McSweeney Lays Out Three-Year Plan to Win State Office

From the Chicago Tribune article on State Rep. David McSweeney’s announcement that he will not run for re-election:

“In order to have a shot at winning as a Republican statewide, which is next to impossible, you have to start early,” he said.

“It’s basically a three-year plan: Consolidate my support among Republicans, plus also appeal to independents and do OK in Cook County.”


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McSweeney Lays Out Three-Year Plan to Win State Office — 3 Comments

  1. Interesting, long-term approach, which includes making himself a lame duck into early January of 2021. Now, how does he propose to lay the groundwork for the 3-year three-fold plan he describes. Since he is not bound by running for office in 2020, what does he do in 2020 apart from serving out his term? Does he get active in some of the 2020 campaigns, like endorse and help a particular Republican win in the IL-06 and IL-14? As the Tribune points out, he’s run for Congress unsuccessfully twice.

    Does McSweeney help activists in McHenry County put the law he tried so hard to get past be implemented and openly back a township dissolution referendum or 2 next year, either in March and/or November? I know he doesn’t live in McHenry County but he can help proponents for dissolution, including financially, with a referendum effort.

    One thing he won’t be able to start doing is raising money since 2020 will be where any donor will be giving money, not 2022. Given he has his sights set on running for a statewide office, one at the federal level, and one at the state, he likely will not be able to raise money for both, which means he’ll need to decide his path within 2-3 months after November of 2020 so he can start raising money for one race.

    So let’s see what happens if SOS is his target, and 6-term incumbent Jesse White, who’s in his mid-80s, cannot finish the term, either for health issues, or he dies while in office. Governor Pritzker will appoint White’s replacement, someone much younger, and that person would have a head start raising money to win election, with the experience of appointed incumbency, for 2022. The first obvious choice Pritzker would likely go is his lieutenant governor, and that decision would likely eliminate, or minimize a wide-open Democratic primary for SOS in ’22. So if McSweeney really wants a shot at SOS, he’s going to hope White finishes his term, which is what all of us should hope and not for political reasons.

    U.S. Senate? With Illinois losing 1, and possibly 2 congressional seats after the 2020 census, some of the few Republican members of Congress in the House, which can number between 4-8 people after 2020, will likely be shut-out of districts by redistricting when the Democrats redraw the maps. My guess has been 1 whose district will surely be absorbed is Adam Kinzinger. He is already sending out feelers for a possible U.S. Senate bid in ’22, to take on war-veteran Tammy Duckworth’s presumed bid for reelection to a 2nd term, in a seat where an incumbent has not won reeelection since 1986.

    Kinzinger will be in his mid-40s in 2022. Retiring Congressman John Shimkus will be 61 come 2022, so he might consider, or at least be encouraged, to run for U.S. Senate in ’22 as well. Kinzinger with 6-terms in the House, and Shimkus with 12-terms. Shimkus is less likely to run for Senate, since the interviews after his announcement last week, he is and sounded “tired” of DC. But after a 2-year hiatus, one never knows.

    No matter which race McSweeney decides to take, it will be a tough challenge any way one cuts it.

  2. ASSpberger Boy has a plan…well isn’t he a special kind of idiot.

    Well at least we’ve got ‘heads up’ from the drop-out himself to Primary the Hell out of him.

    Since he has turned Democrat Ass-Kisser he won’t get RepublicN support.

  3. It will take a lot more than three years for him to repair the bridges that he has burned.

    A lot of Republicans will not forget the unnecessary name calling and the sucking up to Jack Franks.

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