Friday, December 4, 2009

Rauschenberger not republican enough to run on GOP ticket?

Steven Rauschenberger, a leading conservative voice in the Illinois GOP, may be kicked off the ballot for not being "republican" enough (from the Daily Herald):

In the latest bizarre chapter of Illinois' thick history of kicking candidates off the ballot, Rauschenberger could lose his spot in the GOP primary because he pulled a Democratic ballot for February's local elections...

That is because Rauschenberger pulled a Democratic ballot in April's primary to support his sister's bid for a trustee post in Elgin Township.

The theory goes that because Rauschenberger most recently voted Democratic, he can't legitimately run as a Republican in the primary.

Ironically, the wrinkle in Illinois law came about partly because a suburban Republican incumbent challenged a Democratic opponent's party credentials in a 2008 general election race.


A little background could be useful to help you make sense of the article. Rauschenberger was a State Senator for 14 years representing the Elgin area. He opted to run for Lt. Governor in 2006 when his senate seat was also up for re-election, effectively retiring his senate seat. Rauschenberger lost the primary election for Lt. Governor and decided to run again for his old senate seat, currently held by a Democrat.

I am doing some research on this issue as it is fascinating, and I will update you soon.

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