Dan Proft

Daniel K. Proft (born April 29, 1972) is political commentator, entrepreneur, and a Republican candidate for Illinois Governor in the 2010 election.

Early life
Proft was born in 1972 in Oak Park, Illinois. He was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and attended Benet Academy in Lisle. He graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. and Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree. At Northwestern, Proft co-founded the Northwestern Chronicle, an independent campus newspaper.

Prior to his current gubernatorial campaign, Proft was a Republican consultant working on numerous political campaigns and served in various leadership capacities in state and municipal government since 1994. Most notably, Proft worked on Jack Ryan’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign. When Ryan pulled out of the race, Proft continued to work for his replacement, Alan Keyes. Keyes was defeated by then-State Sen. Barack Obama. Proft is currently a political commentator for WLS-AM 890 radio in Chicago where he shares a weekday show with Bruce Wolf. He regularly contributes to Human Events, School Reform News, the Illinois Policy Institute, and other free-market publications. Additionally, Proft founded Starfish Consulting and serves as its Managing Principal.

2010 Illinois Gubernatorial Election
On April 9, 2009, Proft filed a form D-1, forming a “Proft for Governor” committee. On April 30, Proft formally stepped down from his position as spokesman for the Town of Cicero. In doing so, Proft said: “My decision is based entirely on an opportunity that has presented itself to pursue other professional endeavors.”

On June 23, 2009, Proft announced his candidacy for Governor of Illinois on the “Don Wade & Roma Show” on WLS (AM). Later he spoke to reporters during a press conference at the Chicago Hilton.

Positions on Issues
"Chicago 9" Proft argues that the problems in Illinois stem from a consortium of Chicago Democrats he refers to as the “Chicago 9.” They include: Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Secretary of State Jesse White, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger.

University of Illinois Admissions Scandal In response to the Chicago Tribune’s investigation into the University of Illinois’ admissions scandal, Proft has proposed what he calls a “Merit-Based Opportunity” admissions standard. The proposal would replace an applicant’s name on his or her application with a random identification number with the purpose being that admissions officers would be unable to comply with a request to give preferential treatment to any applicant. Proft rejects calls for resignations, notably a bill sponsored by State Sen. Kirk Dillard, which would fire all the members of the University Board of Trustees.

Illinois Budget Crisis Proft is against tax increases to help balance Illinois’ estimated $11 billion budget shortfall. Rather, Proft argues for statutory spending caps and tax cuts.

Education In his announcement speech, Proft listed Chicago Public Schools as an example of one of Illinois’ “fixed” systems, by which he means that the system is fixed to benefit the teachers unions and politicians. Proft is a proponent of school choice programs and says that Illinois needs to raise the charter school cap.