By Ulysses Arn -
Robo-calls in the 9th and 16th congresional districts, as well as parts of Lake County, hint that Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) could be considering a 2014 bid for Governor.
Tuesday night, Republicans in those Illinois districts began getting robo-calls that asked first about the four current Republican candidates seeking the nomination for Governor, then whether the person would support Kinzinger if he ran for Governor.
Given how relatively late in the GOP nomination process it is, there is little probability that Kinzinger will actually jump into the 2014 Governor's race, and it is difficult to determine who or what group is behind the calls and the questions.
Some speculation is that perhaps Bill Brady, Dan Rutherford, Kirk Dillard, or Bruce Rauner is trying to determine interest in Kinzinger joining their ticket as a candidate for Lt. Governor.
There is also the possibility, if Kinzinger is involved with the robo-calls, that the congressman or people are nervous about a primary next spring, given that Rockford Tea Party coordinator David Hale has strongly suggested he may challenge Kinzinger. There is talk that at least one other highly recognized and nationally known Republican in the 16th CD is interested in doing the same. My sources confirm Kinzinger would only face one primary challenger and not both.
Some in the 16th suggest that the robo-call is part of an effort to find another office Kinzinger could run for. Then again this whole thing could be just a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Time will tell us what's what.
