Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Others mentioned as potential Republican candidates for governor included U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, who lost by more than 12 percentage points to Pritzker in the 2022 race, and Aaron Del Mar, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor that year.
Del Mar, formerly both a Palatine Village Council member and Cook County Republican Party chair, confirmed on Wednesday he’s thinking about a possible run for governor. He said GOP candidates for the office must have the ability to work across the aisle in a state that figures to be largely controlled by Democrats for some time. […]
[Illinois Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter], a retired partner with the Kirkland & Ellis law firm who worked in the White House under former President George H.W. Bush, said a Republican candidate will need a strong personality and cash to compete against a Democrat in the race for governor. […]
Porter said he thought about running for governor two years ago with a focus on fiscal policy — he said the state relied too much on billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief money. He said he’s looking at a 2026 run, depending on how the field of candidates shapes up.
If Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker runs for a third term, Porter said a Republican candidate will have to communicate to voters that Pritzker is “pushing ideas that I think really have no place in Illinois.”
* The Question: Which Republicans do you think will run for governor in 2026? Make sure to explain your answer and also avoid vitriol. I’m curious who you think will run. I’m much less curious about why you think candidate x would be awful or whatever. Thanks.
- Rocking Robin L. - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:38 pm:
Its Bailey’s to lose, again.
- We've never had one before - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:39 pm:
>>>>Make sure to explain your answer
/and show your work./ sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Whoever runs should be a moderate in terms of the abortion scale, and be so up front in the beginning and not down the road.
- Scoot - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:41 pm:
Congressman LaHood, he’s got a large campaign chest.
Richard Porter, he just wants to run for something and it’s now or never.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:45 pm:
=Others mentioned as potential Republican candidates for governor included U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria,=
Puhleeeze make darin lahood the candidate. I will be so good if you can make that happen. I just want to see the “deer in the headlights look” on his face when asked a question. Any question. He is an empty shirt that ran on his dad’s name.o
For real though, Bailey will run again. He cannot help it he wants to be part of the government he hates sooo bad. Plus he craves the attention.
Porter is interesting. The only thing I know about him is he told gaetz to shut it which is definitely one in the plus column for him.
- Cool Papa Bell - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:48 pm:
What does it say about the Republican bench that very few names come to mind and the reasons they might run aren’t obvious.
Bailey; he runs, because he always runs.
LaHood; if Trump wins wouldn’t he want to stay in DC?
Some rich person? Good bet.
- Annonin' - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:50 pm:
SmileyLaHood would be amusing. Helped get Dad sweet heart DOJ deal. Pushed DeSantis. Got v chained yanked for now pants for Trump (so to speak). Porter sounded about as unfocused in an interview from WA.
Ms. Salvi did not demo much. We were unclear who she wants to “call out” Clear thinkers who have never bought GOPie/whack agenda? or?
Could sell his confrontation with Matt “Babes to the Bahamas” Gaetz —
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:56 pm:
The GOP 2026 gov candidate will be a sacrificial lamb - JB has too many vassals.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 12:56 pm:
LaHood won’t run, but the rest of them will. Porter, Del Mar, Bailey and maybe some others. I don’t think they can find a consensus candidate for Governor given how difficult it was to find a consensus candidate for state party chair.
- JOCS - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:05 pm:
Jim Oberweis - he’s got even more time on his hands lately
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:07 pm:
So Darren Bailey places his campaign signs in storage. Must be getting crowded in the barn along with the cartons of books—Letters to Trump—from Don Jr.’s visit together with the cartons of pillows from Mike Lindell’s visit.
Might be time for a yard sale, Darren.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:08 pm:
===too many vassals===
Yeah, that’s why. Sure.
- Hannibal Lecter - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:08 pm:
I don’t know why anyone would want to run for Governor as a Republican when the party provides little financial support, no ground game and has been taken over by the extreme right wing of the party (that cannot win statewide in Illinois).
- TJ - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:11 pm:
I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the ILGOP, or the fundamental desires of its members, but if Pritzker is running for reelection in 2026 than my full expectation is that his opponent will be whomever the heck he chooses to trick the GOP electorate to nominate just like last time.
He’ll just drop a bunch of ads sensibly decrying how bad [insert candidate here] is that turns off absolutely everyone else but galvanizes the hardline GOP primary voters just like it did for Bailey last time.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:19 pm:
Going to take a flyer on suggesting John R. Launch, the former US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
He has integrity and based on the indictments he pursued has a sound working knowledge of the coming and going’s among influence peddlers in Springfield.
- James - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:22 pm:
I would like to see some Republican Mayor run. Just a practical conservative that isn’t crazy. Brad Cole comes to mind. Doesn’t have to be him, but someone like that. The legislative bench doesn’t amaze me much.
- Montessori's Mantle - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:23 pm:
== but if Pritzker is running for reelection==
I share a similar line of thought. I also think who the President is will also play a large roll in who will run. A Trump presidency gave me an impression of a larger swath of candidates who ran more hardline than moderate. Even previous moderates ran more hardline to appear in step with Trump.
That said, a broader GOP candidate pool may come forward if JB and his gobs of money aren’t on the ballot.
However, I have a hard time believing any GOP Congressperson will run. Why give up what is so easy to keep in gerrymandered states only to lose to JB and then go on the unemployment line?
- Jibba - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:25 pm:
One wonders exactly what policies they might want changed that would have broad appeal in Illinois. I don’t hear a lot of specific complaints about JB’s policies. “Stopping the woke libs” isn’t exactly a winner in Illinois when things are going well.
- Stumped - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:31 pm:
Greg Hart from DuPage County.
- South of Springfield - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
Jason Plummer- he was the one pulling the strings behind the Don Tracy ouster.
- just because - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:38 pm:
Bob Fioretti or Richard Irvin.. Both of them can not decide which party they want to be at..
- Proud Papa Bear - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:46 pm:
Since we’re just being hypothetical, the somewhat moderate wing will push for somebody like Seth Lewis. I’ve always seen him as more of a pre-MAGA business Republican and he could get the backing of corporations.
But I see a guy like him getting trounced in the primary by a MAGA Republican. I don’t see Bailey taking the nomination again because his stench of loser is getting pretty strong. Maybe Wilhour.
We’ll also see some businesspeople get into it but no Rauners, Griffins, or Uihleins. Instead, we’ll see more of the Rabine types - folks with less fortune but massive egos.
- Now I'm down in it. - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 1:55 pm:
Richard Irvin will run again, though it’s unclear if it will be against Pritzker. With his war chest it seems like a losing proposition.
- Sox Fan - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:04 pm:
I’ll throw out Sean Morrison as a dark horse. He’s one of the few remaining Republican officials in Cook County and judging by yesterday’s post is trying to play the game where he pretends to be sane to moderate voters.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:20 pm:
- Richard Irvin will run again -
After the beating he took? No way.
I think Bailey might understand now that he’s not going to win statewide, so I don’t see him running.
I could see Plummer or Lahood giving it a shot. And is Ozinga still entertaining the idea since the photoshop scandal?
- RNUG - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:21 pm:
Assuming the country takes a turn to strict law & order candidates, I could see a dark horse conservative from a US Attorney position as a possibly viable candidate. Got to be someone in the system in Illinois with a background similar to Jim Thompson and political aspirations … but I wouldn’t want to try to pick a specific name.
- Just saying - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:22 pm:
Jim Edgar
- Phineas - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:32 pm:
It all depends on who is President. If Trump is pres, there will be a huge backlash and no sane moderate who could win will go out on a limb. But if — somehow — a Dem wins, then Lahood and other bold-faced names could make a plausible run at it.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 2:46 pm:
Nice if LaHood ran just for a new name. And yes I know he is not really new and I also resent the way he got his job but at least he would be different and so much better than Bailey. But it will not matter I think Pritzker can be governor as long as he wants.
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 3:10 pm:
So far Darren Bailey is 0-2 in his last attempts. First, the loss in the governor’s race. Then, his loss to Mike Bost. Bailey could have easily kept his seat as a State Senator and had a voice in Illinois government. To Bailey, campaigning is a hobby for an individual with too much time on his hands.
- H-W - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 3:16 pm:
I am going to suggest, Thomas DeVore, Esq.
He has a big enough ego, and egg rolls to go.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 3:25 pm:
I’m going to say a longshot but I can see Mary Miller running for Governor after being bolstered by Trump winning the Whitehouse. Loyalty is rewarded by Trump over everything I think. Trump resources would be available to her. I also don’t think Trump is threatened by her which is another plus for his support. This is not so much based on Millers capability but rather what I can see Trump wanting in a Governor. Merit has little meaning with Trump. It’s about loyalty.
- Southern IL Demo - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 3:41 pm:
I’d pull a ballot and vote for Leader Tony McCombie
- jim - Thursday, Jul 18, 24 @ 3:47 pm:
Rich, the responses shows it was a waste of your time to ask your readers for serious and thoughtful responses.