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* It’s official, he’s in…
Businessman Jim Oberweis said Friday he will run for the Republican nomination for the 25th State Senate District seat currently held by Chris Lauzen. […]
“I think we have a wonderful country and we used to have a great state,” Oberweis said Friday. “I have 16 grandchildren. I’m worried about their future and the future for other people’s grandchildren.”
Oberweis, a Republican from Sugar Grove, said his top priority if elected would be to create an economic environment that would attract people looking to create businesses in Illinois or move them to Illinois.
Translation: If he wins this race, watch for a 2014 gubernatorial bid.
* This is pretty funny…
U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson doesn’t get to choose his Democratic opponent in next year’s general election. But if he did, it would be former state Rep. Jay Hoffman. […]
Hoffman’s close association with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was used against him last year in his unsuccessful campaign for re-election against Republican Dwight Kay of Edwardsville. Hoffman also came in for criticism earlier this year when, as a lame-duck legislator, he voted for a 67 percent state income tax increase in the closing days of the old 96th General Assembly.
“I guess given the fact that there’s a long history of votes that I would say are safely out of the mainstream of the people of this district, for example nearly doubling the income tax in a lame duck session of the Legislature, I’d rather run against somebody who’s been a part of the problem,” Johnson said Friday.
Johnson pledged that he “won’t run a negative campaign in any way against either one of them.”
Translation: “He’s the devil in disguise, but I’m gonna take the high road.”
* Congressman Randy Hultgren previewed his likely primary bid against fellow Republican freshman Joe Walsh…
Hultgren has begun working away quietly, emphasizing his strengths in background and experience against the charismatic tea partyer, who is battling allegations of late child support payments and a potential backlash from controversial statements that have irked top-ranking members of the GOP.
“I think some people are always confrontational. Others, there’s an ability to talk, listen, work with each other without compromising core values,” Hultgren said. […]
Hultgren said he won’t “make things personal” but admits, at the same time, “campaigns are where that’s the hardest. Especially when there’s not that much difference on the issues.”
Translation: “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?”
* A proposed change in the Illinois GOP’s delegate selection process has been picking up some steam online…
At issue are proposed new rules for allotting delegates to next year’s GOP convention in Tampa, Fla.—rules that state GOP Chairman Pat Brady says will make nominating a presidential candidate easier and fairer, but which critics call a power grab by the party’s old guard. […]
As originally drafted, the rules would have required a presidential candidate to get a stiff 20% [since changed to 10%] of the vote in the state primary to receive any delegates—likely a big impediment to contenders like Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann, who have a staunch but not particularly large following.
The Aug. 18 draft also would have abolished the current system, in which delegates mostly are elected in congressional district votes while a separate, non-binding “beauty contest” is held for the presidential candidates. Instead, the central committee would select all delegates, apportioning them based on “beauty contest” results, with the candidates for president restricted to “consultation” in picking their own delegates [”revised language makes it clear that the presidential campaigns will select their own delegates, with the central committee in a pro forma role”].
Treasurer Dan Rutherford is opposed…
having delegate candidates on the ballot “adds more people vested in the process, to be advocates at our Lincoln Day Dinners, party rallies and forums on behalf of their ‘preference’ for President. Having hundreds and hundreds of party faithful on the ballot, committed and engaged, is only good.” As for the challenge of collecting signatures, he said, “if one wants to be the President of the United States and leader of the free world,” such organization “is not too high a threshold to meet.”
Rutherford is heading the Illinois effort for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, but told me via email (from Hong Kong, part of an Asian trip) that his support for Romney has nothing to do with his opinion that delegates should still be elected from congressional districts in the primary.
Translation: Finding delegate candidates and gathering all those petition signatures are a tuneup for Rutherford’s 2014 statewide campaign.
* Your turn.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 2:04 pm
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On the GOP delegates, the national party rules require apportioning on the basis of statewide popularity for any primary held before April (Illinois going on March 20).
So there isn’t any great impact from the proposed change.
Small base candidates can’t get much from the apportionments - there would only be 2 to 4 delegates per district (with most having 3) if ther were to be elected - you can’t split them below a 25% (or 33% or 50% take) in that scenario.
Comment by titan Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 2:38 pm
If Oberweis wants to help our economy he can use the money has has spent on campaigning to hire more employees.
Given how profitable his business isin IL, he wants to improve the economic conditions for buisnes? i.e. he wants to pay less taxes and put more in his election campaign fund at the expense of people who waste tax dollars and medical care and food.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 2:38 pm
Oberweis running does help lower unemployment and help the economy… for political consultants!
Political consultants are people too!
Comment by Think of the staffers... Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 2:51 pm
Just so I have this right, Oberweis ran for US Senate twice, Governor once, and Congress once and lost each time, right? I wonder how much that all cost him?
Comment by Meanderthal Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 2:58 pm
This is a joke right out of The Office.
“I’m running for *Senate*!”
“*State* senate, Jim.”
Rimshot.
Comment by Dirt Digger Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:05 pm
Translation: If he wins this race, watch for a 2014 gubernatorial bid.
WOW! At least he won’t have to give up his state senate seat if he loses again!
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:05 pm
===At least he won’t have to give up his state senate seat if he loses again===
Depends. He could pull a 2-4-4.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:09 pm
Translation: If he wins this race, watch for a 2014 gubernatorial bid.
Translation of Translation: If he wins this race, close all windows to prevent pigs from flying in.
Comment by just sayin' Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:41 pm
hey–earth to johnson–please run on Jay’s income tax vote–i am sure it will play real well in your new district–maybe you can attack him on his civil union vote why your at it.. then explain why you want to cut social security and medicare because you don’t want to tax the rich…
Comment by anon Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:54 pm
So Oberwies has gone from running for the US Senate, to running for Governor, to running for US Representative, and now to running for the State Senate? Are there any offices he hasn’t run for? At this rate, he’ll be running for Kane County Sewer Inspector in another 10 years.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:55 pm
I, for one, hope Oberweis continues to run for office. His events have delicious ice cream. But I highly doubt his aspirations for running for Governor again.
Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 3:55 pm
The milkman runneth over.
The milkman always runs thrice…..or ?
I want to say that Oberweis has become the Dock Walls of state politics, but perhaps Dock Walls is the Oberweis of Mayoral politics. Without the cash or nasty sense of humor of course.
At least most rich guys when they get trounced for Illinois political office have the decency to disappear.
Jim, you’re rich. Move to San Diego, buy a yacht and live it up. The grim reaper comes for all of us and running for office doesn’t insure immortality.
Comment by IrishPirate Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:00 pm
“Businessman Jim Oberweis said Friday he will run for the Republican nomination for…”
Isn’t this getting a little Burris-esque?
Comment by sal-says Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:07 pm
Agreed on the ice cream - it sure is yummy.
Keep running, Jim!
Comment by Coach Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:08 pm
what does a state treasurer do that demands a trip to asia?
Comment by shore Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:20 pm
- what does a state treasurer do that demands a trip to asia? -
Runs for governor.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:34 pm
The Treasurer is required by the State Constitution (Section 18 of Article V) to hold responsibility for the safekeeping and investment of the monies and securities deposited in the public funds of Illinois.
Well, it seems that any trip the Governor takes is questionable based on his performance of his duties. It seems that the economic and investment engine that is China may have something to do with Rutherford’s mission, and may provide a bigger bang for the buck than anything Quinn does, or will do.
Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 4:54 pm
the china card is doing wonders for huntsman right now.
Comment by Shore Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 5:04 pm
China holds all our country’s debt. The State Treasurer is responsible for finding buyers for our state’s debt. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Comment by Its Just Me Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 5:06 pm
The Chinese government, like many governments, wants to have an understanding (a ’sizing up’) of the individuals they are dealing with. Would you prefer them to look at “Illinois” as being presented/represented by (a) Gov. Pat “Adventures In Governing” Quinn, or (b) State Treasurer Dan Rutherford?
Comment by Judgment Day Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 5:13 pm
It’s OK to ding him a bit for going to China, but let’s see what he brings back. Maybe he’ll surprise us.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 5:18 pm
Hopefully it’s a fortune cookie that reads “future looking up, unpaid bills going down”. But let’s be honest, he’ll probably just bring bad some bad carps or beetles.
Comment by The Captain Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 5:34 pm
I’m sure Rutherford will bring black plenty of investments in Illinois from China after his BFF Romney just said as president he’ll slap sanctions on them.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Sep 6, 11 @ 6:18 pm