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Illinois Playbook [GOP outsiders Trump, Carson, and Fiorina way behind on ground game]
Politico ^ | 10/01/2015 | Natasha Korecki

Posted on 10/01/2015 9:02:55 AM PDT by GIdget2004

TOP-TIER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BEN CARSON lands in Chicago for fund-raising today, but a week before the Oct. 8 petition circulating begins, he’s among the top three presidential contenders who lack solid organizations in Illinois. Carson, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina are seriously lagging more establishment candidates – Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio – in laying a foundation in Illinois.

“I don’t know that Trump gets on the Illinois ballot,” warns Republican strategist and former Illinois GOP chair Pat Brady. Absent a significant organization, you’re just not going to get it done in this state.”

Brady is backing Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. But other top Illinois Republicans are making similar predictions.

IL GOP PARTY CHAIR HAS NO TRUMP CONTACTS: Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider, who is remaining neutral, tells POLITICO that while potential delegates for Bush, Kasich and Rubio have called the state’s GOP HQ raising their hands for those campaigns. “I can’t tell you we know right now, who to contact if someone wants to be a Trump delegate … I’m not sure the Trump campaign understands the complexity of having delegates in every congressional district.” Petitions start circulating Oct. 3 and candidates have until January to get them in.

Mitt Romney “basically sealed the nomination in Illinois last time,” Brady, then GOP chair, contends. Rick Santorum, who was leading polls at the time, didn’t make it on the ballot in more conservative Illinois districts that would have supported him, Brady says.

‘REAL CONTENDERS’ UP AND RUNNING: In some states, getting on the ballot is a breeze. “Not in Illinois -- probably because somebody is making money off the petition printing contract,” Brady said. “It is a brutal process here. Anybody who’s a real contender has to have an operation up and running now.”

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


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS:
I've seen other posters mention that Trump in particular seems to lack state-by-state organization. Does he have any state organization in your state?
1 posted on 10/01/2015 9:02:55 AM PDT by GIdget2004
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To: GIdget2004

Not in OH yet, nor should he. He does have a big organization in IA and NH and SC. A “ground game” in IL is way premature.


2 posted on 10/01/2015 9:07:17 AM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: GIdget2004
From the source article:

CONTENDERS’ UP AND RUNNING: In some states, getting on the ballot is a breeze. “Not in Illinois -- probably because somebody is making money off the petition printing contract,” Brady said. “It is a brutal process here. Anybody who’s a real contender has to have an operation up and running now.”

QUOTABLE: “He asked all the usual suspects. They all turned him down.” -- Pat Brady on Trump’s attempt to drop roots in Illinois.

Note the bias there??? Typical Politico in coordination with the GOPe. They ADMIT Illinois is rigged.

3 posted on 10/01/2015 9:12:42 AM PDT by datura
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To: LS

“Not in OH yet, nor should he. He does have a big organization in IA and NH and SC. A “ground game” in IL is way premature.”

So guys like this a$$hole Brady are just GOPe “pot bangers” trying to undermine the non-GOPe candidates?


4 posted on 10/01/2015 9:13:16 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: datura

Illinois Republicans invented the GOPe.

The Combine will never allow Trump to get delegates there.


5 posted on 10/01/2015 9:15:07 AM PDT by bakeneko
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To: LS

Filing deadline in Ohio is mid-December.

Filing deadline in Illinois is January.

If you are running, you need to line up delegates and gather signatures.


6 posted on 10/01/2015 9:16:55 AM PDT by NeoCaveman (DC, it's Versailles on the Potomac but without the food and culture)
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To: vette6387
No, I'm not saying that. It could just be really bad strategy. We saw with Scott Walker and Rick Perry that they were spending a lot of money---and not on ads---so obviously they had big-spending "grass roots" organizations.

Whatever his strategy, I think Trump will shock and surprise everyone with how economical and efficient he runs things at the grass-roots level.

7 posted on 10/01/2015 9:20:59 AM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: GIdget2004
Absent a significant organization, you’re just not going to get it done in this state.”

Now that is rich! Illinois is establishment writ large and maybe the most politically crooked state in the whole USA. Carson, Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, are all running against this sort of MSM driven political "rule"...lot of good it did Mitt.

Another refreshing election 1st.

8 posted on 10/01/2015 9:24:25 AM PDT by yoe
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To: GIdget2004

Why is Illinois even being discussed? The Chicago machine runs the whole state. A Republican vote in ILL-ANNOY is a spit in the wind. I will spit, happily, but it always seems to splash back in the form of either Democrat victories, or RINOs that are part of The Combine and side with the Democrats. Ground game in Illinois...pffft!


9 posted on 10/01/2015 9:25:30 AM PDT by SERKIT ("Blazing Saddles" explains it all.......)
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To: datura

The problem in states with strong Democratic parties is that the Republican parties are very weak and seem to attract bad candidates. In IL and KY, for example, the R’s are generally about as corrupt as the D’s.


10 posted on 10/01/2015 9:34:05 AM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day".)
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To: GIdget2004

Anyone else notice a conspicuous lack of mention of Ted Cruz in all these articles? It’s almost like a concerted media blackout.


11 posted on 10/01/2015 9:50:17 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe (For every Allende, there is a Pinochet)
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To: GIdget2004

All the usual political whores will crawl over broken glass to sign on with Trump if he wins IA, NH and SC. Political operatives make their living by finding the parade and put themselves at the front of it. The still think this Trump fade will fizzle out like the Perry-Cain-Gingrich parades did in 2011.


12 posted on 10/01/2015 9:58:11 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Giving more money to DC to fix the Debt is like giving free drugs to addicts think it will cure them)
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To: LS

“Whatever his strategy, I think Trump will shock and surprise everyone with how economical and efficient he runs things at the grass-roots level.”

I am in complete agreement! Trump is changing the paradigm of “how to go about getting yourself elected!” No more highly paid “political consultants” whose “advice” is worth next to nothing. No more donations from a$$holes who call themselves “conservatives,” but whose only purpose is to enslave you with their money so that they get what they want from government. And most importantly, drive the MSM nuts by being “newsworthy enough” so that they have to cover you for free because of the ad revenue your appearances generate. Personally, I’d like to see Trump sit out one of these debates just to watch one of the networks suffer a loss.


13 posted on 10/01/2015 11:03:34 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: GIdget2004

Huckabee managed to get on theballot in Illinois, Trump and Cruz can too.


14 posted on 10/01/2015 11:16:35 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics)
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