61 Comments - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:30 am: Sen. Dillard, With respect, You can join the race for Governor at any time. Any. time. Ms. Harold, It’s never too late to “walk away” - “…the timing wasn’t right for me, and as I have been working hard, and after talking with my family, it is best that I not run this time, but I look forward to the time when I can go in front of the voters and serve them. Thank you.” Boy, the Johnson Ex-Staffer Crew you have, they are just helping and helping, and helping … to tear you down. - Anon - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:32 am: Somebody needs to walk away from the GOP Primary race… now. The field needs to be cleared. - Bill White - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:33 am: Quinn has almost 3x the cash as Rutherford and no primary. Bruce Rauner has the money but is he the type of guy to spend his own money on something like this? Rutherford - Dillard was the GOP ticket I most feared in August. Probably too late for that, today. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:34 am: I think Bill Brady is trying to pace himself. We all need to remember, Illinois is bigger to Sen. brady this time, he is including Cook county this time, so it might be overwelming. “Pat, you haven’t returned my calls. I am sorry. Sheila.” “Sheila, I got your messages, like I got your message when you left me. Governor Quinn” - A guy... - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:35 am: Willie, totally agree on your take with Ms. Harold. Those guys are harming her for years to come or maybe even forever. On Dillard, the communications are consistently way out front and always inaccurate. Can’t tell what’s going on there. With all the consultant fees, you’d think they would at least have the fact check messaging right on their own stuff. Something totally goofy there. - Rahm'sMiddleFinger - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:40 am: Quinn looks stronger and stronger each day. He just filed an A-1 with about $60,000 in contributions. There is a lot of Democratic money in this State, and it’s all going to go to Quinn. He should be around $5 million plus by the time the Republicans get done. - Samurai - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:42 am: –Bruce Rauner has the money but is he the type of guy to spend his own money on something like this?– Apparently so. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:47 am: I don’t understand what Bill Brady is doing. He nearly won last time. Are we witnessing “lessons-learned” here? Perhaps Dan Egler can explain it. He’s getting paid for something. - Downstate dem - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:58 am: Quinn remains very unpopular and has 12 full months to lose more voters. Yes all of the Republican candidates are flawed in one way or another except none of them are Quinn. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:59 am: Rodney Davis needs a lot more money as he’s an empty suit candidate. Also if you take out PAC (i.e. special interest) contributions and only look at individual donations, Erika Harold is actually doing pretty well. Also her magnetism as a candidate is priceless. She’s also everywhere and outworking Davis from what I hear. Also on Harold’s side are the independent expenditures already being made by the Dems to weaken Davis and expose his record. In any case, no amount of money can repair the incredible damage Davis has already inflicted on himself by reckless actions like signing on to a letter pledging to shut down the government, a letter signing led by one of the craziest birthers in Congress. - Robert the Bruce - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:06 am: Why aren’t conservatives supporting Bill Brady with their pocketbooks? Is he just not working the phones? It seems to me that he has a credible pitch to conservative donors that he is the only “true conservative” in the race. - Norseman - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:17 am: Is this more evidence of the implosion of today’s extremist controlled GOP? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:18 am: ===Also if you take out PAC (i.e. special interest) contributions and only look at individual donations, Erika Harold is actually doing pretty well=== LOL What about if you looked only at contributions received on a Thursday? - Bill White - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:21 am: Bruce Rauner has raised and spent a lot on money . . . http://www.illinoisobserver.net/2013/10/16/rauner-tv-ad-spending-totals-1-6-million/ However, after scrolling through various quarterly reports at the IL Board of Elections, he has yet to go all that big with his personal funds. If those TV ads haven’t created a Rauner tidal wave yet, can he raise another few million from those same contributors? - Doooooooode - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:25 am: ===Also her magnetism as a candidate is priceless=== Actually, the magnetism of candidates is something you can measure by looking at fundraising and poll numbers - seems pretty bargain basement to me. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:28 am: Come on Rich, yeah it’s really crazy to look at how many individual and small donors are contributing as one way to judge campaign support/energy. Yeah I’m the bad guy. I still have to ask, exactly how much money would you say Rodney needs to offset the fact he signed a letter along with at least one crazy birther pledging to shut down the government? I’ll say many millions which puts him seriously in the hole. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:33 am: It’s a long way to March dooooooooooode. And who knows how many more times Rodney Davis will try to shut down the government before then. He’s already shown how irresponsible and extreme he can be. - walkinfool - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:40 am: @too obvious: your name says it all - shore - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:45 am: Dillard is gov edgar’s ex cos so not to worry. all is well. Harold seems like a breakout candidate waiting to happen but doesn’t have the consultants who know how to make her christine o’donell overnight. She should have been all over chicago media-and the media loves attractive/harvard/woman combos. Too bad. Has anyone checkedin with naval reservist jason plummer to see how the government shutdown is crushing his (fathers) personal finances? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:48 am: I think it’s cute that - too obvious - wants to break out all the monies and sort them in little piles and figure who got that and … It all spends the same. Ms. Harold’s run at Rodney is Folly. The Ex-Johnson Staffers are taking away any ounce of credibility Ms. Harold has every day they continue this, and when excuses are about what money where, and “nah, she’s a rock star” polling as miserably as she has, and the fundraising as pathetic as it is … This might not end well for Ms. Harold. Ms. Harold shold maybe think about other “options” to save some face, before petitions make it impossible for her results in the election to come out. - Doode - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:49 am: ===It’s a long way to March dooooooooooode.=== Indeed, but it was an even longer time to March when Erika first announced and since that time has done little to improve her standing. I see a pattern emerging… - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:00 pm: Same question for you Oswego Willy, how much money would you say Rodney needs to offset the fact he signed a letter along with at least one crazy birther pledging to shut down the government? Talk about folly. Sheesh. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:02 pm: ===how much money would you say Rodney needs to offset the fact he signed a letter along with at least one crazy birther pledging to shut down the government?=== In the Republican primary? $0. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:05 pm: === ===how much money would you say Rodney needs to offset the fact he signed a letter along with at least one crazy birther pledging to shut down the government?=== In the Republican primary? $0.=== Exactly. Rodney needs to beat Ms. Harold in the Primary Election. The Polling, the financials, the Staffing, the candidates …they seem to be pointing upward for Rodney, and pointing downward to a sinkhole, where Ms. Harold’s political “star” will be heading if she continues this Folly. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:06 pm: “In the Republican primary? $0.” I disagree because at least some Republicans are smart enough to realize Davis is making himself unelectable in November and will see the wisdom of nominating a smart level-headed person like Erika Harold who can actually win and won’t keep embarrassing the party. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:10 pm: - too obvious -, Thank goodness Ms. Harold will have ALL that money to get that message out and … Oh ..wait … - Dode - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:17 pm: ===I disagree because at least some Republicans are smart enough to realize Davis is making himself unelectable in November and will see the wisdom of nominating a smart level-headed person like Erika Harold who can actually win and won’t keep embarrassing the party.=== All the public polls in this race have Rodney beating Callis/Gollen - Rich’s poll has him pushing 50 if not at 50 against Callis. Only embarrassment so far is Erika’s ill-conceived run. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:21 pm: You guys are adorable. LOL - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:25 pm: Also, TO, you’re avoiding another very important question. How much does Erika Harold need to raise to beat Rodney Davis? I would posit that it’s infinitely more than she’s shown an ability to raise to date. The challenger has to make the case for change. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:29 pm: - too obvious -, She has “limitied” money (trying to be, um, ‘kind’), Erika is polling miserably, against an incumbent Republican being backed by the Congressional Campaign Committee, and basing her “run/walk/crawl?” on that Ms. Harold is a “rock star, you… you … you just wait”? No substance there to show a credible run, and add in the Johnson Ex-Staffers and their own pathetic reasons that Champaign County “owns” the seat, they, themselves are owed jobs, or both. It’s Folly, either she knows it, and that is pretty damaging to her own credibility, or doesn’t know it, which might explain the complete lack of political acumen in taking on this race. Either way, not a good way to make a first impression as a candidate, as a strategist, or as a leader in the GOP. But, if we just sort that check to “this” pile, and carry the 7 when adding “that” pile, and subtract odd numbered checks … - Juvenal - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:35 pm: @Rich: LOL There’s a word for candidates and campaigns who think fundraising isn’t important: “losers” In Harold’s case, it is just Denial. In Brady and Dillard’s case, I think that it is a measure of: 1) Inability to convince donors they can win Primary, let alone general; 2) Lack of fundraising “prowess” among Senate Republicans 3) Just too many Senate Republicans running When was the last time a sitting lawmaker was elected Illinois governor? Ever?? I expect Brady to keep hobbling along, but why Dillard hasn’t dropped and endorsed Rutherford yet, I don’t know. There’s just no daylight at the end of the tunnel for him. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:49 pm: “For Immediate Release DILLARD SAYS HALF MILLION IN COFFERS BY ‘SUNDOWN TOMORROW’ Hinsdale, IL - Sen. Kirk Dillard today responded …” - Whatever - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:50 pm: Dillard’s report is an interesting read. It features quite a list of “consultants” who have cozied up to the trough, although their value appears to be questionable. What a sad, disappointing campaign. - too obvious - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 12:55 pm: Rich, I certainly don’t discount the need for campaign cash. And yes she needs more and she needs to step things up. But it’s certainly not “infinite” as you used. Look, I don’t now and have never worked for Tim Johnson (think I met the man once, and that whole shtick is silly in any case), but my point is Harold is one of those rare candidates. Not only is she already a national figure from the Miss America gig, but she’s extraordinary as a candidate. She is the one in a million candidate who really could potentially win on shoe leather. Even in a big congressional district, she can conceivably meet in person enough voters to win the primary. You can’t help but be impressed by this woman when you meet her. Rodney, not so much. And on the money point, the Dems are already spending lots against Rodney softening him up. Obviously Harold has nothing to do with that but in a real way it’s as good as her spending the money herself. - train111 - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 1:01 pm: Some lovely tidbits out of the recently filed D-2’s Sen Toi Hutchinson paid hereslf $3,000 salary for July and August out of her fund–not illegal, but pretty darned tacky. Rep Luis Arroyo had an expense with Fed-Ex for over $79,000 for shipping!! What the heck was he shipping–a refrigerator to every house in Belmont-Cragin?? ‘ train111 - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 1:17 pm: ===But it’s certainly not “infinite” as you used.=== Really? “Hello, this is Rodney Davis, Erika Harold just topped $100,000. Can the Republican Campaign Committee match that, given I am leading her by 20 points in the polls? No? Oh, you are going to send $200,000.? Great thanks!” Yeah, that piggy bank for Rodney, its infinite. Further, ===…she’s extraordinary as a candidate.=== Based on what? Her fundraising? Her appearances on “Fox and Friends” All that national garbage boils down to a Member of Congress and the District. As Ms. Harold goes all over the country, sits on the “curvy couch”, the only thing extraordinary about Erika is that Erika can’t seem to find time to be in the District. ===she can conceivably meet in person enough voters to win the primary.=== Is that before … or after she is out of state? You said it yourself, she is National. The Dems are attempting to soften up Rodney, all that ius doing is making his GOP Primary challenger weaker, given the parameters of a GOP Primary, and the fact the message for the usual GOP Primary voter is being hit in their sweet spot. Bad move on her part to run. Not seen in a good light by the way she is running, by her lack of fundraising, and the group of people she has chosen to run her campaign. It is. - chad - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 2:33 pm: Enclosed is a check to you refunding a percentage of your contribution to the campaign for Jill and me. This time I paid off all of our debts. And, thanks for helping me pay off the debt from my last effort — just had to be done to keep the downtown guys off my back. The better route to fiscal stability for Illinois is to nominate a candidate who can win the Primary by a good margin and go on to represent the overwhelming majority of committed Republicans in the General. I recognize I just don’t have the traction and energy this time around, and don’t want to sentence the party to yet another 4 years of total Democratic control. Thanks. - Publius - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 3:59 pm: Let’s see…Kirk got $250,000 loaned from Gidwitz and say’s he doesn’t have to repay, and didn’t get $250,000 in the last quarter, which he said was going to be there. So he can’t recognize real debt and thinks phantom money is. real. Yes, let’s turn the state’s budget crisis over to him! - DuPage Rep - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:12 pm: 200K on hand, and 157K is from Operators Local 150. Yikes! How desperate is Kirk Dillard that he had to take large sums of money from the bankrollers of Quinn and Madigan? Will Dillard survive until Thanksgiving? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:14 pm: ===How desperate is Kirk Dillard that he had to take large sums of money from the bankrollers of Quinn and Madigan?=== LOL Our last three Republican governors would roll over in their graves to hear that - if they were dead, that is. 150 was known for years as a GOP outfit. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:21 pm: - DuPage Rep - Local 150 is/was a staple in GOP races. Making a statement about 150 and not knowing that they are/were GOP leaning is pretty dopey, considering you are clueless to how that all “works”. - DuPage Rep - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:31 pm: That was when it was Duggan country. Sweeney is a hard D. - Norseman - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:32 pm: Some folks have a knee JERK (emphasis intended) whenever they see or hear the word union. They even boycott the President’s State of the Union address. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 4:38 pm: - DuPage Rep -, So since Bill Dugan left, no Republican has been endorsed by 150? They gave Christine Radogno $10K in September … They gave Chris Lauzen $1K in July, that Left-Winger! Wow, Radogno and Lauzen. Leftists! - Filmmaker Professor - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 5:04 pm: Rich, I was driving my daughter home in Champaign the other day when I saw something I’d never seen before: an Ericka Harold bumper sticker! So as I pulled up next to the car, guess whose it was? None other than Miss America, Ericka Harold herself. So, I guess she’s got at least one bumper sticker out there. Tim Johnson sycophant Mark Shelden probably has one on his car too. I’ll let you know if I see it. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 5:13 pm: - Filmmaker Professor -, That must mean that 98 other bumper stickers are sitting in a box, probably in one of those car’s trunks. I think you need to buy 100 to get a special price. - Timmeh - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 5:44 pm: http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=19887&y=0 There’s a chart with 2004-2012 contributions from Local 150. See for yourself. Personally, it looks like money follows power. The tops are all on the top 12, as is Pat Quinn and JBT (Would have mostly been during her gov-run). The contributions to certain parties seems to favor Republicans. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 6:01 pm: - Timmeh -, Great stuff. Thanks. It seems “150″ gives to many Republicans. Payton Prep Clouter Bruce Rauner likes to give to “Daleys” and “Emanuels” and “Rendells” For comparison purposes. - DuPage Rep - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:05 pm: Hogwash. Duggan was in charge during most of that time. Name one Republican other than Dillard that has received 150K plus in the last 4 years from 150. Again, like with Cross’ qualifications for to be Treasurer…crickets. Dillard had to beg for the money. He is so desperate that he has to beg for money. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:42 pm: “Hogwash” lol Attention. Attention. If you receive ANY monies from a Union, you have betrayed your principals and sold your soul. If you make Billions off the pensions of Union workers, and the run a race where everything about you … is Hogwash … after you Clout your Child to be taught by Union teachers, then you should be Canonized. Um, -DuPage Rep -, Pretty pathetic attempt to marginalized “150″ since it is quite clear they give more monies to Republicans than Bruce Rauner gave. “Hogwash”, - last time I head that was when Mr. Potter was throwing out George Bailey to dissolve the Building &Loan - Potter, an angry man, elitist, with no time for people, and no love in his heart. “Warped, frustrated old Man” who found out George Bailey was the Richest Man in town, not Payton Prep Clouter Bruce Rauner. You go and look up those “150″ numbers again, or just take Uncle Billy’s money, whatever makes ya happy. Dope. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 10:57 pm: As to Cross… While you are at it, you tell “Grogran” that loaning monies to yourself to inflate your …”appeal”… Is the saddest way possible to …beg… for relevance. When “Grogran” can spell his own name, and “Grogran” gets the Dopey “CPA” off the ridiculous signs, and “Grogran” dismisses Jason Plummer, and “Grogran” actually understands those mistakes, maybe the mocking will tone down, and we will just ignore him, and not shine too bright a light on his Quixote campaign to irrelevance. Food for thought… - Timmeh - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:05 pm: ==Name one Republican other than Dillard that has received 150K plus in the last 4 years from 150.== Here are the only 100k+ donations. There’s only one that comes close to 100k (Earick Rayburn, a Democrat, in a primary loss in 2008 received 98k from Local 150). 2006: Judy Baar Topinka. 408k 2010: Pat Quinn. 313k And we know that they’ve given 157k to Dillard for this election cycle, and it’s not even the general election yet. He also got 25k from them in 2010 in his primary run. So that’s around 180k and he hasn’t even made it past the primary yet, which the above two managed to do. So naming people, you’re only going to get 1 Democrat that has gotten 150k+ in the past 4 years. So 1 democrat and 1 republican have gotten 150k+ in the past 4 years. Judging by the fact that this is downstate union, it looks like they give up the big money for the Governor’s race and that they prefer moderate Republicans. Why give so much to Pat Quinn? I seem to remember Brady wasn’t so chummy with unions during 2010. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:11 pm: - Timmeh -, You have my Marker, Cannoli for you. Very,… very, well done. Again. - DuPage Rep - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:13 pm: Good points Timmeh, but 150 has changed under Sweeney. Topinka was in the Duggan days. It is not a downstate union, but represents Northeast Illinois and Chicago. As for Willy, your insults only show how insecure you are with your candidates. How good it must feel to know everything Willy. Get a life and get a clue. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:22 pm: “Sentimental Hogwash! I want my ‘Grogran, CPA’ yard sign.”! Um, - DuPage Rep -, it’s “Dugan”, not “Duggan”. FYI Grogran/Grogran, Duggan/Dugan, maybe you should just give up… - DuPage Rep - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:28 pm: Ha Ha Ha. How do you spell schmuck? Or is it Schmuk? hmm…. ponder that loser - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:35 pm: lol, Look, you fault me, then you call me name? Ok, Mr. Potter. To the Post, The Illinois Senate Republicans received monies, along with Christine Radogno. Radogno is no Bruce Rauner, she is actually, as Leader giving monies to help Republican candidates. So, what… The “New” 150 is bored? Local 150 has donated more monies to the GOP than Rahm Enanuel’s vacation buddy Bruce Rauner. Shouldn’t you be upset with Rauner funding Rich Daley, who had a ton of Union monies, or Rahm Emanuel, who had a fair share of Union monies, and Bruce Rauner who gave them both cash? Yikes! - Timmeh - Wednesday, Oct 16, 13 @ 11:35 pm: So… I don’t get it. They’re a labor union. Name the Republicans who are union friendly in Illinois. Then look at the list of donations. I’d imagine it matches up pretty well, with some exceptions of course. And if you look at 2006, taking out JBT and Joe Birkett (LT for JBT), they gave more to Democrats than Republicans for other races. In fact, take out the Governor’s race, for each cycle they very nearly give an equal amount to each side. 2012 was the only year they seemed to prefer Democrats, but taking a look at the biggest 3 contributions you’ll see Lisa Madigan (Gov 2014?), Pat Quinn (Gov 2014?), and John Greg (IN Democratic Gov Nominee 2012). With those out, it’s only a slight favoring of Democrats. To me, it looks like the Governor’s Office is the big trophy that they give out the big money for (and they don’t play both sides). Everything else, they give fairly equally on. - otoh - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 9:07 am: 150 is tied into Tollway work in a big way. Appropriations for infrastructure happen no matter who holds the reins of power. Just business, they spread small money around, and their big hitter list is a who’s who in IL politics. They back winners. IL Lunch Pail Republicans PAC is also tied into the IOUE (NOT specifically 150) and contributes almost exclusively to Republican candidates. They were one of the big hitters for Dillard in Q3. This PAC is self-described as acknowledging many construction workers vote Republican, so that’s where their money goes. - walkinfool - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 9:18 am: 150 appears to support candidates from both parties, but their hot button issues are capital funding for construction, pro-union work environment, and pro gun rights. The first two make perfect sense, but the third seems a stretch. They are viewed by most as slightly leaning GOP, if at all. - pościel dla niemiowląt - Friday, Oct 18, 13 @ 1:24 am: It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this web site, i am browsing this web site dailly and obtain pleasant facts from here every day. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.