Kent Gaffney
When State Rep. Mark Beaubien died, he was replaced by his budget aide, Kent Gaffney.
Danielle Rowe
McHenry County GOP Chairman Mike Tryon voted for him, as did Barrington Township Committeeman Gene Dawson.
Lake County Republican Chairman Bob Cook supported another candidate.
Gaffney had served as a legislative staffer since the 1990’s and married a Jim Edgar legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Insurance. The two live in Lake Barrington.
David McSweeney
But, as with anyone who is appointed to a legislative seat which others sought, primary election competitors are always a possibility.
First to raise her head was Wauconda’s Danielle Rowe.
Now, reliable sources say that former Congressional candidate David McSweeney of Barrington is very probably going to enter the fray.
He is a known quantity and experienced campaigner.
McSweeney raised many times the amount necessary to run a well-financed state rep. campaign when he challenged Melissa Bean in her first re-election campaign.
And, he is capable of writing a significant check himself.
McSweeney is also not adverse to knocking on doors. In a district of something over 100,000 people, that can make a difference.
In the 2006 primary election, McSweeney did exceptionally well, pulling 43% of the votes in a six-person race. The second place candidate, Kathy Salvi, got 33% of the ballots.
2006 Republican Primary Election Results in the 8th Congressional District.
In the general election, Bean beat McSweeney by about 7 percentage points.
2006 General Election Results in the 8th Congressional District.
The race will be an interesting one to watch.
It’s nice to think that another courageous candidate is willing to make the sacrifice to ensure voters that it is their voice that matters…not back room deals to decide who gets an appointment or have favorable maps drawn for you in Springfield.
Mr. McSweeney should join Mr. Surges in the 33rd Senate District and give the establishment the message that voters voices trump insider choices everytime.
Good luck and thanks for making the sacrifice in running against establishment candidates and for saying “enough is enough.”
Thank goodness a man of McSweeney’s character is stepping up to the plate! With his experience and background, he will be a great asset to the district and state. He is respected by all, even his opponents, for being a man of great integrity. Thank you, David!
This conversation is stupid. McSweeney is a good man, but very unimpressive when you meet him. He will need to knock on doors to win and to meet him is to not want to vote for him.
That was the Scuttlebutt in 2006 and I doubt he has improved as a campaigner.
Rowe is a young solid conservative and everyone should be supporting her. I am very displeased that suddenly Dave wants in. He and everyone should be supporting Rowe and working together to get rid of the RINO Gaffney.
If Rowe were doing more for her campaign, more candidates would not be needed. Rowe has not been making the meetings across the district, and our local TEA party leaders have never heard of her, despite saying she is part of Wauconda TEA party.
If you are serious, Danielle Rowe, you need to get cracking and showing the voters you are a serious candidate who can win. It hasn’t been seen, yet, if you are serious.
As a leader of the McHenry County Tea Party, oncoming storm, I will tell you – you are wrong, I do know Rowe and respect her. She is very active in the tea party movement. She may not answer to the state tea party, but that does not discredit her activism and desire for promoting the tea party principles within our state government.
She has seemingly not started her campaigning, who knows, maybe she won’t continue it with McSweeney’s entry.
What we tea party members completely agree on is Gaffney must go.
Gaffney has been fighting Democrats for over a decade while McSweeney has been losing to them and Rowe ran as one in Wauconda. My apologies to all the misinformed, Gaffney is our man.
Strange, our local TEA party officials in Algonquin/Dundee (also part of 52nd district) had not heard of her. When she started, I noted her filing papers with State Board of Elections formally forming her committee.
Yes, doesn’t discount her activism. Just her ability to be a candidate, let alone, one who can win.
$100 says neither you not the candidates know where Kent stands on the issues. You’re going to attempt to replace him merely because you don’t like those who picked him, and you’re still going to lose…
Kent Gaffney is the establishment guy sent from Springfield. He was appointed in the wrong way at the wrong time. It overshadows his moderate positions on the issues, and makes him a fatally flawed candidate.
Who is John Galt? …bit cocky I’d say.
No John Galt, Gaffney won’t be replaced because the party leadership that appointed him are not liked. He’ll be replaced because Republican primary voters in the new 52nd district finally decided to go with someone else. Gaffney is an appointed incumbent, and there is no elected incumbent. It’s an open seat, as far as most voters are concerned, and the voters benefit with a choice on the ballot.
As much as The Oncoming Storm wants to root for ineffective leaders, Gaffney will hold on to this district because voters are finally waking up to the fact that we need real budget hawks instead of bible thumpers. Thank God that Tryon and Dawson saw that over the out-of-touch Bob Cook. Now its the voters turn to make the right decision.
It amuses me that anyone would state that McSweeney is unimpressive
Perhaps that’s because he is an intelligent and honest man.
He speaks plainly, wisely, and gets to the point on issues that matter.
Because he doesn’t give you the perpetual “spin” that most of the others do, does that make him “unimpressive”?
I hear Blago impressed people with his rhetoric…….he was very popular and quite the showman…..
And yet Haym says that David McSweeney is a good man.
Think about that for a moment.
How many politicians can you say THAT about?!!!
Wrong number “Algonquin Conservative”. You can’t spell, Gaffney is a “hack”, not a “hawk”.
Additionally, he has no roots to the 52nd district, didn’t cut his teeth locally running and serving in local office or helping the local party, nor the 52nd district community. We don’t fault him for marrying into money and into the 52nd district, but the job of representative is to represent the people in your district. Gaffney will have to prove he is representative of the 52nd, and he is going to have to prove it to more than two people between now and March 20th. From what I’ve seen of Gaffney, he hasn’t gone out of his way to meet the people. Allow me to illustrate a perfect example of the smugness and arrogance Rep. Gaffney has shown.
My first impression of Gaffney after his appointment as state representative is when presented with the opportunity to meet his future constituents in Algonquin through marching in the Algonquin Founders’ Days parade in July, he chose not to do it. All he did was attend the VIP breakfast at Port Edwards, and hob nob only with other elected officials and VIPs, not the people. It wouldn’t have taken more than an hour to participate in the parade, and he would have gotten his name out. He chose not to do it. That kind of condescending attitude is why Gaffney can lose the primary to a credible, grass roots campaigner who has long-term roots in the district.
Whether it’s McSweeney, or another credible candidate, Gaffney will have to earn the right to represent the 52nd district through winning his first election. If the TEA Party is for real within the 52nd district, they are going to have a say in this primary election, too.
Well my first impression of Gaffney is when he knocked on my door to introduce himself as my new State Representative. He showed impressive knowledge of the State budget and was the first politician to ever knock on my door. If you are truly upset over someone not marching in a parade a week after they were appointed to a particular position I am fearful of how you would react during real troubling times.
Yeah guys, that’s what we need another investment banker working to line his pockets with corporate bail out and tax breaks while we all pay more taxes. McSweeney is the problem, just a rich guy trying to buy the election. Don’t fall for his junk, it’s all fools gold.
This NRA member and many others stands with Gaffney.