Candidates lining up their support
Comments (...)STERLING – While most people won’t go to the polls until March 20, local congressional candidates want voters to take notice of another tally – the number of political endorsements received.
Email inboxes have been filled and fax machines kept busy the past few weeks as candidates in the 16th and 17th congressional districts busily notify the media of the latest endorsements they’ve received.
But do endorsements matter? A political science professor at Northern Illinois University says it depends.
Support from controversial individuals or groups may actually backfire, he said.
The endorsements
In the redrawn 16th Congressional District, Republican Congressmen Don Manzullo and Adam Kinzinger are competing for votes in the March 20 primary and for endorsements.
On Monday, Manzullo, R-Egan, had a news conference to tout the backing he received from the Illinois Tea Party. It’s the first time the group made such an endorsement as a statewide organization.
David Hale, coordinator of the Rockford Tea Party, said there are 11 tea parties in the 16th District. Leaders and coordinators of those parties discussed the endorsement before giving it to Manzullo.
And while the state organization supports the 10-term congressman, there’s no guarantee each individual tea party or party member supports him.
“Until we have the consensus with all members, we can’t really speak for the entire tea party,” Hale said.
Denise Cattoni, spokeswoman for the Illinois Tea Party, said the decision came down to voting records.
“It’s not about who is better looking; [it’s] how they actually vote,” she said. “The Tea Party watches votes in Washington every day. That’s what we do.”
Not to be outdone by Manzullo’s announcement, Kinzinger, R-Manteno, 2 days later unveiled support from a number of Republican Party county chairmen.
Chairmen endorsing Kinzinger – from Bureau, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle, Livingston, Putnam, Stark and Will counties – are either in Kinzinger’s current 11th district or in neither his nor Manzullo’s current territory.
Kinzinger reported other chairmen are remaining neutral – those in Lee, Ogle, Boone, DeKalb and Winnebago counties. They’re in the northern part of the new 16th, much of it in Manzullo’s current district.
Susan Thornton, chairwoman of the Bureau County Republican Central Committee, said Kinzinger “calls me quiet frequently.”
“I have nothing against Congressman Manzullo,” she said. “I have a friendship with Adam and I know his family.”
Thornton said she also likes that Kinzinger returns to the district when he’s not in Washington or serving in the military as an Air Force pilot.
Stark County Central Republican Committee Chairman Mike Bigger endorsed Kinzinger. The district was in Republican Congressman Aaron Schock’s 18th District before being redrawn into the 16th.
Bigger called Kinzinger “an incredibly sharp leader.”
He said he offered his endorsement before Kinzinger asked for it.
“I’m really excited about this guy,” Bigger said. “He would be a great addition.”
In the 17th Congressional District, three Democrats are competing for the opportunity to challenge freshman Congressman Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, in the general election.
Endorsements in that race haven’t been as fast and furious as in the 16th District, but on Thursday, former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos touted the support of former Congressman John Cox, D-Galena.
What made Cox’s endorsement interesting is that just a month ago, when Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp was kicking off his campaign in the district’s primary in Galena, Cox was there to introduce him.
Bustos also has the support of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and eight former mayors in the Quad Cities.
Meanwhile, fellow primary candidate Greg Aguilar, an Augustana College official, on Friday picked up the endorsements of two former peers of Bustos on the East Moline City Council.
How much impact?
Scot Schraufnagel, assistant professor of political science at NIU, said campaigns have to be “very careful” about endorsements as a strategy. He has spent time tracking the value of labor union endorsements in Florida for Democratic Party candidates.
“If they [endorsements] are the least bit controversial, they can backfire,” Schraufnagel said. “Just because the tea party in Illinois backs you, ... they are not a homogeneous block.”
An endorsement does not always directly translate into votes, he said.
“They won’t all vote for you; they won’t all necessarily show up to vote,” he said. “Thirdly, because you got that endorsement, [there are] some people that would go and vote against you.”
He said his research showed the union endorsements to Florida were “a net loss” for the candidates who received them.
Even noncontroversial endorsements, he said, run the risk of isolating someone.
Endorsements from county party chairmen, for example, can be a double-edged sword.
“If a particular county chairman is very popular, it could easily work in their favor,” Schraufnagel said. “A county chair, if he has been there for any length of time, if he was in the majority on every decision that he made, over time there is a coalition of minorities that equal the majority.”
On average, the longer a county chairman is in office, the less impact the endorsement has, Schraufnagel said.
Who has endorsed whom?
Endorsements for local congressional candidates, as provided by the candidates' campaigns to Sauk Valley Media:
16th Congressional District:
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Manteno
• Illinois Tax Day Tea Party
• Former U.S. Rep. Tom Ewing
• State Sen. Sue Rezin, 38th District , R-Morris
• Former state Sen. Gary Dahl, 38th District
• State Sen. Darin LaHood, 37th District, R-Peoria
• State Rep. Pam Roth, 75th District , R-Morris
• State Rep. Donald Moffitt, 74th District, R-Gilson
• State Rep. David Winters, 68th District, R-Shirland
• Republican County Chairmen: Barry Welbers, Bureau; Eric Thompson, Ford; John Hanson, Grundy; Paul Bowers, Iroquois; Susan Thornton, LaSalle; John McGlasson, Livingston; Mike Bigger, Stark; Kimrey Alleman, Putnam; Richard Kavanagh, Will
• Bureau County elected officials: Treasurer Nina Urbanowski, County Board Chairman Dale Anderson, and County Board members Loretta Volker, James Thompson, Kristi Warren, Marshann Entwhistle, Joe Bertetto, Steve Sondgeroth, Marsha Lilley, Mark Pierson, Dan Rabe, Laura Rose, Robert Albrecht and Ralph Anderson.
• DeKalb County elected officials: Treasurer Mark Todd and State's Attorney Clay Campbell
• Grundy County elected officials: Circuit Clerk Karen Slattery, Coroner John Callahan, Regional Superintendent of Schools Paul Nordstrom, County Board Chairman Ron Severson, and County Board members Mille Dyer, David Welter, John Galloway, Chris Balkema, John Almer Sr., John Roth, Eric Rasmusson and David Boggs.
• Iroquois County elected officials: Treasurer Mindy Kuntz Hagen, State's Attorney Jim Devine, Coroner William Cheatum, Sheriff Derek W.M. Hagen, Circuit Clerk Lisa Hines, and County Board members Daniel Purslay and Gerald "Jed" Whitlow.
• LaSalle County elected officials: Treasurer Don Lamps, Sheriff Tom Templeton, and County Board members Jerry Myers, Elmer Walter, Charles Borchsenius and Gary Small.
• Lee County elected officials: Coroner Jesse Partington, Sheriff John Varga, and County Board members Joe Patzer and John Ferrone.
• Livingston County elected officials: State's Attorney Thomas Brown, Sheriff Martin Meredith, County Board Chairman William Fairfield and County Board member Joe Steichen.
• Ogle County elected officials: Coroner Louis Finch, Sheriff Michael Harn and County Board member Jason Bauer.
• Sue Pratt, president, Bureau County Republican Women’s Club
• Robert Lindgren, Ford County Board member
• James Mack, Putnam County state’s sttorney
• Mike Bigger, Stark County Board chairman
• Steve Weber, Will County treasurer
• Marvin Rutledge, chief sheriff’s deputy, Livingston County
• Michael Glowacki, lieutenant, Livingston County
• William Cox, jail superintendent, Livingston County
• Michael Schabacker, chief sheriff’s deputy, Ogle County
• Former Ogle County Sheriff Greg Beitel, Ogle County Tea Party
U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Egan:
• LaSalle County: Frank Kobilsek, former county GOP chairman, current precinct committeeman; Patricia Wagner, former county GOP chairman, current precinct committeeman; Jameson G. Campaigne, county GOP precinct committeeman; Art Havenhill, county GOP precinct committeeman.
• Bureau County: Christine Arndt, co-coordinator of Bureau-LaSalle Tea Party.
• Will and Grundy counties: Deb Militello, Channahon Township GOP chairman, former congressional liaison for former U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller.
• Iroquois County: Barbara Offill, Watseka/Iroquois County Tea Party coordinator; John Burger, Watseka/Iroquois County Tea Party member.
• Ford County: Jan and Philip Peterson, Ford County Tea Party coordinators.
17th Congressional District:
Former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos:
• U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
• Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston
• Congressman Jerry Costello, D-Belleville
• Former Congressman John Cox, D-Galena
• Rep. Pat Verschoore, 72nd District, D-Milan
• Rep. Chuck Jefferson, 67th District, D-Rockford
• Former state Sen. George Shadid
• AFL-CIO
• AFSCME
• National Education Association
• Tri-City Building Trades
• Northwest Illinois Building and Construction Trades
• West Central Building Trades
• United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America
• Painters District Council 30
• National Association of Letter Carriers Local 292
• Teamsters Local 371
• Laborers Local 309
• Boilermakers Local 60
• Illinois Hospital Association
• EMILY’s List
• Eight former Quad Cities mayors: Larry Lorensen, Moline; Scott Newberg, Hampton; Mark Schwiebert, Rock Island; Bob Steele, Silvis; Joe Terronez, Silvis; Bill Ward, East Moline; Lyle Lohse, Silvis; Denny Jacobs, East Moline.
Greg Aguilar, director of multicultural services at Augustana College
• East Moline Alderman David Kelley
• Former East Moline Alderman Luis Puentes
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