Democrats move to disqualify Rauschenberger
Courtesy of Illinois Review:
Senate President John Cullerton and his political hit team have found a Streamwood Democrat to file an objection to the nominating petitions of Steve Rauschenberger, who is running for Illinois State Senate in the 22nd district.
The basis for their objection is NOT the number of signatures or the qualifications of the signers or circulators. And it is not the signatures of the notaries or the notary seal.
No, the charge is that Steve Rauschenberger is not qualified to petition as…a Republican!
The reason is that he voted for his sister in the last Democratic primary. I don’t know the legal merits of the case, but if Rauschenberger is disqualified, the Republican prospects of winning this seat dim significantly.
Rauschenberger is running for the state senate seat now held by Michael Noland.
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Is Rauschenberger one of Mike Bailey’s former classmates at Elgin High? If so, I wonder if they still get together for a football game at Thanksgiving time as had been the tradition for many years?
I miss reading Mike and Chris Bailey’s thoughts in their respective former local newspapers columns.
Without Chris, the Daily Herald lost a lot of it’s local focus on Sunday.
I miss reading Mike’s column in the Courier as well.
Does anyone know what they are doing?
Once again, nothing to do with the topic.
So we’re really going to question whether or not Steve is a Republican? Too funny. This is coming from the same party that skirted the law to run a candidate for Highway Commissioner who claimed to live in a house that has been vacant for years.
Noland and his buddies must be nervous to run against someone who understands financial responsibility. If they throw Steve off the ballot for voting for his sister then wouldn’t the Republican Party be able to just slate him as their candidate? So in essence, the only persons benefiting from this are the lawyers that both sides are paying to try the case. I guess this is part of Noland’s jobs plan. Let’s employ some lawyers, because god knows they don’t have any money.
So proud of my representation in Springfield.
If you want fiscal responsibility, Rasuchenberger isn’t the person to look to. He may be a nice guy and sounds smart but he’s an empty suit. We all forget he was a chief architect of our state’s financial crisis. Recently, I found out he worked for Milan Petrovich, Blago’s top fundraiser too! Steve Rauschenbeger is just like the rest of them.
Noland is combative, arrogant, and at times dismissive. I must have gone weeks without a reply from his office. But at least when he’s responded. His answers have been straight. May not be what I wanted to hear but it’s what I needed to hear.
The Highway Commissioner you speak of was a joke and shouldn’t have even run for office. There are a few rotten apples in every bunch. They all should get together to talk about how self-righteous and corrupt they are!
During Rauschenberger’s tenure as Appropriations Chair, the state passed a balanced budget. So how is he the chief architect of our current crisis??? Your logic baffles me. I guess if balanced budgets that did not borrow from pensions or Illinois’ future generations probably caused the current crisis. Never mind the oppressive taxes and fees levied against our businesses that have ended up making Wisconsin and Indiana better off.
Noland will give you an answer, and then turn around and give someone else the answer they want to hear. Noland has the five minute rule in effect at all time. If you talk to him for 5 minutes he seems very bright and well informed. Once you hit the 5 minute and one second, you quickly find that the man is clueless.
Did you ever seek out constituent services from Rauschenberger when he was in office? He had one of the best constituent services in the area. They were always quick to respond.
There is no case here. Rauschenberger could vote in any primary and it has noting to what his next political move is. If he wants to run for the Illinois Senate as a Republican he has every right. A person can change parties like the change underwear. One day they are a Democrate and the next day a Republican. This case has no grounds to move forward. If it is in a court of law the Judge should dismiss it as there is no cause to decide. If it is before an election board they should do likewise. There is no case here. Whoever started this action is only a dreamer. Goto Steve Rauschenberger.com and you cansee he is not one bit worried.
There is most definitely a legal question here. Dave, I agree with you in principle. He should have a right to run under any political party, however, there is state statute that could preclude it. There were recent court rulings in the area that stated such. The state legislature passed this law in… I want to say 2008 as an attempt at reform.
Its the reason Penny Wegman had to be slated instead of run in the Democratic Primary for Assessor. She had voted Republican her entire life until her weasel father told her she had a better chance running as a Democrat. Now he’s switching parties too (and the Republicans are glad to be rid of him!)
I just don’t think that this will hold up. The Republicans can also slate Rauschenberger for the office if it needs to be done. I don’t see any member of the GOP giving any attention to this matter. Many bills passed by the GA never hold up to a challange. It is a stupid way to get rid of a strong candidate that the other party are worried about.
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/3018
“Meanwhile, both sides are expected to jockey for write-in candidates who have to file by 5 p.m. today.
Rauschenberger says he may support a write-in candidate to ensure he could either step in as a slated candidate after the primary or to be sure the party has a candidate he supports.
Rauschenberger says he expects the Democrats to try and convince a different Republican to file as a write-in candidate to prevent him from being slated after the primary.
If Rauschenberger is ultimately kicked off the ballot, he could file as a write-in candidate himself up to a week before the election — but that will be weeks after early voting starts in the 22nd Senate District.”
The way I understand the Illinois election law is that each election has a cycle that stands as a new and different election from the past primary and general election. Any candidate who wants to file in the new cycle can file as a member of the party of his/her choice as long as that party is a qualified political party under the law, and if the candidate meets the requirements for the office he/she is seeking. If he/she is a registered voter and meets these requirements he/she may file for the next election cycle. In addition this election is a whole new ballgame. The last election cycle ended when the winning candidates were certified by results of the last election cycle, the votes were counted and certified by the clerk and the cycle was closed. The clerk opened up the new election cycle and stipulated the dates for filing for the new cycle primary and general election pursuant to state law. I sat on the Township election board for 25 years and I would take issue with any election official who misunderstands the rules for each election. This issue has to be heard by court of law as it takes the civil rights away from candidates who wants to exercise his/her constitutional right to seek an office in the current election cycle. Many candidates across the USA have switch political parties after voting in an election cycle for a different party than the one he/she is now filing for a primary election because it is a totally different election cycle. What is being suggested here is that the candidate must wait until 2012 primary and vote for the party he/she intends to represent in the general election. Sorry, that is not the intent of the election law. The intent of the election law is to make sure the new election is ran in a legal manner by the authority in charge without interference from candidates who are looking to gain an advantage for his/her own benefit. If this issue came up before me and my election board, we would have to dismiss the action as being moot.
What if you voted in a primary and decided to run in the next election as an independent?
I told you so…Steve Rauschenberger will stay on the ballot for the GOP primary on Feb. 2 and the case will end up in court. If you read my post above you will read that I said; “This case is moot”. There are no grounds for any action here as this is a new election cycle. The last election cycle ended when the county clerk certified the election results and the winners took their respective offices. Thhis is a “no brainer”, whoever is behind this effort better spend some time in the law library at the second district appellate court where i do all of my legal research and have for years. Research the case law that pretains to the Illinois election law and you will learn that I’m right on my position. Rauschenberger stays and will win in the General Election next Nov. Get ready to return to the Illinois GA Steve and get the state in a sound fiscal position so it can pay all of the past due bills. Quinn and Hynes should put politics aside and pay all of the social service agencies who are really in financial trouble.
The board ended up tied 4 to 4 in today’s hearing.
I think Mike Noland should appeal to the people raising this court case issue to call it off. We don’t need any wasted tax dollars on such a frivolous issue as this. In no way would any Democrat or Republican think Rauschenberger is a Democrat.
Mr. Noland, please show everyone what you stand for and call this ridiculous and taxpayer dollars wasteful court case off immediately.
Democracy needs to be carried out by the best man winning the most votes. Not by any court case that probably will lose anyway and is of a frivolous and wasteful nature of the taxpayer dollars.
Don’t allow the wasting of our tax dollars and the possibility that you might get elected for the wrong reason.
Common Sense Clarence Hayward
SAme rules apply as they do for a new election cycle.
The intent of Sandy Wegman to run as a write-in candidate for the GOP smells of another effort to stop Steve Rauschenberger’s bid for election to the Senate seat as a GOP candidate on the Republican primary ballot. Sandy Wegman is the mother of Penny Wegman who ran for Township Assessor in the last Township election and was defeted by 300 votes by her Republican opponent. Penny Wegman is a friend of Mike Noland (as listed on her facebook page)who is the Democrate running in the Feb. 2010 primary for the Senate seat being sought by Rauschenberger. This brings into question a possible motive for Sandy Wegman running as a write-in candidate. I helped Penny Wegman in her Township bid for Assessor and I’m also listed as a friend of hers on her facebook page and she on mine. Penny could not get the Township GOP to slate her for their candidate for Assessor and had to run as a Democrate. Penny became a friend of the Dems during her run for Township Assessor. This brings into question–is this a case of sour grapes? A chance to throw a punch back at the GOP? If Sandy Wegman wanted to run for the Illinois Senate,she could have filed petitions before the December deadline? This smells of Chicago type politics. Before a voter cast a write-in vote for Sandy Wegman, they need to get some answers from Sandy Wegman. I consider myself a friend of the Wegman’s for many years. I think Sandy would want her supporters to understand her motives for running as a write-in candidate for the Illinois Senate seat.
I take it now that two other members of the GOP filed and intent to become candidates for the state Senate seat, that Sandy Wegman is convinced the GOP has coverage and she will not have to go forward with her write-in filing for the seat. She told the Herald that she wanted to make sure the GOP had coverage. Id she dose not go through with her intentions it would remove any cloud of suspicion about her motive.
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/3022
“He encouraged Elgin Township Clerk Kurt Kojzarek and Elgin attorney Jeff Meyer to file as write-in candidates. They have an understanding with Rauschenberger, who now heads the United Republican Fund.
“Both are supporters of mine and we will work after the primary to be sure the Republican nominee is someone with the best chance of winning,” Rauschenberger said of Kojzarek and Meyer.
If one of them wins as a write-in, and Rauschenberger is removed from the primary ballot, they could step down and let party bosses slate Rauschenberger for the general election.
Wegman, who ran against Rauschenberger in the 2006 lieutenant governor’s GOP primary, declined to address Rauschenberger, but the three term county official said she is “a party person” who is a “hard campaigner.”
hmmmm…
“It will take five votes from the state election commission next week to officially kick him off the ballot, which will require at least one Republican member to side with four Democrats.
Then the case is likely to end up in the courts either way, probably delaying the final decision to just weeks or days before the primary.”
Since Elgin Township Clerk Kurt Kojzarek and Elgin attorney Jeff Meyer have file a letter of intent to proceed with a write-in campaign for the Senate seat that Sandy Wegman, who was concern about having GOP representation, will withdraw her name and not follow through with her write-in campaign as the two men mentioned have strong ties with the GOP. If she dose not reconsider her position, I suggest she has other motives. I would assume that the GOP primary voters would only write-in a vote for either Elgin Township Clerk Kurt Kojzarek or Elgin attorney Jeff Meyer. It will be interesting to see what Sandy Wegman deides? I expect she will drop her write-in campaign as she says “she is a team player”.