Next election cycles already begun, even though this one ain’t over yet!

As you read this Tuesday, votes are being gathered in the primary elections. We definitely don’t know yet who won.

We haven't even had the ...

And anybody who says they already know is either a liar, or a lucky guesser.

BUT THAT DOESN’T mean there aren’t people out there already engaged in plans to run for office in a future election cycle. We’re not even through the current cycle yet, and the new ones are already underway.

 

... Rauner/Pritzker brawl yet, but ...

It’s no wonder we seem to be in a never-ending political mode – with somebody always trying to garner our support in the form of us making our symbolic mark on a ballot for them to hold office.

I couldn’t help but notice the message in my e-mail box Monday morning reminding me of the existence of William J. Kelly. He’s a conservative ideologue pundit who has dreams that the people will someday pick him to hold a political post.

He’s never more than a fringe candidate, but he doesn’t give up.

... William Kelly already has presumptuous photos of himself in the governor's office.

NOW, HE’S SAYING he’s running for governor. As in he wants to be on the Nov. 6 general election ballot as a political independent.

As Kelly says it, he played nice and stepped aside from running in the Republican primary proper so that state Sen. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, could have a one-on-one political brawl with Gov. Bruce Rauner.

She definitely has gained the support of the political ideologues, but whether it will be enough to win the primary is questionable. It’s likely that she has weakened Rauner as a candidate, who will manage to win Tuesday by the slimmest of margins.

Garry McCarthy has mayoral dreams, ...

But Kelly envisions that once Ives is defeated this week, he can step in as the conservative alternative to Rauner in the general election. Whether that will mean much of anything is uncertain. He could easily become the guy who takes 1 percent voter support in a Rauner/Pritzker brawl – or whichever other Democrat manages to win that primary election.

YET THAT’S NOT even the most forward-looking political fantasy to be offered up. News reports indicated that one-time Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy will say officially this week that he’ll be a candidate for Chicago mayor come the 2019 municipal election cycle.

It seems McCarthy is still peeved that Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants him to take the fall for the shooting death of a teenage boy by a Chicago police officer – one whose criminal charges for murder are still pending.

Emanuel is going to face some serious opposition from people offended by the police conduct who want Rahm himself to take the blame for the death of Laquan McDonald.

... as does Paul Vallas

Somehow, I think the kind of people who would most willingly support McCarthy are the people completely opposite – as in they want to believe that McDonald brought his fate upon himself.

THIS WILL BE a campaign issue, and McCarthy isn’t alone. Tech entrepreneur Neal Sales-Griffin has said he wants to replace Emanuel come the municipal elections to be held in February and April of 2019. While one-time Chicago Public Schools CEO and nationally-known educational consultant Paul Vallas supposedly also is contemplating a bid for mayor.

To the point where he already has moved from his long-time home in suburban Crestwood and moved with his wife, Sharon, to a residence in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Thereby establishing city residency so he could run for the mayoral post.

2020 and Trump arrogance will be here soon

We haven’t even begun the likely Rauner/Pritzker political brawl of this year, and yet there are those who already are looking forward to an Emanuel/Vallas/McCarthy fight for votes.

And if that isn’t bad enough, consider that it will be followed up in 2020 by what will be an unnaturally-bloody brawl for president, as Donald J. Trump goes all out to try to convince the history books that his 2016 election wasn’t the ultimate political fluke.

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