COOK COUNTY - Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison is attempting a first time ever-seen tactic to overrule or undermine all of the Republican Township Committees that chose to endorse counter to his primary picks with a sample ballot that hit mailboxes Friday.
In the mailing, Morrison writes in a small box a comment that leads unknowing Republicans to believe that any other ballots - possibly including local township organization ballots - are illegal:
The mailing is annoying GOP township committeemen that have worked hard to build up their local organizations and help local House and Senate candidates.
Wheeling Township GOP Committeeman Ruth O'Connell told Illinois Review, "This mailing undermines the work we've been doing in Wheeling Township and my authority as a committeeman. We endorsed Jeanne Ives for governor, and because this sample ballot mentions only statewide candidates, it leaves all the down ballot candidates with no party endorsements. This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. Our endorsements and our sample ballots for Wheeling Township GOP stand."
Wheeling Township delivers the largest Republican primary vote in suburban Cook County - a county dominated for the most part by Democrats.
IR asked Chairman Morrison if ballots like these were to be ignored:
Leading up to the primary, Morrison made his endorsement of the Rauner slate his own and did not refer to a consensus of county party leaders. He received a check for $25,000 for the county organization from the Rauner campaign through the Illinois Republican Party, as have many other local organizations. (CLARIFICATION: Cook County GOP endorsed Rauner after Morrison's personal endorsement, as indicated HERE.)
Morrison lists as his top of the ballot picks the Rauner Party slate: Bruce Rauner for governor, Evelyn Sanguinetti for lieutenant governor, Erika Harold for attorney general, Jason Holland for secretary of state, Darlene Senger for comptroller and Jim Dodge for treasurer.
Illinois Review asked Morrison for a comment. We'll also ask his plans to bring unity to the county GOP organizations on March 21st.
More to come throughout the weekend.
