Scramble for county board, statehouse seats to begin
Although there have been a number of announcements by candidates for statewide races, including U.S. Senate and governor, there hasn't been much news on the local front.
That should change Monday, when filing for the Feb. 2 party primary elections begins.
Fifteen of the 27 Champaign County Board seats are up for election in 2010, as are four countywide offices, all Illinois House seats, state Sen. Mike Frerichs' 52nd District office and U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson's 15th Congressional District position.
On the county board, eight seats now held by Democrats are up, as well as seven Republican seats. At least four board members – Democrats Barbara Wysocki and Steve Beckett of Urbana and Matthew Gladney of Champaign, plus Republican Kevin Hunt of Rantoul (who has already resigned) – won't be back. Gladney said last week that "four years on the county board is enough" and that he "looks forward to being John Q. Public again."
Democrat Eric Thorsland of rural Mahomet said he will run again in the overwhelmingly Republican District 1. And there will be at least two Republican candidates in the district, including incumbent Chris Doenitz of rural Mahomet and Mahomet Realtor Stephanie Holderfield.
Diane Michaels of Rantoul will replace Hunt on the ballot in District 2, in northeast Champaign County.
Pattsi Petrie of Champaign, who ran unsuccessfully for the county board in 2008, will run for Gladney's District 6 seat next year, she said. Republican Andrew Timms, a Champaign business owner, also plans to run in the northwest Champaign district.
In District 7 in central Champaign, Republican Sher Hampel, a former Champaign City Council member, plans to run against Democrat Al Kurtz.
In District 9 in southeast Urbana, where Wysocki and Beckett are stepping down, there will be at least a three-way Democratic primary, said Laurel Prussing, the mayor of Urbana and the vice chair of the county Democratic Party.
"A number of people were interested, and I think we'll have three, maybe four," she said.
The only two who have come forward to say they are running, however, are James Quisenberry and Christopher Alix.
Republicans say they haven't had any luck finding candidates.
Four countywide officeholders – Sheriff Dan Walsh, Treasurer Dan Welch, County Clerk Mark Shelden and regional school Superintendent Jane Quinlan, all Republicans – say they will run again. So far there are no Democratic challengers to any of them, Prussing said.
"I don't know of anyone who is interested," she said. "And historically, the Democrats haven't won any of those offices. These off-year elections are always dominated by the Republicans."
All area state representatives intend to run for another term, except for Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, who will step down after completing 24 years in the House. Chad Hays of Catlin is seeking the Republican nomination for the 104th District seat; no Democrats have yet expressed a willingness to run.
In the 103rd District that includes almost all of Champaign and Urbana, Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, says she'll try for a fifth term. Champaign businessman Norman Davis said he'll run as a Republican.
Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, apparently will have an opponent next fall – a rarity for him. Democrat Dennis Malak of Tuscola said he'll run for the 110th House District seat next November. Rose hasn't had a general election foe since 2002.
In the 105th House District, Rep. Shane Cultra, R-Onarga, will have a general election opponent for the first time ever – Green Party candidate Vince LaMie of Milford.
In the state Senate, Frerichs says he'll run for a second term, representing a district that includes most of Champaign and Vermilion counties. Republican Al Reynolds of Danville said he intends to challenge Frerichs next November.
"I'm in this to the bitter end," Reynolds said Thursday, as he was distributing candidate petitions. "Two thousand signatures is a lot to get. But I'm pushing it like crazy."
And it appears likely that there will be a third matchup between Johnson, the incumbent Republican congressman, and emergency room physician David Gill of Bloomington. In 2004 Johnson won with 61 percent of the vote. Two years later he got 58 percent.
Congressional money
Johnson continues to defy the standards for fundraising by congressmen and congressional candidates.
Even among Illinois congressmen, most of whom run in districts that are lopsidedly favorable to their re-election, Johnson has a modest campaign fund.
In his Federal Election Commission report filed last week, for the prime summer fundraising period of July 1 to Sept. 30, Johnson reported taking in just $26,022.
He had $134,887 on hand, a figure that places him near the bottom among his Illinois congressional colleagues as well as among congressional candidates. Among Illinois congressmen only Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, has less money ($8,887).
Other members of the Illinois congressional delegation have anywhere from Rep. Jerry Costello's $2.34 million to Rep. Don Manzullo's $278,793. Other representatives with large swatches of downstate Illinois in their districts reported significantly more cash on hand than Johnson. Among them are Reps. Johns Shimkus, R-Collinsville, with $1.39 million; Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island, with $642,878; Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, with $598,560; and Rep. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, with $706,575.
Nationally, the average incumbent congressman has $623,251 on hand, according to the Web site OpenSecrets.org.
Johnson's likely opponent next November, Dr. David Gill, has $12,083 on hand. He said he hopes to raise $500,000 for the 2010 campaign, about twice what he collected in his 2006 race against Johnson.
About 62 percent of Johnson's campaign money comes from political action committees, according to OpenSecrets.org. In the most recent filing period, that includes $20,000 in PAC contributions, the largest of which was $2,500 from the Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee. The Air Line Pilots Association gave him $1,500, as did the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Johnson received just five itemized contributions during the quarter, among them $1,000 from Habeeb Habeeb of Champaign, $250 from John and Mary House of Champaign, and $500 from Stuart Drake, president of the Farmer City State Bank.
Schock in C-U
Schock, the youngest member of Congress, will be in Champaign-Urbana on Monday, Nov. 2, to meet with local Republicans. The Champaign County Republican Party will host a $25-per-person breakfast with the congressman from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at the Silvercreek Restaurant, 402 N. Race St. Proceeds will go to the local party. To make reservations call 355-3175 or e-mail info@champaigncountyrepublicans.org.
Tom Kacich is a News-Gazette editor and columnist. His column appears on Sundays and Wednesdays. He can be reached at 351-5221 or at kacich@news-gazette.com.
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