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Many of those with political experience in the Fox Valley are working to analyze the results from our March 8 special election to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by Dennis Hastert. One thought offered, that GOP voters thought it was a done deal and stayed home, is wrong! Many who voted crossed the aisle. I did. Jim Oberweis set the tone with his negative material. Many voters were put off by the aggressive ads. Bill Foster addressed people with some respect. Look at election results from the February primary. State Sen. Chris Lauzen won Aurora districts by a...

Republicans appear to have found their candidate to run in the seat of retiring Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) after their previous nominee, New Lenox mayor Tim Baldermann, abruptly dropped out of the race last month. Businessman Martin Ozinga, who owns a Chicago-area concrete company, announced he will be seeking the support of the district’s party leadership, and appears to all-but-assured of the nomination, according to a state GOP operative. The 11th Congressional District State Central Committee will be officially naming a replacement candidate at a meeting on April 30. “After much prayer and careful consideration – and at the urging...

The chairman of the Illinois Republican Party says he's confident a candidate will emerge to replace 11th District congressional nominee Tim Baldermann. And Andy McKenna says he respects Baldermann's decision today to withdraw from the race. Baldermann says in a statement released today that he can't juggle his family life, his congressional candidacy and his two municipal jobs. He's mayor of the Chicago suburb of New Lenox and police chief of Chicago Ridge. Baldermann says he plans to file withdrawal documents with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. He had been slated to face Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Debbie...

You could almost hear the chanting outside the building. “O! Ber! Weis! O! Ber! Weis!” the crowd cheered, as they stood bathed in an intensely bright flood light in the ballroom of the Hampton Inn and Suites in Aurora, waiting for the victory speech. And when Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis took the stage at around 10:15 Tuesday night, he delivered. RELATED STORIES • Illinois Congressional Races Opening with a quip about his three prior failed campaigns – “Boy, winning’s a lot more fun than coming in second, I can tell you that” – Oberweis claimed victory in both the regular...

If history matters to you, then voters should pick Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Fred Thompson as their parties' presidential nominees. That's because they are the choice of America's social studies teachers. In a miniconvention sponsored by Pearson, the education and media giant, Clinton, the former first lady viewed as the most experienced in the field, was first with 41.9 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama with 34 percent and John Edwards at 12.3 percent. On the GOP side, Thompson, the actor and former Watergate prober, won 23.2 percent, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 20.5 percent and surging Mike...

Barack Obama was the most sought-after Democratic presidential candidate in 2007, while Fred Thompson finished first among the Republican contenders -- at least, in terms of whose name was entered most often in the Ask.com search engine. No significance was attached to Ask.com's summary, released Wednesday. Obama finished first overall, with fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton second. Thompson came in third, well ahead of the other GOP contenders. Here's the complete list: 1. Barack Obama 2. Hillary Clinton 3. Fred Thompson 4. John Edwards 5. Mitt Romney 6. John McCain 7. Ron Paul 8. Rudy Giuliani 9. Mike Huckabee 10. Dennis...

Like noxious bugs swarming over a crumbling tenement, followers of Ron Paul have invaded the blogosphere. Their target is anyone who dares to criticize their hero. Bloggers have dealt with them in various ways. Some have tried banning them outright. Others allow readers to engage them in back-and-forth debates that can easily take a thread to several hundred responses. I used to find the Paulites annoying, but recently I had a revelation: Far from being scorned, Paul’s rabid fans should be welcomed and encouraged. We should do everything we can to make certain they keep pushing their man, sending him...

Yesterday, Senator Fred Thompson issued a statement on the Supreme Court's decision to grant certiorari in the District of Columbia gun ban case. It reads, in part: I’ve always understood the Second Amendment to mean what it says – it guarantees a citizen the right to “keep and bear” firearms, and that’s why I’ve been supportive of the National Rifle Association’s efforts to have the DC law overturned. In general, lawful gun ownership is a pretty simple matter. The Founders established gun-owner rights so that citizens would possess and be able to exercise the universal right of self-defense. Guns enable...

CHARLESTON — West Virginia supporters of Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson expect to welcome his wife to the Mountain State on Monday. Jeri Thompson is scheduled to meet with supporters and volunteers in Charleston, though the campaign’s state chapter says details were still being finalized. Thompson would be at least the third presidential candidate’s spouse to include West Virginia on the 2008 campaign trail. Former President Bill Clinton raised cash for his wife’s Democratic bid while in town for last month’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner keynote appearance. The wife of Democratic White House hopeful John Edwards was to headline an October fundraiser...

The poll, conducted 10/16-18, as Oberweis launched the cycle's first television ads, also surveyed State Sen. Chris Lauzen, Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns and Rudy Clai. A total of 333 Republican primary voters were surveyed for a margin of error of +/- 5.4%. Primary Election Matchup Oberweis 41 Lauzen 37 Burns 3 Clai 0 Other/undec 19 Fav/Unfav Oberweis 63 / 19 Lauzen 50 / 6 Burns 11 / 6 On the other hand, a separate poll taken last month on Lauzen's behalf shows similar numbers. The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, Lauzen's long-time pollster, between 10/22-23. 300 likely primary...

Lately, Democrats have taken to showcasing the hallmark courage overflowing their party’s ranks. For instance, Senator Clinton has boldly unveiled her plan to fix the looming train wreck that is Social Security—namely, to dodge unveiling a plan to fix Social Security. Who knew? One-upping this bawdy exhibition of true grit, Senator Obama, presented his own daring strategy. His plan? “Tax the rich!” Brilliant! Of course, by “rich” he means you, through raising the payroll tax cap to get at even more of your income. How “innovative.” An added bonus: deepening the eventual crisis by reducing tax receipts, but that’s a...

McLean, VA - Senator Fred Thompson's campaign today announced the top leadership of its operation in the State of Illinois. State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington will serve as the Chairman of the campaign's state organization and Congressman Don Manzullo will serve as its Vice-Chairman. Senator Brady has served in the Illinois Senate since 2002 and previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2006, and he has continued to travel throughout Illinois to help build a stronger Republican Party in the state. He has...

Mayor Tim Baldermann confirmed Tuesday he's running for Congress and has assembled a list of Republican juggernauts to run his campaign. Baldermann, who also has experience as a school board president and village trustee, said an official announcement will be coming later this week. The official announcement will include a list of at least a dozen officials who will support the 41-year-old in his bid for the 11th District seat that is up for grabs since Morris Republican Jerry Weller announced his upcoming retirement.

The Politico's Martin looks at large discrepancy between the number of staffers the leading Dems have in Iowa and New Hampshire versus the leading Republican candidates. In fact, Martin finds the second-tier Democratic candidates have more staffers on the ground in the early states than all of the LEADING GOP candidates. (By the way, considering how little of an organizational advantage Romney may actually have in the first two states, does that mean Thompson can get up to speed in Iowa faster than some believe?) --snip-- NBC/NJ's Memoli notes that Ann Romney seemed to take personally Thompson’s "actor" barb in...

Here's how Jeri Kehn Thompson felt when she learned her husband, the former senator named Fred, had decided to run for president: “I felt so sick. I was depressed. I didn’t want to throw my husband to the snakes.” We learn this and more in a kind of coming-out interview in People magazine, coming out today. It's titled "No Trophy Wife" because, absent any information to the contrary, many in American society make assumptions about a 65-year-old man being married to a beautiful woman 24 years younger. The story opens with the former Jeri Kehn in sweatpants and ragged nails...

Over the past four months, Rasmussen Reports polling has consistently shown Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani holding the top two slots in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. During that time, the weekly poll results have shown Thompson’s support ranging from a low of 20% to a high of 28%. Giuliani’s range has been similar, from 19% to 27%. Although Thompson and Giuliani are the frontrunners, both men still have plenty of detractors who say they can’t possibly win the nomination. For the week ending September 23, it’s Thompson 26% and Giuliani 22%. Occupying a precarious niche somewhere between...

Aurora Republican state Sen. Chris Lauzen will announce today his plans to run for Congress, seeking the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert. "The reason why I'm running is I'd like to serve my neighbors by continuing to provide the best constituent service at home and then to reinforce those people in Washington who are using good judgment," Lauzen told the Daily Herald on Tuesday. The pending retirement of Hastert, the former Republican House speaker, is attracting a crowd in both the Republican and Democratic parties. On the Democratic side, Geneva scientist and businessman Bill Foster is...

LINCOLN, Neb. - A straw poll conducted at Husker Harvest Days shows the Nebraska farmers and ranchers who voted support Fred Thompson and Barack Obama for president. The unscientific poll was administered to 552 people at the Nebraska Farm Bureau event this week in Grand Island. Of the 387 who voted Republican, 36% picked Thompson, 16% picked Sen. John McCain of Arizona and 15% picked Rudy Giuliani. Of the 165 votes cast by Democrats, 35% were for Obama, the U.S. senator from Illinois, 31% were for Sen. Hilary Clinton of New York and 16% were for John Edwards.

Darin LaHood, a Peoria lawyer and the 39-year-old son of U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, said Thursday he's formed an exploratory committee to run for the congressional seat being given up by his father. "I'm getting very close to making a decision to run for this congressional district," LaHood said as he attended a GOP breakfast in Springfield on the State Fair's Republican Day. The younger LaHood said voters want "people that have experience to get into this race, and at this point, I don't think they're satisfied with the candidates who have announced."

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert "has indicated to a close former aide that it is likely he will not run for a 12th term from his northern Illinois district and may even resign from Congress before his present term concludes," Robert Novak reports. "That runs counter to widespread speculation on Capitol Hill that Hastert will continue in the House for another two years as a private member with no leadership responsibilities. Since last year's Democratic takeover of Congress moved him out of the speaker's office, he has enjoyed returning to his former specialty of energy issues as a member of...

Aurora dairy magnate Jim Oberweis is considering running for U.S. Congress, but only if incumbent Dennis Hastert decides not to seek re-election. "I would do everything I can to carry on Denny's legacy," Oberweis said this week at a Kendall County Republican Party meeting where he announced for the first time that he plans to form an exploratory committee. Oberweis listed "controlling expenditures, making sure our dollars are spent wisely and rooting out corruption" among his legislative priorities. » Click to enlarge image Jim Oberweis At the same meeting, Terri Wintermute, a Bolingbrook Republican who lost the 42nd district state...

Wealthy businessman Steve Greenberg (R) is set to announce his candidacy against Cong. Melissa Bean (D) in Illinois's 8th District. GOP insiders believe the 8th District is one of their top ten opportunities in the country, particularly since Bean won reelection last year with 51% in the Democratic wave. There was a liberal third-party candidate who took 5% as well. In 2004, President Bush won the suburban Chicago district 55%-44%, while Bean was defeating Cong. Phil Crane (R). Greenberg, 36, had previously been mentioned as a potential challenger to Sen. Dick Durbin (D), but he has his sights set on...

Businessman Steve Greenberg is weighing whether to challenge Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), or neither in 2008, and he will go public with his decision around May 15, Greenberg told The Hill on Monday. The young, wealthy political newcomer met with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Washington last week and said he is now more seriously considering a House bid in one of the GOP’s top targeted districts, Illinois’s 8th. In February, Greenberg expressed interest in running against Durbin. But he said on Monday that his meeting with NRCC...

Grassroots student effort key in Springfield GOP win Still flying high, we hear from Aakash Raut, Chairman of the University of Illinois-Springfield College Republicans, about his group's part in local election victories last Tuesday . . . It has been one week since Election Day, when Springfield Republicans did better than most had predicted, particularly in the City Council races. For the first time in 12 years, a majority of the City Council will be Republicans; in addition, independent-minded Democrats prevailed in most of the other races, against their party-establishment opponents. Many people were caught off guard, by the results,...

In the end, storming the Cook County Administration Building with dozens of supporters in the middle of the night didn?t make a difference for Tony Peraica. The Republican candidate for Cook County Board president conceded the race to his Democratic opponent, Todd Stroger, today around 2:40 p.m. after suburban vote totals, delayed by technical glitches, made it clear victory was impossible. Returns showed Stroger with 68 percent of the city vote, while Peraica got 61 percent of the suburban county vote. Overall, Stroger was winning by a 54 to 46 percent margin, with 642,000 votes to Peraica?s 547,000. So even...

It's been almost two decades since a Republican won a Cook County office, but Monday the GOP laid claim to having a legitimate shot at grabbing a seat again. Tony Peraica says he's leading the race for county board president -- ahead of Democrat Todd Stroger 42 to 38 percent, with 20 percent of voters still undecided. Peraica chalked the surprise up to voter backlash at the way Democratic ward bosses handed the nomination from stroke-stricken, 12-year incumbent John Stroger to his son. The poll, with a 4.9 percent margin of error, surveyed 407 likely Cook County voters last week,...

Republican Peter Roskam scored the Chicago-area Teamsters endorsement in the 6th Congressional District race Tuesday, even though he publicly declined to embrace key parts of their agenda. The conservative state senator from Wheaton would not say whether he would have voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, a measure the Teamsters opposed as harmful to U.S. workers. Roskam also wouldn't commit to supporting Teamsters-coveted changes to trade agreements that would require other nations to improve wages and environmental protections. "It should be part of the discussion, that's for sure," Roskam said. The endorsements by Teamsters Joint Council 25, which...

State Rep. Bob Chur-chill of Lake Villa said he was with-holding support, for now, because McSweeney went negative. “I set the rules early,” he said. “I said you had to stay clean, and he didn’t.” McSweeney sent out a mailing in the final week that blasted Churchill for voting more than a decade ago in the state House to extend tax in-creases.

Employee who lost job after criticizing same-sex marriage in online essay says he"s a victim of reverse discrimination By Robert Sanchez Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2005 To insurance giant Allstate Corp., former employee J. Matt Barber is simply “one guy disputing his termination.” But to same-sex marriage opponents, the circumstances behind Barber’s dismissal from the Northbrook-based company have made him a 36-year-old cause celebre. Barber, a born-again Christian, says he was fired for writing an online article defending marriage and criticizing homosexuality. The Villa Park resident later filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Allstate’s action constituted...

The spokesman for a key national campaign committee delivered a noncommittal response Tuesday when asked if House Democrats are shopping around for a candidate to replace Christine Cegelis in the 6th Congressional District. “It’s still an open field,” said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The comments came after Cegelis, a computer consultant from Rolling Meadows, filed a campaign finance report earlier this week that showed her with $48,973 on hand for what’s expected to be an expensive contest. Republican state Sen. Peter Roskam, on the other hand, had 10 times that amount on hand as of...

CHICAGO - On the heels of the decision by former Governor Jim Edgar not to run for Governor in 2006, State Senator Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin), a 13-year lawmaker, has emerged as perhaps the GOP's best chance to defeat incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich, according to a poll released by Zogby International. The poll, conducted from September 16-21, shows Rauschenberger with a slim 1-point margin over incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich, 41.3-40.4%. The poll also seemingly indicates that Rauschenberger provides the best head-to-head match-up with Blagojevich for the Republican party now that Edgar has decided he will not be a candidate. The Zogby...

You guys should check this group out. I met one of their members out in Ohio working with a congressional candidate. They knew what they were doing and I was impressed but i didn't realize that Alex had his own team until yesterday. I looked at their website its got some really solid ideas in terms of strategy. Check it out: http://www.vandenberg-strategies.com

Gary Skoien fired.

Conservative Republican Peter Roskam won another key hand in the west suburban 6th Congressional District contest Thursday, as former DuPage County Recorder of Deeds J.P. "Rick" Carney announced he is tossing in his cards and endorsing Roskam. "He has a desire to be a congressman more than anyone I have ever seen," Carney said of Roskam. "He has it in his blood, and I did not want to go head to head with him." The only other remaining Republican candidate, state Sen. Carole Pankau of Roselle, made no effort to downplay the significance of the development in the race to...

IN THE SPOTLIGHT -- Barrington investment banker David McSweeney will be formally announcing Saturday in Wauconda that he will be a candidate in the 2006 GOP primary to unseat Democrat U.S. Representative Melissa Bean, who defeated longtime conservative Congressman Phil Crane in the 2004 General Election. McSweeney, who describes himself as disciplined and a hard worker, completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years and worked for Chase Manhattan in New York for five years before returning to his home state of Illinois. In 1998 he challenged Crane in a Republican primary because, McSweeney says, he was frustrated with...

IN THE SPOTLIGHT -- Barrington investment banker David McSweeney is likely to mention his political role model and hero Ronald Reagan Saturday when he formally announces his second attempt to run for Congress in the 8th district. The 39-year old stuck his political toe into campaign waters volunteer for Reagan’s presidential campaign waters almost 25 years ago, when he was barely fifteen years old. During those same years while other kids were focused on school activities, the teenager worked afternoons with stock brokers. The youngest of four children, McSweeney was a serious student of politics and the world of high...

State Sen. Carole Pankau said Thursday that she is jumping into the race for the 6th Congressional District seat that Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde has held for more than 30 years and is retiring.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT -- On Monday, Republican State Senator Peter Roskam was joined by supporters as he formally announced his candidacy for the 6th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde. The race to replace Hyde is likely to receive national attention. U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) has suggested that Democrats will target the west suburban race as a one of their top in the nation. Roskam is one of several Republican candidates whose names were floated as potential successors to Hyde when rumors began to swirl about the 81-year-old's possible retirement earlier this year. Yesterday...

THE SPOTLIGHT -- This morning, just four blocks from the Glen Ellyn neighborhood in which he grew up, Republican State Senator Peter Roskam will formally announce his candidacy for the 6th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde. The race to replace Hyde is likely to receive national attention. U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) sees the open seat as one of the Democrats' top targets. Roskam is one of several Republican candidates whose names were floated as potential successors to Hyde when rumors began to swirl about the 81-year-old's possible retirement earlier this year. Roskam's early...

State Sen. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, will make official what he's been hinting at for weeks: He will run for Congress to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde. Roskam, the Illinois Senate Republican whip and floor leader, scheduled his announcement for 10 a.m. Monday at the Main Street Recreation Center in Glen Ellyn. Although Republican leaders have called Roskam the front-runner, he will have company on the ballot. Republicans J.P. "Rick" Carney of Wheaton, former DuPage County recorder; state Sen. Carole Pankau of Roselle; and former state Rep. Tom Johnson of West Chicago have declared or are exploring their candidacy for...

At-large Councilman John Morris is among the latest of possible contenders to make known he's exploring a run for the seat should LaHood, R-Peoria, vacate it...Other Republicans who have announced they are considering a run if LaHood moves are state Rep. David Leitch of Peoria, Sen. Larry Bomke of Springfield, Rep. Bill Mitchell of Forsyth and Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz. No Democrat contenders have officially surfaced.

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LaHood Eyeing Gubernatorial Run in Illinois By Lauren W. Whittington Roll Call Staff Wednesday, Jan. 12; 11:25am Rep. Ray LaHood, who has made a name for himself on Capitol Hill and back home in Illinois with his candor and willingness to publicly criticize fellow Republicans, will announce today he is forming a committee to explore running for governor in 2006.

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2004 US Senate Elections These are the states I am watching: Florida: I believe that Martinez will help Bush here. I think Cubans that are having doubts about Bush will support him when they vote for Martinez. I think most Hispanics would like to have Martinez representing them and that will push him past Castor. Castor comes off very old and too loyal to the “party.” And she is in real trouble when she has to explain about how she handled the “terrorist professor” when she was the president of USF. She has been around in politics for over ten...

I'm having a little trouble finding out what is REALLY happening in Alan Keyes' campaign in Illinois. Keyes would be such a huge plus not just for the Senate, but for the whole of the United States and, directly, the Free World. How is he going? Will he beat this week's leftie pinup boy?

Gannett Fails One-Newspaper Communities/Counties- Port Huron Times Herald a Queue for Government Intervention? In particular, with today’s concentration of all reporting medium with just a few companies- who determines the void or lack of reporting in the best interest to citizens. I’ve challenged a Gannett newspaper, the Times Herald of Port Huron Michigan of its obligation citizens in one-newspaper counties. There appears to be an immediate need to make certain legislation be brought requiring corporate newspapers to better report news and serving the communities they cover. At a crucial time with the 2004 Primary literally days away- this particular newspaper,...

The poll of 600 likely Republican voters in St. Clair County Michigan’s State Representative District 81 countywide found Alloway leading Pavlov by 12 points, 48 percent to 40 percent in a three-way race with Yale Republican Steve Pray Nader included in the ballot test.

Maybe the incompetent IL GOP should just sit this one out and endorse the Libertarian candidate. They're running Jerry Kohn, whose name alone will probably confuse some dems into voting for him. Also, I'm pretty sure that he'll be more conservative and electable than anyone JBT would select now (unless Poshard could somehow be convinced to leave the dark side) http://www.kohn2004.org/

“A Michigan Impossible until we work together ending illegal state house electioneering practices” Joe Alloway-R Michigan House District 81 St. Clair County Michigan PORT HURON – JULY 11, 2004 - Please listen to a recent interview (http://66.92.134.175/~benburch/old/TrupianoShow-(10-5-2004).mp3) exposing Michigan’s #1 area to reform and that’s ending illegal activities in Michigan’s House Republican Caucus Communications Office! Very few citizens asked have no idea of what that word means. Folks, the bottom line is we’ve had some major problems in this antiquated, 50-person staffed office and they’re just coming public. Take recent revelations of state employees assigned to representatives as campaign managers...