McHenry County Blog

With the primary election coming up in about five weeks, active citizens are starting to think more seriously about narrowing down their choices for contested offices.

At Zane Seipler’s fund raiser Wednesday night, for example, one person concluded that Andy McKenna was the most likely to be able to win the November election. Not a perfect candidate, but considering one needs three elements to win a campaign—issues, money and a candidate—his opponents don’t seem likely to put it together as well.

Now, National Taxpayers United of Illinois’ campaign arm, Tax Accountability, has put out its recommendations, I listed the ones that will be on area ballots.

U.S. Senate

• John Arrington – R
• Robert Marshall – D

U.S. Congress

• 8th District (McHenry, Lake and Cook) – Joe Walsh
• 14th District (Kane, DuPage and points west) – Randy Hultgren

Governor

• Adam Andrzejewski

Lt. Governor

• Dennis Cook – R
• Jason Plummer – R
• Randy White – R

State Senate

• Chris Lauzen – R (Northern Kane County)

State Representative

• Tim Schmirtz – R (Northern Kane County)
• John O’Neill – R (Jack Franks’ district)

Like sharks smelling blood in the water, candidates are surfacing hoping to kill re-election chances of Blue Dog Democrats.

The thought first came to me when 8th congressional district Barrington native Joe Walsh announced he would seek the GOP nomination against Melissa Bean.

Now State Senator Randy Hultgren is running for Congress in the 14th district south of the Kane County line against Democrat Bill Foster.

What both candidates have in common is that they have run campaigns before. Hultgren for DuPage County Board, state representative and state senator; Walsh for Congress against Sid Yates and for state rep. Hultgren won, Walsh didn’t, but it gave them both experience in the type of race that someone who wants to be a congressman would find helpful.

I don’t see lots of money that Hultgren has raised, but his campaigning skills are honed.

Walsh obviously did not defeat the long-term Chicago Democrat in the 1996, but that race and one for state rep. would have developed campaign skills. He probably accurately reports that his fund raising skills will be quite helpful in what will probably develop into a multi-million campaign (at least on Bean’s part and necessary on Walsh’s part, if he is to win.)

Others seeking the 14th District nomination are Jeff Danklefsen of Geneva, Elburn’s Ethan Hastert, Mark Vargas of St. Charles and Bill Cross, from Shabbona. It should be noted that Hultgren is from the eastern edge of the district, which may not be an advantage.

Those announced in the 8th District are Maria Rodriguez the Long Grove village president, John Dawson of Barrington and Greg Jacobs of Mundelein

Yesterday, I put up an article about Phyllis Schlafly’s receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award on Paul Caprio’s Family PAC cruise.

It was pretty late when I finished it and I promised to do a piece on the candidates working the crowd on the cruise.

There were plenty there.

Schlafly said they were the generation who would reform the Illinois Republican Party.

I know I won’t do them justice, but here goes.

There were two congressional candidates.

Jim Oberweis gave me hope that he might reverse the special election results. He did that by pointing out the extremely low turn out this spring, compared with the numbers who will vote this fall.

Oberweis explained that 100,000 people voted in the special election, while 300,000 will troop to the polls in this traditionally Republican 14th congressional district at this fall’s presidential election.

That is reason for optimism, it seems to me.

Antoine Members, the Republican Party candidate opposing 1st congressional district Congressman Bobby Rush

Republican Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Tony Peraica also was on the cruise, as he has been before.

There were two incumbent state senators, Bill Brady and Randy Hultgen. You can see Brady below, but, unfortunately, my best shot of Hultgren has his tongue out. (No, not like my son likes to do when I take his picture; more a indication of concentration, I think.)

Brady and Oberweis spent a lot of time talking to each other. You’ll remember that they were opponents during the 2006 GOP gubernatorial primary election. (Charlie Watts can be seen standing between the two.)

There were three Republican state senators, if you count Carol Pankau, who isn’t a big boat person.

She mingled with people before the Lake Michigan cruise.

As I’m told did former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz did as well.

More tomorrow.

Yesterday, I put up an article about Phyllis Schlafly’s receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award on Paul Caprio’s Family PAC cruise.

It was pretty late when I finished it and I promised to do a piece on the candidates working the crowd on the cruise.

There were plenty there.

Schlafly said they were the generation who would reform the Illinois Republican Party.

I know I won’t do them justice, but here goes.

There were two congressional candidates.

Jim Oberweis gave me hope that he might reverse the special election results. He did that by pointing out the extremely low turn out this spring, compared with the numbers who will vote this fall.

Oberweis explained that 100,000 people voted in the special election, while 300,000 will troop to the polls in this traditionally Republican 14th congressional district at this fall’s presidential election.

That is reason for optimism, it seems to me.

Antoine Members, the Republican Party candidate opposing 1st congressional district Congressman Bobby Rush

Republican Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Tony Peraica also was on the cruise, as he has been before.

There were two incumbent state senators, Bill Brady and Randy Hultgen. You can see Brady below, but, unfortunately, my best shot of Hultgren has his tongue out. (No, not like my son likes to do when I take his picture; more a indication of concentration, I think.)

Brady and Oberweis spent a lot of time talking to each other. You’ll remember that they were opponents during the 2006 GOP gubernatorial primary election. (Charlie Watts can be seen standing between the two.)

There were three Republican state senators, if you count Carol Pankau, who isn’t a big boat person.

She mingled with people before the Lake Michigan cruise.

As I’m told did former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz did as well.

More tomorrow.