The Stonecipher Report

Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Steinberg Keeping a Watch on Bizarro IL Senate Candidate Andy Martin, Too…

New "Gay" Smear Ad Against Rep. Kirk the Latest (Non-Surprising) Shocking Behavior From the "Chumbolone" GOP IL Senate Non-Contender

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Dec. 31, 2009

Readers of The Stonecipher Report – and especially listeners to our radio show (on WHPK-FM and www.whpk.org) – know the twisted fascination that Tyler and I have for out-there, perennial candidate Andy Martin, who is currently running (at about a 2% polling rate, according to the most recent numbers I’ve seen) for the Republican nomination for the 2010 IL Senate seat.

It began for us when Martin responded (as seen in the comments section at the end of this post) with some semi-non-cogent, left-field comments to a post I did about the "main" two competitors for that race, Rep. Mark Kirk and suburban businessman Patrick Hughes (and even grouping those two together is more than somewhat misleading – Kirk is WAAAAAAY ahead of Hughes and is all-but-certain to win the GOP nomination to compete to fill the old Obama seat that the political corpse of Roland Burris is currently occupying).

A Deeper Look Ahead at the 2010 Illinois Governor’s Election

Gov. Quinn, Dem Opponent Hynes, GOPer McKenna Already Advertising

Plus, 4 Trends and 1 Fact That Will Likely Help Determine This Election’s Winner

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Nov. 10, 2009

My brief discussion about this – via phone – with Tyler on Monday’s radio show reminded me that, with all the other things that have been going on lately, I perhaps haven’t covered this topic very much out here recently…(and, BTW, thanks to TR for doing almost all of the – unexpected; previously-unscheduled – on-air show solo this time around while I attended to an annoyingly delayed medical appointment). But, the Illinois 2010 election season is currently well underway, with – most notably – television ads already running (starting more than a year before the general election) for three of the most prominent of the candidates running to be IL Governor.

Now, it has not been a complete fog of lack of info on these guys out here – we’ve already covered (multiple times, in the case of the two Dems) these three gentlemen previously on TSR…but here’s a bit deeper look at the overall race. And who are those three likely-leading candidates? Current Gov. Pat Quinn (the Democrat who succeeded the nearly-infinitely corrupt (and distant from him) Rod Blagojevich back in January); his Dem primary challenger, state Comptroller Dan Hynes; and the perhaps-leading Republican (among about a half-dozen elephant candidates), businessman – and former state GOP Chairman – Andy McKenna.

Andy McKenna to Seek to Lose the 2010 IL Governor’s Race…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 28, 2009

Andy McKenna is a loser…

Oh, he may actually end up winning the 2010 Illinois Republican Gubernatorial primary – mostly out of some vague, "Eh?" shadow of name recognition versus such unknown and undistinguished competition as Bill Brady, Dan Proft, and Andy Andrzejezewejrzski (uh…OK, I may have – accidentally – tossed an extra "Z" or "J" or something in his name (or, heck – maybe I even left one out [shrugs]), but, c’mon, nobody but the "Would be lucky to break 15% in the primary!" candidate himself is even likely to notice…). But I can guarantee you this: Short of some kind of bizarre, joint Pat Quinn-Dan Hynes sex / bribery / murder scandal erupting between now and Nov. 2, 2010, McKenna will NOT become the next Governor of "The Land of Lincoln, Butkus, and Obama."

Illinois GOP Mess May Lead to (Somewhat of) a Career Resurrection For One of the State's Republican Ryans…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 10, 2009

The last name "Ryan" – a classic old Irish surname – has been associated with several Illinois Republican politicians over the past decade or so…mostly, however, to notable political FAILURES. Let’s check the list: First and foremost, there was Governor George Ryan (1999 – 2003), the Kankakee pharmacist who buddied and corrupted his way up through state government (including a notorious stint as Secretary of State, collecting bribes and contributions in trade for favors, licenses, and contracts) before being sent to prison after his mostly unaccomplished (except for his brave stand against unwarranted capital punishment) single term in the Governor’s mansion.

Is Mark Kirk in Trouble for the ’10 GOP IL Senate Nomination?

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Sept. 27, 2009

What looked like a near-walk-in-the-park win in the 2010 IL GOP Senate primary – and then likely a 52%-46% swatting down in the general election by likely Dem nominee Alexi Giannoulias – for Rep. Mark Kirk now is looking a little more tottery…MAYBE, since A) The "endorsement" that is thought to be evaporating is by a questionable (at best) figure…and B) The "source" of the news of this disappearing endorsement is a far-from-unbiased figure who apparently has his own horse in the race…

Chris Kennedy Chooses NOT to Run for US Senate

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Aug. 19, 2009

Things are starting to emerge a little more clearly in the ongoing, oft-swirling, post-Blago bit-o’-a-mess that is Illinois politics as it heads toward the statewide 2010 elections. First, expected potential top-level candidate (for either the US Senate seat or the Governor’s mansion) Bill Daley opted out of running completely. Then, Lisa Madigan decided to (probably quite easily) hold on to her Attorney General office, rather than run for either Governor or Senator. Then, Comptroller Dan Hynes started running hard against (semi-accidental incumbent) Gov. Pat Quinn (which I will cover more in depth in the near future).

Now comes word that the expected main challenger to current Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias for the US Senate seat, RFK’s son and Merchandise Mart exec Christopher Kennedy, has chosen to NOT seek this (or ANY) elected office in the upcoming election. (Urban League exec Cheryle Jackson is still running against Giannoulias in the Dem primary for Senator…but her previous ties to Blago will be quite the albatross for her to carry; GOP Rep. Mark Kirk will likely end up as the Repub Senatorial candidate…but he likely tops out at about 46%, 47% of statewide support.)

What’s Perhaps Harder to Find in Chicago Than Ketchup on Hot Dogs? A Young Republican…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Aug. 1, 2009

I spotted the ad originally on a CTA bus back maybe 6 weeks ago and intended to write about it (I even recorded myself a little reminder on my cell phone, noting what the ad said), but…hey, this is Chicago…and I frankly could give a rat’s ass about how its few, semi-lonely youngish (and completely wrongheaded) Republicans manage to attempt to huddle together, thinking (again, wrongly) that things may change and that they may have any impact on anything at all. Anyway, nationally – as we have covered here multiple times (such as here and here) – in 2006 and 2008, the political pendulum seemed to have swung fairly clearly and decisively AWAY from Reaganism, conservatism, and the modern (fumbling, emptying-out clown-car filled) Republican "Party of ‘No!’" So…good luck with any faux-organization, kids!

…But, there it was, taking up space on the wall of a bus (along with the ads for training schools no one has ever heard of (much less attended) and promos for instant bankruptcy help and ambulance-chasing lawyers), a placard reading: "It’s not easy being RIGHT in Chicago…Join the #1 Republican Club in Chicago…www.joinchicagoyrs.com."

Lisa Madigan Makes Up Her Mind…(and Startles the Political World)

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

July 9, 2009

What?!? THAT’s what we’ve all been waiting for here in Illinois (and across the rest of the country)? "Just" another potential term as IL Attorney General for the state’s assumed political "Big Dog," Lisa Madigan? Huh? THAT’s what had all the other politicians in Illinois waiting and wondering what the state’s electoral 800 lb. gorilla was gonna do? Man…and we thought that AK’s Sarah Palin was a frustrating, complicated mess…

So, yes, you may have heard that, no, Madigan WON’T be running for the US Senate seat (formerly occupied by Barack Obama; currently being barely warmed by Roland "Jus’ Passin’ Through" Burris) from IL in 2010…NOR – as long expected – will she be competing for the IL Governor’s job up for election that same year. She is – instead – going to seek an additional term as state Attorney General. Uh, wha?

Who’s In, Who’s Out, What’s Next? – Chicago / Illinois Politics a Bit Up in the Air

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

June 20, 2009

Man, you spend a couple of late-spring weeks guiltily watching a former Illinois First Lady tough it out in a jungle reality television show (that, plus a ton of baseball), and – suddenly – when you turn back around to the local political headlines, you find that nearly everything has gone a bit topsy-turvy.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky Opts Out of the 2010 IL Senate Race

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

June 10, 2009

Note to self: Next time, try to finish that day’s paper before going on the air to talk local politics…

The other day, on The Stonecipher Report’s radio show (coming next week to alternating Tuesdays, following the regular alternating Mondays!), I asked Tyler Rippeteau for his latest thoughts about whether his Congressperson, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, was going to compete – presumably, at least against state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and semi-newcomer-with-legendary-name Christopher Kennedy – in the 2010 IL Democratic primary for Senate. Of course, between prep for the show and other obligations, I had only gotten to page 11 (and Richard Roeper’s column) in the Chicago Sun-Times that day…yet, just beyond that, on page 15, I would’ve seen the headline to Lynn Sweet’s column: "Schakowsky stays put, won’t run for Senate." D’Oh!