McHenry County Blog

First there was an event in Schaumburg. Then, one was announced in Palatine.

Now an announcement from Judson University says Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is going to hold a Town Hall Meeting in Elgin.

The press release is below:

NEWT GINGRICH TOWN HALL MEETING

Judson University will host a Public Town Hall Meeting featuring Former U.S. Speaker of the House and Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 15 in Herrick Chapel

Judson University will host a Public Town Hall Meeting featuring Former U.S. Speaker of the House and Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 15 in

Herrick Chapel
Town Hall Judson University
Judson University | 1151 N. State St. | Elgin, IL 60123

[Judson University is on the Southeast intersection of Route 31 and the Tollway.]

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

The event is free and open to the public.

Mr. Gingrich has expressed interest in engaging the Latino population of the greater Elgin area at this event as he campaigns across Illinois before the state’s primary on Tuesday, March 20.

All information regarding the March 15 Town Hall event and the April 21 World Leaders Forum will be coordinated through Mary Dulabaum at Judson University 847-628-2089; mdulabaum@judsonu.edu.

Located in Elgin, Ill., since 1963, Judson University offers a Christian, liberal arts and sciences education through its Bachelor of Arts degrees for more than 60 majors/minors, graduate programs, online, certification and accelerated adult degree programs. A Preview Day will be held April 13 for students interested in learning more about all of Judson’s academic programs. For more information, visit ww.JudsonU.edu.

Here’s the email about yesterday’s polling from We Ask America:

Romney/Santorum

As America was gearing up to watch the Oscars, We Ask America was in the field in Michigan and Arizona asking likely Republican voters for the final time before Tuesday’s primaries asking voters for their choice for president. This time, we didn’t give participants an option to say they were undecided:

If the Primary Election for President were held today–and you HAD to make a choice–for whom would you vote?

Here’s what Michigan voters said:

Type: Automated – Date: 2/26//2012 – Responses: 984 Likely GOP voters – Margin of Error:± 3.12%

Gingrich	Paul	Romney	Santorum
12.53%	18.08%	36.85%	32.53%

And here’s what Arizona voters had to say:

Type: Automated – Date: 2/26//2012 – Responses: 1,162 Likely GOP voters – Margin of Error:± 2.87%

Gingrich	Paul	Romney	Santorum
20.65%	10.15%	42.66%	26.54%

It appears that Mitt Romney has Arizona tucked away…Michigan may be another story. While Romney has pulled out all the stops in his home state and seems poised for a come-from-behind victory, Rick Santorum has hung in against an onslaught of negative ads and a few gaffes of his own doing. If Santorum loses by a close margin, many will question Romney’s ability to close the ultimate deal after a less-than-stellar showing in the Wolverine State.

Of course, many of those saying that will be Santorum, Gingrich and Paul.

Before I had to rely on others to show that Huntley resident Matt McNamara was a body guard for Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

Others also told me they had seen him on TV, but I had not until this afternoon’s Fox News coverage of the South Carolina election day campaigning.

As you watch television coverage of Gingrich, maybe the local angle will focus your attention.

When I was writing the article on the Friday radio ad for Newt Gingrich that I heard, I asked Illinois Coordinator Nick Provenzano if he could get me its text.

Turns out he doesn’t have access, but he sent the following update on the Illinois Gingrich campaign:

The campaign has been here for weeks. I’ve hosted several Newt staffers here in Illinois over the last two months. We are on conference calls continuously with the National political directors.

Nick Provenzano

We have hundreds on volunteers working through an exclusive social network system call “Newt’s Network”.This Newt’s Network is the platform to attract and leverage our volunteers into activists.

Illinois volunteers have made hundreds of calls from home into South Carolina through the “Make the Call” element of Newt’s Network.

Each volunteer has a dashboard that provides a list of activities available for immediate and measurable impact on the campaign.

For each activity completed points are awarded and a state and national tote board tracks their achievements and show their ranking among other volunteers.

Volunteers sign into their facebook and twitter accounts through “Newt’s Network” so that they can re-post and re-tweet key messages that they think will be effective with their personal network.

This single click posting is a very powerful way to reach exponentially greater numbers of voters.

Think about the concept of I tell 10 people and they tell 10 people etc. etc.

But now we have the tools to communicate in seconds to thousands!

This is the new 21st Century Presidential Campaign and Newt is at the forefront of this style of campaigning.

We know TV and Radio will have their traditional role but leveraging that investment against a network of volunteers reaching thousands with Newt’s message is the real key.

Thanks,

Nick Provenzano
Illinois Political Director
IllinoiswithNewt.org

The debate in South Carolina was Thursday night and on Friday, while listening to WBBM News Radio, I heard my first ad for Newt Gingrich.

It certainly surprised me, even though Gingrich, in my opinion, won the debate.

I have no idea what entity paid for the ad.

It signifies that the Gingrich folks think they will alive and competitive through our March 20th primary election.

Has anyone else noticed any other Presidential candidates campaigning in Illinois?

= = = = =
A Friend of McHenry County Blog tells me he heard a Gingrich ad on WLS Radio.

I gave you the information passed on by Presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s Illinois Chairman here.

Now, here’s what Santorum’s Illinois Coordinator Jon Zahm says,

“Leadership from the

• Romney campaign (Dan Rutherford),
• Gingrich campaign (Bruce Hansen and Nick Provenzano),
• Paul campaign (Chris Younce) and
• Santorum campaign (Al Salvi and Jon Zahm)

have agreed today to withdraw all petition challenges in Illinois against one another’s statewide and delegate petitions.

“This is a victory for unity and for allowing these volunteer driven grassroots campaigns to go forward and voters to have more choices.

“Kudos to all involved.”

Previously, Newt Gingrich’s State Coordinator Nick Provenzano left this comment:

Nick Provenzano

“The only reason why Newt’s petition signatures for Delegates and Alternate Delegates were not challenged was because they were properly filed with double the required signatures.”In almost every district we filed with 1,200 signatures only needing 600.

“The Newt petition challenge that Jon Zahm filed against us can’t be for lack of signatures.

“For Newt’s petition we collected 6,200 signatures, the minimum was 3,000 but the state would only let us file 5,000.

“So we picked the best of the best 5,000 signatures.

“We also used Newt’s home address on his statement of Candidacy which might be the basis of contention against the other Candidates.

“Nick Provenzano, State Political Director, http://www.IllinoisWithNewt.org“

The Republicans standing in a circular firing squad had now devolved into a Mexican standoff.

The Romney folks. led by State Treasurer and gubernatorial aspirant Dan Rutherford has people challenging Delegate slates of Rick Santorum pretty much all over Illinois.

A challenge from a Robinson supporter of Newt Gingrich has now seen fit to withdraw his separate objections to Santorum petitions.

Now it is the Santorum forces playing a game of chicken with those led by Rutherford.

Santorum supporters have challenged Mitt Romey’s right to appear in the beauty contest in Illinois.  No Delegates are at stake, but it would be severely embarrassing if Romeny’s name didn’t appear on TV screens as the popular vote is counted on the night of March 20th.

Think of the negative publicity that Gingrich and Santorum got when they did not make the Virginia GOP primary ballot.

The ammunition that Santorum has ready to fire to keep Romney off the ballot is unpublicized.

Rutherford’s Romney objections are based on there being too few signatures on the petitions challenged.

This post from Santorum State Coordinator Jon Zahm appeared today on the Rick Santorum Illinois web site:

Gingrich Illinois With Newt Team is for Republican Unity and Fair Play

“I have just reached agreement with Illinois With Newt that their supporter in Robinson Illinois will release his challenges to the Santorum petitions in exchange for me releasing my challenge to Newt’s.

“This is an example of the type of unity and class that is possible to achieve.

“Will Dan Rutherford and the Romney team do likewise for the betterment of Illinois?

“I hope so.

“It is not too late.

“Yet.”

Delegate candidate and Pro-Life leader Penny Pullen commented:

“I guess we know who the gentleman is and isn’t.

“Thanks, Jon and all those who helped, for securing this victory.

“Pray now for the Romney team to see how deeply they are wounding their own candidate and for their state chairman to see how he is jeopardizing his own future.”

If you watch the TV coverage of the Republican Presidential race cloesly, you can see Huntley resident Matt McNamara in the background.

He’s usually standing next to or just behind the former Speaker.

What’s he doing there?

McNamara is providing security.

He’s a bodyguard.

You know the candidates for President don’t file their own petitions.

Volunteers or paid staff do the work.

McHenry County Blog has received two photos from candidates’ campaigns of those who went to the Springfield office of the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The best was from the Newt Gingrich campaign.

While the picture above was take prior to filing, the one below from a cell phone was shot afterward.

A study done in Michigan convinced me that first, second and last place on the ballot are to be coveted, if there are lot of people running for an office.

If there enough candidates, probably over 7 or 8, first place is worth an extra 10%, while second and last place give a bonus of 5%.

There are six candidates on the Illinois ballot in the Republican primary election.

That probably means that ballot placement will make little difference, but it may have a factor.

Filing first in the “beauty contest” for United States President was Mitt Romney.

Second was Ron Paul.

Rick Perry was third.

Filing fourth was Newt Gingrich.

Next was Buddy Romer, a candidate who barely scratched in Iowa and one about whom I know next to nothing.

Filing last, at 4:22 Friday afternoon was Rick Santorum.

So, of the top two candidates coming out of Iowa, the one who place first by 14 votes, is on the top of the ballot and the one who came in just behind is in last place.