Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus went on a local talk show in Wisconsin, UpFront with Mike Gousha, and said that Republicans should make a play for states like Illinois.
Well, the "golden boy" of the Illinois Republicans, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL-18), who is currently considering whether or not to mount a run for Governor of Illinois, is deep in hot water thanks to allegations that Schock broke federal campaign finance laws, in fact, the Office of Congressional Ethics has recommended a full probe into Schock's alleged ethics violations.
In short, Schock goaded House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA-7) into donating $25,000 from Cantor's own SuperPAC, ERIC PAC, to the Campaign for Primary Accountability, which backed Adam Kinzinger in an 2012 incumbent-versus-incumbent primary against Donald Manzullo in IL-16, which Kinzinger narrowly won.
Also, another prominent Illinois Republican, Rodney Davis, who just got elected to Congress in 2012 in IL-13, narrowly defeating Democratic candidate David Gill in a race in which both official campaigns, as well as Democratic and Republican outside groups, spent an obscene amount of money, has been named as a "non-cooperating witness" in the Schock probe. Davis is no stranger to Illinois political corruption, as he was on the secret clout list of disgraced former Gov. George Ryan, and, by the way, Ryan is also a Republican.
Illinois Republicans have a golden opportunity to make 2014 a big year: Quinn is wildly unpopular, the Democrats in the General Assembly are unpopular, but, mark my words, the Illinois GOP will find some way to blow it.
This is a wake up call to Illinois Democrats: Let's get in gear now!