* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced Mike Ollen will lead his 2022 re-election campaign as Campaign Manager.
“I’m excited to kick off this campaign and continue to fight for the people of Illinois and lift up working families all across the state,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “With Mike at the helm I know we will build a robust operation that is not only going to keep the Governor’s Office blue but also make sure we’re electing Democrats up and down the ticket across Illinois to keep moving our state in the right direction.”
Ollen is a Democratic campaign veteran of numerous US Senate and presidential campaigns, including those of former President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. Pritzker also congratulated longtime political advisor Quentin Fulks on his new position as Campaign Manager for Senator Raphael Warnock’s re-election campaign in Quentin’s home state of Georgia.
“Quentin has been instrumental in our work to put Springfield back on the side of working families and make incredible progress for the people of Illinois. I’m so thankful to have had him on my team these past few years working to advance our Democratic values and I can’t wait to watch him continue to fight for the people of his home state of Georgia. I consider him family and I wish him the best of luck,” said Pritzker.
This week Governor JB Pritzker announced he and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton will run for re-election to a second term in 2022, releasing a video that highlights the strength of the state’s response to the COVID pandemic and JB’s commitment to the people of Illinois.
That’s a huge opportunity for Fulks. Warnock’s campaign will be at the top of the national Democratic priority list, so a potential win there would be a very big thing indeed. And he gets to go back home.
…Adding… Atlanta Journal-Constitution…
There’s a new mover-and-shaker in Georgia politics who deserves your attention: Quentin Fulks.
The native of Ellaville – the tiny Georgia town that also produced comedien Blaire Erskine – Fulks was deputy campaign manager for J.B. Pritzker’s campaign for Illinois governor in 2018 and later oversaw the Democrat’s political operation while he was in office.
Fulks is now returning to his home state to serve as campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election campaign. The senator called Fulks a “national talent who brings vast experience and a love of our state.”
“I know he’s the right person to lead our campaign in 2022,” he said.
- South Suburban Observer - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 6:40 am:
Congrats to Quentin - talented operative who should serve the Warnock campaign well!
- Lord of the Fries - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 6:58 am:
Wow Ollen is getting a great deal here. After managing that disaster of a US senate race in Maine he gets to come run an almost sure thing re-election big for a democrat governor in a Blue state. Good for him.
- anon - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 7:17 am:
Good for Fulks, going to the biggest race in the country and amazingly will probably spend more money there than he would have on Pritzker’s campaign.
- James the Intolerant - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 7:33 am:
I saw Fulks on several shows promoting the Fair Tax and in those instances, much less overall, he did not do a good job.
Good luck in Georgia, the country needs Warnock.
- Blueman - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 7:41 am:
This is such an amazing opportunity for Fulks. For all the crap the IL insiders like to talk about JB’s team, national races are scouting the people he’s picked for their talents. Kind of humbling for those IL folks, huh?
Good luck in GA! We need that seat and the people in Illinois will be cheering you on, Quentin!
- DuPage Dem - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 7:51 am:
What Blueman said. I’m sure Raphael Warnock’s campaign will rescind this job offer now that they know that “James the Intolerant” doesn’t recommend Fulks. Lol.
Congrats to Fulks who in all my interactions with him was wonderful to deal with. And what a feather in JB’s cap to have his people getting recruited heavily for major National races. A big welcome to Mike Ollen!
- Shytown - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:10 am:
What an amazing opportunity. This is the most important campaign in the country. I wish him well.
- Birds on the Bat - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:12 am:
the country needs Warnock.
No thanks. Thankfully he’s a short timer.
- Lord of The Fries - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:26 am:
Fulks put himself in a great position. If Warnock wins reelection he’s going to look like a genius. If Warnock loses they will just say he was expected to lose but that they ran a great campaign. Either way Fulks will be sitting pretty afterward. And who knows, Trump could always hand the race to Warnock again.
- blue line - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:40 am:
Good luck to Folks in GA, both with the campaign he will run, and living a more modest lifestyle due to the certain and significant pay cut.
- PublicServant - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:51 am:
Good luck to Quentin. The Warnock race is so important to continued senate control. As for the goofball above, that’s why we need Warnock.
- There goes the Senate - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 8:56 am:
Looks like Democrats will be minus one in the Senate. Fulks ran the fair tax campaign. And how did that go
- Back to the Future - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 9:09 am:
Best wishes and congratulations to Mr. Fulks.
- DuPage Dem - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 9:31 am:
>.
Warnock raised $7 million last quarter. Might end up spending more than JB. Senate campaign managers get paid top dollar especially when they are recruited away from another campaign. And a 5 bedroom house in Atlanta costs the same as a 2 bedroom condo in Chicago. My guess is Fulks is laughing all the way to the bank. Lol
- Bored Chairman - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 9:43 am:
So Pritzker fires his campaign manager and the spin on here is that it’s a good career move? Ok….
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 9:49 am:
===fires his campaign manager===
He wasn’t fired.
- City Zen - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 9:53 am:
The press release failed to mention Mike Ollen also worked for Beto for America.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 10:00 am:
==No thanks. Thankfully he’s a short timer. ==
Republicans can’t seem to get a candidate they’re happy with, so stop counting them chickens.
==Looks like Democrats will be minus one in the Senate. Fulks ran the fair tax campaign. And how did that go ==
Hard to name an experienced campaigner who doesn’t have a few losses on their record.
- Southern Skeptic - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 10:51 am:
This is a great opportunity for Fulks to step out on his own. It could be huge for him. It’s likely to be a much bigger challenge than JB’s re-election campaign.
- RIP Bernie Epton - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 11:12 am:
Based on Fulks’s mismanagement of the Fair Tax campaign, congratulations to Warnock’s opponent in 2022!
- City Zen - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 11:54 am:
Does Think Big Illinois needs a new executive director? Maybe not, considering they haven’t communicated any big thoughts in nearly a year.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 12:00 pm:
===Hard to name an experienced campaigner who doesn’t have a few losses on their record. ===
While true this statement also ignores how much support for the Fair Tax Amendment there was — before — Mr. Fulks’ organization started spending money, how they spent money, or more specifically how they didn’t spend money.
I am a critic in general, but perhaps more harsh because no one has ever given me an 8 figure sum who run a bonfire and I am painfully aware of how much 50 million dollars well spent can change the world.
It’s not like he lost a congressional campaign in an R+2 district. We shouldn’t normalize what happened to the Fair Tax Amendment as being anything other than a career ending failure and career advancement after that is something that should be alarming to anyone who values Democratic control of the United States Senate.
- Dosseis - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 12:28 pm:
Congratulations to Fulks on a very high-profile and important gig. Despite blunders on the Fair Tax, he’s a very talented operative with a bright future. For the sake of us all, let’s hope the L on the Fair Tax is a lesson to them.
- anon - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 12:59 pm:
I’m glad that Candy finally admits her bias given her history of bashing anything done by Fulks. Maybe she’s still mad she didn’t get a lifetime consulting gig from him and the Pritzker team? Easy to stand on the sidelines and throw insults, it’s harder to get in the arena and make the decisions yourself.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 1:04 pm:
=== Easy to stand on the sidelines and throw insults, it’s harder to get in the arena and make the decisions yourself.===
(Sigh)
You failed to acknowledge blowing a popular thing polled in a referendum that had $50 million behind it.
If I’m suppose to congratulate (and I do) Fulks for this move… ignoring the Fair Tax Flop seems unfair to the big picture.
Fulks doesn’t need ANYONE defending him, he’s got a new gig, highest profile… can he land the plane.
Wish him luck.
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 1:08 pm:
- it’s harder to get in the arena and make the decisions yourself. -
Grow up. The fact is that the Fair Tax campaign was a disaster. Hopefully he does better this go round, but criticism over his last one is absolutely justified.
- Leap Day William - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 1:48 pm:
=== And a 5 bedroom house in Atlanta costs the same as a 2 bedroom condo in Chicago ===
Being partnered to a native Atlantean, we would be super interested to hear where you can find a five bedroom house anywhere in Fulton County (or ITP, for that matter) for the price of the average Chicago 2BD condo, because real estate in Atlanta is supremely jacked up.
- Nuke The Whales - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 2:23 pm:
Well, there goes Senator Warnock’s reelection.
- Enough - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 3:04 pm:
Fulks is smart, thoughtful and has just landed an amazing gig. The entire world will be watching this campaign and it’s a compliment to JB and team that Quentin was scooped up for this opportunity. Haters of fair tax should back off - there were LOTS of reasons it did not win with voters but Fulks is not it.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 3:08 pm:
=== Haters of fair tax should back off ===
Please.
You own your wins and losses.
That’s the game too.
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Jul 23, 21 @ 4:09 pm:
- Bad look -
It’s always a bad look to whine about honest criticism. Hopefully Quentin has thicker skin than his fan club.