At the Huntley candidates’ forum at Sun City Monday night, there was notable indications the candidacy of Catalina Lauf is starting to see positive momentum.
Whether it will be enough to generate attack mailers or TV commercials against the Woodstock resident from the frontrunners remains to be seen.
But observations I’ve seen in the past week would be indications that, even if it were a “blip”, Lauf’s candidacy is seeing positive movement for the following reasons:
- While not winning any newspaper endorsements, she got a good mention in the Chicago Tribune editorial endorsement of Sue Rezin last month
- Her 4×4 signage, like the picture above taken by Jeffrey Frye, started to pop up over the past weekend, and the photogenic Lauf’s picture literally advertises a new, younger face running for Congress, though the word “Republican” or the Republican elephant is nowhere on the sign
- She is actively pursuing and winning support from evangelical Christians, and as written earlier this week, her appearance at Willow Creek Huntley was promulgated through her participation in Operation LOVE (Love Our Veterans Elgin)
- Her Twitter following is over 55,700, and activity on Twitter indicate many are local
- Per this Tuesday morning tweet from Daily Herald reporter James Fuller:
Don’t know if others who attended the debate in Huntley on Monday noticed the same, but I definitely concur with Fuller’s tweet, and when you get that kind of attention, it means you are doing something right.
And speaking of the Huntley debate, McHenry County Blog is still awaiting the release of the debate video the Civics Committee at Sun City recorded from Monday. Once it’s available and accessible to the public, the blog will at least provide a link to it, if not embed the video in an article.
At the debate, Lauf drew direct fire from fellow Millennial Jerry Evans and frontrunner Jim Oberweis.
As stated above, whether the money frontrunners Jim Oberweis, Ted Gradel or Sue Rezin feel they need to spend good cash money on an attack mailer or TV commercial against Lauf will depend if their internal polling data says Lauf is becoming a threat.
Definitely, I’ve seen some growth and maturity from Lauf both as a person and as a candidate in the past few months, particularly in the area of faith, between actively engaging with evangelical Christians through service and love for the community, to her referencing her “Christian” upbringing like she did on Monday night, to her using terms like “God-given” and “prayers” that she is doing lately. Lauf is growing.
That said, is 2020 the year for Lauf to be nominated let alone elected to Congress?
As stated in many places, the qualities I value highest from a candidate and elected official are honesty and integrity, which are visible fruit of one’s Christian faith.
Here’s an example where Lauf’s exchange with Evans on Monday night including follow-up on Tuesday brings Lauf’s honesty and integrity into question.
And a reminder, I am not here to tickle ears, but to tell the truth.
Lauf’s Challenge with Honesty and Integrity
Yesterday morning, in addition to the tweet from Daily Herald reporter James Fuller, these two tweets also went out about Monday night’s debate as parts 2 & 3 point out:
“…Evans says Lauf’s resume ‘has been significantly political’ compared to his.”
Let’s do the analytics on the above quote concerning Lauf’s resume’. Her post-college adult life started after her graduation from Miami University (Ohio) at the age of 20 at the end of 2013, so using the six calendar years of 2014-2019 as a base, we know Lauf’s political resume’ includes:
- 10 months with Citizens for Rauner from late January to mid November 2018 as a full time paid staffer
- 8 months as a political appointee with the Department of Commerce in the Trump Administration in a full time paid appointment
Six calendar years means 72 months and 18 months, or 25% of her post-college adult life through the end of 2019, Lauf has been employed through political connections.
Jerry Evans’ campaign is right — at 25% Lauf’s resume’ is significantly political.
And even with Lauf’s clarification she was referring to Sue Rezin, Jim Oberweis and James Marter, there is no way the two state senators and Marter come close to 25% of their adult post-college lives receiving a paycheck through political connections in full time employment, noting the denominator is a significant number of years for the three (Oberweis 50+, Rezin and Marter, 30+).
All three ran businesses while either running for office or holding elective office, though in the last two years, Oberweis’ sons run his two businesses he owns.
And Rezin has stated she was a stay-home mom while raising four children.
Tomorrow, the article assessing Lauf’s interview with Jeff Berkowitz will be published which will shed additional insight into the honesty and integrity questions about Lauf which have come up recently.
I don’t care about this.
It’s all about the delegates!
REFRESH!
Mike Bloomberg to drop out and endorse Joe Biden soon.
Waiting to see if Elizabeth Warren drops out or continues to leech votes from Bernie Sanders.
I bet she stays in.
The Democratic POTUS race for delegates will impact the IL-14 Republican congressional primary, and given the race now, it’ll drive down turnout among Republicans.
Correcting, while admittedly off topic, Bloomberg will stay in through Florida, which is same day as Illinois before he drops.
Elizabeth Warren needs to drop out, especially coming in 3rd in her home state yesterday.
Beto O’Rourke is back in news backing Joe Biden. Thank God he won’t be Biden’s running mate (Stacey Abrams will be).
Tulsi Gabbard needs to drop, too. We’ve all forgotten about her.
It’s Bernie vs. Biden, and Illinois WILL play a role along with Florida on March 17.
And that will drive down turnout in IL-14 congressional primary.
Who will that hurt more? Some would say Sue Rezin, since more moderate voters are likely to be drawn to her over the other six candidates.
But the chances the district will match the just over 60,000 Republican primary voters from two years ago? Not likely.
Oberweis, Rezin–and maybe to some extent Marter, do bring to mind a more “career politician” visual, than Ms Lauf’s ever does.
Evans sure seems nit picky here, anyone knows he is not a swamp creature, heck his name barely makes it to the radar so this is a nice move on his part to get some attention.
Average voter would know right away Ms Lauf is zeroing in on Moo Man and Tax Lady Rezin as the “swamp”…pretty much any incumbent who isnt aggressively trying to change things is thought of as the “swamp”.
Back off a little with the “shes a liar” stuff.
Its politics folks, its what happens, Jerry is being sensitive, but for political reasons and attention IMHO.
If Ms Lauf is a “liar”, it would have come out months ago as a major character defect.
Furthest from the Truth–its called Playing Politics and Moo Man and Tax Lady do it everyday.
Well with this desperation of attacks they are doing nothing but preparing her for whats to come 10fold… when she hits the big time… meets the career mongers she will be up against..
I don’t think Jim and Sue are attacking Gradel enough.
This guy blinded people and not a single ounce of mail is going against him?
Mr. Bob Wire, I see where Jerry Evans is coming from, and while the “liar” quote won’t be included, there is a pattern how Catalina Lauf has been campaigning, which will come out in tomorrow’s article about the Jeff Berkowitz interview.
Tanner, Jim Oberweis and Sue Rezin may not NEED to attack Ted Gradel at all, especially if internal polling shows Gradel has made up negligible ground against Oberweis and Rezin.
The same polls will reveal if Lauf’s apparent surge is real, as far as polling goes.
Spending good cash money against Gradel or anyone must be a business decision based on analytics.
We’ve already gotten a peak of one of the TV commercials Jim Oberweis has in the can about healthcare.
If Oberweis has others “in the can”, we don’t know it.
I’m sure Rezin has commercial(s) in the can, too, and we’ll see what may be needed.
Correcting, you were right concerning Mike Bloomberg, who suspended his campaign a few minutes ago.
Ego is one thing, money is another, so scratch what I said about him continuing through Florida and by default, Illinois.
https://www.axios.com/mike-bloomberg-drops-out-027d9882-3e65-4663-aec0-70025387def6.html
Illinois will be up for grabs between Bernie and Biden, and the sooner Elizabeth Warren drops out, the better it’ll be for Bernie Sanders.
With the head-to-head field forming, it’ll be interesting to see if Congresswoman Lauren Underwood sticks to her City Club speech made last week, and not endorse any presidential candidate, or back Biden who helped her campaign in 2018.
Underwood is disciplined, so my guess is she’ll stay neutral, even though her colleagues in Illinois, though not Sean Casten, are endorsing Biden (Quigley, Kelly and Foster).
Tulsi Gabbard is the only voice that in the race that speaks truth to power.
That is why the DNC and all other major media, except Tucker Carlson, ostracize her.
As they did to Ron Paul.
All other candidates are corporate stooges and/or socialists, in my opinion.
My “truth to power” top five names:
Hemi Transaxle
Pickles Biggler
Frosty Muggs
Gorb Mealdeal
Gumbo Frankfurter
The most important thing in this election is getting someone to actually serve the People of McHenry County elected as States Attorney.
Kenneally is pathetic in my opinion and has repeatedly shown lack of backbone, competency and is more concerned with politics than prosecution.
I’d however would vote for him for the prestigious First Annual McHenry County T.U.R.D* of The Year Award.
* Tough Unrelenting Republican Democrat
All,
While Correcting and I began drifting into the Democratic presidential primary given the dramatic changes since Saturday, and its potential impact on turnout in the Republican primary in McHenry County, can we keep it on topic with the 14th?
Thank you.
D J, look for more comments in your thread after Super Tuesday.
Mr. Bob Wire, part of where Jerry Evans was coming from at the debate, and Tuesday’s tweets followed it up, was Catalina Lauf has shown a propensity to throw blanket statements around on her opponents.
She never specified until Monday night whom she thought the “career politicians” are, and when I hear that term, I wasn’t putting James Marter into that grouping, though he has run for office 3 times in the last 5 years and lost everytime.
The first word that comes to mind about Marter is “wannabe”, not “career politician”, knowing he has had a career in IT/consulting/small business ownership since the 1980s.
Let’s look at something else Lauf started doing in earnest after the first of the year.
Lauf started using the term “RINO”, “Republican in Name Only”.
But she didn’t make it clear whom she was talking about, again.
Another vague blanket statement about her voters must draw their own conclusions whom she is talking about if not all of her opponents.
Are the three candidates she believes are “career politicians” the “RINOs”?
OK, look at the 4×4 sign picture of her one of her volunteers tweeted used in this article.
Does the fact she does not use the Republican logo, or the word “Republican” anywhere on her sign make her a “RINO” because she won’t acknowledge she is a Republican?
Looking at the handout she had at the debate Monday night, the one with Lauf wearing boxing gloves “shadow boxing” with AOC, her handout is also devoid of the word “Republican” or the Republican logo.
Someone could take her lack of self-identification as a Republican and label her a “RINO”.
In fact, I think Marter tried on his mailing, but it didn’t resonate, from what I can tell.
I cant offer anything in the way of explaining why an Elephant symbol isnt on her sign…but I have seen her at a Debate, met her in person, and viewed the taped video interview she did—in all three instances she made it clear that Conservatism, America First, strong 2nd Amendment support, curbing illegal immigration and Donald Trump are mainstays of what she’s running on and for.
call it Republican, Elephant, or whatever, but I have a good sense of why she’s running.
Calling others RINO’s, to me at least, implies the incumbents, Moo Man and Tax Lady–Marter, maybe, but to me at least, the first two.
Anything beyond this, she needs to be asked directly for an answer—why no Republican symbol used, and who exactly are the RINOs.
But to me, neither really matters based on what I have learned of why she is running for the Office.
Evans,Catella, Gradel bring no RINO image up because they’ve never ran, or done much of anything politically that I know of.
Mr. Bob Wire, there are some, like James Marter and his supporters, who think Ted Gradel is a “RINO” because he has former Rauner campaign staffers on his payroll.
Come to think of it, these are some of Lauf’s biggest detractors, and who believe she is a “RINO” is because she worked for Rauner’s reelection campaign for 10 months, including nearly two months in the primary against Jeanne Ives.
This is why the traditional conservative groups, especially pro-life groups, have not embraced her candidacy, because she worked against Jeanne Ives, and got paid for it.
I guess one reason I’ve never liked or used the “RINO” description is because many use that term when a Republican doesn’t agree 100% with you.
As for Evans & Catella, the latter serves as a precinct committeeperson.
Evans has shared he worked for Peter Roskam campaign in the past and he’s also mentioned Jeanne Ives, so like Catella, he’s done volunteer work for the party.
**The most important thing in this election is getting someone to actually serve the People of McHenry County elected as States Attorney.**
Oh?
Maybe you should have gotten a candidate on the ballot to run against him then?
Alabama, you are so right on.
Crazy Catalina is a put up ‘antithesis’ of AOC, created by Fox (Faux) News to be sold to idiots.
UnderwoodNow – I don’t know what you’re referring to because I didn’t say anything about Lauf
Underwood Now – “Crazy Catalina” — is that the best thing you nutzo libs can come up with?
I’m sure if Catalina was “put up” she’d have more money in the bank though, no?
All that dark money would be helping her out? Like Bloomberg’s 2million to Lauren?
Lauren should start packing up her Capitol Hill office the second Catalina wins this primary.
AOC is the Democrat behind the moronic Green New Deal. AOC is one of 4 women US Reps who are the “squad” in the U.S. House of Representatives. Imagine that. A squad.
One member of the squad who was sworn into office on Jan 4, 2019 said on this date, “When your son looks at you and said ‘Mamma, look, you won — bullies don’t win.’ And I said, ‘Baby they don’t, because we’re gonna go in there and we’re gonna impeach the motherf****r.”
Another member of the squad was being investigated by the federal bureau late last year because she allegedly married, or said she was married, to her brother.
Whatever, we need a Republican U.S. Rep, rather than the Democrat lady we currently have, to counter a lot of the craziness by Democrats in the U.S. House. Of course, the best outcome in Nov 2020 would be sufficient Republicans winning across the U.S. to kick out the crazy Nancy. Does she have dementia? Such as might be present with Joe Robinette Biden Jr?