By DOUG IBENDAHL • November 8, 2013
Governor Pat Quinn isn’t the only one who likes Paul Vallas. Some may recall that several GOP officials tried to recruit Vallas to run as a Republican for Cook County Board President in the 2010 election. At least one Republican official reportedly even thought Vallas would make a fine Republican Governor.
The “draft Vallas” effort, led by then-State GOP Chair Andy McKenna, then-Cook County GOP Chair Lee Roupas, then-House Minority Leader Tom Cross and then-State Senator Dan Cronin was of course a complete failure. Vallas declined all Republican entrées and at the time described himself as a “conservative Democrat.”
Here is what we had to say back on February 5, 2009, about the GOP’s Vallas recruitment drive: The “new face” of the Illinois GOP says he’s still a Democrat.
It will be interesting to see if the Republicans who loved Vallas in 2009 will be changing their tune in 2014.
Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.
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