LaHood to run for Gov?

[davsand]

Lord have mercy! The Leader today has an article about LaHood forming an exploratory committee.

They go on to discuss a laundry list of possible candidates (the usual suspects--Raushenberger, Topinka, Oberweise, O'Mally and Gidwitz, BTW.) LaHood would be the first to announce the formation of an exploratory committee if he goes ahead and announces on Wed.

I'll not post a link to that GOP rag, but it is on the Leader's front page today (Tuesday 1/11/05.)


Laura

[Can o Beans]

1. Anything that removes him from Peoria for a while is OK w/me

Especially since he will get stomped by Chicago.

[chi_girl_88]

3. I went to Bradley U in the '80's

If I remember correctly, didn't his family have a pizza joint there?

[Can o Beans]

5. They own EVERYTHING...

and what they don't own, they still have their fingers in. The only good news is occasionally he involuntarily bucks to the left on random issues.

Side note: I was an election judge in his precinct on 11/2. The * support was unbelievable. Over 90%.

[Tweed]

10. Yet another new DUer to the Illinois Forum

This is fantastic. Welcome chi_girl_88! Your comments are much appreciated. Post frequently please.

[chicagojoe]

21. Welcome, Can-o-Beans!

[Tweed]

2. I have a feeling LaHood could put together a good campaign

He's huge in Western Illinois. Every time I look at the Peoria Journal Star he is in there two or three times for something he just did for Peoria and his region.

[davsand]

4. LaHood has pissed off some of the GOP regulars.

He's always been a pretty loose cannon, and you either like him because you see him as an independent kind of guy or else you can't stand him. He's pissed off some of the GOP regulars in the last couple of years, so it might not be super smooth sailing for him in a contested primary.

Question--isn't Oberweise (I call him the Milk Man) out of the Peoria area too? If he is, then the GOP base gets split out some...


Laura

[Can o Beans]

6. Peoria is full of people that love to vote against their self interests

in the name of God. LaHood is their default choice even though he hates unions and hates SS. Go figure, since the area is about 30% union and the average age is nearer retirement than high school...

[Tweed]

9. That's a shame to hear

Any place that would elect Ricca Slone a couple of times should be considered rich ground for Democrats. Then again, she just got voted out, all be it by a small margin. (By the way, I think we need to takedown Schock as soon as we can. He scares me. I see him as the Republicans Obama leading the party back type of guy) Perhaps we could get a good populist to run to replace Hood's old seat and steal yet another House seat in Illinois. That would be great. I think we should support LaHood's run.

[Can o Beans]

11. Oh, my dear Tweed - you have no idea

what a complete and total Neo-Con in sheeps clothing Schock actually is. He is very immature both psychologically and politically, and has every intention of breaking so far to the right he falls off in the Atlantic Ocean as soon as he is sworn in. He is the political equivalent to syphillis in Peoria.

[Tweed]

30. Awesome, hopefully he can drag down LaHood with him

[Tweed]

7. Hmmm.... I always thought Oberweis was from Chicagoland

I guess we are somewhat both wrong. Here's a piece from the Illinois Loser: http://www.illinoisleader.com/spotlight/spotlightview.asp?c=8942

Looks like Big Jim is from Kane County, Aurora to be more specific. I don't count that as Chicagoland.

Here's another profile I found of him:

http://www.ilsenate.com/candidate.asp?ID=5

He went to school in Chambana and Chicago. I don't see any Peoria ties, but I could be missing something. That's good to hear about LaHood. His independence would be an asset statewide, but will also hurt him the primary.

[Can o Beans]

8. The milk man was raised in the Joliet/Kank areas I believe...

and he is nuttier that a walnut fruitcake...

And thus, the cornfed Kansas and Indiana transplants of downstate IL LOVE him.

Watching him and LaHood duke it out would be sweet, since by the time they were done they'd have nothing left to use on Gov Rod.

[mopinko]

14. afaik

the milkman is from aurora. at least that is where the dairy started and grew. the family was a part of the local political scene. my hometown.

[Can o Beans]

15. Then I defer to you...I am not even from the state...

but I do hope he and ol Ray beat the snot out of each other until there's nothing but bones left for Rod to chew on (and heck, maybe we can pull another Ryan)...

[Tweed]

16. Jack Ryan for governor anyone?

Hey, I believe.

[barb162]

25. I know people who went to school with him; raised in the Aurora

area. The ties with the family businesses, dairy and the stock broker office, give him a lot of cash to play with for any primaries.

People born in Aurora don't consider themselves part of Chicagoland generally speaking. But the way the suburbs of Chicago have gone all the way to Aurora, it is no longer an isolated town on the Fox River.

[Radical Activist]

13. His district also includes parts of Springfield

which hates Rod right now, so Lahood already has a broad base of support downstate. LaHood would hit Rod where he's weakest. It would be a close race.

[Radical Activist]

12. That could be trouble

A Republican who can rally downstate is exactly what can beat Rod. I lived in his district before and never liked him but he wasn't a horribly offensive right winger like Shimkus or others.

[Tweed]

17. Yeah, plus I think LaHood has a moderate appeal

The Republicans that voted for Alan Keyes did so because they don't want right wing lunatics representing Illinois. LaHood doesn't strike me that way and from what I've read about him, he seems to be quite savvy at business. That would have a huge appeal to the moderate Republicans in the Collar counties. They vote with their pocketbook and support privatization of everything till only those with money can enjoy America and then even that's questionable.

[Radical Activist]

20. LaHood would most likely beat Rod.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Rod would be fighting an uphill battle against LaHood.

Remember that Rod only got 51% or 52% running against a man who shared the same last name as the biggest crook in recent Illinois political history.

Rod won by winning much of the downstate vote that sometimes goes Republican. Downstate is where the swing voters are in Illinois. The collar counties will always vote Republican and Chicago will always vote Democrat.

LaHood's district includes two of the biggest cities in downstate, Peoria and parts of Springfield. Peoria often votes Democratic but would probably support LaHood, and Springfield already hates Rod for laying off half the town.

LaHood is a moderate. He's the kind of candidate who can appeal to downstate swing voters and the collar counties.

Chicago can't win a statewide election for a Democrat without some support downstate. It sounds like Rod is having problems in Chicago on top of that. If he doesn't carry Chicago by a wide margin then he has no chance at all against a downstate moderate.

I also heard Jim Edgar might run, which people always talk about. Either of those two would make Rod the underdog.

Blagojevich is lucky he has that $10 million campaign fund because that is the only thing he has going for him. Without that he looks like a huge loser. I don't think people realize how vunerable Blago is against the right Republican.

[davsand]

22. Jim Edgar running? Two words: Kemper Insurance!

Edgar is retired (and likes it by all reports) and I doubt you will ever see him run again. Something else on that, is Edgar does not want to call much attention to his Kemper Insurance deal...

I dunno if the articles linking it all are still available, but try a Google on the keywords Jim Edgar and Kemper Insurance. Edgar looked dirty as hell with that deal and I don't think he wants that trotted out for a lot of examination...

The only Ex Gov (other than Ryan, of course) who'd be a worse choice would be Big Jim Thompson!


Laura

[Radical Activist]

29. I brought up a similar point

when someone mentioned that to me. I'm not familiar with Kemper Insurance. Is that connected with the MSI scandal? My impression is that Edgar is only a little less crooked than Ryan but he never got caught and it was probably never pursued because he left office.

I tend to agree that he probably won't run because of past scandals, but his name still comes up every election year for some reason.

[seventythree]

31. was kemper in the MSI scandal?

That's the one I remember and why Edgar decided, suddenly, not to run again -- the day the indictments (or were they convictions?) came down. Edgar was always sooty -- everyone just thought he was clean, but, then, compared to Geo, Ryan, he was positively squeaky --guess it's all relative. He did a better fiscal job than anyone has since, including Rod, IMO.
I don't know all that much about LaHood except that he bailed on Sen. Fitzgerald over the Lincoln Library flap to kiss up to Hastert. There were things I liked about Fitzgerald, even though we parted company on many fundamental issues. His willingness to be candid was one of those things, and he appeared more than most to want to clean up some of the political mess of Geo. Ryan -holding up the money for the GOP library pork barrel was the right position, and LaHood was on the wrong side, IMO.

[davsand]

32. Some links on Kemper:

Bloodilynalww.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/printStory.pl?news_id=8808

"Kemper a factor in Edgar's call


By Greg Hinz and Steve Daniels
May 09, 2003

The financial collapse of a storied local firm, and former Gov. Jim Edgar’s connection to it, are contributing factors in Mr. Edgar’s abrupt decision not to run for the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Edgar on Friday cited “personal” and “family” reasons for his action, which could leave the Illinois Republican Party without a strong candidate to retain the important Senate post. But with repeated references to protecting his privacy and avoiding the “blood sport” of politics, Mr. Edgar made clear that he was uneasy answering growing questions about Long Grove-based Kemper Insurance Cos.’ decision to pull the plug on most of its business, costing hundreds of Illinois residents their jobs..."

Do read the article--it lays it out there pretty well.

http://www.pos.org/platform/file_retrieve.cfm?ID=272

Edgar won't run for U.S. Senate

In the end, former Gov. Jim Edgar didn't want to be senator enough to go through the anguish of a campaign.

He wasn't specific on when his decision crystallized, but after being wooed by President Bush and Illinois Republican Party leaders to run for the U.S. Senate, Edgar said Friday he was not ready to leave political retirement because politics is a "blood sport in Illinois."

"I'm sure you folks in the next year and a half would have made my life miserable,'' Edgar told reporters in Chicago.

As if to underscore his point, a story posted by Crain's Chicago Business on its Web site later in the afternoon linked Edgar to the financial collapse of Long Grove-based Kemper Insurance, where he is a director...

There is more to see in this article, BTW.


One source I hate to link to, but still an interesting read:

http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=6452

"Kemper Insurance hemorrhaging

Thursday, June 19, 2003

By Steve Stanek

LONG GROVE -- Long Grove-based Kemper Insurance Companies now faces a federal lawsuit over its default on surplus notes and has announced that its finances are so shaky it could be taken over by the Illinois Department of Insurance..."


http://www.forrelease.com/D20030511/nysu002.P2.05112003081135.18270.html

""PERSONAL" AND "FAMILY"? -- Former Gov. Jim Edgar's involvement with Kemper Insurance Cos. has been all but ignored and its fate is a factor in his decision not to run for U.S. Senate, reports Crain's Chicago Business -- pointing out: "Kemper questions irritate Edgar."

According to Edgar the insurer is dying not because of mismanagement but because of unpredictably huge claims related to asbestos exposure, occurring in some cases decades ago. According to Crain's Business, the ex-governor made more money as a Kemper board director than as governor: $126,590 from state of Illinois in fiscal 1998, his last full year in office; from Kemper $142,702 in salary and other compensation in 2002."



Kemper is not a very well kept secret, but it is something creepy enough to make a lot of folks go, "Hmmmm..."


Laura

[seventythree]

33. thanks -- interesting reading

[DrGonzoLives]

18. Heard that on NPR Chicago this afternoon

He's going to travel the state and gauge his chances and the support he'd get. Other than that, I know absolutely nothing about this guy - is he a whack job, or what?

[Tweed]

19. He could be a good candidate for the Republicans

I think Radical Activist is dead on when it comes to LaHood's potential for downstate support. I don't think Blago has done enough to remove himself from Chicago. LaHood is a House Rep from the Peoria area. He is much of a moderate and brings home the bacon for his district. I would expect his percentages to be very high in Western Illinois. That said, he looks like kind of a crook. There's something shady about him. I've actually never heard him speak though.

[renaissanceguy]

23. I suspect that Blago is moderate enough

to get bipartisan support in the next election.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.16472020

[Tweed]

24. That's true

and I suppose I'm not counting the 7%-9% of people who will always vote for whoever the incumbent is.

[barb162]

26. since the radical right has overtaken the IL GOP, I suspect they will

run "Lying (Jim ) Ryan" again or maybe that arrogant idiot from MD who is now supposedly living in a condo somewhere in Chicago. That idiot who ran against Obama.

Then again, if the center of that party ever reestablished control, they might do something like run Schillerstrom from DuPage County

[Norquist Nemesis]

27. Schillerstrom's name is in the mix

If you watch Beyond the Beltway (if you can stomach to watch) on Sunday nights on WYCC PBS, they were discussing possible Republican candidates for Governor. One of the panel stated he thought it would be a candidate from DuPage County, 'like Schillerstrom'.

B.S. weilds a lot of political clout and it wouldn't surprise me if toss him into the fishbowl.

[barb162]

28. never watched the show