Still no GOP opponent for Frerichs
Monday, Oct 16, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tom Kacich…
The candidate filing period in Illinois begins in six weeks, and State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, a Champaign Democrat, still doesn’t have a Republican opponent.
That means that if a Republican challenger wants to appear on the primary election ballot in March, she or he is going to have to hustle to come up with the required 5,000 to 10,000 signatures on candidate petitions that have to be filed between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4.
A spokesman for the Illinois Republican Party, Aaron DeGroot, displayed no sense of panic or urgency about candidate vacancies for statewide offices (there also is no announced GOP candidate to challenge State Comptroller Susana Mendoza).
“There are several individuals considering a run for Treasurer, but there are no declared candidates at this time,” DeGroot said. “Stay tuned.”
OK, but four years ago — when incumbent Treasurer Dan Rutherford was running for governor — the major party candidates were already announced, passing petitions and raising money.
Frerichs raised just $109K in the second quarter and spent $62K. Of that spending, $43K went to P2 Consulting, his fundraiser. Yes, it will likely be a pretty strong Democratic year next year here, but he had just $273K at the end of the 2nd quarter. He’s as close as they’re gonna get to a sitting duck and the Republicans aren’t even floating names.
- wordslinger - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:19 am:
GOP better put someone on there they can support, or some Andy Martin type will get on the ballot and take the primary.
You can’t count on the power of the state party to appoint someone after the primary.
- old time golfer - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:22 am:
With all the media attention and publicity that he has received over the soda pop tax, I am hearing Cook County Commissioner Shawn Morrisons name being floated state wide.
- We'll See - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:26 am:
So it appears that Jim Oberweis likes being Sen. Oberweis. /s
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:26 am:
=== I am hearing===
He’d have to give up his seat, so I’m not sure you should believe those voices.
- Almost the Weekend - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:29 am:
P2 Consulting seems to charge for consulting but not exactly deliver. Be interesting to see if Kennedy and Frerichs make a change after this quarter.
- Fax Machine - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:32 am:
Jim Oberweis is one of the 3 GOP Senators who aren’t up for reelection this year - so don’t be surprised if he’s got one more rodeo left in him.
Time to rev up the helicopter!
- Moe Berg - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:32 am:
Based on those figures, the firm, which is owned by Hanah Jubeh, is taking a 40% cut. That seems pretty steep for such anemic numbers.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:34 am:
===
Frerichs raised just $109K in the second quarter and spent $62K. Of that spending, $43K went to P2 Consulting, his fundraiser. Yes, it will likely be a pretty strong Democratic year next year here, but he had just $273K at the end of the 2nd quarter. He’s as close as they’re gonna get to a sitting duck and the Republicans aren’t even floating names.===
If ot comes down to someone the Raunerites being the lone filer and they can stick, who knows what problem the Raunerites will then face with a Judge Roy Moore or a Raunerite version of Scott Lee Cohen.
Right now? Right now Raunerites are confused. They understand it’s not going to be a GOP year, but have to wonder why two possible candidates are willing to take on Jesse White and nary a soul will take on Mendoza or Frerichs?
Rauner, like Rod, didn’t want the party a governor could control to encourage independent thoughts of advancing within the Blago or Raunerite Party. Both Rod in theory and Bruce in actuality, wanted complete control and outside the “establishment”
Welp, if you’re gonna do that, you don’t get ambitious leaders to join in your visions, you get lemmings more concerned about staying and hoping they can stay exactly where they are.
I’m sure Matt Besler would’ve found these candidates, you know, after taking over that vaunted apparatus described in a press release all that Z passed on.
Raunerism is phony. Getting people to actually run WITH Rauner in this possible catastrophe in 2018? Hmm. Tough ask for actual leaders, let alone an alleged Republican that signed HB40, taxpayer paid abortions.
So, Frerichs waits.
Would be fun if Frerichs could sneak in his own preferred candidate to run against, but I’ve only had one cup of coffee so I’m just having fun with a morning bit of snark.
- Obamas Puppy - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:34 am:
I’m sure the Treasurer appreciates the post - not.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:37 am:
===I’m sure the Treasurer appreciates the post - not.===
lol, yeah, nothing like highlighting a possible GOP pickup that appears everyone is overlooking.
I’m sure Frerichs would like to be forgotten until December.
- Arsenal - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 9:52 am:
Frerichs raised decent enough money in ‘14. I wonder if Carrington’s feud with Jubeh is taking it’s toll, or if Frerichs is just content to lay off fundraising so long as he has no real opponent.
- @MisterJayEm - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:00 am:
In a normal year, this would be an ideal race for an ambitious but under-the-radar DuPage Republican. But this year, a candidate has to worry about navigating between Jeanne Ives’ supporters/funders on one side and the Rauners’ supporters/funders on the other.
And regardless of the GOP gubernatorial primary’s outcome, getting cross-ways with either group would extinguish a Republican up-and-comer’s political career. Both have a Manichean ‘them or us’ approach to politics — and both know how to hold a grudge.
Anyone with the political skills required to thread that needle probably has political sense enough to sit this one out.
– MrJM
- JoeMaddon - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:02 am:
Odd that Mendoza also not having an opponent was just an aside in Kacich’s article?
It’s just really odd that there are no GOP candidates for Treasurer and Comptroller yet. Look, I get it that its tough to find candidates to run statewide, but this is just strange.
- Centennial - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:05 am:
I don’t work on the consulting side of things . . . are those pretty standard fees to charge?
- Arsenal - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:24 am:
==Odd that Mendoza also not having an opponent was just an aside in Kacich’s article?==
That’s the one that really gets me, she’s only been in office a year, it was a close-enough election in ‘16, and she’s slapped Rauner around as much as anyone. Can’t believe how much trouble they’re having finding someone to take her on.
- FLEA - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:52 am:
Securing an opponent to Frerichs will be a very tall order.
- Roman - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 10:58 am:
Is it sexist to point out that P2 is charging a lot of fees w/ little to show for it?
- Saluki - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 11:01 am:
Paging Steve Kim….
Paging Ron Gidwitz…
Paging Bill Kelly….(I know he is running for Governor already, but in his case that doesn’t matter)
- RNUG - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 11:54 am:
== Securing an opponent to Frerichs will be a very tall order. ==
I’m pretty sure someone will step up to it (or is that stand up?).
- Anon0091 - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 11:56 am:
Which part of the IL Republican Party is in disarray are people confused about? It’s simply inexcusable and beyond comprehension that there are open statewide slots at this point and no competition for Erika Harrold.
- SuburbanRepublican - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 12:07 pm:
Why the GOP hasn’t put up a candidate is mind boggling. The Treasurer’s race would be perfect to target at this point.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 12:10 pm:
Maybe when Bruce and Diana Rauner turned their back on Proft, Besler, Rasmussen, Rickert… that $30 million probably coulda attracted a far-right Proft type, now it’s Diana calling the social agenda shots and who wants to run with her husband Bruce… with Trump in his midterm?
- Old time Republican - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 12:56 pm:
Rauner better get someone to run state wide real quick for those two offices before Proft does. Can you imagine Proft running people for all three it would be a all out assault on Rauner.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Is it bad to say that maybe they’re thinking that the Treasurer’s office isn’t worth the multi-million dollar investment? I mean…would the GOP be stronger right now if Cross won in 2014?
- downstate commissioner - Monday, Oct 16, 17 @ 4:30 pm:
OK, I generally favor Repubs when I vote. But this year, they are going to have to come up with a GREAT candidtate to lure me away from Mendoza or Frerichs; they both seem to be capable, and not afraid to speak out about things that pertain to their jobs.
(I just realized that I guess that I’m becoming a Democrat-ANYBODY that the dems put up for governor will get my vote….)