|
Race for Congress
 From Illinois Review:Watch for a press release this morning from Tim Baldermann, recently nominated Republican congressional candidate from the 11th District, announcing he is dropping. Details to follow. Holding Jerry Weller's seat was going to be difficult enough with the current electoral demographics and the looming possibility of Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. Baldermann's drop and the relative strength of Democrat nominee Debbie Halvorson spells another loss for the GOP. UPDATE: 11:50am GOP sources confirm that Baldermann will make the announcement on Monday. Sources also confirm that financial reasons are at the root of this decision. Baldermann is apparently disappointed by the lack of financial support in relative to what he's supposedly been promised in support from the GOP. There's no denying that he's got money problems. Halvorson has outraised Baldermann $427,874 to $103,860. She also holds a massive advantage in cash on hand: $393,764 to measly $50,414. Stay tuned here for more as it happens... UPDATE: 12:07pm Here's the story from Politico: The Republican nominee for retiring Rep. Jerry Weller's (R-Ill.) seat will be withdrawing from the hotly contested Congressional campaign Saturday morning, according to two GOP operatives in Illinois. UPDATE: 12:31pm Baldermann quits congressional race - Southtown Star GOP candidate in Weller's district to drop out - The Hill And... more on Baldermann's money problems: Prized GOP Recruit Stumbles Coming Out Of Gate - Politico UPDATE: 1:00pm Here's Baldermann's press release: NEW LENOX, IL - Tim Baldermann, Republican nominee for Congress in Illinois' 11th District, released the following statement Friday:"I intend to file documents Monday with the Federal Election Commission withdrawing my candidacy for Congress. As the Mayor of New Lenox and the Police Chief of Chicago Ridge, I have reached the conclusion that I cannot ably serve the citizens of those two municipalities while also running a full-time campaign for Congress. Though I tried to make it work, I've learned that it's just not possible to essentially have four full-time jobs - mayor, chief, father of five and congressional candidate. I am grateful for all the support I've received in the last few months from Republicans throughout this district, and I am confident the Republican Party will select a nominee who can win in November." I believe that sound you just heard was Republicans rolling their eyes.. UPDATE: 1:20pm More coverage of the Baldermann bombshell: Baldermann withdraws from race - Kankakee Daily Journal Baldermann bows out of 11th - Joliet Herald News Baldermann dropping out of 11th Congressional District race - Chicago Tribune Baldermann to drop out of race for Congress - Bloomington Pantagraph UPDATE: 1:45pm Obviously now the GOP will be looking for a new candidate. Inasmuch as Alan Keyes bid for the Presidency doesn't seem to be going so well, he's probably available in a pinch for the ILGOP. So there's that to consider. UPDATE: 2:20pm Capitol Fax Blog has a statement from ILGOP Chairman Andy McKenna: "Running for Congress is a difficult job that requires the full commitment from a candidate and his family. I really almost feel bad for Andy McKenna. It's got to be quite a chore to drag yourself out of bed every morning knowing that you're charged with the task of rearranging the deck chairs on the SS Minnow. UPDATE: 6:22pm From the DCCC:
Also, let's take a look at a quote from Baldermann himself in the Politico article above on why he got out: "I have done very little fundraising. It makes me sick to my stomach. My campaign people gave me a list of people who gave money to [Weller]. I told them, 'If you think I'm going to call somebody who's never heard of me and ask for $2,300, that's insane.' I fight with them every single day over it," Baldermann told the Southtown Star newspaper in January. His candor is refreshing in description of his own lazy campaigning. The reason he's arguing with his consultants every day over this is because his consultants know what they're doing. These are likely contributors, because as donors to Weller, they'd have a vested interest in keeping the district in the hands of the GOP. If he's never met them, than he needs to call and get meetings with them. And then ask them for the money. And then he needs to ask them to ask their friends to give him money. It's how fundraising works. If this is Baldermann's attitude towards raising money, it's a minor miracle he's managed to work his way into elected office. Filed Under: Race for Congress E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format |
Countdown to Election Day
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
