Left at the altar
Monday, Dec 12, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller
Well, that didn’t last long. From a press release:
Mundelein, Illinois - Kathy Salvi issued the following statement in response to the request by Jim Oberweis that she consider running for Lt Governor:
“I am very flattered that Jim Oberweis thought I should consider running for Lt Governor. He is a principled conservative who wants to make Illinois a better place. But my first priority and passion is to represent the people of the 8th Congressional District of Illinois. They need someone who will stand up for them in Washington, DC. That is why I am running and that is why I will defeat liberal Melissa Bean next November.”
Kathy Salvi filed her petition to run for Congress this morning at the State Board of Elections in Springfield.
Can’t anybody play this game?
UPDATE: More bad news for Obi:
In his bid for governor, Republican Jim Oberweis says he’s the best choice to clean up state government.
But the North Aurora dairy owner has received $20,000 in campaign contributions from a conservative businessman whose political action committees have violated state election laws.
According to state records, two PACs run by John O. “Jack” Roeser of Carpentersville have been fined more than $61,000 by state regulators.
The fines against Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network and Renew Illinois PAC, both of which have funneled money to Oberweis, remain unpaid, and state officials are preparing to ask a collection agency to help recoup the money.
Oberweis campaign manager Joe Wiegand called the violations minor, and said he was not bothered by the penalties levied against Roeser’s groups.
(Hat tip: Illinois Pundit)
- Anonymous - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:27 pm:
I don’t blame her. If she’s gonna lose a race, she might as well be able to do it staying close to home rather than having to go through the hassle of running around the state.
- Lovie's Leather - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:27 pm:
Not a big suprise. She has a good chance of winning a congressional seat and little chance of winning lt gov. Good decision on her part, bad for Obie…
- Wedgwood - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:32 pm:
I believe that Oberweiss will now turn to an “outsider” runningmate such as Mike Ditka, Phyllis Schlafly, or perhaps Dave Duerson.
- 23eyes - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:34 pm:
Okay, then who does Obie annoint?
Won’t be a state rep… almost all of the “safe seat GOP ladies” are running for something else, Carol and Chris..who’s left? Sandy? Corrine? Loletta? would Maylou Kearns switch parties?
- The Colonel - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:42 pm:
And now Oberweis looks foolish.
He should have stayed out of it, and not gotten sucked into “teaming.”
He got and took bad advice.
- Anon - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 2:45 pm:
Wouldn’t you think Oberweis would find out for sure whether Salvi was interested before announcing that he wanted her for lt gov? It seems like a big rookie mistake to me.
Pingback IllinoisPundit » Blog Archive » Oberweis Updates - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:08 pm:
[…] Update 3:08 pm: Rich Miller has Salvi’s statement declining the position. […]
- Limerick - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:14 pm:
Why run a three-legged race?
Fashion does not equal grace.
To try to look cool,
Jim just played the fool,
Now he has egg on his face.
Trackback ArchPundit - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:18 pm:
Two Tickets, another guy and a fool
It’s usually best to get an answer before announcing that you want to run with someone I take back what I said a few minutes ago, Topinka will win, the others are either too unknown or just stupid….
- Limerick (update) - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:19 pm:
The soul of a milkman named Jim
Was sold to a group that is grim.
Jim will never bring back
What he lost joining Jack.
His chances have started to dim.
Trackback ArchPundit - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:29 pm:
Real Talent
I don’t think that the connection between Roeser and Oberweis is much news, but that Roeser has been so incompetent as to rack up over $60,000 in fines in one of the most lax states in the nation when it…
- muletown - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 3:39 pm:
Elsie the Cow or Elmer of Glue fame would have been marvelous choices. Plus, they are very popular which would help this please elect me to something manic egotist. The question would they drop to the depth of the sadness of this lame political chump
- anon - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 4:40 pm:
Joe Wiegand was the Executive Director of Roeser’s Family Taxpayer Network for many years. He held that position right up until he took the position with Oberweis. Will Wiegand be investigated as part of this scandal?
- Tessa - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 5:31 pm:
Is anyone going to be willing to put their name out there with Obie? Why would they want to have a team anyway considering that the two, Gov. and Lt. Gov., are separate on the ticket anyway?
He doesn’t have a chance, and whoever gave him the advice to do this needs to be gone. I agree, he should have asked her first and waited until she gave an answer instead of making a big “to-do” about it then getting egg on his face.
- Anonymous - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 6:53 pm:
I think that Brady would definately join Obie as Lt. Gov. if he were asked, especially with the backing of Roeser. But, if I were advising Obie, I would recommend that he go for a consensus ticket. I think that he should reach out to the middle and choose Corrinne Wood as his running mate.
- Beowulf - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 6:55 pm:
Oberweis is only guilty of being an amateur in the field of politics. He is bouncing off the walls wondering what he needs to do next to “checkmate” Judy & Joe as well as Ron & Steve. I am wondering if now he will ask Joe Wiegand or Jack Roeser to be his running mate as Lt. Governor.
- 6 Degrees of Separation - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 8:22 pm:
The gyrations of the IL GOP over the lite gov office is proof that there is much ado about nothing going on over there, and it does not bode well for the party.
Once every 4 years, an inordinate amount of attention is placed on this otherwise obscure state constitutional office, only to fade back into oblivion once the general election is over. This “teaming” controversy in the IL GOP has people talking about “geographical” balance, “ideological balance”, and all other kinds of obtuse concepts. Like the lite guv would actually influence policy if his/her running mate were elected.
Like the guy (what’sisname) who was the other half of Wham! with George Michael, this office is of limited use in provided “image” during a campaign, and of almost no use thereafter.
It’s an office that is not worth the taxpayers’ expense and should be abolished.
- heet101 - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 8:38 pm:
No one made nearly big enough of a deal about how clever those limericks were. Nice.
- Neal - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 8:45 pm:
Does not having a running mate make Oberweis skim milk?
- Goodbye Napoleon - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 9:20 pm:
Okay, so Rod Blagojevich’s campaign “volunteers” are trying to secretly promote Obie in the GOP primary and then this week the major policy announcement is basically tailored to get the guy to attack him - on the illegal immigrant issue. Clearly, they have a strategy. Engage Obie and get him free media. I wonder how the milk man feels about being endorsed by Blagojevich’s wonder-kid braintrust from New York City.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Dec 12, 05 @ 9:27 pm:
No Neal, it makes him 2%.
Love the Limericks.
- HoosierDaddy - Tuesday, Dec 13, 05 @ 9:37 am:
Anon 6:53 are you with the Governor’s campaign? Brady would not and will not join Oberweis. Brady will BEAT Oberweis.
- Anon - Tuesday, Dec 13, 05 @ 11:43 am:
Rauscheberger would beat Gidwitz as well…. Brady beating Obie, not for sure on that one… likely not!
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Dec 13, 05 @ 2:56 pm:
Who is giving this man advise? I hope it has been free, because it sure has been worthless. How can Mr. Oberweis appear gubernatorial with these kind of amateur mistakes? Taking money from Roeser? Getting turned down by - Mrs. Salvi? What’s next? Discovering your name misspelled on your yard signs?
My advise to Mr. Oberweis is to seriously reconsider his desire to run next year. If he still intends to finish, then he needs to do some very public head chopping and firings. No candidate should be stuck with campaign advice as poor as he seems to be getting from his staffers. Heads need to roll, and we need to know who NOT to hire when they come knocking at our door.
Every election year, we have been seeing wealthy candidates get fleeced. A fatal combination of candidate hubris and mercenary greed has kept more than a few millionaires out of elected office, or my name isn’t Senator Hull, or Senator Hofeld.
Mr. Oberweis: You are the buyer - beware!
- Bitter Scribe - Tuesday, Dec 13, 05 @ 3:29 pm:
Sometimes I wonder if Oberweis’ family gets annoyed about the way he burns through the family fortune in these hopeless campaigns.