The 2014 Illinois Truth Team Primary Scorecard: B+

With the week coming to an end, we wanted to make sure we took time to check-in with how we - as the Illinois Truth Team - did as a group this past week in the Primary Elections.

If you'll look up you'll see our mission: Get the facts. Help Good Candidates. Turn Illinois Around.

That middle part is key:  Helping good candidates.  The only way we'll turn Illinois around - and to ensure we grow the Illinois Republican Party is by doing just that: supporting through content, links, endorsements, and attention these good candidates.

While there were tons of great candidates on the ballot, in looking through our archives, we can see that the team here at the Illinois Truth Team focused on 11 specific Illinois Republican Primary races.  They were at the State Representative level, statewide Constitutional officer level, Congressional office, and the United States Senate.

So...how'd we do?

The tally shows: We had 8 wins.  And...3 losses.  The Susanne Atanus loss is particularly difficult to see while the Ron Sandack triumph makes us excited about the future of our Republican Party.  So it is a decidedly mixed bag.

Based on the totality of the outcomes, we give ourselves a B+.  We certainly have more work to do this fall if we want to turn Illinois around.

Here's how the races broke down:

• We were with Ron Sandack in his State Rep race against Keith Matune.  Sandack won.  
• We were with Ed Sullivan in his State Rep race against Bob Bednar. Sullivan won.
• We were with Margo McDermed in her State Rep Race against Gayla Smith. McDermed won.
• We were with Adam Kinzinger in his Congressional race against David Hale. Kinzinger won.
• We were with Darlene Senger in her Congressional 4 way race.  Senger won. 
• We were with Doug Truax in his US Senate race against Jim Oberweis.  Truax lost.
• We were with Bruce Rauner in his Governors race.  Rauner won. 
• We were TOTALLY opposed to Susanne Atanus in her race for Congress.  Unfortunately, she won.
• We were with Tom Cross in his race for Treasurer against Bob Grogan.  Cross won.  
• We were with Sandy Pihos in her State Rep race against Peter Breen.  Pihos lost. 
• We were with Mike McAuliffe in his re-election bid for State Rep. McAuliffe won.  

The Dan Rutherford Campaign Has a Van?!?!

This is all too much.

Just when you think the Dan Rutherford for Governor campaign can't get any weirder, we just were tipped this screenshot of the Rutherford A-1 from the State Board of Elections.  The Dan Rutherford Campaign Committee apparently has a van.

Let's all say it together: "Vans are creepy".

We wonder if Frankie Merman works at Green Holding Company?  Doing his buddy a 'solid'?

To be perfectly honest....We have a lot of sympathy for current State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and how his campaign rolled on after the storm around an employee allegations.  Ending our coverage here at the Truth Team about Dan's campaign with a post on a campaign van somehow seems apt, doesn't it?

Bruce Rauner Votes - In the Carhart

Over on the campaign's Instagram account, you'll see Republican Candidate for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner casting his vote.  Sticking to the script:  he's wearing the Carhart jacket.

We're going to try to dispatch a member of the Illinois Truth Team to the Bruce Ruaner HQ tonight at the Hilton.  Are you going to be at a candidate's HQ?  Drop us a line:  tipthetruthteam@gmail.com.  We'd love to see photos.  Send them in as you take them!

Governor Jim Edgar Endorses Ron Sandack for State Representative

Ron Sandack's campaign for State Representative continues to get boosts as we edge near the finish line.  This time, from former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar.

From the Ron4Illinois website:

I am happy to support Rep. Ron Sandack for re-election. Ron has honorably served the people of the 81st district and the State of Illinois. Ron’s a true fiscal conservative and represents the best of our party. I proudly endorse him.

- Former Governor Jim Edgar 

Dillard Launches "Bruce Rauner: Wrong for Illinois"

The Kirk Dillard for Illinois Governor's campaign put up a nice-looking anti-Bruce Rauner site that we came across this morning.

You can find it here:  http://therealbrucerauner.com/

Has this been up for a while?  From a purely technical implementation, we've been told that the site has no 'tracking' set up where the Dillard campaign can drop internet ads on the visitors other web traffic.

These so-called 'cookies' are (we're told) present on all the Bruce Rauner sites and signal a much more sophisticated web presence from the Rauner camp.

What do you think of the site?

The Coveted "Todd Stroger Endorsement" Goes to.....Keith Matune

While Ron Sandack - candidate for State Representative is utilizing Coach Mike Ditka to offer his 'closing argument' in the campaign, his opponent - and serial liar - Keith Matune is (apparently?) getting his support from a different camp.

We were 'tipped' this news this am:  The Toddler - Todd Stroger - is backing Keith Matune.  He can get behind a guy who lies on his job application.

Have something you want to give us?  Drop us a line:  tipthetruthteam@gmail.com.

*Editors's Note...we have no idea if Todd Stroger said such things.  In fact, we doubt it.  But...let's be honest.  It was too funny to pass up posting!

Kirk Dillard Campaign "Flooded" With Endorsements

From a massive list they just emailed out over the weekend, the Kirk Dillard for Illinois Governor campaign is doing their best to show strong momentum heading into the final 40 or so hours.

From the email (you can check out the full thing here):

One hundred thirty-six elected officials, party leaders, and organizations statewide have come together to endorse Republican candidates for Governor Kirk Dillard and Lt. Governor Jil Tracy. 

“No team in this race has the support we have from people who know what is wrong with Illinois, and how it is going to get fixed,” Dillard said. “Fiery campaign slogans and threats to break people down won’t pull people together and fix our problems. Jil and I are ready to fix the root problems that keep Illinois from recovery, and we don’t need 2 years of on-the-job training to be ready to do it.”

And here's the full list of folks:

• Jim Edgar Governor (retired) State of Illinois
• Jim Thompson Governor (retired) State of Illinois
• Doris Christopher CEO Pampered Chef
• Fred Krehbiel Co-Chairman Molex Incorporated
• Mike Chamberlain Mayor City of Belvidere
• Mike Inman Mayor City of Macomb
• Kyle Moore Mayor City of Quincy
• Roger Claar Mayor Village of Bolingbrook
• Martin Tully Mayor Village of Downers Grove
• Frank Trilla Mayor Village of Willowbrook
• Karen Hasara Mayor (retired) & State Senator (retired) City of Springfield
• Rich Duran President Village of Peotone
• Pam Althoff State Senator 32nd Senate District
• Dave Syverson State Senator 35th Senate District
• Tim Bivins State Senator 45th Senate District
• Sam McCann State Senator 50th Senate District
• Mike Connelly State Senator & Lisle Township GOP Chairman 21st Senate District
• Bill Peterson State Senator (retired) 26th Senate District
• Laura Kent Donahue State Senator (retired) 47th Senate District
• Larry Bomke State Senator (retired) 50th Senate District
• Judy Meyers State Senator (retired) 52nd Senate District
• John O. Jones State Senator (retired) 54th Senate District
• Christine Johnson State Senator (retired) 35th Senate District
• Bill Mitchell State Representative 101st House District
• Chad Hays State Representative 104th House District
• David Reis State Representative 109th House District
• Dwight Kay State Representative 112th House District
• Renee Kosel State Representative 37th House District
• Dennis RebolettiState Representative 45th House District
• Sandy Pihos State Representative 48th House District
• Mike Fortner State Representative 49th House District
• Joanne Osmond State Representative 61st House District
• Mike Tryon State Representative 66th House District
• John Cabello State Representative 68th House District
• Bob Pritchard State Representative 70th House District
• Rich Brauer State Representative 87th House District
• Jerry Mitchell State Representative 90th House District
• Raymond Poe State Representative 99th House District
• Don Moffitt State Representative 74th House District
• David Leitch State Representative 43rd House District
• Bill Black State Representative (retired) 104th House District
• Ruth Munson State Representative (retired) 43rd House District
• Penny Pullen State Representative (retired) 65th State House
• Jim Sacia State Representative (retired) 89th State House
• Rick Mervine Alderman City of Aurora
• Mark Mulliner Alderman City of Elmhurst
• Eugene Wesley Alderman City of Wood Dale
• Christine Winger Alderman City of Wood Dale
• Arthur Woods Alderman City of Wood Dale
• Joe Kenny Alderman City of Darien
• Dave Wentz City Councilman City of Naperville
• Chuck Weaver City Councilman City of Peoria
• Eric Turner City Councilman City of Peoria
• Paul Palazzolo Auditor Sangamon County
• Rich Jorgenson Coroner DuPage County
• Terry Asher Treasurer Adams County
• Scott Christiansen County Board Chair Winnebago County
• Bob Walberg County Board Chair Boone County
• Kim Gouker County Board Chair Ogle County
• Bill Hadley County Board Chair Stephenson County
• Becky Weed County Board Member Adams County
• Lyle Nichols County Board Member Adams County
• Ryan Niekamp County Board Member Adams County
• Tonia Khouri County Board Member DuPage County
• Donald Puchalski County Board Member DuPage County
• Pete DiCianni County Board Member DuPage County
• Paul Fichtner County Board Member DuPage County
• Amy Grant County Board Member DuPage County
• Gary Grasso County Board Member DuPage County
• Jim Healy County Board Member DuPage County
• Sean Noonan County Board Member DuPage County
• Sam Tornatore County Board Member DuPage County
• Jim Zay County Board Member DuPage County
• Brian Elsasser County Board Member Peoria County
• Carol Trumpe County Board Member Peoria County
• Brad Harding County Board Member Peoria County
• Chuck Weaver County Board Member Peoria County
• Brian Krajewski County Board Member & GOP Chair DuPage County & Downers Grove Township
• Andy Goleman County Board Member Sangamon County
• Gwen Henry County Treasurer & Mayor (retired) DuPage County & City of Wheaton
• Charles Donnelly Airport Authority Commissioner DuPage County
• Tim Whelan Forest Preserve Commissioner DuPage County
• Marsha Murphy Forest Preserve District Board DuPage County
• Dewey Pierotti Forest Preserve District Board President DuPage County
• Chris Kain Assessor Addison Township (DuPage)
• Warren Dixon, III Assessor Naperville Township (DuPage)
• Jerry Sadler Assessor Wheeling Township (Cook)
• Pamela Joy Moretti Clerk Addison Township (DuPage)
• Joanna Gauza Clerk Wheeling Township (Cook)
• Daniel Kordik Clerk York Township (DuPage)
• Chris Kachiroubas Clerk of Court DuPage County
• David Olson Commissioner Village of Downers Grove
• Marti Korpman Committeeman Zion Township
• Terri Koyne GOP Chair Macoupin County
• Barry Welbers GOP Chair Bureau County
• Steve Shearer GOP Vice Chair Peoria County
• Patrick Durante GOP Chair Addison Township (DuPage)
• John Dabrowski GOP Chair Bloomingdale Township (DuPage)
• Lori Carlson GOP Chair Milton Township (DuPage)
• Rachel Ossyra GOP Chair Naperville Township (DuPage)
• Clifford Brown GOP Chair Winfield Township (DuPage)
• Randy Ramey GOP Chair & State Representative (retired) Wayne Township (DuPage)
• Paul Hinds GOP Chair & York Township Trustee York Township (DuPage)
• Scott Davis GOP Committeeman 44th Ward
• David Ratowitz GOP Committeeman 47th Ward
• Anthony Catrogiovanni GOP Committeeman Berwyn Township
• Ruth O’Connell GOP Committeeman Wheeling Township (Cook)
• Richard Kaske Highway Commissioner Addison Township (DuPage)
• Kathryn Durante Supervisor Addison Township (DuPage)
• William Mayer Supervisor Dupage Township (Will)
• Sharon Langlotz-Johnson Supervisor Palatine Township (Cook)
• Michael Schroeder Supervisor Wheeling Township (Cook)
• John W. Valle Supervisor York Township (DuPage)
• Don Holod Trustee Addison Township (DuPage)
• Gus Leventis Trustee Addison Township (DuPage)
• Matthew Lozich Trustee Addison Township (DuPage)
• Mark Nowak Trustee Addison Township (DuPage)
• Michael Riedy Trustee Lisle Township
• Kerry Malm Trustee Naperville Township (DuPage)
• May Yurgaitis Trustee Naperville Township (DuPage)
• Janice Anderson Trustee Naperville Township (DuPage)
• Asif Yusuf Trustee Village of Oak Brook
• Robert B. Sauceda Trustee Village of South Elgin
• Kathy Penner Trustee Wheeling Township (Cook)
• Michael Domrzalski Trustee Wheeling Township (Cook)
• Robert Hoban Trustee Wheeling Township (Cook)
• John Morrissey Trustee York Township (DuPage)
• Zachary Wilson Trustee (retired) Village of Lombard
• Elaine Zannis Trustee (retired) Village of Oak Brook
• Barry Ketter Zoning Board of Appeals Trustee Addison Township (DuPage)
• Phyllis Schlafly President - Eagle Forum State of Illinois
• Illinois Citizens for Life PAC State of Illinois
• Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC State of Illinois
• Illinois State Rifle Association State of Illinois
• Family PAC State of Illinois
• Republican Assembly of Lake County
• Republican Women of Wheeling Township
• DuPage County Republican Party
• Sangamon County Republican Party
• Addison Township Republican Party
• Downers Grove Township Republican Party
• Dupage Township Republican Party
• Wheeling Township Republican Party

Bruce Rauner Maintains Big Lead for Illinois Governor - One Day Out

Rich Miller over at Capitol Fax has the latest WeAskAmerica poll on the Illinois Governor's Race.

The details:

Bill Brady 19% (19%)
Kirk Dillard 27% (26%)
Bruce Rauner 44% (46%)
Dan Rutherford 9% (9%)\

He has done some of the math on how the race *could* break so go check out the whole piece here.  

Chris Nybo and the $20 Billion Property Tax Increase?

We received this tip in our inbox over the weekend.  It came in two different ways, one in the form of a question and another with a photo of part of a mail piece.

Anyone have insight into this issue?  We'd love to get to the bottom of the issue.

Here's what we were asked over the weekend:

Chris Nybo & the alleged "cost shift of $20 billion property tax increase"
Is there any substance or truth in this accusation ???

And here's the accompanying mail piece:

Who you Crappin'? Coach Mike Ditka Backs Ron Sandack for State Representative

Could there be a better closing argument in Illinois politics than one given by Da Coach?

Have a listen to Coach Mike Ditka talk about Ron Sandack for Illinois State Representative by playing the audio below.

The Little Red Porsche in the Illinois Governor's Race

Has to be tough for a candidate when one of the top reporters covering the race can't even seem to manage to get his story straight.

In a question in last night's debate, the four candidates were asked what their biggest 'splurge purchase' has been.

From the Quad City Times:

The four Republican candidates running for Illinois governor are revealing their biggest personal purchases during a campaign that's focused largely on the state's fiscal problems. 

Businessman Bruce Rauner says he splurged during a trip to Italy and bought his wife a nice dress. State Treasurer Dan Rutherford says his home in Chenoa. State Sen. Bill Brady says he bought his wife a red Porsche convertible, while state Sen. Kirk Dillard says his was a crystal chandelier.

The Sun-Times Natasha Koreki took note of the Brady purchase.  And Tweeted it.

 And...if you look closely, you'll see that she got an enthusiastic Re-Tweet from her editor Jim Kirk.

The problem?  Pat Brady isn't running for Governor.  That would be Bill Brady.

US Senate Candidate Jim Oberweis Skips Town - Confident in Primary Victory?

News percolating out of the US Senate GOP Primary here in Illinois has that despite his best efforts - and impeccable credentials - Republican Candidate Doug Truax can't quite seem to overcome the name recognition and polling lead of his rival Jim "The Milkman" Oberweis.

As any candidate with what appears to be such a sizeable lead would do, Oberweis hasn't really directly engaged with Doug Truax.  He's appeared 'above it all'.

Now, however, it seems that Jim Oberweis isn't even interested in being around Illinois in the run-up to the Primary Election next week.

From the Sun-Times story entitled:  'Arrogant' Oberweis in Florida days before U.S. Senate primary:

U.S. Senate hopeful Jim Oberweis' opponent on Tuesday called the dairy magnate an "arrogant" "timid snowbird" for skipping out on debates and heading to Florida less than a week before the Illinois primary.

Oberweis' Republican primary opponent, West Point grad and Army veteran Doug Truax, said Oberweis, a state senator from Oswego, was disrespecting voters by leaving the state just before Tuesday's primary.

Our take on what appears to be the 'ultimate 1%-er' ILGOP Ticket?

Congressional Candidate Chris Balkema Endorsed by Gary Bauer

Republican candidate for Congress Chris Balkema - who is running against Darlene Senger for the GOP Nomination with the winner ultimately taking on Democrat Bill Foster - announced his latest endorsement this morning.  And it is a doozy.

As reported on the Illinois Review:

Chris Balkema, a candidate in the 11th congressional district GOP primary announced he has been endorsed by former U.S. Presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

Was Andy Martin too busy?

Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn on ILGOP: Stop Fighting Yesterday's War

We've long talked here on the Truth Team about how we 'grow' the ILGOP and how we're supporting candidates who are doing just that:  making moves to ensure the Republican Party in Illinois survives.  There are others who aren't interested in growing the party.

Those 'platform Republicans' as they like to be called would have the smallest, most pure Republican party that would surely win a ton of arguments but loose a ton of elections.

Using the Ron Sandack/Keith Matune slugfest as the prism to examine how the ILGOP can move forward, Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn put (pardon the usage...) a 'fine line' on it:

What's pathetic is that all the righteous venom is in the service of an ultimately lost cause. Gay marriage is here, it's fast spreading beyond Illinois, and the sooner the so-called "pro-family" groups and perpetually seething activists who have focused their money and wrath on this DuPage County district get their minds around this fact and stop fighting yesterday's war, the sooner the GOP will emerge into the 21st century.

Latest in Matune/Sandack Race: "Creepy Cicero Outsiders"

Early this morning, we were tipped this image in our inbox (if you have something you want us to check out...remember...drop us a line at tipthetruthteam@gmail.com).

In what appears to be the latest salvo in the Ron Sandack/Keith Matune slugfest (remember...we're supporting Sandack because he's good for the ILGOP), the attack is now focusing on the messenger (Dan Proft).  We've seen this before ("Don't let Chicago-style Politics...") but this is the first time we've it used against Proft.

Carol Marin Unloads on Dan Proft and Keith Matune

We've been mostly silent the past week while the Ron Sandack and Keith Matune fireworks have been going off, but that doesn't mean we weren't paying attention. 

Yesterday in the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the most important voices in Illinois politics for the past few decades chimed in on the Sandack/Matune race and calls what Dan Proft and his stooge Keith Matune are doing by an accurate word:  ugly.

From the Marin piece. she shines a light on who's supporting Keith Matune:

Dan Proft, a dark presence in Illinois politics, likes to pose as a defender of principled conservative values. Values he touts on his WLS-AM radio show and through his Liberty Principles PAC that lends support to political candidates. 

One of those candidates is Keith Matune, a 44-year-old teacher from Downers Grove who is making a GOP primary run against 50-year-old incumbent state Rep. Ron Sandack, the former mayor of that suburb.

But she also digs a bit on Keith Matune and confirms that he's a liar about his deep criminal record.  

It turns out that Keith Matune failed to disclose on questionnaires — including his application to teach in Indian Prairie District 204 — that he had been arrested for passing bad checks, trespassing and public indecency back in 1991 and 1992. 

“To my knowledge, they were all expunged,” Matune told me by phone this week.
They were not.  

When I called the Tippecanoe Records office in Indiana where Matune had been charged with being “in a state of nudity” outside a computer center and trespassing, the clerk told me those charges were decidedly not expunged. “It’s a public record as of now,” she said.

"Name That Tune" - 2014 GOP Governor's Race Theme Songs

Posted by: The Ghost of Babe Woodyard

Every campaign, like every sports movie worth a darn, needs a good theme song. Clinton had Fleetwood Mac belting out “Don’t Stop”, Kerry and Obama had some lousy Springsteen songs, McCain thankfully had Mellencamp, while Richard Nixon had maybe the strangest of them all with “Nixon Now”.

“Making dreams reality, more than ever Nixon now for you and me”

I love it, its on my ipod. 

But it got me thinking, no one in the race for Governor here in Illinois is using a hot song for their campaign this year.

 So I thought I will lend my years of expertise in the music/political industry to some of the candidates out there and hit them up with song ideas. If they don’t take my advice I won’t be hurt. Not the first time. But let it be known if I hear my song pick on the trail I will want royalties as well as the band.

Kirk Dillard

Kirk is kind of all over the place these days, the only place he is not is leading the polls. For him, Man in the Mirror by MJ. Not only was his presidential candidate for change, he too has changed into a super conservative right winger.

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change

Bill Brady

Bill is charging hard and though Dillard wants him out of the race, we like Bill right where he is. And Bill can’t be too upset about it either. With no money he is all of a sudden a serious challenger to a guy with all the $$. For Bill, I like Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze. Bill Brady is the Hotstepper right now, if that is a real thing. Don’t turn around Bruce because here come the Hotstepper!

Start like a jackrabbit, finish in front of it
 On the night is jack , that's it, understand? I'm the daddy of the mack daddy, his are left in gold, maybe Ain't no homie gonna play me, top celebrity man

Dan Rutherford

Dan has had a rough go of it recently. So I think he needs something on the trail that would not only pump him up but cheer him up before that big speech. And for that I think Melissa Etheridge belting out Come to my Window would do the trick.

Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
Of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon

Bruce Rauner

A promise to Hammer and Shake up Springfield, and a bank account you can’t touch. So I am going with MC Hammer, You Can’t Touch This. This pick is mostly on the fact that I don’t think any of the other challengers are going to touch him during the primary, not that I think he campaign will end as painfully as the great rappers career.

You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this

P.S. Bruce I have an idea about manufacturing parachute pants again, just need some investors. Call me.

Compare the Candidates: Ron Sandack vs. Keith Matune

This mail piece was shared with us via Twitter and with all the increased attention to the race between Ron Sandack and Keith Matune, we thought it would be worth sharing.

The takeaway here is:  "The Choice Is Clear."

We can't agree more.  We've been consistent from the start here on the Truth Team.  We're backing Ron Sandack.  Not because of what he's done.  But because of who he is.

We're, unashamed, rooters for the ILGOP.  And we know that if the ILGOP is to survive, let alone win races, we need more guys like Ron Sandack - who is energetic, smart, and willing to do the right thing while standing for smaller government and fiscal sanity.

As for Keith Matune, the fatal blow isn't his arrest record (while that isn't a positive thing), rather it is unfettered willingness (and some may even say 'enthusiasm') for raising property taxes.

Let's stop him at the School board before Keith Matune can raise even more of our taxes.

If you want to see everything we've written on Ron Sandack, you can check out our Ron Sandack Archives here.

Say "I was Jim Edgar's Chief of Staff" Again...

Now, we here at the Truth Team certainly don't condone violence nor should this be construed as a threat, but we received a submission that was too cute to pass up posting.

To be perfectly clear here, the 'tipster' that submitted this meme is NOT making any sort of threat against Senator Kirk Dillard.  He's just making a LULZ with a pop culture reference.

Rep. Ed Sullivan: It's Time We Got Government Out Of The Way Of Small Business

State Representative Ed Sullivan - who is known as a strong fiscal conservative - has come out fighting for the Illinois economy.  He wants to head back to Springfield to help create more jobs, more opportunities, and ultimate an even better Illinois.

He specifically wants to tackle issues that affect small businesses and transportation:

It's time we got government out of the way of small business so entrepreneurs can create good-paying jobs. To accomplish this we need to reduce the cost of doing business in Illinois. I am proud to have written the law that reformed unemployment insurance, saving 50% of Illinois businesses in unemployment insurance costs. We must do more. This means actually reforming workers compensation, further addressing unemployment insurance, and reducing the burden onerous litigation places on businesses.

Then, we need to look towards the future by investing in desperately-needed transportation improvements. I voted for the current capital program that is in place, but much more is needed including the Route 53 extension. And as our budgetary situation improves, I hope to invest much more in our transportation so we can reduce gridlock and take advantage of Illinois' competitive advantage as the transportation hub of the Midwest.

Let's help him.  You can volunteer for his campaign here.