Joe Walsh participating in the Patriots United-McHenry County Young Republican 8th Congressional District Debate.

The Daily Herald blog by Joe Ryan and John Patterson reports that 8th District Republican congressional candidate Joe Walsh has replaced campaign manager Keith Liscio with McHenry County resident Jim Thacker and Sheila Morgan.

Thacker made his reputation managing 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo’s 1992 campaign and the primary victory of State Rep. Al Salvi (R-Mundelein) over Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra in 1996.

More recently, he has managed Rockford’s independent mayor’s successful campaigns.

Although I did not get a chance to attend the 8th District candidates night the Friday before Thanksgiving, jointly sponsored by Patriots United and the McHenry County Young Republicans, reports were that Walsh did quite well.

Other GOP candidates are Dirk Beveridge, John Dawson, Chris Geissler, Greg Jacobs, and Maria Rodriguez.

Besides the acclaimed Manzullo and Salvi campaigns, Thacker managed a less than successful campaign covering a good part of the district. Back in 2002, he managed the campaign of Pete Michling (R-Woodstock) , who ran against incumbent State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) in the Republican primary. It was a reapportionment year and State Rep. Jack Franks (D-then Bull Valley) made sure the Michling’s part of McHenry was not in his district.

Michling lost the primary to Beaubien by a vote of 9448 to 4285, even losing McHenry County 3-2.