Posts tagged ‘2010 elections’

Before we leave Jack Cunningham

by , posted on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 7:26 am

Who very handily won re-election last night as Kane County Clerk, I’d like to draw Kane County residents attention to his elections website, which states

How to Obtain an Absentee Ballot
By Mail
You may request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you. The last day we can mail you a ballot is 5 days prior to the election. To request an absentee ballot, either

•Print out and complete an application to vote, and then mail the completed form to Kane County Clerk, PO Box 70,Geneva, IL 60134,
•Email us at elections@co.kane.il.us,
•Or call our office at (630) 232-5990.

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Ballot Access Problems in Kane County

by , posted on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 am

I went to vote this morning, signed the sheet, was asked to confirm the address I live at, which they read out to me from their computer, and was immediately told “Okay then, we just need to see a photo id.”

To which I responded “No you don’t.”

Much conversation, several phone calls, and even more problems ensued. The details are below.
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Baby, I promise it’ll be different this time…

by , posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 6:47 am

Yesterday, under the full glare of the sun and at the day’s peak of the heat we have been experiencing, I ended up standing on hot asphalt in a parking lot having a debate with a Democratic friend about the party’s prospects in November. When we encountered each other, she’d asked a general question about my opinion of party prospects this November, and I’d started my answer with a concern about where progressives stand in all of this – i.e. virtually no progressive position has been forwarded since the last congressional election.

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DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen on Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead

by , posted on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 6:00 am

In Red to Blue: Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Grassroots Politics, author Sanford Gottlieb tells the story of Chris Van Hollen’s successful grassroots campaign for Congress in 2002, and the lessons Van Hollen, and others, took away from that campaign in subsequent election cycles.

Van Hollen’s district

is MD-08, located in Washington DC’s Maryland suburbs. In the primary he beat frontrunner Mark Shriver, a Kennedy cousin with a lot of money to spend and a consultant by the name of David Axelrod on his team. He then went on to unseat longtime incumbent Connie Morella in the general election that fall. Morella was a well-liked, liberal Republican who had been long thought to be unbeatable, having enjoyed more than a little bit of support from local Democrats through the years on election day. And Van Hollen pulled this off in a Republican year. This was the first congressional election to be held after 9/11. The Republicans won back control of the Senate in 2002 and added to their majority in the House. Only two Democrats unseated incumbent Republicans that year. Chris Van Hollen was one of them.

Van Hollen has brought this experience to bear in his subsequent work at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). And he was not the only one to go to school on that 2002 campaign. As Gottlieb puts it:

David Axelrod told Van Hollen in 2008 that he had learned some lessons from being on the other side of the 2002 primary. It was a really good grassroots campaign, Axelrod said, with the passion on Van Hollen’s side. Van Hollen carried the lessons learned in 2002 into the successful effort to build a House Democratic majority in 2006. Axelrod and David Plouffe may have applied those lessons in the 2008 50-state race for the White House. (Gottlieb, Red to Blue, 32)

Last week Van Hollen appeared with Gottlieb at a book event in Washington, DC and talked about his attempt to apply those lessons learned to his work with the DCCC. Van Hollen’s introductory remarks, plus the question and answer session that followed, are presented below.

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Pack the House to Send Corinne Pierog to the State Senate!

by , posted on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Democratic candidate for the 28th District State Senate, Corinne Pierog, invites all to attend her friend and fun-raiser on Sunday, April 25, 2010, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the incomparable John Barleycorn’s, located at 1100 American Lane in Schaumburg. Whether you live in the 28th District or not, please support Corinne as she makes history as the first Democrat to take this Senate seat in 130 years!

“As I meet more and more people in State Senate District 28, as I listen to the heartfelt stories they share, one common theme emerges: the status quo is unacceptable. People want real change. And they want it now!” explains Corinne.

Live entertainment, complimentary appetizers and a free libation are included with ticket price, which is $50 each or two for $80. Also available are $100 tickets, which include a free raffle entry for two tickets to the up-coming Art of Leadership event at the Chicago Photography Center on May 14.

Join Corinne at John Barleycorn’s on April 25 to see what a fresh perspective can do to re-build Illinois now. Please R.S.V.P. by calling 630 251-1538 or via e-mail at cmpstatesenate@sbcglobal.net.

Jobs, real opportunity, quality education and an open, transparent government that demonstrates fiscal integrity with your hard-earned tax dollars, while serving everyone are the cornerstone of Corinne’s historic campaign.

Various sponsorship levels are still available; for additional information, please call 630 251-1538. Please join Corinne for this very special event. Even if you are unable to attend, please support Corinne’s candidacy for Illinois State Senate 28th District with your maximum support! And don’t forget to spread the word – it’s going to take all of us working together now to create a better Illinois tomorrow.

For additional information, please call 630 251-1538 or sign up for campaign updates at www.ElectCorinnePierog.com.

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Quinn-Simon: It is Official

by , posted on Sunday, March 28th, 2010 at 7:34 am

By now most political insiders already know that green yard signs will read, Quinn-Simon for the November 2010 election cycle.  My perspective on the selection process might be slightly different from others, so, I decided to pen my own version.  I covered the initial candidate selection process last week.

Crowds of Turner and

Krishnamoorthi supporters were shivering in the cool morning air when we arrived at The Inn in Springfield around 9:35 a.m. on Saturday morning.  These were the only campaigns that seemed to mobilize supporters.  In advance of this morning’s event, I only know of three candidates who were working phones up until the last minute to get votes.  Sheila Simon and Dirk Enger were calling all committeemen and Raja Krishnamoorthi seems to have invested about six weeks of time calling, e-mailing and snail mailing all of the 38 State Central Committee (SCC) members, was still calling for support.

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Is Sheila Simon Governor Quinn’s top pick for Lt. Governor?

by , posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 6:48 pm

This afternoon I received a call from Sheila Simon, one of the 16 finalists in the Lt. Governor selection process.  Simon said that she was one of Governor Quinn’s top picks and wanted to know if that would influence my vote.

I told her that the Democratic Party needs to restore some integrity and go back to being a party that lives up to our promises. That being said, I’ve already given my word to Dirk Enger that I would nominate and support his candidacy.

I have been around long enough to put two and two together and it would not surprise me if Governor Quinn will announce his support for Sheila Simon tomorrow.

Governor Quinn has indicated that he will weigh in regarding his preference in this matter before Saturday and Mike Madigan has stated that he would honor Quinn’s wishes.

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Pierog Officially Launches Campaign for State Senate

by , posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 11:10 am

All are invited to attend Corinne Pierog’s official campaign launch on Sunday, March 28 at Manhattan’s American Grill, located at 300 S. Schmale Road in Carol Stream, From 4:00-7:30 p.m. A suggested donation of $35 per person or two for $60 is requested for this informal, informative gathering to support Pierog’s noteworthy bid for Illinois State Senate, 28th District.

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Lieutenant Governor Candidate Selection Process Attracts the “Best of the Best” Candidates

by , posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 9:21 am

On Saturday, March 20th, I took careful notes while attending one of the six public forums used to select a Democratic Lieutenant Governor.  I was at the Bolingbrook location, where 20 of the 40 anticipated applicants showed up to audition.

As a political activist and candidate, I have been to literally hundreds of coffees, fundraisers, rallies, press conferences and political events as part of the grueling process of running for public office.  Based on this experience, I think I can state with some authority that the first-round selection process used to vet potential candidates to be Governor Quinn’s running mate brought out the best candidates I have ever seen in a room full of people seeking public office. 

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Help Choose Our Next Lieutenant Governor

by , posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 10:02 am

I want to thank everyone who voted to elect me as the Democratic State Central Committeewoman for Illinois’ 14th District in this past February 2010 election.  If you voted for my opponent because you liked her platform better than mine, I would like to hear some of those ideas and I want you to know that I am also here to serve you.

When I ran for this seat, I had no idea that I would be in a position to help select the next Democratic nominee to run for Lieutenant Governor in Illinois.  After Scott Cohen won the nomination on February 2, a past arrest record was used to pressure him to step down. 

This decision by Mr. Cohen puts the 38 Democratic State Central Committeewomen and Committeemen in a unique position to help slate the Democratic nominee to run on the ticket with Governor Quinn.

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