Illinois Review

Righter and Rose Endorse Murphy for Lt. Governor

from the McKenna/Murphy campaign

CHAMPAIGN - State Senator Dale Righter and State Representative Chapin Rose endorsed State Senator Matt Murphy today for Lieutenant Governor.  


“Working alongside Matt, I have seen that he is determined to reform Illinois’ financial woes without raising taxes. Most importantly, Illinois needs new leadership, and that's why I'm supporting the one candidate who will make sweeping changes needed to get Illinois back on track,” said Senator Righter.

McKenna/Murphy endorsed by Beaubien, Osmond

from McKenna/Murphy campaign

CHICAGO – Republican Gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna and Lieutenant Governor candidate Matt Murphy announced endorsements today from State Representatives Mark Beaubien and JoAnn Osmond.

Schillerstrom: Yawn. Springfield Leader endorses party insider

from the Schillerstrom for Governor campaign

NAPERVILLE – Gubernatorial candidate Bob Schillerstrom on Thursday released the following statement regarding 16-year State Representative and current Republican Leader Tom Cross’ endorsement of former U.S. Senate Candidate and former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna for Governor:

“Our campaign promises to overturn a Springfield culture that has landed Illinois in fiscal crisis, delivered double-digit unemployment and earned a national reputation for corruption. We look to bring new leadership and a dramatically different approach to state government that will end the quick-fix, reactionary mentality that defines Springfield today.

Andy McKenna: Mayor Daley's Candidate for Governor

from the Proft for Governor campaign

(Chicago, IL) – In response to Andy McKenna’s announcement this morning, conservative Republican candidate Dan Proft released the following statement:

"Andy McKenna’s entrance into this race clarifies the choice Republican primary voters have. We can nominate a candidate beholden to a small group of affluent political insiders who give money to both parties. They win when Republicans get elected; they win when Democrats get elected. Either way, you lose.

GOP primary candidates impress Union League Club members

At this morning's Union League Club of Chicago's Republican gubernatorial forum, attendees left impressed with the presentations of all GOP candidates vying to win the February 2, 2010 nomination.  Forum organizer Chris Robling said all five candidates -- Adam Andrzejewski, Bill Brady, Kirk Dillard, Dan Proft and Bob Schillerstrom have bright futures in Illinois politics and through their performances today demonstrated the value of an open and intense primary nomination process.

"Each one of the five have sharpened how they present their positions, their speaking abilities have improved vastly, and each one has a huge future in Illinois politics," Robling said. "Across the board, they have issue mastery, and are keenly aware of the difficulties being faced by Illinoisans.  After traveling throughout the state, they know well how badly the system built by Illinois Democrats is of, by and for the insiders, and each one is very serious about changing things in Illinois." 

More on Conservative Gubernatorial Summit

In case you were on your way out of town last Friday afternoon, there's more to come on last Friday's Conservative Summit, hosted by the United Republican Fund and 560 AM WIND in Downer's Grove, IL.  Illinois Review will be adding to the analysis later this week, and will post Jeff Berkowitz' videos from the summit when he gets them ready for viewing.

Bill Baar's West Side thoughts of the summit are HERE and a press release from gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski, who won the accumulative straw vote, followed by State Senator Matt Murphy in second and political commentator Dan Proft, who finished third is below the fold.

More to come ... and there's good reason to watch the action that comes out of last week's summit.  It could be an event that causes candidates to re-assess their campaign focus and message. 

Is the GOP's governor primary really now down to two candidates?

At the IL GOP lunch at the State Fair Wednesday, a Murphy campaign insider asserted that "The race is now down to just two candidates -- [Kirk] Dillard and [Matt] Murphy."   Another noted that the Murphy campaign is beginning to see big donors step up, saying "After all, we've got the first ads on TV."

So Illinois Review did some digging about those comments, and found that the Murphy ad was run for two days only this week  -- notably one was on Republican Day at the State Fair -- on central Illinois cable.  The media buy cost the campaign about $2400.

We also asked other candidates their thoughts about the Murphy campaign's assertions that the IL GOP primary is now a two-person race, and they had strong reactions, as you can imagine:

Murphy defends ad taking on tax hiking Republicans

The Matt Murphy campaign released its first political ad yesterday. It was aimed at fellow Republicans who've voted for tax hikes in the past, specifically State Sen. Kirk Dillard. Murphy's ad (here) created a stir. IR asked him about it:

Murphy breaks the silence

from the Murphy for Governor campaign

Dear Friends,

For years, politicians in Springfield taxed and spent us to the brink of bankruptcy, and made us the punch line of national jokes. Nobody here is laughing. 

I'm Matt Murphy, and I'm running to be your Governor.

Is Murphy as anti-tax as he claims?

On Saturday, Illinois Review ran a video of Republican State Senator Matt Murphy speaking at the Cook County GOP Beach Party on August 6. Murphy claimed on the video that he's never voted for a budget that's "gotten us in this mess". Never voted for a tax increase. And only supported tax cuts.

If true, the statements would make him an appealing candidate to Tea Party independents, as well as reform and small-government voters who are looking for a leading voice in the Illinois gubernatorial race.

Campaign spokesman Ryan McLaughlin, told IR that "Senator Murphy voted against the borrowing and appropriations bills," which "are the bills that constitute the budget."

IR checked into these claims. In 2009, Murphy, and the whole Republican Senate caucus, voted "No" on the following agency budgets: