16 Comments - Colin O'Scopy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 9:56 am: “Paging Congressman Plummer….Congressman Jason Plummer. You have a phone call.” Destiny is on the line and you’d better pick it up. - g - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 9:58 am: More like “Merry Christmas Illinois GA”. Just like when Bost left. Only the best and brightest hacks end up in Congress. - HL Mencken - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 9:59 am: Illinois loses a seat after the 2020 census. Democrats will draw the map. This seat will be in LaHood’s district next time around. - Colin O'Scopy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:08 am: =Illinois loses a seat after the 2020 census.= This factoid is probably why Jason hasn’t jumped in with both feet. But you know what they say, “Congressman for a day, Congressman for life”. - Annonin' - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:13 am: So now we will see if the “growd” up version of Daddy’s Little Boy can carry the ball. Senate has not been dazzled DCCC might be taking another look here. Or perhaps just put him in the Rodney/Bost/LaHood soup for 2022. - DarkHorse - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:17 am: I take at face value that “it’s not the right time for [Harold].” That said, I agree with the assessment that a GOP primary would be a “Trump loyalty contest”, and she’d have to explain why she didn’t vote for Trump in ‘16, and pretend that she actually supports what the President is doing and how he goes about doing it. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:18 am: Richard J. Daley has this thing about problems and then sending them to DC, never to be heard from again. The tradition continues as Chuy isn’t the same Chuy he was. Ask Gutierrez as well…. To the Post, Good on Harold, sincerely. You want to like her, but loss after loss compounding on itself, running for this seat that will likely be gerrymandered away to be the Freshman running against Bost or Davis, in a district both will likely “like” more than her, let Plummer risk being out of politics in January 2023. Harold hopefully will look at the GA seats after the remap. Harold has wasted almost a decade trying for relevancy when she coulda started smaller and built up a constituency. I sincerely hope she tries again, and chooses wiser than her last runs, and gets to serve. To Plummer, The reality of this opportunity is a lot to pass. You must look to the race in front of you, but ignoring that in 2023 you could be out…and not going back to the Illinois Senate… congress crittters don’t go backwards. It could be the end of the road after all that jockeying. The flip side, who’s to say Plummer isn’t drawn out of his state Senate seat? Strike while it’s hot, see what can happen in 2 years which is a lifetime in politics. Plummer has done a good job as a Senator, he’s worked with both sides, and isn’t a Eastern Bloc zealot, but let’s see how he comes out as a congressional candidate in this climate. Plummer’s ambition is the driving force, and in politics that’s a norm not a outlier. His first term not complete, but he has shown some real growth and learning. The gamble will be after, and if he loses now, he goes back to the Illinois Senate, so why not roll the dice. I won’t be shocked in this new map that Plummer will be given the short stick, first losing his seat, next facing which of the two districts he will need to run isn’t the worse-worse. Good luck to both. I hope Harold after this wise moves chooses her next move as wisely. - DarkHorse - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:25 am: To Oswego- Running for this seat is a good career move for Plummer. He’ll win, and who’s to say that the Democratic mischief makers might decide they like Plummer being a face of the GOP more than the “reasonable” Davis being so - and cook up a District which favors Plummer over Davis is a primary. Re: Harold - while your career coaching makes sense, there is no way she’ll ever run for the GA or State Senate. I’ll bet she looks at AOC, and thinks - “that should be me! I could debate The Squad and win.” My guess: if Davis gets beat in the 2020 general election, she’s running for Congress in 2022. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:27 am: That’s a shame, I was hoping to see a spirited debate between two candidates representing the future of the Illinois Republican Party. It would have been quite entertaining watching them compete for the pro-Trump vote. - Honeybear - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:29 am: Go for it Plummer There are a lot of PEOPLE just itchin to throw everything against you. - MetroIndy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:33 am: Republicans and Democrats in Madison County both are hoping Prenzler runs for Congress instead of reelection for chairman. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 10:38 am: ===who’s to say that the Democratic mischief makers might decide they like Plummer being a face of the GOP more than the “reasonable” Davis…=== You think seniority in this map, even being a minority Congress Critter isn’t at play? The goal is to get a map they all won’t oppose, or by seniority give the delegation a shot at not losing all that seniority in congress too. Bowing to a seat favoring Plummer over the veteran incumbents would be… interesting… to say the least. ===there is no way she’ll ever run for the GA or State Senate. I’ll bet she looks at AOC, and thinks - “that should be me…=== After a decade of failing to win seats, challenging a sitting Congressman and losing already, Harold needs a win. She’s only relevant now because she’s lost… often. Harold needs to win. The time wasted due to ego, at some point you need to realize Plummer had it right, lose a couple times but get a seat and build. - Justin - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 4:01 pm: MetroIndy, as a Madison County resident, I agree with you there about Prenzler running for IL-15. Krooked Kurt Prenzler’s days of ruining Madison County need to come to an end and fast. - Dave W - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 5:02 pm: Harold wouldn’t have been able to beat Plummer in a primary in this district. She’s been running to the middle for the past couple of years, and that wouldn’t play well in an ultra red district like this. So, good move on her part, and it saves Plummer a little money that he’d have to spend to ensure a convincing win. I still think he’s less concerned about the map in 2022 than Davis or Bost would be. Plummer will be spending the next 2 years running far to the right of where Davis and Bost are comfortable going, which will help him in a 2022 primary against either of them. Oh, and he’ll have a lot more cash to spend as well. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 17, 19 @ 5:09 pm: ===I still think he’s less concerned about the map in 2022 than Davis or Bost would be.=== This would be a huge error. If you can’t pick out the fool in the first deal, you’re the fool. The map allows the senior members to try to get a better seat, and as the least senior in the minority Plummer will get NO favors. ===Plummer will be spending the next 2 years running far to the right of where Davis and Bost are comfortable going, which will help him in a 2022 primary against either of them.=== lol, freshmen are still freshmen… ===Oh, and he’ll have a lot more cash to spend as well.=== Money doesn’t guarantee victory. Dismissing both incumbent congress critters is not wise. - cudawodashuda - Wednesday, Sep 18, 19 @ 7:19 pm: Harold would be a terrible candidate —couldn’t win an election. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.