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Circular firing squad battle moves to state central committee races

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* Every four years, Republican Party conventions of precinct committeemen are held in every Illinois county for the purpose of electing state central committee members in each of the state’s congressional districts. The filing deadline was March 26th. Dave Diersen posted a list of contested races. I’ve added incumbent (i) designations…

Congressional District 1

Congressional District 2

Congressional District 5

Congressional District 6

Congressional District 7

Congressional District 8

Congressional District 9

Congressional District 13

Congressional District 15

Congressional District 16

Congressional District 17

That’s a lot of challenges.

I asked Dan Proft if he was behind any of these candidates in an attempt to take over the party. Chris Cleveland was a big Jeanne Ives supporter, for example, as was David Smith, Patrick Harlan and others on that list.

Proft’s texted response…

Think you’ve got it reversed. It reads to me as if Rauner and his big government apparatchiks are working to continue their purge of conservatives from the party per their backing candidates against McGlasson, Floreth and Winchester. Message to Ives and her supporters: leave the party.

I checked in with the ILGOP, former statewide candidate Bob Grogan and the Ives campaign, but haven’t yet heard back.

* Meanwhile, Greg Hinz…

With his own re-election most definitely in jeopardy—national handicapper Larry Sabato dubs him “the most endangered” GOP incumbent governor in the country—who does Gov. Bruce Rauner have coming here next week to star at a big-bucks dinner to raise money for his campaign and the Illinois Republican Party?

Answer: Another GOP incumbent whose state Senate has turned on him, just saw another key ally go down in a special election, was labeled “a threat to democracy” by his capital’s leading newspaper, and who has taken to tweeting about a looming “blue wave” that’s going to wash away his accomlisments. That would be Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker, who’s the big draw at the April 12 Chicago Hilton event for which tickets are going for as much as $50,000, but whose own re-election bid in cheesehead-land is no sure bet.

Walker always has been one of the role models Rauner mentions when asked who’s got the right stuff in politics, and indeed Walker—who unlike Rauner has a Legislature controlled by his own party—has been pretty much able to de-fang organized labor and bring down the state’s unemployment rate, though Wisconsin’s record of attracting new residents isn’t much better than Illinois’.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:02 pm

Comments

  1. Walker has hurt Wisconsin in the short and long run. His and Rauner’s obsession with labor have led them to be one dimensional, and very beatable in the future Bye bye boys, we are glad we hardly knew you.

    Comment by Retired Educator Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:11 pm

  2. I’m torn.

    I find myself with (gulp) Rauner-types as opposed to the Ives group that makes me think of the Oberweis SSM issues, and the continued in-fighting that Pat Brady was facing for SSM, but wasn’t SSM, but was, but then no one wanted to be with Oberweis…

    The post-Rauner “ILGOP”, be it in a year or 5 years, will be about factions and lil spheres of influence, not a united party driven.

    When a Republican (Rauner is a Raunerite, an occupying force) emerges with a want to unite, I’ll look forward to that.

    Proft, Rauner, Ives, Grogan… not unifyers… but I won’t be with Proft/Ives. Nope.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:19 pm

  3. Walker and Rauner share another obsession: shutting down public higher ed. Walker has managed to do some serious damage to higher ed via defunding and state mandates aimed at reining in academics.

    Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:21 pm

  4. Walker was a national figure, on the stage, running for President…

    …

    … the best 3 weeks of Walker’s life, I bet.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:22 pm

  5. In the 7th, Mark Hosty runs an excellent family bar and grill on Madison Street in Forest Park, Healy’s West Side.

    Great guy, a former Forest Park commissioner, I highly doubt that he’s a Proft dude.

    Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:23 pm

  6. I dunno, if I were the IL GOP and took a look at Proft’s track record with everything he touches, I might not be so worried

    Comment by Northside City Dweller Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:28 pm

  7. What is going on in the 6th? All three are Rauner allies, so I thought

    Comment by KOL Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:28 pm

  8. –Walker was a national figure, on the stage, running for President…

    …… the best 3 weeks of Walker’s life, I bet.–

    And he only burned through $7 million to drop out four months before the Iowa caucuses.

    Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:39 pm

  9. Proft is lying.

    Comment by Truth Squad Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:41 pm

  10. The Dave Smith isn’t the one you are probably thinking of (but both in Will County). Not the one with IFI. That Dave Smith lives in the 2nd, and is supporting George Pearson, a very impressive man who just happens to be black. The IL GOP hasn’t had a black person on the SCC for many, many years, and not in my memory.

    Adrian Wright in the 7th is also black. The potential new diversity is a big deal, that’s why I mention. And odds are it still won’t happen, but hope springs eternal.

    Comment by Chris P. Bacon Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:42 pm

  11. ===And he only burned through $7 million to drop out four months before the Iowa caucuses.===

    “A fiscal conservative… willing to make the tough decisions when they need to be made”

    Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:46 pm

  12. Nimish Jani should be a State Central Committeeman. Does the GOP want to lose all the Indian money to the Democrats?

    Comment by Fax Machine Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:46 pm

  13. Pretty sure Grogan ran for State Treasurer in 2014, not AG.

    Comment by Mr. Morris Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:47 pm

  14. Perhaps Hinz can explain how Walker — or any governor — “brought down” a state’s unemployment rate.

    Where do these fantasies come from, besides politicians’ press releases? You won’t find such nonsense in any school of economics.

    Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:53 pm

  15. I hope Dick Uhlein gives Danny all the money he needs to lose these races. I bet he pocketed close to a million bucks between Ives and Straubs races. I can’t wait to look at those D2s, so we can see how a fiscal conservative runs a campaign.

    Comment by Profteering Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 1:56 pm

  16. BTW I think the “circular firing squad” cliche is way over used. If people look at an SCC or whatever position and say that person isn’t doing anything, let’s give someone else a chance, I don’t see why that’s often spun as a bad thing. To cite another cliche, you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs. In Illinois people always complain about how nothing changes or gets better, and then at same time give the usual kneejerk response when there’s a battle to oust the protectors of the status-quo. Failures rarely go away on their own. The challengers may proof to be equally worthless, but would be hard to be less effective than what the IL GOP has now. Bruce Rauner paid for a rubber-stamp party and that’s what he got. News flash, it’s headed for disaster in November.

    Comment by Chris P. Bacon Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:03 pm

  17. Walkers 20 minute prank phone call from David Koch is the highlight of his career

    Comment by Rabid Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:13 pm

  18. Turns out Proft is not the smartest guy in the room - despite what he himself says.

    Comment by anonymous Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:17 pm

  19. How is Indiana Gov. Holcomb doing? Seems to me there is a curse on the cast that starred in the anti-Madigan campaign commercial that Gov. Bruce bought for himself,

    Comment by jimk849 Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:24 pm

  20. Hard to see Uihlein too much money on GOP State Central Committee races. The Republicans choose the committee internally (only actual committeemen vote). It is not a primary election.

    Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:32 pm

  21. Since the national media decided to talk about IL-10 maybe they look at this to figure out how wrong they are in their analysis. They seem to think the 10th District was an Ives stronghold that delivered social conservative Bennett to the general election ballot. Actually, Rauner outperformed there and there’s no Proft challenger. Myth busted.

    Comment by Anon Nice Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:35 pm

  22. Poor Dan, always the victim.

    Comment by Ste_with a v_en Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 2:39 pm

  23. Don’t see the word “apparatchik” used very often these days.

    Comment by Uncle Joe Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 3:30 pm

  24. –Don’t see the word “apparatchik” used very often these days.–

    Or purge. Most be Stalin nostalgia.

    Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 4:13 pm

  25. wow, going after Dorgan. also interesting, CD 9. Char is a proftie but her peeps are doing some good things in Maine Township.

    Comment by Amalia Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 4:18 pm

  26. @Amalia:

    Char endorsed Rauner in the primary much to the surprise of the Proft faction.

    Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 5:02 pm

  27. so are you saying she is no longer a proftie? remember, Raunter appointed her to something. but her politics are very right wing, expect locally where her buddies are actual reformers.

    Comment by Amalia Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 5:22 pm

  28. Char shocked many people by voting for Rauner at the Cook County endorsement session. So did the newly appointed Kathy Myalls of New Trier. Subsequently, the New Trier Township Organization did not endorse Rauner (he failed to get the required majority needed for an endorsement).

    Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 5:28 pm

  29. I’d love to have a little showtune explaining the whole break down of the party politics. Pat Brady as the barker talking about the Jeanne issue in this election.

    Friend your either closing your eyes
    To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
    Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
    By the presence of Jeanne right here in our party
    Well, you got trouble, my friend, right here
    I say, trouble right here in River City

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgREFNjjnQg

    Comment by DuPage Bard Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 7:55 pm

  30. –Well, you got trouble, my friend, right here–

    Going to be much bigger trouble if a remotely credible candidate running on Ives issues gets on the November ballot. 25K sigs necessary.

    Like Rocco said, difficult — not impossible.

    Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 9:25 pm

  31. Friends of Char financed the campaign of Kathy Myalls. All of her yard signs, walk cards, etc. had Friends of Char on them. Last week, Myalls reopened her campaign committee (she terminated her old committee last Fall), and filed a bunch of A-1s for services rendered before the March 20 election. They were all in-kind from Char, paid for by Tom Mannix (not a Proftie). Friends of Char has yet to file a B-1.

    The thought is Char, who is also very, very loyal to Blair Garber, plans to name Garber as her deputy. Char’s Maine Township friend Susan Sweeney was Blair’s deputy. Blair is definitely not a Proftie.

    It would also be uncomfortable for Char to make Blair her deputy and then go to her meetings on the Human Rights Commission, a chore for which she is compensated $47,000 per year.

    How does Proft feel about Sallie Nyhan?

    Comment by anonymous Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 9:43 pm

  32. well Char’s pal Susan Sweeney is all over the papers doing some major government reform work as a Maine Township trustee. if guarding the cookie jar is still a conservative value, seems like Sweeney and Char are doing good work.

    Comment by Amalia Thursday, Apr 5, 18 @ 11:52 pm

  33. =Retired = Here is a question ? Would you rather live in Cheeseland or the Once Great State of Illinois? Be honest, this place has sunk into a financial abyss that no one seems to care about fixing and has not even a pencil drawing on how to map our way out. Meanwhile in Walkers Wisco they have a stable budget and economy etc. I’d move there (or a bunch of other places) in a flash if my job wasnt tied to being here. Apparently the continuing exodus from Illini land proves my point. Pack up hit the road last one out turn off the lights please

    Comment by NorthsideNoMore Friday, Apr 6, 18 @ 6:31 am

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