The Proft scorecard
Thursday, Mar 22, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Four out of the five Republican state lawmakers targeted for defeat by conservative radio talk show host Dan Proft survived their primary election challenges on Tuesday, with House GOP leader Jim Durkin saying he doesn’t “think the voters are necessarily supportive of extremes.”
Proft’s chosen candidates, though, did win primaries in several districts where sitting lawmakers didn’t run for re-election, and his political action committee scored a victory by defeating state Rep. David Reis of Downstate Willow Hill. Reis was one of several Republican lawmakers who sided with Democrats to initially vote in favor of last summer’s income tax hike. […]
A Proft bid to defeat Durkin also came up short. The Western Springs Republican overcame a rare primary challenge, which stemmed from last year’s showdown over the tax and budget package. Durkin voted against the measures, but Proft questioned his leadership after the party didn’t remain united against the tax hike in a chamber controlled by powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, who is also head of the Democratic Party of Illinois. […]
Among Proft’s successes on Tuesday: Former state Rep. Dwight Kay won his primary after receiving more than $173,000 [ADDED: Liberty Principles PAC only spent $33,955 on this race] from Liberty Principles. He’s seeking to reclaim the seat he lost in 2016 to Rep. Katie Stuart, a Democrat from Edwardsville. The committee also helped DuPage County Board member Tonia Khouri to victory, and Schaumburg Township Library District Trustee Jillian Rose Bernas was assisted by at least $186,000.
Bernas faced Charlotte Kegarise, who was backed by Durkin’s House Republican Organization. Bernas will now face Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman in the November election. Republicans sought to play down the loss on Wednesday, saying it’ll be a difficult seat for the GOP to win.
I told subscribers after Rauner signed HB40 that Dwight Kay was probably gonna win, and one of his campaign people called me Tuesday night to explicitly say that Proft should not get credit for the victory. Take that for whatever you will. Kegarise was outspent 2-1. Khouri ran a real campaign outside of the money she received and had run for Congress in 2016, so she had some name ID.
* There was also this big race in retiring GOP Rep. David Harris’ district…
Eddie Corrigan defeated 53rd state House District opponent Katie Miller Tuesday in what became a bitter Northwest suburban Republican primary contest.
With 73 of 75 precincts reporting, Corrigan had 5,612 votes and Miller had 3,489, according to unofficial totals. […]
Corrigan, an Arlington Heights resident and outreach coordinator for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, was backed by the House Republican Organization, while Miller, a registered nurse from Mount Prospect, was endorsed by conservative talk show host Dan Proft’s Liberty Principles PAC. Proft’s group sent pro-Miller campaign mailers featuring photos of Corrigan in college doing keg stands and labeling him a “punk party boy.”
* In retiring GOP Rep. Bill Mitchell’s district…
Dan Caulkins of Decatur held a solid lead late Tuesday night in the three-way race for the Republican nomination in the 101st House District. […]
With 97 percent of the vote in, Caulkins had 5,937 votes to 5,205 for Randy Keith of rural Monticello and 2,470 for Todd Henricks of Cerro Gordo. It amounted to about a 5-percentage-point lead. […]
Caulkins raised more than $100,000 for his campaign fund, including $35,000 in loans he made to the campaign in the week before the election.
But the biggest boost for the 71-year-old Decatur businessman was the more than $135,000 in uncoordinated assistance he got from Chicago radio host and political consultant Dan Proft. Proft’s Liberty Principles PAC provided more than $25,000 in television advertising for Caulkins in the last week of the campaign.
* He was even involved in a Dem primary…
State Representative Robert Martwick (D-19) was one of the big winners in the March 20 primary election […]
Martwick faced a challenge from Chicago police officer Jeff La Porte. Martwick received about 66 percent of the vote in the district’s 78 Chicago precincts and about 71 percent in the eight suburban precincts compared to 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively, for La Porte. […]
Martwick’s campaign, including mailers, focused on claims that La Porte was being backed by Republicans. Records show that La Porte received an $11,000 donation from the Illinois Opportunity Project, a conservative advocacy group that counts amongst its senior fellows Dan Proft, who chairs Liberty Principles PAC.
La Porte sent out a whole lot of mailers and only reported $11K in contributions. I’m thinking there’s probably more out there.
* Proft’s own scorecard…
…Adding… Click here for a handy spreadsheet. It looks like 65 percent of his spending was on races that he lost, not counting Ives.
* Related…
* The biggest Republican megadonor you’ve never heard of - Richard Uihlein is spending tens of millions to reshape the GOP, including almost single-handedly funding Bruce Rauner’s primary challenger in Illinois
* Hammond wins in expensive 93rd District race
