supporters at the Lake Bluff parade, and told me he was then on his way to the Deerfield parade.

I could only dream of affording one of these...

Bob Dold walked the parade, as usual, supported by a large contingent of supporters.

Some of these cars are just simply awesome.

A Civil War Regiment made an appearance.

In addition to the usual "Cheese" float, Caputo's added a Formula One racer.

Not yet a classic, but here is the Keith Brin-mobile.

Harvard Says Republicans Own 4th of July, But It's Hard To Celebrate Given the State of the USA

2011-07-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

A recent study from Harvard University suggests what we generally always felt; on the whole, Republicans are more patriotic than Democrats (or at least they seem to feel that way), and celebrating the 4th of July appears to benefit the GOP more so than the Dems, in terms of political mileage. So, think about that as you are on your way out to march in the remaining parades this weekend.

"The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans," write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam.

It's also sobering to reflect on the state of the country on this day celebrating our national independence from mother England. So, to find out what the national mood is, we of course turn to a British publication (the Telegraph), to see what their view from the outside is. And it's not good for us:

The intoxicating atmosphere of the 2008 election and Obama’s inauguration has given way to a hangover. Americans were promised that the $787 billion Obama stimulus package would cut unemployment by funding so-called “shovel-ready projects”. Instead, unemployment is at 9.1 per cent compared to the 7.8 per cent Obama inherited, while the national deficit has tripled from less than $500 billion to a staggering $1.5 trillion.

To add insult to injury, at a recent gathering of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, during a discussion about the length of time it took to get projects funded, a smiling Obama interjected: “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.” Members of the council sitting around him tittered but most Americans were not amused. [snip]

The 1980 election was won by Ronald Reagan with his “Morning in America” message. Today, a 10ft bronze statue of Reagan will be unveiled outside the US Embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square, which, in another sign of the times, is due to move to Battersea next year because of concerns about its vulnerability to terrorists. Thus far, there is no sign of a new Reagan emerging.

More worryingly, the optimism he embraced and came to personify is all but absent in America this Fourth of July.

Where is the Gipper when you need him?

State Senator Dan Duffy Not Thrilled By GOP Pick for Beaubien State Rep. Seat

2011-07-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

My friend and fellow Augie alum State Senator Dan Duffy has cared little for kow-towing to the GOP establishment (or indeed, the General Assembly establishment as a whole) ever since he got to Springfield. I find it pretty refreshing.

True to form, Duffy has publicly expressed his disappointment with the GOP pick to replace State Rep. Mark Beaubien in the 52nd District, whose recent passing left a big hole in the budget acumen of the State House Republicans. It made a certain amount of sense, then, that the pick to replace Beaubien is the state house Republican budget director, Kent Gaffney, 44, of Lake Barrington.

Duffy told the Northwest Herald, however:

“In typical Illinois fashion, the job went to a political insider. Even though many good candidates with outstanding real-world experiences applied for the position, a House Republican staffer was handed the job."

While the McHenry and Lake County Republican leadership held an open recruitment, soliciting resumes and conducting interviews with 10 or so candidates, the ultimate decision was made by State. Rep. Mike Tryon (in his capacity as McHenry County GOP Chairman), Lake County Republican Chairman Bob Cook, and 8th District Central Committeeman Gene Dawson. Tryon and Dawson supported Gaffney, while Cook stated that he would have rather chosen someone who was more active in local politics and had proven electability.

Gaffney told the Daily Herald,

“I used to think you'd have to be crazy to be one of these guys,” Gaffney said of the representatives he worked with. “But as a staffer, you sometimes find yourself understanding the issues better than some of the legislators because you're explaining them to them.”

I don't know Gaffney, and I did not have a particular favorite among the contenders (the Barrington area and the other towns in the 52nd District are a little out of my territory), but I am hopeful that whether its Gaffney or another person who winds up as the GOP candidate in 2012, that we will keep this seat.

Biking Your Way to Congress, One Rest Stop at a Time

2011-06-29T05:29:00.005-05:00

Some of the area media seems determined to report on even the most trivial of the campaign activities of the Democratic challengers to Congressman Robert Dold in Illinois' 10th District, so it was no surprise to see an article on Wheeling attorney Robert McKinzie's recent bicycle trip around the 10th to promote his jobs agenda (open more bicycle shops?). He had about 10 supporters, according to the article, but no word on whether they formed a wedge and hurtled down the North Shore bike trails, creating an opening for their leader, a la the team bikers on the Tour de France.

Blago Guilty. So what (now)?....

2011-06-27T15:13:00.004-05:00

As most anticipated, former Governor Rod Blagojevich is found guilty on 17 counts. A sad part of Illinois' history now has some closure, although it's not all over yet.

In any case, what impact, if any will this have on the next cycle's elections? Any?

Congressman Bob Dold Should Be So Lucky...

2011-06-23T21:10:00.002-05:00

It's still very early in the 2012 election cycle (heck, we aren't even really sure what the 10th Congressional District may end up looking like), but we're watching the Democrat would-be challenger (Ilya Sheyman) to Congressman Bob Dold, who came out earliest and seems to be getting the most press, with interest. He's as far left as you can get without swinging back around to the fascist/anarchists of the far right. And given that he's all of 25 years old, one might expect some hesitation on the part of general election voters to support such a candidate.

Just recently, a friendly interview of Sheyman was posted on the Chicago Magazine website. Sheyman toned down his politics considerably from the impression he left in a similar manifesto left on the Daily Kos website. Maybe he's already learning a little bit to cloak his progressive agenda with at least a patina of centrism to have some hope of broader appeal to the notoriously independent-minded voters of the 10th District. But you can still tell he's a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, with a liberal agenda that even President Obama would find it hard to embrace.

On balance, though, if I were Bob Dold, I would be crossing my fingers that the Dem field holds no more terror for him than this guy.

Bonus laugh: If you read the Chicago Magazine piece, Mr. Sheyman seems to believe (or wants to) that the Democratic machine (DCCC and minions/allies) will stay neutral in the primary and simply let the candidates sort it out with the voters, avoiding any favoritism. Well, if in fact Sheyman is correct, I would advise Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to wake up and go recruit a reasonable candidate, or all the trouble the Dems went to redraw this district (including redistricting Bob Dold out of his own district) will be for naught, if this kid ends up actually winning the Dem primary.

Lake County GOP Takes Libertyville Days Parade by Storm; Dems are AWOL Preparing to Sandbag Bob Dold at Town Hall Meeting (UPDATED with Dem Sighting!)

2011-06-19T07:44:00.030-05:00

The Libertyville Days Parade is one of the area's largest summer parades, and the Lake County GOP and the Libertyville township GOP in particular, lead by immediate past Township Chairman John Emerson, always make it a point to have a strong showing in the parade, as well as hosting an information booth in the park.

This year saw a great GOP turnout, especially in a non-election year, with many new faces and candidates, such as Keith Brin for Circuit Court Clerk, Steve Newton for Coroner, and Judge Daniel B. Shanes running for Circuit Court Judge in the 3rd subcircuit. Other elected officials included Congressman Bob Dold, who led the Republican pack in the parade, and State Senator Dan Duffy. Local pols like County Board Member Carol Calabresa also attended.

Since I was marching and snapping photos, I can't say I saw the entire parade, but from what I did see, and many people that I asked, I did not see one Democrat organization or candidate marching. I would be happy to be corrected, but I just saw nothing from them at all, which is perhaps unsurprising in an off-election year when they don't need anything from the voters. Probably, the 10th District Dems and such groups were resting up to sandbag Bob Dold later in the day at a townhall meeting.

In any case, here are some of my pix:

The parade route was packed with onlookers ready to grab some free candy thrown by the marchers.

Judge Daniel Shanes had a great crowd of supporters come out to march and cheer. If this is reflective of the level of enthusiasm among GOP supporters in even the downballot races, we're going to do just fine in 2012.

Green Oaks Trustee Dan Sugrue supervised the Republican float candy operation along with County Board Member Carol Calabesa.

Immediate past Libertyville Township Chairman John Emerson works tirelessly every year to organize the GOP marchers and our float.

Here's Judge Shanes and his team marching.

And a close up of the Shanes Banner.

Steve Newton, who is running for Coroner, gets ready for the start of the parade.

Steve Newton shows off his banner.

Jeremy Gong and his family represent a great group of diverse younger individuals and families who we are proud to welcome to the Lake County GOP.

Getting the float ready.

I didn't go on the Ferris Wheel myself, but it made for a great photo.

Here's John Emerson again with Precinct Committeewoman Donna O'Leary.

Here's a nice pic of State Senator Dan Duffy, Chairman Emerson, and Circuit Clerk Candidate Keith Brin.

State Senator Dan Duffy works the crowd.

Congressman Bob Dold's team leads the GOP contingent.

Congessman Bob Dold works the crowd.

The Libertyville Parade is well known for its colorful and fun giant balloons.

Here's Circuit Court Clerk Candidate Keith Brin.

UPDATED: The sharp-eyed parade watchers over at LakeCountyEye saw my plea for evidence of Dems, any Dems, at the Libertyville Parade, and leapt into action, dredging up a photo montage on the Facebook page of Dem Congressional Candidate and left-wing/socialist candidate Ilya Sheyman, who we have profiled before. If you care to check out the Sheyman contingent at the parade, it looks like he garnered about 10 people to walk with him, so I don't think it's much shame that we missed his parade entry. If that's the only Dem out of all the area elected officials and candidates who bothered to show up, then shame on them.

Having said all of this, I'm pleased that Mr. Sheyman is getting out there and connecting with the voters. While I don't think much of his chances to win the Dem primary, I take a look at his background and his platform, and I think, well, one can always hope.

Kudos to Lake County Board For Cutting Their Own Salaries

2011-06-17T07:32:00.003-05:00

I'm sure it's not a reflection on the job they they think they are doing, so the Lake County Board members who recently voted to reduce their own salaries deserve a lot of credit. It should also be noted that some members, like Aaron Lawlor, already were refusing to take several past pay increases that were previously approved by the Board, but rejected on a individual basis by some like Lawlor.

More like this please.

Now on to reducing or eliminating redundant and inefficient township government.

Former Deputy Coroner Under Democrat Dr. Richard Keller Pleads Guilty to Criminal Sexual Assault

2011-06-15T22:35:00.002-05:00

A man who former Lake County Coroner called an "exemplary employee" has pleaded guilty to criminal sexual assault and sentenced to seven years in prison.

A wonderful epitaph to add to the tenure of disgraced Democratic former coroner Dr. Richard Keller.

Kirk Making His Mark as Illinois' Junior Senator

2011-06-15T06:53:00.002-05:00

In case you missed it, Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune has a great profile piece on how Mark Kirk is taking a leadership roles in politics and policy among Illinois Republicans, while at the same time is reaching across the aisle on bi-partisan issues:

Yet as Kirk plays up his Republicanism, he also has continued a streak of bipartisanship that developed during his tenure as a five-term North Shore congressman. Unlike the House, which is more tightly controlled by its leadership, the Senate provides a "freedom of action" in which much of the work is done through personal relationships, Kirk said.

"It provides that the senator who is mainstream and can work with Republicans and Democrats, who is well-grounded in facts, figures and preparation with the administration, can move the whole Senate toward what is in your state's interest," he said.

Well spoken, Senator Kirk.

Go read the whole thing.

Why Will President Obama Dictate Every Aspect of My Life But Not Call On Anthony Weiner to Resign???

2011-06-13T20:59:00.003-05:00

So, let me get this straight:

President and Mrs. Obama, who seem to know everything about how others should live their lives, want to tell me:

What kind of car (small, electric) I should drive;

What kind of food I should eat (but chili dogs are apparently OK if you are the Prez);

How much money I should pay in tax to support government programs which primarily support those who pay no taxes;

That we should cut government spending (and then continues to spend);

That Republicans don't care about the 'little people', and then actually devalues our currency and hits the poor with a massive 'stealth tax', as well as hidden taxes of other kinds more likely to hit the poor;

That we should not support traditional marriage;

That we should not enforce our immigration laws;

That we should just get used to high gas prices;

That we should end our dependence on foreign oil, but won't allow us to drill at home;

BUT

He won't tell Anthony Weiner to resign, because, well, apparently that would be imposing his judgment on a fellow liberal, and gosh, we just can't make those kind of judgment calls.

Just sayin'.

Kirk-Giannoulias Votes in the "New" 10th District Give Bob Dold Much Hope

2011-06-11T21:24:00.007-05:00

This afternoon, I attended the second annual Dold fiesta hosted by Jeff and Kelly Brincat of Lake Forest, featuring 10th District Congressman Bob Dold, and special guests Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Aaron Schock. Although the weather was cool, Republican enthusiasm was hot. The event was focused on family fun, with pony rides, a bounce house, games and all sorts of kid-friendly activities. The adults did OK too, with great food, adult beverages (!) and a wonderful mariachi band (the lead singer is pictured to the right of Dold, in case you were wondering if he was an overdressed security guy or something).

When it came time for the political speeches, host Jeff Brincat introduced Senator Mark Kirk, who lauded Bob Dold and offered a very interesting statistic for those who are concerned that the 'new' 10th District drawn by the Dems spells the end of Bob Dold's political career, which is that, in the "new" 10th District, if you look at the Kirk-Giannoulias results from 2010, Kirk won the "new" 10th by NINE points. That gives Dold a lot of hope that he's going to do very well indeed, even in a district that was drawn by the Dems to give them every advantage.

Congressman Aaron Schock followed Kirk and spoke of his work with Bob Dold, and how impressed he was. Dold then took the stage and discussed the issues of the day, including most importantly jobs, the economy, and the rising national debt. The debt is not just a Democratic problem or a Republican problem, he said, and needs a bipartisan solution that begins with reining in government spending above all else.

Below are a few pix from the event, including Schock and Kirk.

Steve Newton for Lake County Coroner Hosts Campaign Kick-Off Event in Antioch

2011-06-07T06:51:00.004-05:00

Here at Team America, we've never been afraid to pick (and play) our favorites early, although the campaign season for 2012 has just barely gotten started, and there is an eternity until November of next year, politically speaking.

That being said, so far, the more we see of Coroner candidate Steve Newton, the more we like. And the Coroner's office sure needs a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) after the scandal-plagued administration of Dr. Richard Keller.

Newton's campaign is holding its first major kick-off event this Thursday, June 9, 2011, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Johnny’s Chophouse, 1500 Main St. (Route 83), in Antioch. The Honorary Chairman for this event is former Coroner Barbara Richardson. Suggested donation is $20.00 per person. Sponsorships are available. For more information or to RSVP, please e-mail steve.newton@newtonforcoroner.com

State Rep. Mark Beaubien Collapses at HRO Day at the Races

2011-06-05T20:07:00.003-05:00

I attended the HRO Day at the Races at Arlington Park Racetrack today and had a great time, but I left just after the third race of the afternoon. I saw State Rep. Mark Beaubien right away when I arrived, and he looked just fine. So, it was with a profound shock that while getting ready to post some of my photos a short while ago, I saw from my Facebook newsfeed an article stating that Beaubien had collapsed at the track and passed away this afternoon.

Beaubien was a very nice man, and worked hard to represent his district -- often taking a lot of grief from the conservatives in the county. Our prayers go out to Dee Beaubien and his family. He will be sorely missed.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran's Golf Outing a Big Success

2011-06-03T21:03:00.008-05:00

Today, many intrepid golfers played hooky from their day jobs and attended Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran's annual golf outing. It was a well attended event, with a full course of golfers, a silent auction, a great dinner and even a helicopter that arrived to assist in the 'ball drop' 50/50 raffle.

Sheriff Curran thanked all in attendance and noted that, even though he is not up for election in 2012, the Lake County Dems have never forgiven him for switching parties, and try to impugn his character and policies at every opportunity. Big shock.

Anyway, check out my pix from the event:

A big crowd was in attendance for drinks and dinner.

Former Lake County Republican Chairman and Lake Villa Township Supervisor Dan Venturi (who also acted as emcee of the event) checks out the silent auction prizes.

The top silent auction prize was a signed Derrick Rose jersey.

Here are Sheriff Curran and Circuit Court Judge James Boras enjoying the event.

And, of course, I could not do a post without featuring a picture of Chief Deputy Circuit Court Clerk Keith Brin, who is running for the job of Circuit Court Clerk.

Lake County Board Releases New Proposed Map (UPDATED)

2011-06-03T10:45:00.005-05:00

This year, concurrent with the new census results, the Lake County Board district map is being redrawn, just like all of the other government districts. The primary change is that the Board is proposing that the number of districts be reduced from 23 to 21.

The new proposed map can be viewed at the Lake County website, but getting to it is a bit of a pain.

First, click here, and then click at the upper right-hand corner to view the reapportionment committee hearing agenda (set for Tuesday, June 7th at 2:00 pm), and then open up the meeting agenda PDF. Then click on the embedded hyperlink to view the "Proposed Map" (page 2, section 7.1 of the agenda).

You can expect some gnashing of teeth by the Dems since the GOP essentially got to draw this map, but compared to the closed process the Dems used to draw the state and congressional district maps, they have essentially left themselves no room to complain about whatever the GOP did. It's a fair map, nevertheless.

UPDATED: Russell Lissau at the Daily Herald has a good article up with reaction from several county board members; four Democrats will find themselves doubled up into two districts.

More Dem Challengers Come Out of the Woodwork in IL-10; Wheeling Attorney Robert McKenzie is #3

2011-06-03T10:25:00.004-05:00

As we predicted, the number of Democratic hopefuls wishing to unseat Congressman Bob Dold in the new, more Dem-friendly 10th District here in Illinois, is growing rapidly. The third challenger to emerge is Wheeling tax attorney Robert McKenzie. Read more about him here.

I would not be shocked if we see a Democratic primary like the GOP saw in 2000 with 10 or more candidates all rushing in to see if they can knock off Dold by taking advantage of the new map and Obama back at the top of the ticket.

However, I think that the wider the Dem primary field is, the more there is a chance for a very leftist, fringe candidate to grab the nomination, which would be a benefit for Dold in the general election.

Thoughts?

Will Terry Link's Park City Casino Survive Governor Quinn's Veto Pen?

2011-06-02T10:20:00.004-05:00

As we suggested here recently, Governor Quinn has not been a fan of the concept of increasing gambling in Illinois; his recent statements since the Illinois Senate voted to approve the current gamblig expansion bill have been somewhat cryptic. Although, he also called the bill "excessive", which suggests that he would have to swallow quite hard to accept the bill as-is. That then calls into question as to whether cutting down on the number of suburban casinos might be an acceptable compromise for him.

We still have no clear indication of where Quinn might go, but here is a good analysis of his various options, given the very broad power given to an Illinois Governor to basically legislate from the executive branch. As noted in the article, among Quinn's options are:

1) A total veto - rejecting the entire bill outright.

2) An amendatory veto - which allows the governor to suggest changes to the text of the bill.

3) A line item veto - which allows a governor to strike a specific appropriation in a spending bill.

4) A reduction veto - which allows a governor to reduce the amount appropriated in a spending bill.

An amendatory veto would allow Quinn to scale down aspects of the bill while preserving elements of the measure that he finds least objectionable - and most helpful from a revenue standpoint.

In the past, Quinn hasn't ruled out a Chicago casino, so perhaps an amendatory veto might preserve that component, while reducing the overall number of new casinos from five. Or maybe he'll curb the expansion of slot machines to Chicago airports. Or all of the above.

It will be very interesting to see if Link's beloved Park City casino ends up a victim of the sharp veto pen of Governor Quinn.

Bob Dold Is "In" For 10th District Race

2011-06-01T13:38:00.005-05:00

Bob Dold is definitely running in the 10th District, assuming that the proposed map remains more or less unchanged from the current proposal. I was getting a little concerned, as his decision hadn't received a lot of press, and as recently as yesterday I was speaking with some fairly connected folks who were unsure of what Bob was going to do. I spoke with the Congressman on the phone just a few minutes ago, though, and he confirmed that he's running in the 10th, regardless of the fact that his home was mapped out of the District by the Dems. I also found this article in which his District Director, Kelley Folino, confirmed that Dold in is. Kelley also confirmed that when Dold wins, he will move into the newly remapped district.

Well, at least he and Dan Seals have one thing in common now, i.e., they both live in the 9th District. ;-) But that's about where the comparison ends.

This is going to be a tough fight, but Dold can (and will) win.

DCCC Gunning for Illinois and IL-10

2011-06-01T10:32:00.001-05:00

With the gerrymandered new Congressional map so heavily tilted in favor of the Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, is salivating at the chance to retake some very serious ground, if not regain control, in the U.S. House of Representatives. And that path leads right through Illinois. Politico takes a look at the battleground in an article today.

What does this mean for Illinois? It means that this will be ground zero for an influx of campaign cash and support from the national Dems like we have never seen before.

You might think that the DCCC would be a little more cautious about throwing millions of dollars at IL-10 after wasting that much on three-time loser Dan Seals, but that was then (with a less favorable map) and this is now.

This is going to be a very long cycle for us Illinois Republicans...

Is a New Casino Headed for Park City? (UPDATED)

2011-05-31T07:02:00.003-05:00

It seems like State Senator Terry Link may just get his ultimate wish of a casino in Lake County after all, although Governor Pat Quinn may be a bit of a stumbling block, as it turns out.

Quinn is on record saying he is opposed to major gambling expansion as the bill passed by the State House just yesterday appears to do, with a new Chicago casino and several others, including one in Lake County. Link obviously knows he has some work to do on Quinn, as noted by the Chicago Tribune:

Quinn supports a Chicago casino but has criticized a much broader gambling expansion. "We're not going to do that. I will never support that," Quinn said two weeks ago.

Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, the Senate sponsor of the gambling package, said he and Quinn "started our preliminary discussions, and I think we'll continue those discussions."

It's clear that Link has been fixated on getting a casino in his district for years. Will a Lake County casino be a good thing? Here's your chance to weigh in.

UPDATED 6/1/11 7:00 am: As you probably know by now, the Senate voted yesterday to approve the new gambling bill which greatly increases the number of casinos and gambling positions in Illinois -- now all it needs is Governor Quinn's signature to become law. State Senator Terry Link has already been taking his victory lap and no doubt figuring out how he will take political control of the Park City casino that is provided for in the legislation.

But, maybe not so fast. Few articles I have read so far acknowledge that Governor Quinn has a line-item veto power -- except this one in the News-Sun -- so, conceivably, Quinn could snuff out the Park City casino with a stroke of his sharp pen. That scenario may or may not come to pass -- Quinn has opposed expansion of gambling in the past, so one might conjecture that lopping off some of the 'suburban' casinos with a line-item veto, but passing the main part of the legislation for a Chicago casino, might be an acceptable compromise for him. Of course, even the line-item veto could be overridden by a supermajority of the General Assembly, but if only a few of the casinos were removed, would the disenfranchised ones have enough supporters to make it back through the GA with the required votes? Who knows, until it happens, if it does.

A Three War Memorial Day Makes A Good Time for Extra Reflection

2011-05-30T07:39:00.003-05:00

Before everyone gets ready for parades and barbecues today, let's all make sure we remember (and teach our kids) what this day is all about.

Here are the words of one American commander in Afghanistan that seem especially appropriate and say it far better than I could:

"We reflect on those who have gone before us. We reflect on their service and their sacrifice on behalf of our great nation," said Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta, who commands a Marine division in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. "We should also remember those serving today who embody that same commitment of service and sacrifice. They are committed to something greater than themselves and they muster the physical and moral courage to accomplish extraordinary feats in battle."

For anyone keeping track, over 1400 American troops have been killed in Afghanistan, and 4,400 died in Iraq (we still have over 46,000 troops there, although officially combat has ended. Those troops there are supposed to be on mop-up detail, but it's still hot and there's no McDonald's, no matter what the mission).

In Libya, there are no ground troops yet, but reportedly the CIA has teams in Libya. So, the administration can call this anything but a "war" all it wants (what exactly is a "kinetic military action" anyway?), but rhetoric can't change reality.

In a world where it seems that no matter what the reluctance of folks like President Obama to engage in defending freedoms throughout the world... kinda like being, I don't know... the "World Police"... the state of the world means that we continue to have a great responsibility to send troops overseas to protect our interests and fight for freedom. And that reality doesn't appear to be ending any time soon.

More Dems Line Up for Run at IL-10 (UPDATED X2)

2011-05-25T12:30:00.006-05:00

We don't even know what the 10th Congressional District in Illinois will look like, but the Dems are already lining up for a crack at freshman Congressman Bob Dold, in anticipation that the new map will give the already challenging (for a Republican) voter base a boost in the Dem's direction. The latest entrant is Brad Schneider, whose name I heard thrown out a few weeks back. His campaign website is here. There is very little content on the site so far, but at least he sounds a little bit more mainstream than the first declared Dem candidate, Ilya Sheyman, who we discussed a while back. And, unlike Dan Seals, Schneider actually seems to have been employed the last few years.

Assuming that the word on the street is correct that the 10th will be drawn to more heavily favor Democrats, you can bet that there will be additional entrants into the race... perhaps even State Senator Susan Garrett or Lauren Beth Gash. Stay tuned...

UPDATED 5/26/11 9:00 pm: The Tribune Clout St. Blog has an article up with the latest in speculation/inside scoop on the Congressional remap circus. We've been hearing speculation for weeks that Bob Dold would be drawn inside Jan Schakowsky's 9th District. Insert your own Dan Seals joke here.

UPDATED X2 5/27/9:00 AM: The Senate version of the Congressional Map is now available. If this sticks, at least I don't have to change my blog name. But remember that this is not the final word, campers.

Republican Steve Newton Announces for Lake County Coroner's Race

2011-05-25T06:58:00.002-05:00

The challenge to replace disgraced Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller is going to be one of the more interesting county-wide races this year. As regular readers know, the county coroner's office has been caught up in several scandals and has been the victim of massive mismanagement under Keller's tenure. Whether the office will get straightened out under new appointee Artis Yancey is open to speculation, but he certainly can't do worse than Keller.

As far as I know, there is no indication yet from Yancey as to whether he will run for the office (assumedly as a Democrat) in 2012. But, meanwhile, Republicans are lining up to try to win back the office.

I received the following press release from one of these hopefuls, Steve Newton of Antioch, who worked for former and much-loved Coroner Barbara Richardson. Newton has a kick-off fundraiser coming up in June:

Steve Newton, of Antioch Township, is announcing his candidacy for the office of Lake County Coroner. He will be seeking the nomination as a Republican.

Newton has been involved in public service for the citizens of Lake County since 1991. In 2000, Newton was hired as a Deputy Coroner under former Coroner Barbara Richardson. After the retirement of Richardson and under the leadership of Coroner Jim Wipper, Steve was appointed Chief Deputy Coroner where he remained and served until 2007. He currently works for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.

Newton is focusing his campaign on bringing integrity, respect and compassion back to the Lake County Coroner’s office. He brings hundreds of hours of specialized training and years of experience as an administrator inside the Coroner’s office to his platform.

“Throughout my seventeen years in public service, I have been afforded the privilege to serve the people of Lake County,” Newton stated. “During my tenure with the Lake County Coroner’s office, I had the opportunity to assist families at the worst possible times in their lives. Our focus was to ease the burdens that come with the death of a loved one and take every step possible to ensure families were provided the answers to questions that often surround a loved ones death expeditiously.” He added that, “Cooperation with area police and fire departments, as well as medical facilities and funeral homes across the county has suffered”, going on to say, “ I will make every effort to rebuild those relationships to what they once were when elected.”

State Senator Dan Duffy Continues to Buck the Establishment on Cushy Political Board Appointments

2011-05-23T20:43:00.002-05:00

The Decatur Herald-Review has an in-depth article today examining the often low-work, high-paying jobs that are given largely to the politically connected here in Illinois -- many of which pay six figure salaries for not a lot of work. The article also features our own State Senator Dan Duffy, who has carved a bit of a niche for himself by calling a spade a spade whenever one of these cushy jobs gets filled by yet another political hack:

Duffy has made a habit in the past few years opposing one proposed board appointment after another while pointing out whatever political connection the appointee has.

"When I started talking about this, people told me, off the record, ‘This is what the majority party does, gives spouses and supporters these positions,' " Duffy said last week. "I'm getting flack from all sides. It makes everyone uncomfortable when I stand up and point this stuff out."

Consistently, Duffy also called out Governor Quinn for his ill-advised appointment of three-time lose Dan Seals to a six figure state job, whose job responsibilities are... shall we say... unclear. But that's OK, 'cause so are Seals' qualifications for the post.

Ah, Illinois, Illinois. When shall come the day of our deliverance from this cesspool of insider gladhanding and back-scratching? If only we had 15 more Senator Duffys in Springfield calling bullshit whenever the powerbrokers on both sides of the aisle tried this stuff, we'd be in much better shape as a state.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Calls for "More Makers, Less Takers" At Lake County Republican Federation Spring Dinner (UPDATED)

2011-05-22T21:19:00.011-05:00

At the 49th Annual Lake County Republican Federation Spring Gala, well over 500 people came to share fellowship and hear new RNC Chairman Reince Priebus talk about his life story, and how he pledged to help make Barack Obama a one-term president. Federation President Sandy Stuart introduced Priebus, who told the energized crowd, "This country needs more makers and less takers!" Priebus's comments were followed by speeches from 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh and 10th District Congressman Bob Dold. The program was topped off by the presentation of the Robert J. Milton Award to former Lake County Republican Federation Executive Director Ant Simonian. Some pix are below.

Stay tuned for plans for next year's 50th Annual Dinner celebration!!!

UPDATED 5/23/11 11:00 am: Fellow blogger Nancy Thorner has a great play-by-play description of the evening's events up at Illinois Rewview, with lots more detail on the substance of Reince Priebu's speech than we are able to provide here, so go check it out. Thanks Nancy!

Much Ado About the New Map (UPDATED WITH HOUSE MAP)

2011-05-20T06:54:00.005-05:00

I was tied up yesterday, but while I was otherwise occupied, the Illinois Senate Democrats released their new District Map.

While many, especially Republicans, are flipping out about this, I would counsel people to take a breath. First of all, we have not yet seen the house map, and the two need to be reconciled.

More importantly, anyone redistricted out of their old district can run in a new one if any portion of the new district contains some of the old, if I understand the rules correctly. A winner would then have a certain period to move into the new district somewhere to be eligible to run for re-election.

So, campers, it's not the end of the world. And let's remember that the current map was also drawn by the Dems, and we've gained back some ground even in the State Senate, notably by booting Michael Bond.

So, let's see how things unfold. I have a lot of optimism that a re-energized GOP is going to do just fine in the next cycle, in spite of (or perhaps because) of the Obamawonder at the top of the ticket.

See many of you at the Federation Spring Gala tonight!

UPDATED: 5/21/11: We had a great night at the Republican Spring Gala last night, featuring RNC Chairman Reince Preibus (pictures will be coming soon), and we were surprised by the appearance of our GOP state legislators (Sid Mathias, Ed Sullivan, Jr., and Sandy Cole), who we hadn't expected to make it due to their being in session. Turns out, they canceled the session for the weekend, and sent all the legislators out of Springfield... and then they released the House map. Figures. So here it is. Here's some of the early reaction, from the Trib and the Illinois Statehouse News.