Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Chris Cleveland calling it quits

Posted in:

Illinois

He’s a survivor, a long-lived Republican and conservative activist in an overwhelmingly Democratic city who not only kept his party job but got noticed over the past decade. And now he’s hanging it up.

That’s Chris Cleveland, the GOP committeeman of the Lincoln Park 43rd Ward, who announced in recent days that the search is on for his successor because “the time has come for me to get back to the private sector,” specifically running the software company he owns.

Cleveland, who also chairs the Chicago Republican Party, actually managed to find some success in a city that, despite its reputation, still is home to hundreds of thousands of GOP voters.

As he noted in an email to supporters and in a follow-up interview, he sued both Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Chicago Board of Elections (winning both), challenged the nominating petitions of dozens of Democrats, opened two offices in the ward and actually fielded a semblance of an organization with precinct workers and election judges. He even had some fun, filing a civil rights complaint after a Chicago alderman tried to block opening of a Chick-fil-A outlet in his ward.

Go read the rest.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:12 am

Comments

Always a smart move to try and block a first rate business opening in your area. Sheesh!

Comment by Pick a Name Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:15 am
Rated “Highly Qualified” to be the next GM of the Washington Generals by Chicago Democrats

Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:20 am
===“the time has come for me to get back to the private sector,” specifically running the software company he owns.===

Way too late.

Chris was more help to the Cleveland GOP than the Chicago GOP.

===actually managed to find some success in a city that, despite its reputation, still is home to hundreds of thousands of GOP voters.===

Mighty generous when the Chicago GOP still couldn’t field a mayoral preferred candidate.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:21 am
Willy, Jesus would be a decided underdog as a mayoral candidate in Chicago.

When was the last R elected as mayor? 70 years ago? 80?

Comment by Pick a Name Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:27 am
===would be a decided underdog as a mayoral candidate in Chicago.

When was the last R elected as mayor? 70 years ago? 80?===

As the GREAT - Wordslinger - would point out;

There are loads of Chicago and Cook County Republicans.

For me?

Deciding not to field anyone in races is lazy and disrespectful to all those voters.

New York and Los Angeles, in “Deep Blue” New York State and California elected Republican mayors.

Building a party begins with leaders knowing how to lead people. The Chicago GOP was, and is frankly, a glorified supper club of folks enjoying empty titles without any drive to be relevant.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:31 am
=== When was the last R elected as mayor? ===

Richard M Daley.

Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:33 am
“Deciding not to field anyone in races is lazy and disrespectful to all those voters.”

Yup. The party’s focus right now is on trolling and towing a national party line. Offer realistic alternatives to the city’s challenges or just sit out the process completely.

Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:48 am
Who?

Comment by Fax Machine Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 11:55 am
Just another do-nothing IL Republican.

Comment by GOPgal Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:07 pm
Maybe this is good. Cleveland leaving Chicago’s GOP.

The party as a whole, and the pieces within the building of that larger party needs to begin again, to *be* about Illinois, to embrace Chicago, and welcome the collars and downstate… and be one. One Illinois GOP, welcoming and growing.

To be considered relevant, you need to begin by showing up.

The Chicago, Cook County, Illinois GOP needs a rebirth and they all need to be committed to a big tent, inclusive, 80% Reagan Rule beginning, with the politics being local and dismissing the anger and hatred nationally

To be considered relevant, you need to begin by showing up.

The Chicago, Cook County, Illinois GOP needs a rebirth and they all need to be committed to a big tent, inclusive, 80% Reagan Rule beginning, with the politics being local and dismissing the anger and the narrative focused nationally.

I look forward to leaders emerging.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:20 pm
The Chicago Republican Party was sure asleep at the wheel when Arthur Jones ran in the third district.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:41 pm
But we got a chicken restaurant.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:42 pm
“I look forward to leaders emerging.”

The problem is that the Republican bases in the city aren’t exactly big-tent, inclusive kind of areas. The emerging leaders might not be who they need right now.

Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:57 pm
The Chicago Republican Party should position itself as slightly to the right of Rahm. Instead Chris Cleveland decided to support Jeanne Ives against Rauner in a misguided primary campaign.

Comment by Chicagonk Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 12:59 pm
Chicago has not had a partisan mayoral election since 1995. Thanks for noticing.

Cleveland did endorse a preferred mayoral candidate (Vallas) in 2019.

The overwhelming majority of precincts in the 3rd Congressional District are suburban, not city.

Comment by Practical Politics Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 2:48 pm
===Chicago has not had a partisan mayoral election since 1995. Thanks for noticing.===

… and yet, it’s the politics before and after the non-partisan election seemingly everyone notices.

Not one soul could Chris find as a “Republican” non-partisan?

Yikes.

===Cleveland did endorse a preferred mayoral candidate (Vallas) in 2019.===

Yeah, endorsing a Democratic candidate without finding a Republican alternative… this is why he continually failed.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 2, 19 @ 2:53 pm
Well most of us know what will happen. Dan Proft will assign one of his Minions. He strives to control the Republican Upstate party, and downstate now for that matter. He got millions from Bruce Rauner and then proceeded to shove Rauner down the throats of the GOP. And the Tea Party gladly accepted it and ruined the whole state. Of course the Trump-Haters in the Illinois Gop could always appoint Joe Walsh. It is all Laughable.

Comment by Laughable Thursday, Oct 3, 19 @ 9:14 am
===He (Proft) got millions from Bruce Rauner and then proceeded to shove Rauner down the throats of the GOP. And the Tea Party gladly accepted it and ruined the whole state.===

… and yet, it was Proft who supported Jeanne Ives against Rauner in the end.

You forgot that part.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 3, 19 @ 9:23 am