Posted on 07/21/2004 4:57:40 PM PDT by LandOfLincolnGOP
Illinois Republicans may deserve Spanky the Clown
Carol Marin
Published July 21, 2004
It's hard not to think of Spanky the Clown at a time like this.
At 68, Ray "Spanky the Clown" Wardingley is a perennial Republican candidate who has worked as a stagehand, bit actor, taxi driver and some years ago as a clown.
In 1995, to the shock and horror of the GOP, Wardingley actually won the Chicago Republican mayoral primary against four even more obscure candidates. With fewer than 9,000 ballots cast on the Republican side, Wardingley was the victor with 2,407 votes. His opponent, of course, was Mayor Richard M. Daley.
It was pretty embarrassing to the Party of Lincoln when Spanky the Clown made national headlines as the GOP standard bearer in Chicago.
At the time, Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour acknowledged that the Chicago mayoral race was "never on our radar screen."
An understatement.
Spanky notwithstanding, 1995 was a banner year for the Republican Party in Illinois. It controlled the General Assembly, statewide offices and added two congressional seats to its roster.
That was then. This is now. And it's a lot more embarrassing than having a former clown as a GOP political candidate.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
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