Real campaigns vs. not so real campaigns
Thursday, Jul 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie writes about Darin LaHood’s congressional primary win…
LaHood was not an incumbent, but with his well-known name and the backing in the primary of county Republican chairmen in 18 of the 19 counties in the 18th Congressional District, it was clearly his race to lose. The 19th county, McLean, has a GOP that doesn’t endorse in primaries, and Republican County Chairman CHUCK ERICKSON said that with LaHood’s primary win, the organization is now “fully, 100 percent, without reservation” backing LaHood in the Sept. 10 special general election.
LaHood’s toughest GOP opponent, MIKE FLYNN, accused LaHood of being “to the manor born” because of his family legacy. Flynn, a co-founder of biggovernment.com with the late ANDREW BREITBART, turns a good phrase. He also berated the GOP establishment for getting behind LaHood so early.
But LaHood met the challenge.
When he appeared at Sangamon County GOP headquarters the afternoon before the election, it was his fifth city visited that day. He said keys to winning were “hard work, taking nothing for granted and finishing strong.”
Working that hard and using his ample funding to maintain an advertising presence certainly overcame the competition. LaHood got 69 percent of the vote to 28 percent for Flynn and 3 percent for DONALD RIENTS of Benson.
LaHood was indeed a hard worker. He cleared the field of anybody who was anybody, raised a goodly amount of cash and ran a smooth operation.
* Flynn also seemed unclear on certain concepts at times…
What’s missing?
People.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:37 am:
If corporations can be people, why can’t trucks and farm implements be?
- Dr X - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:43 am:
A real candidate?
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:44 am:
I saw no Flynn signs in yards.
I saw no Flynn representatives at any Independence Day events. Never saw Flynn. Never saw Flynn at the Capitol. Never saw Flynn at any village meetings. Never saw Flynn at any community board meetings. Never saw Flynn driving down the road. Never saw Flynn get an endorsement from anyone capable of voting for him.
I’ve seen Darin LaHood do all those things.
That is why he won.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:46 am:
I received one mailer from Mr. Flynn. I received no robo calls from Mr. Flynn. I have lived in the 18th CD since I bought my first house. I have been a registered Republican for well over a decade. Congressman Ray LaHood found me. Congressman Schock found me. Senator LaHood found me. Mike Flynn must have thought I was incognito. He talked a good game but he seemed mostly MIA and did more whining than campaigning.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:50 am:
He had people….they were just all onTwitter and outside of the District/State. Not exactly a winning strategy
- Tough Guy - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:53 am:
I saw about 8 Flynn signs in Auburn along Rt.104 a couple weeks before the election and no LaHood signs. However saw a bunch of LaHood signs in Springfield but no Flynn. Flynn must of had an aggressive volunteer in south Sangamon. Obviously not much of an overall showing for Flynn.
- Mister Whipple - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 10:55 am:
Despite all his very considerable work in McLean County, where he was seen more in a month than Schock was in six years, LaHood barely took the county. He won by by 300 votes out of 7600 cast. Is there a political message there somewhere? Chairman Erickson: anything?
- 4 percent - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:00 am:
Mike Flynn was a joke. He was a carpetbagger who hasn’t lived in Illinois for twenty years and I’m surprised that he even got 19 percent of the vote.
- Agricola - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:10 am:
==If corporations can be people, why can’t trucks and farm implements be? ==
They already are. I’m having lunch with my truck later.
- Cable Line Beer Gardener - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:10 am:
Shouldn’t the sign say-fertilizer dealers for Flynn?
- West Side the Best Side - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:14 am:
4 percent - Ah the benefits of an Irish name. See, for example Cook County judicial elections.
- OneMan - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:24 am:
Well you don’t have to give out points if there is no one to give the points to.
- A guy - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:38 am:
And now Mr. Flynn belongs to the (dark)ages. Within two years he’ll be remembered as the out of town Irish guy blogger who ran against LaHood. Maybe.
- Robert the Bruce - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 11:45 am:
LaHood-Rauner did a great job of clearing the field.
- Empty Suit - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 12:19 pm:
A Caterpillar Tractor?
- G'Kar - Thursday, Jul 9, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
I wonder if the strong support for Flynn in BN had more to do with the Peoria-BN rivalry than with real support for Flynn?
I did see a few Flynn signs through out central Illinois, but not many.
LaHood shook my hand during our town’s parade. I said to him that I wish he was more like his father, he frowned at me and walked away.