Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum could become Carmel Catholic High School’s most famous alum, but few there today can remember him as a student.
Santorum — who came in a scant eight votes behind Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses — attended the Mundelein school back when it enrolled only boys. But he lived in the Chicago area for only a year before graduating in 1976 from Carmel, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and Service Club, a school spokeswoman said.
Not even former Illinois state Rep. Al Salvi knew he went to high school with Santorum until years later.
“He did say he was a quiet kid,” Salvi said. “For him, it was kind of difficult because he was kind of uprooted and brought here for that one year.”
On Wednesday, Illinois Conservatives endorsed Manzullo in the race for the GOP nomination in the 16th. But on Tuesday – before the endorsement was made public – Kinzinger’s campaign issued the following statement:
“In anticipation of Congressman Don Manzullo’s ‘major announcement’ tomorrow morning in conjunction with the Illinois Conservatives Facebook Group, it is important to note that that the Illinois Conservatives Facebook Group is run by a 20 year old from Congressman Manzullo’s home county and is not an influential voice within the Republican electorate.”
Illinois Conservatives responded with a statement of its own: “I believe Lennie Jarratt, John Bambenek, Michael Harn, Jason Plummer, Don Manzullo, and other conservatives would disagree that our endorsement means nothing,” Illinois Conservatives President Zach Oltmanns said. “If we are not influential then why has [Congressman Kinzinger] spent the last couple days attacking us?”
It doesn’t end there.
Kinzinger’s campaign also disputed an endorsement the group did (or didn’t) make in 2010.
“Also of note, the Illinois Conservatives Facebook Group is reportedly telling news outlets that Congressman Adam Kinzinger received their endorsement in the 2010 Republican Primary. This is completely inaccurate. In fact, the Illinois Conservatives Facebook Group backed David McAloon, who earned 9.6 percent of the vote to Kinzinger’s 63.7 percent in the 2010 five-way Republican Primary.”
(A) list on the Illinois Gingrich website said the candidates include state Rep. Mike Bost of Carbondale, former state Rep. Bill Black of Danville, former state transit official and lobbyist Roger Marquardt and, in a bit of an oddity, state Sen. Darin LaHood — son of Barack Obama’s transportation secretary, Ray LaHood.
The list notably does not include any really big names, such as that of the 2008 GOP gubernatorial nominee, Bill Brady, who had been flirting with the Gingrich camp.
Aides to the (barely) second-place Iowa finisher, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, also are expected to file at least partial slates Friday. Among those active in that campaign are former U.S. Senate candidate Al Salvi and ex-state Rep. Penny Pullen of Park Ridge — both notable social conservatives.
President Obama’s campaign filed petitions this morning as well.
The campaign’s political director will be Nick Provenzano, the former campaign manager for Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, and current political aide to Congressman Randy Hultgren. Serving as deputy director will be Chris Provenzano, a former campaign aide and executive assistant to Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan. Bruce Donnelly, a grassroots specialist from Lake County and Bob Bednar, the Lake Co. GOP Treasurer, will serve as senior advisors to the campaign.
Democrat Tammy Duckworth’s campaign says she raised more than $470,000 in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, putting her within spitting distance of the $1- million mark when combined with the $476,000 she reported in the third quarter.
Earlier the other Democrat in the Democratic-leaning district, Raja Krishnamoorthi, reported that he had passed the $1-million mark. But the Duckworth campaign points out that Mr. Krishnamoorthi kicked off his campaign a quarter earlier than she did.
* And subscribers knew about this development earlier today…
State Rep. Rosemary Mulligan says she’ll be ousted from the primary election ballot after she wasn’t able to gather enough legitimate signatures to make her candidacy official.
But, the Des Plaines Republican says, she intends to run as a write-in during the primary election with the intention of still being active in the November election to run against Democratic Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan.
“They removed me,” Mulligan said this morning.
“I’m discussing my options with House Republicans right now,” Mulligan said this morning.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is bringing her love of banjo to a Chicago audience.
Simon will play Saturday evening for a grand-opening preview of a $16.5 million education and performance venue at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. […]
Simon has played the banjo for more than a decade with her Carbondale band, Loose Gravel.
She’ll join the Hoyle Brothers on stage Saturday. Simon says there’s a joy in live music and the Old Town School will help share that joy.
* The Question: What’s your one word reaction to this news?
Please do you utmost to keep your response to just one word. And let’s not be excessively mean-spirited. Thanks.
…Adding… In case you’re interested, LG Simon and Bau Graves from the Old Town School of Folk Music (one of my favorite venues in the world) were on Jonathon Brandmeier’s show this morning. They start a few minutes into the online podcast…
