Justin's Political Corner
The identity of the next 12th U.S. House District Democratic nominee could be revealed as soon as Saturday afternoon.
That’s when the Democratic Party chiefs of the dozen counties that comprise the 12th District are set to meet to discuss the results of interviews with the 10 applicants seeking the nomination.
The 10 applicants — including only one woman — are scheduled to take part in a public interview process set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Chester City Hall, said Barb Brown, the Randolph County circuit clerk and Democratic Party official overseeing the selection process.
The 10 applicants are seeking to replace Brad Harriman, the winner of the March 20 Democratic primary, who quit the congressional race last month for health reasons.
h/t: BND.com
Somewhere out there, in the broad slab of Southern Illinois that comprises the 12th Congressional District, is the Democrats’ next nominee to win the seat that’s been in their hands since 1944.
But the identity of that person won’t be known for at least a week, or maybe longer, while the pressure mounts in a high stakes contest that Republican and Democratic leaders are calling a national bellwether for the Nov. 6 election.
Democratic Party chiefs in the dozen counties that form the 12th District must figure out which of at least five applicants to take the place of March 20 primary winner Brad Harriman, who quit the race late last month for health reasons.
The selection process is not scheduled to be finalized until at least next week.
Meanwhile, Republican nominee Jason Plummer is moving ahead in the race to replace the retiring incumbent, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville — at least that’s the upshot of a poll last month of 400 district voters conducted for the Plummer campaign.
Sixty percent of independent voters surveyed said it is more important to elect a Republican than a Democrat, according to Plummer’s poll, which was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican research outfit based in northern Virginia.
“The race won’t be about Jason Plummer versus the next person,” he said. “This is about two different beliefs in how government should operate. Two different beliefs in how we should turn around the 12th Congressional District.”
The choice is between the status quo — Obama and Pelosi — or “a path of what I would think really would bring economic spark and growth and economic opportunity back to the 12th District,” said Plummer, who advocates a regimen of lower taxes and reduced government regulation, especially when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Plummer sees the Democrats’ search for a new 12th District candidate as a setback for their cause.
In contrast, the woman overseeing that search sees it in a positive light.
“This has breathed a whole new life into this congressional campaign,” said Barb Brown, the state Democratic central committeewoman for the 12th District.
Brown, the Democratic Randolph County clerk, is evincing no such concerns for the general election.
After all, Plummer has aligned himself with the sharp budgetary cuts contained in the spending plan proposed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Brown said.
“I think Southern Illinois voters are going to be very concerned about a candidate that ties himself to Paul Ryan’s budget and cuts in Social Security and cuts in Medicare,” Brown said. “And policies that benefit the wealthiest and not the middle class.”
The Democrats’ search for a new 12th District candidate is an “opportunity to pick a candidate that people feel very strongly about,” Brown said. “What we are looking for is a candidate who reflects the values of the 12th district. I don’t think Mr. Plummer reflects those values.”
Everyone seems to agree that the Democratic and Republican candidates in the 12th District race will receive a lot of national attention and outside dollars because of the symbolic importance of winning Costello’s seat, Redfield said.
The pressure is especially acute for Illinois Democrats, Redfield said. Illinois was one of the few states where Democrats could redraw Congressional district maps almost any way they chose, he said.
“The Democrats were in a position to create districts to knock off Republicans and pick up seats,” Redfield said. “This is as favorable a map as you can get here. They’ve got to be successful here because this is as favorable as the Democrats could draw.”
But a spate of tough economic news led the liberal blog the Daily Kos recently to change its rating on the 12th District race from “Lean D (Democrat),” to “Tossup.”
H/T: BND.com
At least four people — including retired Maj. Gen. Bill Enyart of Belleville and state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion — had applied by the 5 p.m. deadline Friday to replace Brad Harriman as the Democratic candidate for the 12th U.S. House District seat.
Up until Friday afternoon, Enyart, a Belleville lawyer and retired Illinois National Guard commander, had been the only person to announce publicly that he is seeking the 12th District seat.
Bradley, however, made the race more competitive when he announced that he, too, had applied for the 12th District nomination.
Barb Brown, who is co-chair of the search for Harriman’s replacement, will mail copies of the applications to each Democratic Party chairman in the 12 counties that comprise the 12th District.
After that step, the county party chairman plan to hold a conference call Monday night to discuss the applications, said Brown, the Randolph County clerk.
The county party chairmen are seeking a candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, who is retiring in January after 24 years.
The 12th District extends from its northern boundary in Alton and follows a line paralleling the Mississippi River to its southern boundary in Cairo.
How long it will take to interview Enyart and the other applicants is uncertain, Brown said.
“If we’ve gotten all the information we need, and our county chairmen go about it quickly, then we’ll be doing interviews very soon,” she said.
The Democrats will likely pick their new 12th District nominee by the end of June, Brown said.
h/t: BND.com
BELLEVILLE • Maj. Gen. William Enyart, commander of the Illinois National Guard, retired from the military effective today, and said he was seriously considering seeking the Democratic nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello.
Costello, who has represented the 12th Congressional District since 1988, announced in October that he won’t seek re-election in November. That threw up for grabs a seat that had been considered safe for Democrats since World War II.
“I want to step down and take some time with my family and weigh the prospect of a candidacy.” Enyart said while standing at the Veterans Memorial in the Public Square here.
Enyart said he probably will announce a decision early next week. He said he must decide by next Friday, the deadline for seeking support of the district-wide committee of county Democratic chairmen who pick the nominee.
Last week, party prospects were jolted when Brad Harriman, who won the Democratic primary in March to replace Costello, announced he was dropping out because of a neurological condition.
The Democratic chairman of the 12 southern Illinois counties in the 12th District must choose a nominee to replace Harriman. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Jason Plummer, a lumber company executive, has been running since he won the GOP primary in March.
Other Democrats said to be considering the committee’s nod were circuit judges John Baricevic and Ann Callis, and state Rep. John Bradley of Marion. Baricevic was at Enyart’s announcement today. Baricevic said: “If Bill is going to be a candidate, then I will not. If not, then I am still considering.”
h/t: STLToday.com
BELLEVILLE • Metro East Democrats are considering whether the head of the Illinois National Guard is their best choice to help retain their now shaky generational lock on Jerry Costello’s congressional seat.
Costello, a conservative Democrat who has represented the predominately working class area for 22 years in the U.S. House, shocked local party leaders when he decided last year that he wouldn’t seek another term. Brad Harriman, who won the party’s primary to carry Costello’s mantle in the fall election, stunned them again when he dropped out of the race last week for health reasons. The normally stable St. Clair County Democratic party is now without a candidate in a general election where Republicans hope to pull off an upset with well-funded lumber heir Jason Plummer.
Behind the scenes, the Democratic Party county chairmen in the 12 counties touched by the Illinois 12th district are deciding who will be the best candidate to keep power in Democratic hands while hoping to stem the tide of the seesaw candidacies. One top contender is William Enyart of Belleville, a lawyer who currently runs the Illinois National Guard.
“I’m looking closely at it,” Enyart said. “I did not seek this out. I have had people ask me to do it.” Late Wednesday afternoon, Enyart said he would announce a decision on his political future on Thursday at Belleville’s Public Square.
Enyart said he has spoken with Costello about his possible candidacy, but wouldn’t discuss specifics.
“I’ve had the best job in the world with the Illinois National Guard,” Enyart said. “But this could be an area where I could a have significant impact.”
Insiders think Enyart would be a formidable candidate with his military experience and contacts at Scott Air Force Base, which is the district’s largest employer and an important touchstone in Washington.
But a wild card in the mix is Circuit Judge John Baricevic, a Fairview Heights man who has a long resume with decades in public office.
“I’m considering it, but I’d be surprised if I actually did it,” said Baricevic, 64.
Baricevic said that he enjoys “public service,” but said his decision may rely on Enyart, who he said would be a good candidate.
“If he’s serious about it, then I’ll probably step aside,” Baricevic said.
Ann Callis, the chief judge of the judicial circuit based in Madison County, is an alternative name floated by some Democrats.
State Rep. John Bradley, of Marion, said he is considering such an application.
“Even as a little kid I wanted to be a U.S. Congressman,” Bradley said on Wednesday. “Opportunities like this don’t come along sometimes in your whole life — now it’s happened twice, and I should consider it.”
Bradley, 41, said his decision will be made after input from his two young children.
Whoever is selected will likely face a bruising primary. National Republicans are heavily targeting the district and the replacement candidate will have to play catch up.
While the district leans Democrat, it is hospitable to a Republican message. Costello, and his predecessor, Price, both had conservative tendencies.
h/t: STLToday.com
While the Democratic Party chairmen of each of the 12 counties represented by the 12th Congressional District will get a vote to determine who replaces Brad Harriman on the November ballot, metro-east leaders will have the final say on the candidate whose name appears on the November ballot.
The 12 party chairs will vote with their ballots weighted by how many people voted in the 12th District race in their county’s Democratic primary, according to Illinois Board of Elections Deputy General Counsel Ken Menzel.
According to Jane Gasperen, director of the Illinois Board of Election’s Election Information Division, the last day for Democrats to choose a replacement for Harriman and get his name on the November general election ballot is Aug. 23.
Harriman won the primary in March to replace Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, who plans to retire after being on the job since 1988.
Costello and Barb Brown, who is the Randolph County circuit clerk and Democratic Central Committeewoman for the state, will co-chair the committee of county Democratic Chairmen. The group hopes to name a replacement by the end of June.
Von Nida, of Granite City, said he is not a candidate to replace Harriman on the ballot because he is committed to running for Madison County circuit clerk in November. St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, a Belleville Democrat, and State Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton, have both denied interest in replacing Harriman.
Other names that have surfaced are former state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, former state Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, and Madison County Circuit Court Chief Judge Ann Callis, who was briefly a candidate before dropping out prior to the March primary. They could not be reached for comment about their potential interest.
Another name that has been mentioned is state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion. When asked about the prospect of running, Bradley said Tuesday it was “intriguing,” but declined further comment. However, if Bradley had the support of party chairman from the 10 other counties in the district besides St. Clair and Madison counties, he wouldn’t have enough votes to gain the selection.
h/t: BND.com
