* I’m coming a little late to this, but the Republican county chairmen in the 13th Congressional District has winnowed the possible ballot replacements for retiring US Rep. Tim Johnson to four…

* Jerry Clarke, who previously served as Johnson’s chief of staff;

* Rodney Davis of Taylorville, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville

* Former Miss America Erika Harold, an attorney and Urbana native;

* Kathy Wassink of Macoupin County, who owns a business that serves students with special needs.

* The list of those voted off the island…

The four candidates eliminated by the 14 Republican county chairmen in the district after a meeting Saturday in Springfield include former Illinois Agriculture Director Becky Doyle of rural Gillespie; Sam Spradlin, a Springfield truck driver; Frank Metzger, a retired ironworker, of Glen Carbon; and Michael Firsching of Moro, a veterinarian.

* Kurt Erickson looks at who is backing whom…

“He grew up in the district, knows the challenges facing the people of the district and has the same values as the citizens of the 13th Congressional District,” said state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, who is endorsing Clarke. “He has served our nation’s Armed Forces with distinction for more than a quarter century, including three tours of duty as an Army commander and pilot in Iraq.”

Davis also has some heavy hitters on his side. His boss, Shimkus, is backing him.

U.S. Reps. Aaron Schock of Peoria and Bobby Schilling of Colona are said to be in his corner. That trio could pull some heavy duty weight with the county chairmen.

At the same time, a number of the county chairmen are new. They may resent the prospect of top-down pressure from top party officials.

And then there is Harold, the 2003 beauty queen originally from Champaign. The chairmen will have to decide whether voters in the downstate district will support a Harvard educated lawyer from Chicago. They’ll also have to consider whether they’ll have the resources to fend off the national Democrats, who may want to stop Harold in her tracks because of her potential to move up in the ranks if she wins.

* Fundraising abilities were a factor…

McLean County Republican Chairman John Parrott said the chairs asked each of the eight candidates various questions, including if he or she will be able to raise enough money for the race towards November.

“By the time we make the decision on this, on the 19th of May, it’s going to take anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 a day to win this race,” Parrott said.

* In other campaign-related news, the Tribune discovered that a judicial candidate was arrested for allegedly stealing yard signs…

Carl Boyd won the Democratic nomination in March for a subcircuit judge post in Cook County and is a shoo-in for the November election because he is running unopposed. But first he must deal with a trial late this month — his own. He faces a misdemeanor charge of allegedly stealing the campaign signs of a primary rival in the middle of the night.

Boyd, a veteran Chicago attorney, was arrested by Chicago police about 2 a.m. the day before the March 20 primary while allegedly in the possession of a dozen signs promoting the campaign of primary rival Chester Slaughter. […]

“I can tell you that the police officer stated that this would make for a great story,” he told the Tribune. “But he certainly did not see me pick up one sign. That much is true.”

The cop may not have seen Boyd pick up a sign, but the police report claims that 12 campaign signs were found in Boyd’s car.

* This may be no joking matter…

Dane Ciolino, a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans who specializes in legal and judicial ethics, said that even though Boyd was charged with a misdemeanor offense, he could face “significant” problems with legal disciplinary officials. Boyd could be suspended from practicing law or if he wins election as judge, he could be removed from office, Ciolino said.