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* Mike Riopell talked to former Congressman Joe Walsh, who says he may run for US Senate…

“I’m still considering a run in 2014,” said Walsh, now a WIND-AM talk show host who hinted at a run for governor days after his 2012 loss.

The McHenry Tea Party favorite says he’s keeping his options open, but the only race he named Thursday was U.S. Senate.

“It’s probably the race that I’m most seriously considering,” Walsh said, adding he’ll decide within a month.

Three’s a crowd?

So far, Republicans Doug Truax of Downers Grove and Chad Koppie of Gilberts have talked about a 2014 bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield.

Truax has been a fairly active candidate so far and is in the race “no matter who enters the Republican primary,” said his spokesman, Dan Curry.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:26 am

Comments

Gosh another break
DeadbeatJoe on the GOPie ballot is better news than WahckyJack Roeser forming new PACs.
Stay strong Deadbeat, Maybe you can take over for the Kassamoron when he goes bye bye

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:31 am
Please baby please baby please baby please.

Comment by Soccermom Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:38 am
Dan Curry is no slouch but I’ve never heard of Doug Truax. Chad Koppie ran in 2008 and got less than half of 1%.

Comment by The Captain Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:40 am
Better have a no-name sacrificial lamb lose to Durbin than to have Joe Walsh further destroying the GOP with his hate-filled insane rhetoric that makes independents run to the warm and fuzzy (but incompetent) Democrats.

He is the poster child for the small faction of the GOP that believes that the key to attracting voters is to be as strident and caustic as humanly possible.

Comment by Adam Smith Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:49 am
You can’t put a dollar value on the kind of publicity that Walsh gets. Pretty much all of it is negative and doesn’t help the Republican Party sound reasonable or sane.

Comment by Aldyth Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 9:59 am
>>He is the poster child for the small faction of the GOP that believes that the key to attracting voters is to be as strident and caustic as humanly possible.

Comment by Northsider Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 10:10 am
Wow, not sure what just happened to the other 90 percent of my post, but here it is:

“Small faction”? No, that is your Republican Party, ladies and gentlemen. Those are the teabaggers you unleashed in 2009, and they are only the most recently evolved form of the nastiness you embraced back in the 1990s when Newt Gingrich became House Speaker, and before that when Richard Nixon and his cabal created the “Southern Strategy” to stoke and then use white resentment, and before that when you embraced Joe McCarthy’s persecution and paranoia.

“Small faction?” No. You bought’em, you brung’em, you own’em. The rest of us will keep moving forward, thank you very much.

Comment by Northsider Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 10:11 am
Walsh probably has as good a shot as any perhaps the best shot of losing to Dick Durbin in November. This almost reminds me of who ran against Durbin almost 6 years ago. No names running against the senior US Senator.

Comment by Levois Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 10:15 am
It seems strange to me that he doesn’t want to run for governor instead. Neither Rauner nor D-Lard nor Rutherford are tea party favorites, so there’s a path to a victory in the primary for him.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 10:20 am
Still reeling from Joe’s “I have a dream” screed.

But Robert of course Joe would run for Senate and not governor. Governors occasionally actually have to do things besides blow hot air and if he runs for Senate he can keep on running against Obama.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 10:57 am
“Small faction”?

From what I’ve been gathering, many if not most Republicans think the party is not conservative enough. There is a strong pull against moderation, so the “rebranding” effort is failing.

How does one deal with the Joe Walshes? Will they be replaced by essentially the same thing, pols who won’t budge on taxes and social issues but are just nicer about it? Or will the moderation effort include more compromise?

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 11:04 am
@Hisgirl?
Do things?? Like run up the states debt and spend money we don’t have until there is no more? Then raise taxes and soak everyone with higher fees and charges? Is that work? It doesn’t take a genius to give everyone everything and don’t care how it’s paid for because your going to leave it to future generations. BTW it is the law that our states budget be balanced it is in the state constitution, So you state workers who use that as a reason we should raise taxes to pay the pensions remember they only follow the law when they want to.

Comment by votecounter Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 11:10 am
Love, love, love the condescending self-righteousness from Northsider.

Your bombastic lectures to the Republican Party certainly are appreciated. I mean, after all, Illinois Democrats have been such fine stewards of state government, it seems reasonable that you would be worrying about how the GOP conducts itself. I mean, we are so fiscally sound, and the supermajority Dems have brought us same sex marriage and other wonderful advancements.

I’m a Republican. I don’t disagree with your point; however, dial it down.

Comment by LincolnLounger Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 11:42 am
“strident and caustic as humanly possible.”

If you dress the “no compromise” position in nicer clothes, it doesn’t change what’s underneath.

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 11:58 am
In a primary between Joe Walsh and vanilla establishment Republican, who would win?

If Joe Walsh challenged Mark Kirk in a primary, would Kirk change how he voted and what he talked about?

You keep inviting the crazy people to the party, they start to get the idea it’s their party.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 12:36 pm
Nice “straw man” argument, LL, but neither this post nor Adam Smith’s point (@ 9:49) to which I responded has anything to do with the sorry state of our state government these days.

Thanks for agreeing with me, however.

Comment by Northsider Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 12:47 pm
==the supermajority Dems ==

I know this isn’t relevant to the subject but since you said it . . .

Indeed, dial it down. This constant refrain is getting really, really, really, really, really, really old. You are probably aren’t going to get anywhere if the Republicans insist on continuing to whine about their super minority status. Do something about it instead of always whining about it. But if you think it’s helpful to throw up your hands and pout so be it.

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 1:13 pm
Gives him a chance to try to raise money, I guess.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 2:56 pm
==said Walsh, now a WIND-AM talk show host ==

He’s a host on a station with the call sign WIND? Couldn’t be a better fit!

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Aug 30, 13 @ 3:31 pm