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* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Campaign Staffer - Illinois Senate Democrats is a tie. Kevin Romo and Dana Stoerger with the Doris Turner campaign…
They were an incredible team and pulled off an amazing feat for Sen. Turner. I don’t think she could have won without them by her side. They didn’t take no for an answer when things got tough. They made you feel welcome and supported anytime you walked into their offices.
That was one amazing win.
* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Campaign Staffer - Illinois House Democrats goes to Craig Willert…
Craig Willert developed a strategy to win 78 seats. He’s the Republican slayer. People questioned the Dems decision to go on broadcast and to focus solely on abortion issues, but that gamble paid off. Craig knows how to develop and execute a winning plan. He also knows his limitations and has always given his trusted sidekick, Kylie Kelly, the opportunity to grow and show her real talents. I feel sorry for the GOP in 2024 because Kylie is going to crush it.
He also had a big hand in drawing the winning map.
* On to today’s categories…
Best campaign staffer - Illinois Senate Republicans
Please nominate in both categories if you can, and don’t forget to explain your votes. Thanks.
* After you cast your ballot with your explanations, please click here and donate to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois so they can buy presents for foster kids like these…
Thanks to a generous donation from former state Sen. Susan Garrett, we’re now above $19,000 raised. Just remember, though, that the average gift price is $25, so every little bit helps. Thanks!
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:20 am
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Senate Republican- Brent Ellis, Always goes above and beyond to help our Republican candidates. He led the charge to get Erica Harris elected this cycle in the Metro East.
Comment by Downstate Republican Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:24 am
Brent Ellis hands down deserves the award for Senate Republicans. The dude is a gentleman and a scholar. He is one of the most genuine hardworkers you’ll ever meet and, of course, got the GOP their only pickup… and first Senate pickup in how long? I guess I’d say Stephen Stewart for the House. He will be a rising star for these folks moving forward.
Comment by Ainsley Hayes Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:39 am
Senate GOP- Brent Ellis. Not much success for the underperforming caucus in 2022, but Mr. Ellis once again provided a small bright spot with his victory for Erica Harris. Ellis a native of Indiana has quickly become the master of the metro east. Time and time again Ellis gets it done.
House GOP- Stephen Stewart. Tough times for the HGOP but this young man is going places.
Comment by PestLobbyist Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:45 am
Senate GOP- Mr. Brent Ellis who helped lead Erica Harris to victory and actually flipped a seat in a dismal year for Republicans. He has once again demonstrated that he can get the job done and outworks everyone.
Comment by Braidwood Billy Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:56 am
Without a doubt for Sen GOP, the nominee should be Brent Ellis. He consistently gets the tough races and provides a bright spot for the GOP in elections, this year, his was the lone one.
Comment by Notorious JMB Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:23 am
In a roller coaster cycle with re-map and ever changing Primary goal posts; any young Republican Staffer that gave their time to the effort this year should be acknowledged. Republicans across the State were outspent in some cases 5:1, out flanked by Roe Wade and weighted down by the weakest top of the ticket since, well, I don’t remember when. It’s not that easy to be a Republican in Illinois these days and it’s hard to see our Party gain ground in the future without the Staff that does all the work.
Senate: Brent Ellis is the standout win in the Senate flipping the long coveted Metro East District once held together by the Democrat’s Sen. Crowe and before that the very popular Senator Bill Haine. Democrat roots run deep in this District and Brents’ years of experience kept that race moving forward with no unforced errors.
Honorable Mention: Matt Butcher who fought huge headwinds being outspend by close to $3 million.
House: Zach Emberton for his work in DuPage County and specifically on the Mazzochi’s post election efforts at the Clerks. Its hard enough to run out the tape in these battle ground districts but the post election work takes a true professional to stay focused and follow through. Zach’s got my vote.
Comment by Another Vote! Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:34 am
Mark Revis for House republicans. He ran and won a county board seat in Will County while managing several races for HRM. Was in the fight himself and did a solid job for the organization.
Comment by 28th Ward Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:42 am
I’ve known Brent since he so graciously came up to DuPage in 2020 following the General to help Auditor Bob Grogan with repairing ballots. He stayed on to help the cause. It was a razor thin Election. He is an honorable gentleman, with many many years of experience. This year, he stood on top of the heap, coming out of 2022 with the only victory for the Senate R’s in the metro east with Erica Harriss.
Comment by The Duke of DuPage Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:45 am
Matt Butcher for Senate. Hamilton came an inch short but Butcher, as always, ran a hard hitting campaign. He knows how to put his head down, get his candidate on the system, and push through the finish line.
Comment by CubsFan16 Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:18 am
Matt Butcher - a great operative who was outspent by a large margin and still came very close. Always runs a great operation and is always willing to help everyone out. Matt also does a fantastic job of mentoring younger people who want to get involved and is always willing to show them how to do things. He is a team player and the senate is lucky to have him.
Jayme Siemer: Jayme always outworks everyone and has done an amazing job leading HRM with literally almost everything stacked against her and the HRM candidates. She is a great operative and a great person.
Comment by Captain Question Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:26 am
Illinois Senate Republicans - Brent Ellis
Besides being a consummate gentleman and professional, Brent knows the craft of campaign work far better than most. Knows that field work is the backbone of any successful campaign, he had a wonderful group of interns and allowed Erica to shine in every venue.
Illinois House Republicans - Stephen Stewart
Dude has worked three campaign cycles while going to school, I can barely operate on fumes for any campaign.
Comment by Revolver Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:40 am
In watching the last few election cycles it is apparent the House and Senate GOP need to utilize their old timers again! I nominate Nick Bellini and Nick McNeely. They were a great team together in house campaigns and would be a force to be reckoned with if utilized for both chambers!
Comment by Forgotten one Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 12:06 pm
I think Timmy Pawula can be a nominee for either. He managed several candidates on both the House and Senate sides. He was responsible for bringing Sen. Hastings deep blue district within 1%. He also managed Jackie Haas in a race that should have been a closer redistricting race and blew it out of the water due to his previous work in that district.
Comment by Transplant Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 12:10 pm
Illinois House GOP — Jayme Siemer. Nobody works harder, nobody knows more about Illinois, and nobody cares more: both about the job itself and about the people she works with. She deserves all the praise and credit in the world, even though she’d probably try to deflect both.
Comment by DiersenDisciple Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:03 pm
Timmy Pawula is by far the hardest working man in Republican politics. He expects a hard days work from his candidates and staff because he puts in a hard days work. Personally I don’t think he sleeps during election season. Timmy and his team went toe to toe with the SW Suburban Democratic Machine and almost landed the knockout blow to a 10 year long sitting Senator Mike Hastings who had not been challenged in a decade and in a map specifically drawn for Sen Hastings.
Timmy also engineered the run away victory that Jackie Haas brought home to the 79th House District.
Timmy also flipped the Will County Board to an even tie between Republicans and Democrats in a very heavily gerrymandered map that looked to put Republicans in the permanent Super Minority. Timmy also contributed to the Republican flip of the Superintendent of Schools in Will County.
Timmy is quirky, but cool under pressure; he says it like it is, no matter if you want to hear it or not; he is a short man but his confidence makes him very imposing.
There is no person in Republican politics that I would rather go to war with than Timmy Pawula! LFG!
Comment by Lord of Lockport Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:50 pm
Illinois Senate Republican: Matt Butcher. He might have been outspent but he wasn’t outworked. He is a team player and understands the process. One of the best in the business.
Illinois House Republican: Stephen Stewart. For his age, he is one of the smartest people in Illinois politics. He’s a very hard worker and has a bright future ahead of him.
Comment by Blues Fan 12 Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:59 pm
Illinois Senate GOP- Matt Butcher is a skilled politcal operative. Matt only knows how to work hard and got Hamilton very close this past cycle. Matt is a great mentor to young operatives in Republican politics. The senate is better with Matt Butcher.
Comment by chatham young republican Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:04 pm
For Senate GOP - The Beast of the Metro East, Brent Ellis. As someone who has observed and worked in IL politics for quite some time, his experience there has paid off. He got Erica Conway Harriss elected in a district that hasn’t elected a Republican in decades. As the ONLY SRO operative with a flip this cycle, Brent Ellis has more than earned the Golden Horseshoe award.
Honorable Mention - Matt Butcher. Great guy, great field team. Worked on two very difficult races this cycle. Keep on keeping on.
House GOP- Stephen Stewart. This young man has accomplished quite a lot in a short amount of time rising through the ranks and doing so through raw, unfettered competence.
Comment by Round Earther Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 4:26 pm
I realize I didn’t nominate for the House. My Senate pick is Brent Ellis (see above). I’d say Jayme for the house but she won the Golden Horseshoe last year, so with that in mind, I’d feel comfortable submitting Mark Revis, who unbeknownst to me was also a candidate in Will County while running candidates in DuPage, so the dude must’ve been all campaign all the time! I couldn’t imagine.
Comment by The Duke of DuPage Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 4:29 pm
For House Republicans- Jayme Siemer. Unprecedented challenges come with unprecedented responsibilities. Jayme kept focus with the most candidates in 50 years. With terrible top of ticket headwinds at face, she was collected, kind, and persistently focused on keeping on message, despite being outspent vastly. Honorable mention to Stephen Stewart and Mark Revis- both talented rising stars.
For Senate Republicans- Brent Ellis and Matt Butcher. Both exemplary strategists and hard workers.
Comment by Museum Mouse Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 5:29 pm
I second the Bellini/Mcneely recommendation. Bring back the Angel of death. For now my vote goes to Nick Ncneely.
Comment by Naples Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 5:43 pm
Senate GOP Brent Ellis because he made a huge flip, that was a hard race to win and for HRM Mark Revis for being a candidate and a staffer and completing all his tasks with unmatched competence within that organization.
Comment by Campaign Creature Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 5:49 pm
SGOP: Brent Ellis. The professionalism, grassroots attitude, hustle, and ability to work with those who the boys-club crowd would rather avoid made him the perfect choice to help Erika get across the finish line. Every race he works, he is there to get the job done. That’s it. It was a daunting task. His competency along with Erika being a fantastic candidate has finally succeeded in convincing a majority of people in that district they deserve someone who genuinely shares their values…not a string of DINOs who get permission to break role from Democrat leadership enough times to make the right strategic votes to survive. That’s over, and its a beautiful thing.
HGOP: Zach Emberton. Standup guy, was in a tough spot and gave it everything he had, till the end…actually, after the end as well. He embodied dedication this cycle.
Comment by Space Cowboy Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 7:22 pm
Timmy Pawula takes on races and moves margins that would win any race the republicans in both the house and senate play in, and he does it with no money. Every other race that was close or just made it over had millions poured in. Timmy begged for $100k and was never given a dime. If he had half the resources some of the “competitive races” get, he would have no problem winning in any part of the state. He does more with less, and as stated above, he won everything he touches and JUST came short of beating out Hastings, who also outspent Sheehan by at least $1mil. He moved that 13 points and won the EV in Will County at 61%. That race was his first loss ever. There is not a better overall political talent for the republican party than Timmy Pawula, and he should win at least the Senate winner, but probably both.
Comment by Campaign Stan Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 7:37 pm
For senate GOP: My nomination goes to Matthew Butcher, he was handed an uphill battle from the start. To come within the margin Sandy Hamilton’s race did can be attributed to a lot of the work Butcher did. He knows competitive races and the execution through that tier 1 Senate race was exciting from start to finish thanks to Butcher.
House GOP: My nomination goes to Jayme Siemer. The hours I’ve personally seen Jayme put into HRM is incredible. She’s the type of person that lays it all out on the field year after year. Given the climate of this election cycle, she was able to keep peace between most of the caucus and lessen any potential infighting. She is one of the most valuable assets to the Illinois Republican Party.
Comment by Unread Messages Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 7:44 pm
Rich, first thank you for your annual drive for lutheran services. Your work is invaluable.
First, I’d like to nominate Matt Butcher for SGOP staffer (hard stop). SDems have infinite dollars and that race was a true blood bath because of self-inflicted candidate wounds.
It wasn’t the result sgop wanted, but showed how map drawing brings results.
Second, I’d like to nominate Zach Emberton for the house gop…what can I say…anyone who can sit in the clerk’s basement for three weeks with Rep. Mazzochi and watch ballots being opened…well…he deserves something more than a Golden Horseshoe.
Zach is a mechanic turned attorney. He knows what makes DuPage tick and he is one of the last guys who can run a race…nothing is below him. Putting up signs, taking midnight candidate calls, or rallying volunteers to phones…Zach is Golden.
Comment by Cletus Purcell Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 8:02 pm
For the house nobody is more deserving than Mark Revis. He kept to his work and is humble about his accomplishments. Very commendable.
Comment by Avon Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 8:08 pm
SGOP - Matt Butcher. No one can argue that they know more about that area of Illinois. Butcher is and will hopefully remain an asset for the Sen.
HGOP - Stephen Stewart. He’s been doing great work in one of the GOP’s strong points (metro east) for years. Huge jump up running races up and down the state and he did a superb job.
Comment by Candy Kane County Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 8:45 pm
SGOP- Brent Ellis, nothing like bringing home the W. I agree with everything that’s been said. Illinois GOP is lucky to have him.
HGOP - Jack Ivansek. The first one off staff, I believe, and always ready for a Campaign. Always has a positive attitude and does what ever the campaign/candidate/caucus needs. And all while in lawyering school.
Comment by Pinkerton Detective Tuesday, Dec 6, 22 @ 10:21 am