Posted on 07/02/2003 10:38:36 PM PDT by LdSentinal
June 26, 2003 — Another multi-millionaire joined the race for the United States senate in Illinois Thursday. Republican Andy McKenna launched his campaign one day after millionaire democratic businessman Blair Hull announced his candidacy.
So many candidates, with so little name recognition, but so much money to buy it. And as this new group of mega-millionaires compete to replace another rich guy, Senator Peter Fitzgerald, they bring to the political table interesting symbols of their wealth, their priorities, and their roots.
The symbol of Andy McKenna's senate race is a rubber-coated horseshoe. It was invented by his great-grandfather at the turn of the century to reduce the noise of the hooves on the streets of Chicago.
The 46-year-old McKenna, whose political heroes are President Bush and Ronald Regan, is president of a north suburban paper company started by his father, Andy Sr. who's been on the boards of the Cubs, the Sox, the Bears and the Tribune.
He joins another multi-millionaire republican candidate, Jack Ryan, who gave up a lucrative investment-banking job to teach at Hales Franciscan, an all-black high school on the South Side, and Wednesday, Blair Hull jumped into the democratic senate primary after revealing that he parlayed blackjack winnings in Vegas into a stock company he sold for $530 million.
Two more multi-millionaire republicans may join a race that may not have a single candidate from the scandal-scarred GOP establishment of former governor George Ryan.
As for the democrats. Blair Hull is the only real rich guy. In a field with a lot of better-known politicians who plan to run more traditional campaigns, relying on base and organization along with cash.
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