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* UPDATED x1 * Springfield’s Rauner primaries

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A primary battle could be shaping up in the 99th House District that covers much of the city of Springfield. Republican Kent Gray of Leland Grove filed nominating petitions Monday. Gray is a lawyer and member of the Lincoln Land Community College board. He has also been named campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Republican Sara Wojcicki-Jimenez of Leland Grove has also filed. Jimenez was appointed to the seat two weeks ago to replace former Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, who was named state agriculture director. Jimenez, former chief of staff to first lady Diana Rauner, was backed by the governor for the appointment. […]

In the 50th Senate District, Bryce Benton of Springfield, a state trooper and member of the Prairie Capital Convention Center board, filed to run as a Republican against incumbent state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview. Benton said McCann has alienated himself with Rauner and other Republicans because of positions he’s taken, such as voting to send state worker labor talks to an arbitrator. McCann, though, has been endorsed by the Sangamon County Republican Party organization. […]

A Republican primary could also be in store in the 95th House District represented by Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond. Republican Dennis Scobbie of Litchfield has filed to run against Bourne who was appointed to the seat when former Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville, was named director of the Department of Natural Resources. Scobbie is a retired teacher who is a member of the Litchfield School Board.

On Monday, Republican Christopher Hicks of Sawyerville also filed. Hicks works for Incremental Sales and Marketing, which handles sales for a beer distributorship. Hicks criticized Bourne for voting “present” on a bill to send state employee labor talks to arbitration.

Discuss.

*** UPDATE *** These Rauner guys are really quite good at getting people out of the way…

Sangamon County assistant state’s attorney Gray Noll will be nominated by Morgan County Republicans to replace Morgan County state’s attorney Robert Bonjean III, who has decided not to seek re-election.

Noll, 38, also is a member of the Springfield Park Board and recently was a candidate to replace State Rep. Raymond Poe after Poe was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture last month. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, who was First Lady Diana Rauner’s chief of staff, was instead appointed to that post.

Noll, a graduate of Illinois College and the Southern Illinois University School of Law, has been an assistant prosecutor in Sangamon County for 13 years. […]

He said if he receives the appointment, he and his wife, Lauren, will move to Morgan County and he will give up his Springfield Park Board seat.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:26 am

Comments

Riding the Trump coattails to victory! /s

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:32 am
Sara/Rauner over any trump supporter now we will see what people want or at least what money can buy

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:33 am
“Labor movement,

What are you prepared to do?

Signed,

Recent History”

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:35 am
Kent Gray, the Jim Oberweis/Roland Burris of Sangamon County

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:37 am
Springfield graduating from being represented (term used very loosely)by a do nothing fried chicken pusher to being represented by Bruce Rauner’s bank account was disappointing, even if it was totally expected. The option in the R primary isn’t any more exciting. Ugh.

Comment by anon12345 Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:44 am
Assuming that Rep. Bourne survives her primary challengers, she will have arguably the hardest general election race of any GOP incumbent. Mike Mathis is a great get by Speaker Madigan.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:52 am
How can you be Chief of Staff, if there are no other staff? Wouldn’t it be more accurate for her to call herself chief of myself?

Comment by Langhorne Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:55 am
===*** UPDATE *** These Rauner guys are really quite good at getting people out of the way…===

Big props, that’s how you play the game.

They have impressed when it comes to clearing fields, no snark.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:57 am
Evidently Morgan Co. GOP doesn’t have any lawyers left. Amusing that they let Rauner folks play them like this, but money is money.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:58 am
Everything anon12345 just said. Jimenez has a clear path. I laughed out loud when she told Shawn Balint she had “big shoes to fill” when it comes to Ray Poe. That pretty much sums up Springfield politics. At least Poe voted with his district some of the time, though.

Comment by Marty Funkhouser Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:58 am
I’m willing to be Sara will be a little more thoughtful than people will think.

It’s time for the Sangamon GOP machine to take Kent Gray out from the Lincoln Land Community College Board. Enough of his nonsense.

Comment by Blago's Luxurious Grey Mane Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:09 am
The Rauner-Trump alliance? Christopher Lasch was prescient 20 years ago with “Revolt of the Elites”, wasn’t he! Although I don’t think he’d have specifically imagined an alliance between a serious effort by The Donald at the presidency and a Winnetka hedge fund guy.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:10 am
GOP showing some hard nosed leadership.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:11 am
Gray Noll and Kent Gray are the same people? I am confused.

Comment by burbanite Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:13 am
Rauner and Madigan have a lot more in common than ppl think. I’m sure there was a rebellion by some Sangamon County Republican members after Noll was passed up. This was put out before it turned into a riot. Smart move. You can question Rauner’s legislative tactics, but his political moves are solid.

Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:36 am
==- Langhorne - Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 10:55 am:
How can you be Chief of Staff, if there are no other staff? Wouldn’t it be more accurate for her to call herself chief of myself?==

The list of people you can say this about is probably a mile long.

Comment by Nuke the Whales Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 11:37 am
Some call me the Chief of Staff, but I don’t have any staff, so you can just call me Chief.

Comment by Get a Job!! Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 12:03 pm
Note to self: If you ever need a lawyer in Morgan County, don’t hire a Republican. Apparently, not a superstar among them.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 12:51 pm
Mr Gray is a relentless, desperate seeker of any political job opening. The really good choices for political jobs are smart enough to decline. The good choices are sought out and encouraged to run. Then you have those like Gray.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 1:30 pm
I believe Kent Gray ran for State’s Attorney in Christian County several years ago and got trounced. I’m sure Gray Noll will do much better in Morgan. The deals the Rauner guys cut are “Bleeping Golden”!

Comment by ToughGuy Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 1:51 pm
Tough - you are correct, but there is a major difference: Morgan County has always been a reliable GOP county, but until the 2010 elections Christian County was dominated by Dems. It took electing Sheriff Kettlekamp and having Sam McCann and Wayne Rosenthal on the ballot to turn Christian County red. Also, when Gray ran in Christian County, the ILGOP and Karmeier staffs paid less attention to that area of the 5th Supreme Court district. Had they upped their efforts, Kent may have done a bit better.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 1:55 pm
Tough - whoops! I just realized that I read your post wrong. I thought you noted that Gray Noll would NOT do much better. Sorry.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 1:58 pm
Gray goes with anything.
I prefer Gray to Lemming-aide.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 2:21 pm
Team-You’re right that Christian County has went from dark blue to light red in its voting patterns. Morgan has alway been red and Gray Noll should have no problems there. Being a solid attorney/prosecutor won’t hurt him either.

Comment by ToughGuy Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 2:24 pm
50 shades of Central Illinois Gray

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 3:21 pm
We don’t want nobody Rauner sent.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Tuesday, Dec 1, 15 @ 5:19 pm
You will know Rauners prints are on the Morgan county hire when bonjean jumps on at the state….

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 2, 15 @ 7:57 am