* Press release…
Today, Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann thanked nearly 190,000 voters across Illinois for their support and celebrated the Conservative Party qualifying as an “established political party” in over 80 Illinois counties by securing more than five percent of the vote.
As an established political party, Conservative Party candidates will require far fewer signatures than third party candidates, making it far easier for candidates to secure a position on the ballot in 2020. For Congressional races, the threshold for minor party candidates is five percent of the total votes cast in the last election for that race, while established party candidates need only half of one percent. In State Senate and House races, established party candidates need only 1,000 and 500 signatures, respectively. Minor party candidates require five percent of the electorate. However, because party status is conferred with respect to districts and political subdivisions and not geographic areas that exist independently of districts and political subdivisions, it will not be until precinct level data is available to determine which Congressional, House and Senate districts confer party status to the Conservative Party.
Additionally, McCann announced that he’d received more votes than any other third-party gubernatorial candidate in the nation. In Pike County, McCann received 38.8 of the vote.
McCann issued the following statement:
Bruce Rauner’s colossal failure as Governor sent voters running into tax-happy JB Pritzker’s waiting arms.
My campaign could not compete with the hundreds of millions of dollars that Pritzker and Rauner poured in, but I am proud of what we were able to accomplish across our great state. Conservative voters who want better options will have them in 2020, as our party has now been established across most of Illinois.
Pseudo conservatives like Jeanne Ives, and other so-called Conservative groups ran back into Rauner’s arms this fall in a sad display of “if you can’t beat him, join him.” I have no desire to fall in line with a party that doesn’t represent my values. I will help identify candidates to run across Illinois in 2020, and I will ensure that they find their way onto the ballot, where voters looking for a change will find them.
This election was only the start. My supporters can count on me to continue building the movement we started together. Everybody loves a comeback story, and candidates who protect conservative principles are coming back to Illinois.
* The State Board of Elections’ spokesman told me yesterday that the Conservative Party’s established political party designation will only apply to counties, not legislative and congressional districts, but a McCann guy pointed me to the decision in Vestrup v DuPage County Election Commission to back up McCann’s claim…
[Libertarian Party] Candidate sought review of county electoral board’s decision to exclude him from ballot as candidate for state representative. The Circuit Court, Du Page County, Edward R. Duncan, Jr., J., affirmed. Candidate appealed. The Appellate Court, O’Malley, J., held that: (1) candidate’s political party was not entitled to “established political party” status in newly created legislative district, and (2) candidate’s alleged reliance on State Board of Elections’ interpretation of election code would not estop challenge to candidate’s nomination. […]
Under the establishment provision of election code, the status of “established political party” is contingent on a political subdivision or district, not a political party, having voted as a unit in the last election.
- BenFolds5 - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:37 am:
I travel for work more than I want to. Arizona, California, Texas, New Jersey, and Atlanta. I love watching local news. I can assure you, a third choice in government isn’t a desire in Illinois alone. It is a creepy feeling that only Rich people can win. Bob Daiber may have been the most balanced candidate that ran for Governor. How many know who he even is on here?
- Saluki - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:38 am:
Side Show Sam. He sure is a useful tool for the democratic party. With super majorities you wouldn’t think they would continue to need his help.
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:44 am:
Now we just sit back and wait to see what the payoff for all this was…
- Al - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:47 am:
Will be interesting to see what Board or Commission JB appoints Sam.
- Perrid - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:47 am:
Again, shows what I know. I thought he had to get 5% statewide to be an established party.
As for the Conservative Party, we already have the Libertarian party, which is conservative economically and relatively liberal socially, and I think Sam ran on the opposite? He ran on the right of Rauner socially, and is somewhat moderate on economics? Not sure that’s the case, but it is my impression.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:51 am:
(Sigh)
Had Rauner not gone after McCann…
Payback or not for McCann, the McCann agenda first and last was about defeating Rauner as a payback for him too.
- Leatherneck - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:52 am:
Sangamon County should be one of those if McCann is correct: He received 9.17% of the vote in Sangamon (Kash only 2.53%).
https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/IL/Sangamon/86672/Web02.216033/#/
- Stumpy's bunker - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:53 am:
80 counties?
ILGOP: (high-impact face palm)
Maybe they can come to a deal with Sam. His poker hand isn’t half bad right now.
- Real - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:56 am:
Looks like McCann got the last laugh over Rauner.
- Chris P. Bacon - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:57 am:
The assumption that McCann voters would have just automatically voted for Rauner absent McCann’s name on the ballot is just one example of the arrogant, out-of-touch mentality that sees the Illinois GOP going from embarrassing bloodbath to embarrassing bloodbath. GOP here regularly does much worse than GOP in other states. The misfits responsible always want to blame others for their own incompetence.
- Real - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 10:59 am:
Whoever lives in Pike County should look into running for office under the conservative party.
- Board Watcher - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:01 am:
Cant wait for Sam And Ives to ride off into the sunset. Both have way to high opinions of themselves.
- Driving a car - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:07 am:
@ Ben Folds
On here? On this website dedicated specifically to Illinois politics? I am guessing a very large amount of people know who Daiber is.
- Matt Vernau - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:09 am:
Help me out here. The first thing ILGOP will do we be to look for big money to pay for all that air time. When that doesn’t work what might make them think about all the votes over to the left of when they stand?
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:11 am:
–I am guessing a very large amount of people know who Daiber is.–
Here absolutely. Trouble for him is, outside of Metro East he’s unknown and doesn’t have the cash to make himself known.
- Kayak - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:13 am:
Ironically, the Ford F-150 is the best selling truck in Pike County.
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:27 am:
McCann isn’t just getting the last laugh on Rauner. Bill Brady and his colleagues turned their back on McCann. Rauner might be headed to Italy or Montana or back home to Winnetka, but its the GOP lawmakers left holding the bag.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:47 am:
And so, if McCann’s people are right and the Conservative Party is an established party that applies to legislative/congressional districts, things could get real interesting for 2020.
Presumably, most of the places where he was over 5% are right-leaning and likely represented by Republicans. Would 150 (or someone else) prop up some Conservative Party candidates in those districts, thereby potentially enabling the election of more legislative and/or Congressional Democrats?
Potentially more downstream implications of Rauner’s disastrous tenure.
- Downstate Illinois - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 11:50 am:
Sam McCant, the gift that keeps giving for Mike Madigan and the Democrats.
- Real - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 12:04 pm:
So under Rauner the ILGOP lost big-time. They lost the governorship. They became a super minority in both chambers. They lost the opportunity to remake the map. They will potentially lose future races with the addition of the new Conservative party. All this because of Rauner and his targeting of McCann.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 12:31 pm:
Hoods & robes are optional.
- Fax Machine - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 12:34 pm:
If he got more than 5% in a state rep or Congressional district then the Conservative Party would be established in that district.
If he got more than 5% in a State Senate district is moot because there are only 2 scenarios - if that district did not have a 2018 election then it is not an election where an officer is being elected to that district so his results do not count for determining an established party.
If there was a State Senate election, then they all were elected to 4 year terms tbis time and the next election in 2022 will be under the new map - so by the precedent of Vestrup it will not be an established party.
Therefore Conservative Party candidates are established in the State Rep & Congress districts where he got over 5% only for 2020 and it is not established for any State Senate district.
- Fax Machine - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 12:36 pm:
Had he hit 5% Statewide then the Conservative Party would have been established everywhere in the State for 2020 and 2022.
- RNUG - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 12:47 pm:
You can dismiss Sam, but he got a pretty big result for very little money.
He did hussle to try to get votes. He may not have walked the entire State like Dan Walker did, but he definitely did drive it, and walked portions of it.
And, yes, he took money where he could find it. That made for some odd partnerships. The enemy of my enemy is my friend; Sam understood this. But he accomplished his main goal, defeating Rauner.
Will he end up with a job in JB’s administration as a reward for helping to defeat Rauner? Possibly. And unless he is planning on running again against JB in 4 years, he’d be a fool not to take an offered position.
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 1:00 pm:
–All this because of Rauner and his targeting of McCann.–
All of those things except the last one would have happened anyway, McCann or no McCann.
- Generic Drone - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 1:15 pm:
Sam Mcann. The GOP’s self inflicted wound.
- Taxedoutwest - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 2:06 pm:
Better name: “McSweeney/150 Party”
- cc - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
I personally is sick of rich amateurs running for office that have no concept nor will to understand the basics of how state government actually runs nor what will be their own personal responsibilities to do the job for which they were elected. Money doesn’t make a person smart nor qualified for political position.
- An American - Friday, Nov 9, 18 @ 4:16 pm:
A guy from the SBoE told you that the Conservative Party can get established in counties but not legislative districts because of a gubernatorial election? Chad Grimm (L) broke 5 percent in a bunch of counties in 2014 and I don’t think the LP got established there.
Assuming it’s not by county but by legislative or congressional district, like another part of this article suggests, I’m almost certain there are individual state house districts that Chad Grimm got 5 percent in. I’m not aware of the LP being established there either.
Does anybody know anything anymore? How come state senators, county clerks, and state board of election officials are confused about what the law is and give conflicting answers? Shouldn’t it just be one simple answer?
https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2014/illinois-elections