Jack Franks: “There’s No Longer a Safe Seat Anywhere.”

Or should the headline be

Pot Calls Kettle Black

Jack Franks

Jack Franks

(Click on the title to read the article.)

In a Sunday Chicago Sun-Times article the Democrat in probably the most Republican State Rep. district in Illinois undergoes an epiphany.

No, some other word would probably be better for Jack Franks, but I can’t come up with it.

(Maybe you’ll suggest that better word in the comment section.)

In any event, reflecting on the $20 million sitting in Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund, Franks is acting nervous.

It seems he is afraid that he might be a target.

Guess he didn’t read my article of November 20th entitled,

Will Jack Franks Be Bruce Rauner’s Lap Dog?

(Click on the title to read the article.)

I pointed out that Franks’ margin of victory dropped considerably from 2010 when he was challenged by John O’Neill and this year when he was challenged by Steve Reick.

Republican candidate Bruce Rauner, who is expected to carry McHenry County, boosts the candidacy of State Rep. candidate Steve Reick, who is running against Democrat Jack Franks, in these billboards.

Republican candidate Bruce Rauner handily carried McHenry County. He could have boosted the candidacy of State Rep. candidate Steve Reick, who is running against Democrat Jack Franks more than this.

Franks’ victory percentage was 14th from the bottom of all Democrats elected State Representative…even though he scored 56.8%.

By accumulating $20 million, Franks argues that Rauner is driving people like him “back in the arms of Father Madigan.”

Franks, my guess a millionaire in his own right, had $484,999.29 in his campaign account at the end of September.

How ironic that he should play the “poor me” card.

“The first thing he did was crunch the numbers and looked at a bill he has pushed to help kids go to college, he said.  The pilot program cost $20 million

“‘We can change a whole generation of children going to college or we can stick it to our enemies.'”

That’s part of the Sun-Times reference to what Franks said when interviewed.

One wonders how many families could have stayed in their homes in McHenry County had Franks directed his almost $500,000 toward saving them from foreclosure.

Where did Franks get his campaign money?

Most from rich relatives and friends, who ponied up money in June of 2010 when Franks was trying to convince people he could be a viable candidate for Governor.

Although he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars back to his father and himself, Franks still had enough money to intimidate Republican challengers in all but two years since he narrowly beat back Tom Salvi in 2000.

Now Franks complains in the Sun-Times that a GOP opponent might get enough money to make a more strenuous race than Steve Reick was able to make with $30,000 in 2014.

One of the mailings tying Democratic Party State Rep. Frank Mautino to Mike Madigan and Pat Quinn.

One of the mailings tying Democratic Party State Rep. Frank Mautino to Mike Madigan and Pat Quinn.

Undoubtedly Franks is looking at the challenge that veteran Democrat Frank Mautino had in LaSalle County.

Mautino’s is a district long-dominated by Democrats, yet he won by a lower margin than Franks.

Mautino bailing out Chi Teachers Union

Jack Franks did not vote for this bill, but he did vote against the bill to allow parents of poor Chicago kids select private schools. The plan, sponsored by then-State Senator and soon-to-be President of the Illinois State Board of Education James Meeks. That negative vote followed the wishes of the Chicago Teachers Union.  The bill would have saved state taxpayers $200 million.

Mautino’s Democratic district is located right outside the southwest corner of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.  It’s close enough to get Chicago television, just as McHenry County is.

Every years State Rep. Jack Franks holds a fundraiser in Downtown Chicago.

Every years State Rep. Jack Franks holds a fundraiser in Downtown Chicago.

Mautino withstood eight mailings from Republicans on Jerry Long’s behalf.

The way allies of Jack Franks (or Franks himself --no way to know) campaigned against Tom Salvi and John O'Neill, an award mailing like this is easily predictable.

The way allies of Jack Franks (or Franks himself –no way to know) campaigned against Tom Salvi and John O’Neill, an award mailing like this is easily predictable.

I’ve sprinkled in parts of a couple of the mailings above.

Had Steve Reick had mailings like these, Jack Franks’ 2014 winning margin might not have existed.


Comments

Jack Franks: “There’s No Longer a Safe Seat Anywhere.” — 5 Comments

  1. I agree with farmer….

    Steve should have won…

    it certainly wasn’t for the lack of trying, there is a certain amount of liberal thinking in the McHenry county voter…

    that is the problem…

    Franks is well organized and has an army of workers..

    If Steve runs again he will need more funds and help from the Republican party….

  2. Franks has been in office far too long.

    If the people want to be able to continue to reclaim their government, then Franks needs to go.

  3. The billboards with Reick and Rauner’s name on them were in kind contributions by Jack Schaeffer NOT Gov Rauner.

    So incinuation they are evidence of Rauner’s potential support of someone against Franks in the future is nothing short of preposterous.

    Additionally, stating that a couple of mailings may have been the difference maker for Reick is discounting that this election was the single best swing year for anyone with a R next to their name in nearly 100 years.

    The fact that Reick couldn’t get elected his year shows how much of an incompetent he was.

    And Franks is right about GOP candidates being better funded in the future.

    There are far more rich billionaire Republicans willing to shell out for municipal elections
    but it still stands to reason that despite Rauner and his millions riding a Republican tide, despite the millions spent in ads, Republicans won but ONE seat in the GA. ONE.

    There are still veto proof majorities in the house and senate, and last I heard, Governors can put out executive orders, but we’ll see if Rauner will try be an Obama and put out a litany of Executive orders, OR play ball with Madigan and get his caucus in line.

    My wager is in the ladder, not the former.

  4. To Observer I reply: Inexperienced?

    Certainly.

    Naive, perhaps.

    But if losing in a “wave” election, when there wasn’t a single net legislative seat won by the Republicans indicates incompetence, I don’t think so.

    Jack Franks ran a smart campaign, which is to say he didn’t run any sort of a campaign at all, beyond some letters to the editor written by toadies.

    I think he did the people of this District a disservice by his unwillingness to honestly debate the issues, but that was his choice, and no one felt it was necessary to hold him accountable for both his record and his ideas for solving the State’s problems.

    He’ll start his new term tomorrow by voting for Mike Madigan as Speaker, and then let’s see how many tough votes he takes, because unlike previous sessions, there are going to be a lot of them.

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