Andrzejewski Wins Illinois Young Republicans’ Straw Poll

Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski (an-gee-EF-ski) has won a straw poll sponsored by the Federation of Illinois Young Republicans, an official auxiliary of the Republican Party.  The straw poll was conducted at the FIYR state convention held in Bolingbrook, Illinois on Saturday, November 7, 2009.  According to FIYR Chairman Dennis Cook, Andrzejewski placed first with 40-percent of the votes cast, followed by Bob Shillerstrom with 26-percent, and Kirk Dillard with 12-percent.

“This was the first opportunity for ‘everyday activists’ to give their opinion since the debate last week,” said Andrzejewski, “I am glad that they see through all of the spin and all the posturing of others who claim to be reformers.  People across Illinois are craving for someone to stand up for them and their values, and I am that person.  I am honored to win this straw poll, and thank Chairman Cook and the FIYRs for the hard work they do for the Republican Party.”

“I started my campaign with the simple premise that young Republicans do not need to wait their turn,” Andrzejewski added, “Illinois is in crisis now, and now ‘it’s your turn!’  I am leading this paradigm shift with the Illinois Republican Party.  We must welcome new people with new ideas.”

“It was clear to me that Adam’s reform message was received very well among those who attended the Young Republicans’ convention,” said Cook, “One party rule has crippled Illinois, and we need accountability in the Governor’s Mansion.”

Third Consecutive Straw Poll Victory for Andrzejewski

This is the third consecutive straw poll victory in three weeks for the conservative reformer.  On October 19, 2009, Andrzejewski won the McLean County Freedom Coalition Straw Poll in Bloomington, Illinois, over six rivals, including hometown candidate Bill Brady.  In Rockford on November 2, 2009, the Concerned Citizens of America selected Andrzejewski (55%) over political consultant Dan Proft (38%) and career politician Bill Brady (7%).

For 80 years, Young Republicans (YRs) have been an official auxiliary of the Republican Party.  Their membership includes young people from all walks of life, united in their belief that the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating ideals and beliefs into positive and successful principles of government.  The YRs are open to young people between the ages of 18 and 40. For more information on the Federation of Illinois Young Republicans, visit www.IllinoisYR.com.

Adam Andrzejewski is a Republican candidate for Governor of Illinois.  Campaigning on Four Principles, Adam is committed to returning Illinois government to her people.  To learn more about Adam and his vision for Illinois, visit his website at www.AdamForIllinois.com.

Comments

[get real]

Its time for Adam to drop out. This straw poll win only proves it. He's taking away support from the establishment candidates such as:

Dan "The Ferengi" Profit
Kirk "Jim Edgar's Chief of Staff" Dillard
Bill "Done Nothing in 16 Years in Springfield" Brady
Bob "My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard" Schillerstrom
Andy "Can I Buy the Primary and Never Talk to a Single Real Voter" McKenna
Jim "I Supported Tax Increases Until I Announced My Candidacy" Ryan

These candidates can ensure us that we can get our patronage jobs back! How am I supposed to afford my 7 cars with gimmicks like every dime, online, in real time?

Please, think of the patronage worker. These are the future leaders of the state. After over a decade of overcharging for less and less work, they can even run for Governor like Dan Proft!

[Frustrated Republican Voter]

There were like 40 people there. Yippee.

[Maria]

Nice job Adam, you bought another straw poll. The fact your campaign issues a press release every time you win one of these things shows how little you really have to celebrate. Do yourself a favor and stop spending your money - your candidacy is going anywhere.

[Just sayin']

There were more people there than there are committeeman in the Schaumburg Township GOP... Just sayin'

[Michael Brown]

Adam is the real deal.

Illinois has serious, serious problems. If they are ever going to addressed and answered, Adam is the only candidate that can do it.

I don't know who you all are, but I can tell you have an agenda, and it doesn't appear to be what's best for Illinois - for the most part.

If any other candidate wins the primary other than Adam, this State will go the way of California and Michigan.

Mark my words.

[all of you, stop crying!]

just a lot of dislike of others here on this site and board. good god people, grow up all of you.

[Frustrated Republican Voter]

Sorry, but I can't trust my child's future to a guy who has no track record. He's another Jim Oberweis in the making. More or less unknown and scary to average voters from any party or no party. No chance to win in November. I get not wanting someone that's part of the problem, but this idea that Adam could actually govern Illinois is ridiculous. Same with Proft.

Sorry. I like a lot of what they have to say, but I like a lot of what the other guys are saying, too, and I'm not willing to bet this election on the longshot of all longshots. Too much is at stake this time. JMO, of course.

[Reality Check]

"If any other candidate wins the primary other than Adam, this State will go the way of California and Michigan."

More proof that the Adam-ites are going to destroy the Republican Party in the the name of conservatism.

Not the first Adam supporter I have heard who has already stated their animosity to all other candidates.

If Bill Brady, an incredibly conservative candidate wins, they are going to go third-party.

[Dnstate]

Reality Check -lol-"If Bill Brady, an incredibly conservative candidate wins," "incredibly" I guess if you repeat something that isn't true, enough times you can hope people will believe it.

[Jon Zahm]

Straw polls are excellent measures of grassroots momentum. Marco Rubio has won 13 in a row in Florida and he is on his way to an upset primary victory. Adam is starting on a similar roll. The problem with Cook County Township endorsements is that they are generally reflective of one person's opinion. The Township Committeeman APPOINTS all his/her voting captains. By definition those that are appointed are beholden to the person who grants them their political position. So more often than not they will second the support of their political boss.

[Reality Check]

Brady isn't a conservative?

[The Oncoming Storm]

We'll see what the first "real poll" from the Tribune has to say. I doubt Adam A. will be out front, but all he needs to do is be clearly on the radar screen with double-digit support, and he'll be well positioned for January.

[Dnstate]

Reality you need to change your name-Yes Brady is a Conservative.

[The Record]

We can't support the guy with no record, just like we shouldn't have supported Reagan when he ran for Governor with no record.

This cycle, its critically important to nominate the same go-along to get-along hacks that helped drive this state in the ditch. We need a Republican in there who will raise our taxes (Dillard, Schillerstrom), we need a Republican who will say all the right things but do none of them (Brady, Proft), and we need a Republican with clear ties to Democrat corruption (Ryan, McKenna).

This February, vote the establishment! They're not finished losing yet!

[Santa]

The bottom line is folks really need to get behind Dillard. He is the only candidate who can win in 2010.

Brady is a disaster. Proft and AA are not real candidates and can't be taken seriously.

Ryan is a shell of his old self.

Dillard for Governor.

[Henry B]

The thing I notice is Dillard is everyone's first or second choice. That usually translates into a win in a primary. When folks get in to the polling place they usually vote for the candidate that actually can win. Proft and Adam might be making noise now, but is anyone actually going to vote for them in a PRIMARY? NO!

[Pro-Growth, Pro-Proft]

Here's a novel idea: why don't we evaluate the candidates on the quality of their ideas and their ability to communicate them? All of them, and I do mean all of them, have some good ideas, but no one has a better grasp of the issues and an ability to cut through to the essence of the problem like Proft does.

Republicans are at a structural disadvantage in this state and one of these candidates will have to make our case to the other side. You've seen the debates and the results speak for themselves. Dan is the only candidate who engages the audience and makes them think.

Who would you like to see in a debate with Quinn or Hynes? Dan would carve them up. I'm not so sure that Dillard's off-the-shelf bromides or Adam's personal small town anecdotes will win the day. These are serious times.

[spintreebob]

Did Dillard learn from Obama to throw friends under the bus?

Sunday night on WLS Tom Roeser threw softball questions at Dillard. Dillard was quick to invoke Jim Edgar. Then Tom Roeser asked Dillard about Edgar's support for a tax hike.

"MY FORMER FRIEND" quickly came out of Dillard's mouth. Only when Roeser pushed Dillard on it did Dillard re-phrase it as "my former employer".

If Dillard is that quick to throw Edgar under the bus, how quick will he be to throw under the bus pro-lifers or small-business-taxpayers or anyone that gets in the way of personal ambition?

[Concerned in Schaumburg]

To Just Sayin' . . . as Ronald Reagan would say "there you go again." Your comment is misleading and shows that you do not understand how the Republican party is organized in Cook County. Schaumburg Township has one committeeman so your comment that more people were there (i.e. at the YR convention) than committeeman in Schaumburg Township is technically correct BUT you fail to recognize that in Cook county, we have precinct captains, not precinct committeeman and there are many more precinct captains in Schaumburg Twp than there were at the YR convention. Proft got the endorsement from the precinct captains who actually go out and work precincts and deliver votes.

[Ghost of Ron]

Adam can win, he has the ideas, energy, the the money. I'm tired of the SOS losers, which "THE COMBINE" has put up in Illinois, for the last decade.

There is more to Illinois than, Unions - SEIU, IEA interests; Asphalt and gravel pits operators influence, or City of Crook sleazebag deal making.

Adam represent a break from all of this "Moist Sand" and truly a friend of the rank and file people and small businesses of Illinois. A true standard bearer for the "New Republican Party of Illinois".

[Pro-Growth, Pro-Proft]

Adam has demonstrated he cannot fight his corner in a debate. I fear he will get carved up thoroughly in a general election. His personal anecdotes wear thin after awhile and he lacks the depth of knowledge to hold his own against even Jeff Berkowitz, who is a sympathetic interlocutor. He'll wilt under pressure. We need someone who can make arguments and take the fight to the other side. I'm sorry, that's not Adam. His speaking style is quirky and distracting, he does not inspire confidence.

[WLS Producer]

Dan, you can stop making anonymous blog comments. We'll let you back on Don & Roma.

[Reality Check]

Ghost?
Having ideas and energy means nothing.

He has no money, either. What is his plan for winning?

[Pro-Growth, Pro-Proft]

Hey Reality Check, if you think ideas mean nothing, you might want to switch parties. If you think your guy has the better ideas and communicates them better, why don't you get your guy to go head-to-head with Dan in a one on one debate for Conservatives-only? May the best man win.

[Reality Check]

Pro-growth,
I was responding to Ron, who said Adam can win because he has good ideas.

Ideas mean nothing without a good campaign strategy and the means to implement it.

I'll go with one of the other candidates with good ideas and a chance to sit in the governor's mansion.

[Cook County delegate]

Proft and his allies have an arrogance about them that doesn't generate confidence for me.
He thinks he's just a few IQ points higher than everyone else, thus we should elect him because he knows more than we do.
Somehow, there's a lack of humility that's embarrassing and a cynicism that's disrepectful of voters' ability to discern.
And his tactic of humiliating, attacking and detracting from his reputation of taking money he doesn't deserve for work he doesn't do and ripping off employees for work they did do doesn't set him up for real consideration for higher office. Sorry, Pro-Proft. Bragging about a lack of transparency and laughing at those who haven't looked under the right rocks isn't the way to win voter's trust.

[Pro-Growth, Pro-Proft]

Ok, I get it. You malign and slander Proft without evidence and then complain that he is unelectable because his reputation is damaged.

Again, Dan has offered anyone who is interested to inspect all the receipts, books and contracts. Those who have done so have come away satisfied that everything was above board.

That fellow Republicans would throw this mud around with no attribution and no foundation is truly disgusting.

And apparently you think this is a personality contest and you are looking for a new buddy or pal to be your governor. I don't care if our next governor is a nice guy or a mean S.O.B. Ideas matter, that's why we're Republicans. If you're looking for someone to empathize with or some kind of social validation, grow up.

[John Bak]

Reality Check,

Obviously ideas mean something. How long can you accuse someone of having 'no campaign strategy' in the face evident straw poll losses and similar setbacks...

If anything Dan Proft is the one without a state-wide network as I haven't even really heard his name outside of my travels out of the Chicagoland area.

[LincolnLounger]

Dan Proft has never created jobs, managed a governmental budget, implemented public policy programs or done anything Illinois needs in a Governor. He's been too busy mucking around in Cicero, blowing sunshine up Alan Keyes' skirt, and throwing bombs at fellow Republicans. He and his "great ideas" are in for a drubbing. And if anybody thinks he carries Schaumburg Twp., I've got a guarantee of a Cubs World Series championship to promise you.

[John Bak]

Why do people keep having to bring up Dan Proft and Cicero?!

Adam's the only candidate with the plans and background to win the primary AND the general! Bashing unknown factors of other candidates just makes you look bad...

[Paul, Just This Guy, You Know?]

I'm an Adam supporter. I believe that Adam has the ideas, the character, and the guts to win the primary, win the election, and govern Illinois.

But if he doesn't win the primary, I will support the GOP nominee for Governor. And, I believe, so will Adam.

There are good things to be said of all the other candidates, and there are people I respect supporting each of them. The GOP will have a good nominee for Governor.

I believe that nominee should be Adam. To those who disagree, let's vote on it.

[Reality Check]

Adam has the ideas, character, and guts to win.
Adam has the plans and background to win.
Adam has the ideas, energy, and money to win.

Then why don't the 99% of Republican primary voters know the name?

[jaded voter]

Hey Mr Reality Check,

Most voters couldn't name one or more candidates in any major race right now. That is the unfortunate reality.

[Reality Check]

And any candidate without the resources to change that reality in the next 84 days can't win, despite any ideas they may have.

[Ghost of Ron]

Hey Reality Check - Most voters don't even know there is a Republican party that is still alive in Illinois anymore!!! (Thanks to Andy McKenna and his combine boys) At lest Adam is articulating ideas instead of SOS platitudes and other empty rhetoric.

[Ghost of Ron]

On more thing MR. Reality Check, who is paying you to shill here and who's your Roster in this barnyard?

[Reality Check]

Right, you aren't allowed to have an opinion unless it is mindlessly buying into a candidacy whose only outcome will be to split the vote and let a "combiner" get in with 25% of the vote.

[Ghost of Ron]

I'm trying to stop your say, I'm just asking for full disclosure of your interests in this race.

I agree, lets not split the vote, let the others drop.

[Watchdog Jenkins]

The previous 38 points are all subjective conjecture. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'd ask that we stop talking platitudes and start talking money. Each candidate's campaign information is all available online:

http://www.elections.state.il.us/

Brady, Dillard, and McKenna get all of their money from the same pool of interests that fund Madigan and the Republicans. End of discussion.

As for Proft, the Cicero criticisms are valid; and not presented purely for a lack of knowledge about Dan. My argument is that Proft represents a far more chilling type of government officials prying into the lives of private citizens:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/jun/14/local/chi-cicero-myspace_web_14jun14

"
But town spokesman Dan Proft said there is a federal statute that prohibits government officials from obtaining identifying customer information. He said the town likely will either tweak its original complaint or Dominick could refile as a private citizen.

“This is not over, that’s for sure,” he said.
"

....Proft's lack of respect for satire:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/jun/14/local/chi-cicero-myspace_web_14jun14

"
"We're aware of what the burden is to prove defamation against a public official and some of the information that was posted meets the burden," he said. "We are attempting to elicit information from MySpace that would lead us to the offending party so we can zero in on the offending party."
"