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Hare’s the guy

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Illinois

I was out of the office today and missed this one.

Democratic Party officials on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose a longtime aide to U.S. Rep. Lane Evans from five potential candidates to replace Evans on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Phil Hare will square off in November against Republican nominee Andrea Zinga, a former television anchor who lost to Evans by 21 percentage points in 2004. […]

The congressman had thrown his support to Hare, who has worked in Evans’ district office since he was first elected in 1982. Still, more than half a dozen Democrats campaigned for the party’s nod during a series of forums after Evans announced his plan to step down. […]

The other candidates were state Sen. John Sullivan of Rushville, state Rep. Mike Boland of Moline, Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert and Quincy high school teacher Rob Mellon.

Here are the totals, from a friend who is involved in the process:

PHIL HARE 17,011
John Sullivan 7,530
Mark Schwiebert 1,370
Mike Boland 612
Rob Mellon 98

Total weighted votes cast: 26,621

When people have asked me privately what I thought about this race, I said I figured the Rock Island Dems would eventually pull it together for Hare. These things usually work themselves out in Illinois. Not always, but usually. Also, Evans’ endorsement of Hare was platinum. Dick Durbin originally showed some interest in Sullivan, but backed down when advised that he should keep his nose out of it. And Boland discovered once again that his district’s voters may like him, but people who have to deal with him on a regular basis don’t.

Keep an eye on Sullivan. This guy is a rising star.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 4:50 pm

Comments

About freakin time! I kind of expected Hare to get the nod, but I didn’t think it would take this long. You had to guess that they would go with what Evans wanted. I am suprised John Sullivan didn’t have more support. Although I thought Hare was going to get it, I think it is crazy not to go with Sullivan… but whatever…

Comment by Lovie's Leather Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 5:09 pm
John Sullivan would have resulted in Andrea Zinga closing up campaign headquarters. Now, with Hare, the Republicans have a chance and a race. On the plus side, Phil Hare is passionate, energetic, aggressive; he’ll fight for our interests and our region. Hare has to soften his image and spend the next few months down south. He wins in the general election, 53-47.

Comment by quad cities Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 5:17 pm
Speaking of MIA, here is what Stu Umholtz told the Galesburg Resgister Mail Sunday
“Umholtz believes there will never be equal education funding until the reliance on property taxes is eliminated or lessened. He feels the state income tax was created to fund education.”

Sounds pro income tax hike to us down here on the road to nowhere

Comment by Tazewell Talker Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 5:28 pm
sullivan a rising star - where the republican party - congradulations to phil hare, thank goodness common sense reigned. hare will beat zinga and continue lane’s legacy. sullivan’s gamble will prove to hurt him badly. It will show him to be nothing mored than an opportunitst, who placed self over party. Who were those idiots blew smoke up his you know where and told him to run in a district he did not live in and and that his conservative values did not matter to the mainstream democratic voters. go ahead blog back, but bottom line, hare’s a huge winner, sullivan and the rest of the boys are big big looooosers.

Comment by u got it all wrong Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 6:43 pm
Good, Sullivan needs to stay right where he’s at. I’d hate to see him go.

Zinga’s toast, either way.

Comment by B Hicks Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 6:45 pm
Good to see Phil was able to “pull it off” with a ten thousand vote margin. He will beat Zinga simply because she has absolutely no idea how to win a campaign.

As for Sullivan, I look forward to him running against LaHood in the 18th. He should be able to wrestle that seat away from the Republicans. As for the person who stated that Sullivan was a Republican, just remember he still voted for Senator Jones for President. Take what you can get.

Comment by Scott Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 11:31 pm
Phil Hare won due to lots of phone calls and hard work and Senate President Emil Jones squashing his desire to run for Congress. Look at the votes. Brad Demuzio cast all his votes for Phil Hare. That says it all. Word came down from Jones to stop Sullivan, because Jones didn’t want his star state senator to leave. Simple as that.

Sullivan is a rising star. He made lots of friends in the Quad Cities and throughout the 17th. Hare’s baggage and lack of name ID will now turn this race into a targeted race that will end up very close.

If Sullivan had won, Zinga would have been forced to shut her headquarters.

If Hare is smart, he’ll reach out to all the others to give them a role. After all, this was not a real election. Hare has no name ID. He has to start from scratch. I wish him well, but he has a mountain to climb.

Comment by quad cities Tuesday, Jun 6, 06 @ 11:46 pm
Phil Hare had surprising strength in the southern part of the district and won this contest by a larger margin than anyone predicted. Anyone who presently doubts how strong a candidate he will be will change their minds once the first debate occurs and once Zinga files the next quarter’s financial report, showing how little she has gotten done in the last months.

Comment by RFK fan Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 6:15 am
Phil Hare worked for this. He was on the phone calling committeemen and it payed off.

Sullivan is a rising star for the kind of establishment Democrats who are too spineless to run a real Democrat in downstate. Giving in to conservatives by nominating conservative Democrats only ensures that the area will continue to drift rightward and become more Republican over time. Its a losing strategy in the long run. Durbin and Simon should be the model for central Illinois Dems. It really surprised me that Durbin gave into the defeatist attitude considering the number of times he was elected to Congress from central Illinois as a liberal.

Comment by SangoDem Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:36 am
RFK, it is not really a surprise how Hare got so much downstate “support”. The rock island emperor John Gianulis has blago’s ear daily, so as the budget unfolds we see that Deanna Demuzio gets a ridiculous amount of pork (much more so than the original budget called for) Deanna needs all the pork she can get because Jeff Richey is going give the Demuzio’s the fight of their lives. Then all of the sudden Brad and Macoupin all deliver every vote to Hare. Good thing your taxpayer dollars aren’t going to buy off votes from the macoupin county dems huh.

Comment by just watching Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:50 am
Zinga was right in 2004 - Evans couldn’t do his job. After 20+ years of watching this district crumble during his watch, he wants to pick his successor? Some people feel they are irreplacable, don’t they?

This is an open race in a district that was drawn to be Democratic. We’ll see how camera time works for Zinga, and how back-room dealmaking works for Hare.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:57 am
Macoupin tells the whole story. Emil Jones squashed his superstar to keep him in the Senate. Now the 17th becomes a top teir battleground..

Comment by anon Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:13 am
VanillaMan… who replaced John Porter in the 10th? That’s right — one of his assistants, Mark Kirk.

Comment by NW burbs Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:33 am
We have one of the few open races in the Country - big time stuff. However, running we have an unemployed (for 3-years) newscaster against an office manager.

Kinda makes you proud to be living in the 17th!

Comment by zinged again Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 12:32 pm
staff members rarely, if ever, do well in general elections, especially at the mational level. i would like someone to name the last staffer to win a congressional race anywhere in the county! staffers run an office well and develop policy, sometimes, but are not good in public settings. that’s why they were office managers for many years. they spend their career taking notes and talking with lobbyist and big donors and constituents. they are never responsible for the ultimate decisions. voters will see zinga was right last time when she said evans was not up to the task of serving his district. she will not have to mention it this time, because the voters have seen the result play out. nothing makes voters as mad as being lied to and duped, which they were by evans. hare was a part of that equation. this race will be competitive. hare will be viewed as the office guy and not a real candidate.

Comment by Ron Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 2:41 pm
Ron, I would suggest you check Ray LaHood’s bio

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:12 pm
Ron: Arlin Specter did pretty well for himself.

Vanilla: Go drink your kool aid.

Comment by Scott Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:21 pm
Ron,
Don’t forget about Mark Kirk.

Comment by anon Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:33 pm
Some of you people need to take off your tinfoil hats and then look at the vote totals. One alleged deal with Demuzio doesn’t account for a 10,000 vote win. The spin you’re spinning is too obviously wrong.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:37 pm
Rich, not trying to say Demuzio was responsible for the 10K vote difference. Just very interesting that that Deanna doesn’t support her chamber mate and then hits the pork project lottery

Comment by just watching Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 4:10 pm
rich - lahood was an ELECTED state rep, scott, spector was an ELECTED district attorney anon, kirk was an example i was looking for, although he worked at the world bank and state department. he had other experience. my point was without some outside work experience or prior electability, they are few that have made the jump. what is hare’s work experience or prior office held,other than being an aide for evans.

Comment by Ron Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 4:23 pm
Phil Hare has debated just about every one of Lane Evans’ opponents, and mopped up the floor usually. He knows the district, the issues, the job, and how to campaign hard (exhibit a: winning 69% of the vote yesterday). He’ll be the first to admit he needs to shave a few lbs. and maybe even his mustache (see Poshard). But he will be a hard-working candidate who will put a lot of passion into this campaign.

Comment by quad cities Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 11:16 pm
Ray LaHood was appointed to a vacant GOP seat in the Quad Cities district when the incumbent resigned in ‘82, he was T. Railsback’s admin asst then. He was never elected to the state legislature. He won about 50 pct of the vote in the cong. primary in ‘94 because his main opponent, former state rep. Judy Koehler was in descent politically, then won a normally GOP district in an ultra-Republican year.

Comment by Elmira Eddie Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 7:34 am
maybe some one should take a look at the macoupin county committeemen that supported Sullivan….

Comment by millie Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 8:23 am
They will be dumping a lot of republican money against Boland in his re-election bid for state rep. Unless of course he decides to run for something else between now in November. His opposition almost beat him last time. For a guy who was all for TERMS he’s sure been in his seat too long. Since he has tried to get so many other positions this year it makes me think he doesn’t really want to be a state rep anymore. He wanted to be my state senator, state treasurer and congressman on top of his current seat as state rep. You are too wishy washy for me Boland.

Comment by Ronnie Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 3:33 pm
Pretty class-less of Mike Boland to storm out of the proceedings and leave his wife there to stew at his embarassing showing. 4th place… wow. its time for this guy to go….

Comment by qc democrat Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 7:53 pm
Rich,

subtract 5000 to Hare and add 5000 to Sullivan. That changes the vote total by 10,000. Don’t think you thought that statement out very well.

Comment by anon Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 9:04 pm
sorry, forgot to state that macoupin county was carrying 5000 votes.

Comment by anon Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 9:05 pm
Mike Boland proved once again that he’s more popular with voters than political insiders.
This election just reinforces Mike’s hand as a voice of the people not the politicians. He’ll steamroll to victory for state rep. They love him in the 71st.

Comment by quad cities Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 11:16 pm
I’ve taken off my tin foil hat. I do know that half of the precinct committemen have State jobs and I know RI County Chairman John G is kinda close to Blago, so no…. 20MILLION in State money plus John G pulling stings with people that owe their job to him is what made the vote total so lopsided.

Comment by The Wizard of Poo Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 11:53 pm
the voters would elect donald duck in the 71st if madigan told them to. nice spin bolandite…your boys toast, and pretty lame of him not to stay and congratulate phil like sully anb the mayor. mike boland, the former school teahcer has never learned how to play with others.

Comment by qc voter Friday, Jun 9, 06 @ 9:28 pm
I can see why Sullivan gave some a good first impression, but he offered very little substance. That is why he did not get out of first gear. I also did not see him make any in roads in the Quad Cities. You can look the part and win an election or two, but in the end you have to be about something. He is the mirror image of most current politicians - that is why the current Congress is known as the “Do-Nothing Congress”. He has been in the State Senate for over five years, but barely mentioned his accomplishments - because there are not many to mention. If he would run against a guy like LaHood he would get waxed and he knows it - he is maxed out in terms of potential.

Comment by Anon Friday, Jun 16, 06 @ 10:57 pm