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Here are some more links to follow-ups to the Gidwitz Rauschenberger story that I broke yesterday afternoon.
AP:
The plan would combine Gidwitz’s personal fortune with Rauschenberger’s appeal to conservatives, creating a potentially powerful challenge to the front-runner for the GOP nomination, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.
Rauschenberger is one of several candidates who have been splitting the support of the party’s right wing. Gidwitz, a social moderate, has been unable to jump-start his campaign despite a series of early television ads.
GOP powerbrokers had tried to persuade some in the five-candidate field to drop out, but until Tuesday night no one budged.
Neither Rauschenberger nor Gidwitz have been registering beyond the single digits in any polls, but their proposed coalition makes a certain political sense.
Rauschenberger, a 13-year legislator from Elgin, has a conservative, anti-abortion base. Gidwitz, a former state Board of Education chairman from Chicago, appeals to the moderate wing with his support for abortion rights.
And the best of this particular bunch is from the Daily Herald:
But Rauschenberger also could be hurting his credibility with his conservative base of support by joining Gidwitz, who supports abortion and gay rights. Rauschenberger also will face questions Wednesday about how much money he’s getting from Gidwitz to run his lieutenant governor campaign.
For Rauschenberger, a move down the ticket is a way to stay in the political game after his governor bid failed to catch fire. Campaign fundraising long has been a problem for Rauschenberger, who had to let go campaign staff in recent months. Polls showed his support lagging in the single digits, well behind his strong third-place showing in last year’s U.S. Senate primary in which nearly every major newspaper in Illinois endorsed him. […]
Ironically, Rauschenberger now could end up as Topinka’s running mate — the governor and lieutenant governor candidates run separate campaigns during the primary. Topinka is the early front-runner in the governor primary, and Rauschenberger, given his experience, would be the nominal front-runner in the lieutenant governor race.
They’re missing the all-important reform angle, which is what I focused on in today’s Capitol Fax.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 1:44 am
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In Kass’ column Rauschy said he “won'’t serve in any administration but (the moderate) Gidwitz… if he doesn’t win the primary, I’ll resign.”
Get a net, this guy has gone completely nuts!
Comment by The Colonel Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 5:48 am
Most of the coverage so far has been on the horse race, but when the dust settles, this team will put alot of attention on the issue of reform. Judy won’t be able to duck it. She wil have to explain how someone with her past history of deal cutting is better than Ron-Rauschy on the issue of reform.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 6:15 am
The Gidwitz-Rauschengerger alliance won’t help the Republicans get into office. It will only do what Nader did for Gore in 2000.
Rauschenberger would be great as Budget Director, not guv or lt guv. His anti-abortion views wouldn’t mean a thing in that position and he could do some real good for the state.
Rauschenberger needs to rethink his stance, put the state first and align himself to assist the primary winner.
Comment by Looking for another job Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 7:31 am
The main problem with the reform angle, of course, is that Gidwitz has been a GOP insider for years. He’s just mad that he gave all this money to Repub. candidates and the party establishment, or what’s left of it, snubbed him for Judy. The reform religion is, ahem, a late in life conversion.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 7:36 am
Help me out here — what makes Gidwitz an insider?
Is it just that he wrote checks, or did he supposedly get something in return?
Mailing in checks does not make you an “insider” in my book. Now Cellini is a different story, but you’re not trying to put Gidwitz in that category, are you?
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 7:41 am
Yellow Dog — How do you think he ended up appointed to the State Board of Education and before that appointed to the board overseeing City Colleges of Chicago? Do some homework.
Comment by anon Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 7:59 am
I agree with Yellow Dog . . . Those are the types of jobs that go to the guys cutting checks . . . not because they are on the inside.
If he would have been on the “inside” George Ryan would have done (you fill in the blank.)
Comment by Sporty Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 8:10 am
Exactly what do you guys consider an insider? Somone who oversees a state agency and has the authority to direct lucrative lobbying contracts, perhaps to a Republican lobbying firm? Hmmm … I wonder who that could be.
Comment by anon Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 8:20 am
Reform had nothing to do with it Rich. You touched on what this is all about…Steve’s campaign for governor was about to fold, this simply let’s him stay in the game a bit longer. Can you possible imagine these two working together???? DISASTER
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 8:32 am
This combination of campaigns reminds me of a cartoon I saw in the newspapaer when K-Mart and Sears merged. The cartoon was something like this… 1 glass half empty + 1 glass half empty = 1 glass half empty.
Comment by jeff m Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 8:49 am
Gidwitz was the chief fundraiser when Judy was Chairman of the State Party. He has never been elected to anything (except 43rd Ward Committeeman). That is the definition of an insider, however, Gidwitz is a good guy. Being an insider isn’t a bad thing.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 9:52 am
I believe the big reformer Gidwitz voted for the re-election of Kjellander.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 10:01 am
It must be a nice life for Gidwitz. He is basically throwing his money away and for what? 4% in the polls? And with some margins of error, that’s about NOTHING. After Rauschenberger lost last year’s Senate primary, he also lost his mojo. I see this one going nowhere. Plus, if JBT wins, Rauschenberger will get the cold shoulder when it comes to a plum spot like head of the DCEO or the Ec and Fisc Commission.
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 10:53 am
I wish I was a mouse in the corner when this agreement was decided. I am a Rauschenberger supporter and hold Steve in high esteem. I do not know much about Mr. Gidwitz. On the surface, I am scratching my head like many of you. Perhaps, Mr. Gidwitz would not have been my first choice for Steve to have teamed up with. I wonder if a Rauschenberger/Brady ticket or an Oberweis/Rauschenberger ticket would have been the necessary combination to make Judy shiver in her boots. I don’t know. I guess what I need to do now is to learn more about Ron Gidwitz to see if I can support him and still look at myself in the mirror each morning. The only real negative that I have heard about him comes from the Will County media. In fairness to Mr. Gidwitz, he deserves the right to tell his side of the Evergreen Terrace issue that he and the City of Joliet have been locking horns over for almost two years.
I feel that Steve Rauschenberger would not have teamed up with Ron Gidwitz unless Steve felt that he was an honorable man. Many of Steve’s supporters (including myself) believe that Steve is one of the few politicians whose political decisions are not ruled by the issue of self-enrichment.
Comment by Beowulf Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 12:33 pm
Our sole GOP Statewide office holder hasn’t had the leadership to put together a real ticket, she even had to wait and see who else would run and asked, as she announced, to be removed from the task at hand if Edgar would run. She had the party chair and still couldn’t lead the party.
At least some people (Rauschenburger) in the party truly understand that to win it takes people from both sides of the party, and that sometimes you need to swallow pride and dreams and support someone who has the same understanding of what good well run government is all about. Steve would have and some day will be a great Gov. but for now we need to look at the real problems our State faces and what team are best able to lead us to those solutions. It has never been nor will ever be JBT, she still doesn’t get it.
Comment by loyal GOP'er Wednesday, Dec 7, 05 @ 2:24 pm