Brady lays groundwork for gubernatorial bid

BY KURT ERICKSON
Lee News Service | Sunday, September 07, 2008

SPRINGFIELD | Those late-night poker games with Barack Obama must have had some kind of an effect on state Sen. Bill Brady.

Just as Obama is preaching change in his bid to become president, Brady, a Republican from Bloomington, says he believes Illinois voters are looking for something new in Springfield.

“The public is ready for a difference,” Brady said in a recent interview, pointing to Democratic infighting that has caused gridlock in the Statehouse.

“People are just fed up with it,” Brady said.

Although the focus for now is on the 2008 election, Brady is among a handful of Republicans laying the groundwork for a 2010 bid for governor.

Many of them, including Brady, are returning from the Republican National Convention in Minnesota, the unofficial jumping-off point for the upcoming campaign.

“You go to be seen,” Brady said.

Potential GOP candidates include House Minority Leader Tom Cross, state Sen. Christine Radogno, of Lemont, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett and businessman Ron Gidwitz.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, has made noises about another statewide run and is not ruling out the top spot.

Doug Whitley, president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, also is surfacing as a potential candidate.

Whitley, a Kane County resident, is no stranger to Springfield. He served in former Gov. Jim Edgar’s cabinet, was a top telecommunications executive and served as a legislative aide in the Illinois House.

“There’s any number of people who have distinguished themselves in statewide races before,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andrew McKenna.

A number of them, including Brady, were given a shout-out at the convention by former Gov. Jim Thompson, who said the party needs to begin looking toward 2010.

Of all the potential candidates, Brady has been the most vocal about his desire to be governor.

GOP gubernatorial nominee Judy Baar Topinka dropped off the political radar after losing the general election in 2006, but Brady has continued trying to gather support.

At the Illinois State Fair last month, Brady hosted a social gathering at the Sangamon County GOP headquarters, where he shook hands and offered up free beer to potential supporters.

“We’re hoping the groundwork we lay will minimize the primary field,” Brady said. “One of my goals is to lead the ticket.”

In his speeches, Brady conveys a message not unlike Obama’s. The two often joined others for card games when the Democratic nominee for president served in the General Assembly.

The difference: While Obama is calling for change at a national level, Brady’s message is aimed at an Illinois-only audience.

McLean County Republican Party Chairman John Parrott hasn’t always gotten along with Brady. The two struggled for control of the county party in the 1990s, but they have called a truce in recent years.

Now, Parrott says he’s fully backing Brady’s gubernatorial ambitions.

“Definitely, Bill is in the mix. I think Bill has a lot of support throughout the state of Illinois,” Parrott said.

“A lot of the county chairmen I’ve talked to have all said they will be leaning toward Bill Brady on our list of candidates for 2010. Right now, I would say Bill is probably at the top of that list,” Parrott said.

In 2006, Brady won about 20 percent of the vote in a four-way Republican primary. He scored victories over eventual GOP nominee Judy Baar Topinka in 21 of the state’s 102 counties.

While Brady has early support from Parrott, his fundraising numbers have left others wondering whether he’s going to be a serious candidate.

At a time when a successful campaign for governor could cost $15 million to $30 million, Brady raised just $55,730 in the first half of 2008, leaving him with $67,413 in his campaign war chest. In addition, Brady’s campaign account is carrying $685,000 in loans.

But he’s kept some of his 2006 campaign team intact. Dan Egler, a former Statehouse reporter and speechwriter for Edgar, continues to serve as a liaison between Brady and the media.

McKenna said it might be too early to judge any of the potential candidates by their fundraising.

“I think clearly, if you are going to run for office like that, you’ve got to show power. Anybody who’s serious about it has got to demonstrate real capacity there,” McKenna said.

Brady said he’s shied away from fundraising to make sure he wasn’t taking money from Republican candidates running in the 2008 election.

ABOUT BILL BRADY
Home: Bloomington
Age: 47
Family: Wife, Nancy; three children
Work: Real estate developer
Elected experience: Illinois House 1993 to 2000; Illinois Senate 2002 to present
Other political notes: Unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2000; unsuccessful bid for governor in 2006

Brady’s bunch: Can he stand out in crowded 2010 GOP primary pool?

From the Pantagraph

Bloomington’s Bill Brady among many looking to become Governor

Saturday, September 6, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
By Kurt Erickson kurt.erickson@lee.net

NEW 3:15 p.m. SPRINGFIELD — Those late night poker games with Barack Obama must have had some kind of an effect on state Sen. Bill Brady. Just as Obama is preaching change in his bid to become president, Brady, a Republican from Bloomington, says he believes Illinois voters are looking for something new in Springfield.

“The public is ready for a difference,” Brady said in a recent interview, pointing to Democratic infighting that has caused gridlock in the Statehouse.

“People are just fed up with it,” Brady said.

Although the focus for now is on the 2008 election, Brady is among a handful of Republicans laying the groundwork for a 2010 bid for governor. Many of them, including Brady, are just now returning from the Republican National Convention in Minnesota — the unofficial jumping-off point for the upcoming campaign.

“You go to be seen,” Brady said.

Other contenders?

Besides Brady, potential GOP candidates include House Minority Leader Tom Cross, state Sen. Christine Radogno of Lemont, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett and businessman Ron Gidwitz.

Thompson picks choices for gov

By Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
Chicago Sun-Times
September 3, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. – With the Republican National Convention back on track, former Gov. James Thompson on Tuesday touted three Republicans for governor in 2010 – and a top Illinois ally of John McCain said he too is thinking about running for the job.

Thompson, a four-term governor, named state Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) and U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) as viable gubernatorial candidates.

Any of them, Thompson said, is the type of person “we need to run to both win the office and revive the Republican Party in Illinois.  I think all three of those guys are very dynamic people and could help us do that.”

State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Westchester), co-chairman of McCain’s state campaign and the Arizona senator’s earliest backer in Illinois, said he too is “giving it some thought.  I would like to see how things shake out in November.  It would be a plus to have a friend in the White House.”

Neither Kirk nor Cross ruled out the possibility of a 2010 run – although both signaled they are focusing on this year’s elections.

Task Force aids veterans in return to college

Transition from service member to student a long, difficult process

By: Matthew Wendling, Daily Vidette Staff Writer
September 2, 2008

Most typical college students stress out over their first exams or their latest assignments. At 27 years of age, former Army Spc. Jorge Castellanos is not a typical ISU student.

In addition to balancing two jobs, a double-major and raising a child with his wife, Castellanos is also readjusting to civilian life after having served in the United States Army for three years, a year and a half of which he spent in Iraq.

“When we get out of the service, we’re just left alone,” Castellanos said.

According to the ISU Office of Admissions, 27 former service members were admitted for the fall semester and there were 455 veterans enrolled as of spring 2008.

“Under certain circumstances, we will offer [veterans] special admission into the university so we do look at them very carefully and try to offer those services,” Doris Groves, associate director of admissions, said.

For former service members like Castellanos, making the transition from soldier to student is a long, often painful, process.

“I came back [from Iraq] and it was super hard for me to come back to being a civilian. Being away from school for three years, I wasn’t used to it. [It was] hard to concentrate,” the senior environmental science and safety major said.

The state of Illinois has stepped forward in an attempt to address the special needs of veterans who hope to return to school and earn degrees.

According to a press release from Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), the Task Force on Servicemember and Veterans Education has been established to aid colleges and universities with specific issues pertaining to veterans returning to school.

The committee, led by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, began working toward their goals and met for the first time on August 19.

Sen. Brady was appointed to the task force, which is charged with authoring “legislative language and administrative rules to advise public universities and community colleges on the development of an Internet-based curriculum to address the needs of active duty service members and veterans in Illinois,” according to the press release.

It is also responsible for advising colleges on the “creation of on-campus veterans’ centers to help veterans apply for financial aid and other benefits.”

“When the men and women of our Armed Services leave their homes and families to serve our country overseas, it often disrupts their education,” Sen. Brady said in the press release. “We need to do all we can to make education as accessible as possible for our veterans.”

To Castellanos, this is a step in the right direction.

“[The Army tells] you they are going to pay for your degree…but yet you won’t end up getting your degree because…the money that they give you is not enough to finish your degree, Castellanos said. [Many veterans] end up getting loans.”

Under this new legislation, veterans would have easier access to resources, financial or otherwise, which would help them successfully adjust to college life.

“One thing that I would ask [for]…would be to implement an organization that will provide tutoring, counseling and group support for all the veterans on campus,” Castellanos said.
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© Copyright 2008 The Daily Vidette

State GOP acknowledges Obama factor but sees upside in governor’s downside

State GOP needs to fix itself by 2010
Daily Herald Editorial Board
Published: 9/1/2008 12:03 AM

The irony can’t be lost on Illinois Republicans. It certainly isn’t lost on us.

And it likely isn’t lost on Barack Obama, who can thank the state Republicans for playing a big role in helping to put him into the position he is today – the Democratic nominee for president.

It was just four years ago that the best the Republicans could do to battle Obama, then a state senator, for the open U.S. Senate seat was to fly in conservative Alan Keyes from Maryland. That election was over before it started and the Democrats knew it. So they put Obama in as the keynote speaker at their 2004 national convention and the rest, as they say, is history or at least history in the making.

Perhaps that’s why only one Illinois Republican – Rep. Mark Kirk – gets a speaking role this week in St. Paul at the Republican National Convention. In comparison, Illinois Democrats were all over the dais in Denver as they tried to put aside their dysfunctional arguments long enough to shine a light on Obama and the host of state Democrats who hope to take his seat should he win in November and the others who hope to win the governor’s race in 2010.

Kirk, for his part, needs some speaking time. He’s in a tight battle to retain his seat in the 10th Congressional District. No longer are Republicans assured of winning suburban races – just look to former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s seat, now occupied by a Democrat – and that too is a testament to the state of the GOP in Illinois. Unfortunately, Kirk’s speaking role and that of all the Republicans this week may be overshadowed by Hurricane Gustav.

We believe in the two-party system. We want to see strong candidates in every race. It’s better for the voters. It’s better for the state. So it’s time the Republicans in Illinois regroup and figure out what they need to do to be competitive. One way, some top party leaders say, is to limit the intraparty attacks that have occurred in recent primary elections.

“We need candidates who can be firm in their convictions but communicate those convictions, their desires, in ways that don’t offend other people,” state Sen. Bill Brady of Peoria, one of the rising GOP stars, told the Daily Herald.

Not all are willing to do that, however. Jack Roeser, head of the Carpentersville-based Family Taxpayers Network, said: “We’ve got to get rid of these skunks who are running the Republican Party.” And he’ll put up the money in that effort.

Clearly, there is work for the GOP to do before statewide elections in 2010. It’s amazing to see the party, which occupied the governor’s office for 26 years until it relinquished it to Democrat Rod Blagojevich, could be in such disarray.

But they do have some hope. Democrats are doing all they can to turn off voters with their own infighting. Neither party can really hold their heads up high right now.

For voters’ sakes, we hope that changes. We want to see strong candidates from both parties emerge and have them debate the real issues facing our state.

Illinois GOP hope Democratic dysfunction brings party together

By Nick Shields | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 9/1/2008 12:03 AM

ST. PAUL – Illinois Republicans have suffered a number of lows in recent years, but arguably one of the rock-bottom moments came early in the 2006 GOP governor’s primary at a debate in Springfield.

What was supposed to be a forum on economic policy turned into a political mud-wrestling match marred by personal attacks, allegations of sexism and audience boos.

And it was from that scrum that Republican Judy Baar Topinka emerged as the bloodied and bruised nominee who’d go on to lose the governor’s race to incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich.

The wounds are fresh, and numerous Republican officials from across the GOP spectrum say it’s finally beginning to sink in that if they don’t get their act together, Democrats will retain control of state government.

In fact, Republicans say their best ally in this rebuilding effort is the collection of Democratic leaders who’ve produced plenty of gridlock and few results.

“I think the debacle of all Chicago Democratic machine control of state government has reached the boiling point where the moderates and conservatives – along with our drought of statewide electoral success – will force Illinois Republicans to band together for our own good,” said Hinsdale Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard. “I thank the Democrats for helping us unify our party, although I think we need to unify it with ideas. But we’ll take all the breaks at this stage of the game.”

Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar agrees that Democrats are helping resuscitate his party.

“There’s no doubt the dysfunction of the Democratic administration in Springfield has enhanced Republicans’ changes to come back from ‘the dead,’” Edgar said.

Party Chairman Andy McKenna recently said he hopes Republicans will agree to run positive campaigns and avoid attacking each other.

Most agree this fall’s elections are tough with Democrat Barack Obama leading the ticket. The crucial 2010 state races featuring the entire slot of statewide offices are what they’re building for.

But many of the party leaders remain wary of some social conservatives who are openly suspicious of the GOP brass’ motivations and haven’t hesitated to trash fellow Republicans they feel have strayed.

“That’s what we always wonder – if they would rather be right than win?” said Edgar. “The classic example is Judy.”

Indeed, few have forgotten how fractured the party became during the 2006 primary.

Not only did conservatives – most notably Aurora dairy magnate Jim Oberweis – use personal attacks in the primary, but once Topinka won the nomination some said another Blagojevich term would be better for the party than a Topinka victory.

That’s the scenario McKenna, Edgar, Dillard and others want to avoid repeating.

Even socially conservative Bloomington state Sen. Bill Brady, who’s already essentially campaigning for the 2010 GOP nomination, is suggesting candidates try a new approach.

“We need candidates who can be firm in their convictions but communicate those convictions, their desires, in ways that don’t offend other people,” Brady said. “And that’s what it’s all about, understanding other people have other opinions and working to find common ground.”

Apparently Jack Roeser didn’t get copied on the unity memo.

The brash businessman and head of the Carpentersville-based Family Taxpayers Network makes it no secret he disagrees with the GOP’s official direction, using not only his words but his cash to signal his displeasure.

Roeser himself ran against Edgar in the 1994 primary and lost.

Between 1993 and mid-2006, his organization had given $685,000 to state candidates, his engineering firm donated $101,000 and he personally gave $1.6 million. The Family Taxpayers Network lists its official purpose as “to promote candidates for office who support tax reduction and other family concerns while exposing candidates who promote policies harmful to Illinois families.”

And don’t look for him to tone it down anytime soon.

Asked recently about the GOP rebuilding efforts, Roeser offered this advice: “We’ve got to get rid of these skunks who are running the Republican Party.”