McKenna in GOP gov’s race and Jim Ryan likely to be next

October 27th, 2009 at 03:36pm Chuck Sweeny

Andy McKenna, who quit the Illinois Republican chairmanship last summer, has joined the race for governor in the February 2010 GOP primary.

McKenna comes with a pre-packaged lieutenant governor running mate, state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine. McKenna says he’s against raising taxes and says the state must make serious spending cuts. According to the Sun-Times he criticized spending $2.5 million on the lieutenant governor’s office even though the post is vacant.

Here’s a hint, Andy. Have your running-mate vow to quit the lite gov’s office if elected — because there’s really nothing for the lite gov to do except wait for the governor to be removed from office  — and then reallocate the lite gov’s budget to debt reduction.

Meanwhile: I expect former attorney general and 2002 Republican governor candidate Jim Ryan to run again for the GOP nomination. He has a website,  www.jimryan2010.com, and on it are printable petitions.

Ryan could have a good shot at the nomination because voters may feel guilty for  snubbing the quiet candidate in 2002. Instead they went for the Elvis-singing, basketball-twirling, fast-talking Rod Blagojevich, and the rest is misery.

Ryan’s web site features a 2002 TV commercial that says, in part, “He’s faced his share of challenges. Some he could prepare for, some he couldn’t. But he never quit, and he never let us down. A man of integrity and strength, a governor who will make us proud. ”

The campaign could re-run that commercial, with the added words,  “Remember what could have been? It still could be. Jim Ryan. For Governor.”

Ryan still has campaign consultant Dan Curry on board.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Elmhurst, another gov candidate, has hired Rockford native Wes Bleed as his communications director. Wes was, until recently, the longtime news director of WGN radio in Chicago.

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