What Jack Franks Will Need to Run for Attorney General

Jack Franks

Mike Fourcher, who runs “The Daily Line,” writes today of what it will take to run for Attorney General

He speaks from the experience of having tried to put together a campaign for State Rep. Julie Hamos in 2010 when Lisa Madigan was making noised about running for Governor.

Here are a couple of paragraphs from his email:

You have to raise a ton of money. A competitive primary campaign will cost $3 to $5 million in 2018, consultants told me this week. The attorney general’s office does not have a natural constituency like governor does, so fewer PACs and lobbyists will want to contribute big dollars to A.G. campaigns.

As a result, primary candidates end up depending on a pool of wealthy, issue-driven donors for a large portion of the fundraising. But even before you get to the “big dollar” people, primary candidates need to demonstrate that they can raise the first $1 million or so from their own base–a large group of people who like them enough and their chances to win that will give a primary candidate multiple $5,000 checks…

Whoever runs now, will need to compress months of handshaking and dealmaking into weeks. They will need a fundraiser and a campaign manager that already have donors and party leaders on speed dial. And they will need a base of supporters who will be able to quickly gather 5,000 to 10,000 high quality signatures for their ballot petitions by the December 4 deadline.

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has more than $500,000 and, it appears, less than $600,000.

That’s a long way from the amount that Fourcher says consultants will be needed this year to mount a successful campaign for Attorney General.

However, Franks comes from a rich family.

If the candidate or any other candidate contributed $100,000 that would allow unlimited donations from family members and friends…which is the way Franks got his campaign fund as high as it is.

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CVommenter AlalbamaShake says the magic number is $250,000.


Comments

What Jack Franks Will Need to Run for Attorney General — 8 Comments

  1. **If the candidate or any other candidate contributed $100,000 that would allow unlimited donations from family members and friends**

    Incorrect. The self-funding threshold for statewide races is $250,000, not $100,000.

    I have said this before, and I will say it again.

    I have no doubt that Jack Franks thinks he is a viable statewide candidate.

    But Democrats across the state do not like him, and I dont think he can win a Democratic primary.

    With that said, this race is going to be strange because of the late start, and if there are 6+ candidates (which appears very possible), there will like at least be a path for all of the candidates.

    But I still think that if Franks runs, he wont win.

  2. Wonders never cease – I actually agree with AlabamaShake.

    Jack won’t play well in Cook County, and no Dem can win a statewide primary without winning Cook County.

    Jack really isn’t a particularly good candidate, he’ll get torn up in a debate if he even faces a B-lister, and the Chicago media won’t be nearly as compliant as the NW Herald.

    He also doesn’t have the demographic prophile that Cook County voters prefer.

    Jack is really only viable in this little corner of the state.

  3. He won’t.

    He wins debates by not showing up for them.

    He’s got a lot of Daddy’s money and he’s wanted this for a long time.

    For this one, he’ll go balls out!

  4. Pritzker won’t let his ticket become top-heavy with rich Jews who have many photos with Tiny Dancer Rahm.

  5. Jack will get maximum support of the Bar Associations in each county.

    That will provide the network he needs to run successfully, but only if it is at least a four way fight for the nomination.

    Government dependent business groups could also be very favorable in a statewide campaign.

    His viability will depend on the strength of the opposition.

    His politically centrist record as a State Rep would make him unbeatable in a General Election, but a loser in a small field Democratic Primary.

    However, his most potentially sucessful path would be to run as a Republican.

  6. **Jack will get maximum support of the Bar Associations in each county.**

    Why, exactly, will they choose him over the other lawyers running? Raoul has always been a friend of the trial lawyers.

    So has Nekritz.

    Two or three other candidates are trial lawyers. Franks has no real advantage over them.

    **His viability will depend on the strength of the opposition**

    Deep thoughts.

    Just watch.

    Jack Franks isn’t going to run.

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