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Mixed results for Sauerberg push

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Illinois
Durbin

* Efforts to get Republican US Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg’s name out there before the primary is meeting with mixed results. The Daily Herald’s endorsement was titled “Sauerberg best of weak choices for Senate” and ends…

Sauerberg is endorsed, unenthusiastically so, on the basis of his sincere desire to want to make things better for Americans as a reform candidate. Best we can do.

* ABC 7 ran a story on the three candidates for the GOP nomination to take on Dick Durbin and played it pretty straight…

Steve Sauerberg is a long-time family physician who’s never run for elected office but believes that works in his favor. He’s won newspaper endorsements and has the backing of the state Republican Central committee.

Andy Martin is an Internet commentator and perennial candidate who believes he has the credibility his opponents lack. He wants to bring high-speed rail to Illinois.

Mike Psak is a truck driver with an MBA from DePaul who believes Washington has too many lawyers and multi-millionaires. He advocates eliminating the nation’s toll ways.

* Unlike the ABC 7 story, today’s Tribune piece goes out of its way to note that Sauerberg is the party’s endorsed guy and trumpet the alarm about the other two, but the reporters get their digs in…

But some Republicans have expressed fears that Sauerberg’s low-volume campaign might not be enough to defeat Andy Martin and Mike Psak, a result that would cast further doubt on the GOP’s relevance in Illinois. […]

“I don’t think I could have covered any more ground than I have,” Sauerberg said. “I don’t think the criticism has been fair. … We have gotten in front of people who we feel were most critical, and we’ve gotten tons of endorsements and we think that should carry us through the primary.”

* And then there’s this…

According to Republican Steve Sauerberg’s disclosure report for the period from October through January 16th, he had not quite $67,000 in his campaign fund.

Durbin, meanwhile, is the Senate majority’s second-highest ranking leader and reported having $7.3 million.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 9:37 am

Comments

Andy Martin is gonna get the nomination. He’s the only one running advertising.

Comment by Crimefighter Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 9:41 am
Looks like everybody got caught in the snow today, Rich.

How’s this for the decline of the Illinois GOP. I think Tom Roeser just called Barack Obama “a tanned Jimmy Stewart”.

Comment by GoBearsss Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:12 am
Wow….Chairman McKenna has been touting the party “rebuilding”
How bad will it be if their candidate loses ‘08 version of LaRouche/Keyes?
With most of the big guns pouting that Rudy bombed out, look for poor turnout and the other Andy (Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona) on the ducat for the fall

Comment by Reddbyrd Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:21 am
Steve Sauerberg MD

I had no clue who he was.

I first saw the Google ad last night and my reaction was “why is a Maryland Senate candidate punching at Dick Durbin?”

Comment by HappyToaster Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:29 am
Ah boy…

Well call me idealistic, but I think it’s a shame how average citizens running for office in our fine state are often treated as naive or secondary.

Dr. Sauerberg is a decent man of integrity who is running under a banner of reform because he sees problems in Washington that need repair. Whether or not you agree with him, you must admit that this spirit is not only honorable but enviable.

I guess what I’m getting at is that we should take the time to applaud & support men and women who suspend their private lives to run for public service. Obviously, it is at great expense to their personal lives(economically, family). Illinois politics would benefit greatly from a diverse slate of citizens (be it doctors, lawyers, teachers, law enforcement etc) who dedicate themselves to serving a greater good.

Now I don’t believe in castigating career politicians but I am more interested in attacking a political culture that says, “hey, that’s the way things are and you have to play ball if you want to get anything done.” I dunno, I do not believe that things should be done that way (or that they are necessarily better because of it) and I’m sure a lot of people feel the same.

Comment by thegreatmags Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:50 am
Who are these people the Republicans are running?

Comment by Levois Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:08 am
This is how it’s gonna be for the Illinois GOP until they start backing conservatives…people are not gonna vote for moderate to liberal Republicans. They will KEEP LOSING ELECTIONS until they get that through their thick skulls.

Comment by Crimefighter Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:12 am
Crimefighter,

Conservative Alan Keyes proved your point to a T. So did conservative Jim Oberweis in the last gubernatorial primary.

Oh, wait. You meant the state party… Too bad for you the voters who id themselves as Republicans completely disagree.

If you want a conservative in the race, vote for Psak.

Comment by Rob_N Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:43 am
Crimefighter, I agree that Republicans should vote for conservatives. That’s why I voted for Mike Psak, a conservative who announced his campaign in March. He’s the only pro-life candidate in the race, and he supports President Bush’s Iraq policies. He’s pro-tax cuts, pro-spending cuts, anti-illegal alien, pro-gun rights, and anti-gay marriage. His petition was signed by voters who live in 96 counties. He was endorsed by Illinois Federation for Right to Life and the Chicago Minuteman Project. Please read his website, www.psak4ussenate.com.

Comment by PhilCollins Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:43 am
i voted for sauerberg…i’ve heard his ads and received his mail too

Comment by the pug is on the prowl Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:11 pm
I am flattered by Rick Pearson’s Page One expose today that I am winning the republican primary. This is not a “stealth” primary campaign as some have suggested. It is true that Andy McKenna engineered party support for a designated loser, but what else is new? He was his own designated loser in the 2004 primary.

I have more than forty years of successful experience in public life, fighting corruption, exposing judicial abuses, writing reports from around the world [see Andymartin.com]. I have worked in broadcasting for 40 years (1968-2008). I am not a rookie and I am not a novice. But the political hierarchy is terrified that Durbin might actually have a race on his hands, by a skilled media operative who is going to attack him relentlessly. That is what all of the page one hoopla is about today.

Sadly, Steve Sauerberg, who had no business running in the first place, gets the fork stuck in him by the very people that had “endorsed” him. Some endorsement. Sauerberg has a right to say I was robbed” by the Republican leadership. He was.

The fascinating footnote is that Durbin and I worked together 42 years ago, so I knew him well. I am looking forward to taking him on, and Illinois voters are going to see the most exciting U.S. Senate election in November we have had in years.

Andy Martin
AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com

Comment by Andy Martin Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:14 pm
Republicans are loosing elections in Illinois because of the corrupt combine and slanted media. Blame McKenna-he isolates Sauerberg which then allows the media to regurgitate old and factually incorrect snippets that we all have heard before. Did McKenna think that would elevate Saureberg? Today’s Tribune makes Martin look like a winner while presenting the other two as winers. “It’s not fair???”This is politics boys and girls not Romper Room.

Comment by Alicia Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:45 pm
Andy,
I’m glad to hear that you have had a job all these years!

Comment by Bill Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 1:09 pm
Mr.D

Steve Sauerburg,What are you doing,do you think that you have the experience to run with and againt the big boys.You have never held a political office,your policies stink, and when you are interviewed,you talk in circles.Your wasting your time and money.Praciting medicine is your occupation,and should continue working in the medical field.Personally i would not let you do a routine examination on my dog! Vets like Andy Martin and Dick Durbin,will eat you alive.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 3:41 pm
Dear Anonymous- Sauerberg drank McKenna’s cool-aide! If I were him I would ask McKenna to do a little explaining. Going to events and posturing as the only candidate should have been a tip off that something is not right. He put his faith in McKenna….very sad.

Comment by Alicia Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 4:38 pm
Apparently Psak’s Illinois Fundraising Chairman is/was Gary Karlin… and what was Gary in the news for?? oh yeah alleged deadbeat dad to the tune of $82K…

Comment by Sack Psak Monday, Feb 4, 08 @ 3:41 pm
Hey Saurberg, hold on to your boots,looks like you are a loser in this primary. Never heard of you, no experience = low votes.

Mr D.

Comment by Mr D. Monday, Feb 4, 08 @ 4:20 pm