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Shimkus aide Rodney Davis chosen as GOP congressional candidate
The Belleville News Democrat ^ | May 19, 2012 | BRIAN BRUEGGEMANN

Posted on 05/19/2012 4:58:02 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued

Rodney Davis, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, has been chosen by Republican leaders to be the GOP candidate for congress in the newly redrawn 13th Congressional District.

Davis, of Taylorville, will be the GOP candidate instead of U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Champaign. Johnson won the Republican nomination in the March primary election, but announced shortly afterward that he would retire and not run in the general election.

"As I traveled throughout the district during the selection process, voters told me that they wanted a common-sense, fiscally-conservative Representative in Washington to help restore the economy, create jobs and cut wasteful, out-of-control spending," Davis said a statement to the Associated Press. "Should the voters of the 13th District elect me in November, that is exactly what I will be."

(Excerpt) Read more at bnd.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Illinois; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: distict13; gop; illinois; johnshimkus; rodneydavis; timjohnson

1 posted on 05/19/2012 4:58:10 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
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To: fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican; Impy; GOPsterinMA; randita; Sun; LdSentinal; PhilCollins; ...

I was rooting for Erika Harold, but I suppose we can’t win them all. Rodney Davis is said to be a shrewd operater. Beyond that, I know little about him.


2 posted on 05/19/2012 5:00:29 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Obama and Company lied, the American economy died)
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To: Clintonfatigued; fieldmarshaldj; Impy; BillyBoy; randita

Well, better a Shimkus aide than a Johnson aide. But I think it was a HUGE missed opportunity here—Erika Harold would have been a superstar in Congress.

So with Harold not getting the nod here and Vernon Robinson (and longshot William Randall) losing in NC, the highest number of black Republicans we could have in the next Congress is now five: Congressman Tim Scott of SC-01 (who’s a lock to win reelection), Congressman Allen West of FL-18 (a new CD for him, but he should be a slight favorite in the general), Mayor Mia Love of UT-04 who should have about even odds against RAT incumbent Jim Matheson i a CD that’s mostly new to him, State Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams of TX-25 (who has a very tough primary against former Secretary of State Roger Williams and a couple others but would be a lock in the general if he wins the nomination) and Mayor Vernon Robinson of AZ-09 (who is probably a slight underdog in the primary and would probably have around even odds in the general). The other black Republicans running for the House are heavy underdogs.


3 posted on 05/19/2012 7:15:09 PM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (If a politician won't protect innocent babies, what makes you think that he'll protect your rights?)
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To: AuH2ORepublican; fieldmarshaldj; PhilCollins; BillyBoy; GOPsterinMA; Clintonfatigued; randita

This lame. There should have been a PRIMARY!!! And Johnson should have had to pay for it out of his pension. Was this all a trick to pass the office off to some insider without a primary?

I hope Erika Harold runs for office again, maybe this seat in 2014.

Mia Love is now the only shot to get a Black woman elected to Congress for the first time. I would describe the democrat females who have been elected as “harpies” so Love would be the first actual Black woman.


4 posted on 05/20/2012 5:32:06 PM PDT by Impy (Don't call me red.)
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To: Clintonfatigued; Impy

I agree that Erika Harold should have won the nomination. I also think that a nominee should have been chosen earlier. The county party chairmen should have learned from the 2008 11th District race. Tim Balderman won the primary, and, about a month later, he quit the race. The GOP county chairmen took about six weeks to nominate Marty Ozinga. On April 5, 2012, Rep. Johnson quit the race, and, on April 18, each Illinois county GOP elected a chairman. By April 20, each county chairman should have known whom he or she would like to nominate. They should have chosen someone by Apr. 25, but we had to wait 24 more days.


5 posted on 05/21/2012 5:41:26 AM PDT by PhilCollins
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To: Impy; AuH2ORepublican; fieldmarshaldj; PhilCollins; BillyBoy; GOPsterinMA; Clintonfatigued; ...

I’ve been reading up on this. The process had county chairman casting votes for their perferred candidate. The loacl TEA Party and others had demanded a more open process, so the party bosses made it more open than in the past. Tim Johnson clearly designed this to get Jerry Clarke the nomination, but local conservatives said this was a no-go. After three ballots were cast, Davis won the nomination, with Harold a close second and Clarke a distant third. Although the votes were not made public, one source said Harold came within one vote of winning. She made a good imperssion on the county chairman, with one saying “she has a bright future.” While grass roots conservatives were dissapointed, they find Rodney Davis to be acceptable and an improvement over Tim Johnson.


6 posted on 05/21/2012 5:53:35 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Obama and Company lied, the American economy died)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Thanks for the info.

Erika Harold’s future would be brighter had those county leaders chosen her instead of Davis. Huge missed opportunity for the IL GOP.


7 posted on 05/21/2012 6:43:18 PM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (If a politician won't protect innocent babies, what makes you think that he'll protect your rights?)
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To: Clintonfatigued; Impy; BillyBoy

I hope that, within the next five months, Erika will move to a district from which she can be elected to the state legislature, in 2014.


8 posted on 05/21/2012 9:02:42 PM PDT by PhilCollins
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To: Clintonfatigued; AuH2ORepublican; fieldmarshaldj; PhilCollins; BillyBoy

If it was that close, that’s painful. Downstate leaders don’t have any more sense than Chi-area ones.


9 posted on 05/22/2012 3:15:30 PM PDT by Impy (Don't call me red.)
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