Surus is Born: How a Consulting Firm Profits from Republican Losses

Illinois Republican Figure Barrett Davie Profits Millions from Party Setbacks

Much of the Illinois Republican election effort depends on local Political Party Committees (PPCs), often overseen by township committeemen.

At least 32 of these local committees rely on a consulting firm called "Surus," which frequently ranks as their top expense.

These same committees often list a PAC called “Citizen Farmers Combine PAC” as their top donor.

Shields Township Donors.

Leaked documents from the Palatine Township Republican Organization reveal a troubling financial connection between Surus and the Citizen Farmers Combine PAC, raising serious questions about the potential misuse of a political action committee.

Leaked Surus Contract Proposal

Facebook / Barrett Davie (Left) Former Congressman Bob Dold (Right)

Barrett Davie and Surus: The Center of Controversy

Barrett Davie, a former congressional candidate, stands at the center of this operation. Despite spending over $1.3 million dollars, Davie managed to secure just 36.8% of the vote.

Benjamin Salzberg, the previous Republican candidate who ran for state Senate against Julie Morrison, spent less than $50,000 and secured over 4% more of the vote than Davie.

Davie's mixed message as an "independent Republican" likely failed to resonate with voters. He supported Highland Park's strict gun control laws, steered clear of discussing President Trump, and opposed abortion restrictions..

Whether his lukewarm platform failed to resonate with voters or his priorities lay elsewhere, Davie appeared more focused on building a business empire than on winning elections.

Surus is Born

After losing the Senate, Barrett Davie started a PAC called Citizen Farmers Combine PAC, which would subsidize the launch of Surus, a self-described “political startup.”

Surus is led by Davie and co-founded by his young campaign staffer, Marko Suckovich.

Facebook / Marko Suckovic (front left), Barret Davie (Back Right)

The operation is primarily staffed by recent inexperienced college graduates.

Relatively new to the Surus team is Jeff Fiedler, a notable figure with an intriguing background. Fiedler is a legend in the world of youth marching bands, having led the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps to seven Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships. His achievements earned him a place in the DCI Hall of Fame.

After 16 years with the all-male Cavaliers, Fiedler abruptly left before the 2007 season. He later resurfaced with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps.

While we caution readers against jumping to conclusions based on unfounded rumors, Fiedler's sudden departure raised eyebrows within the drum corps community.

Drum corps drama aside, insiders in Illinois politics have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Fiedler holds leadership positions organizations that are Surus clients, including the Chicago GOP, raising questions about whether Surus secures partnerships through patronage rather than merit.

Surus’ Disastrous Election Track Record

Founded in 2019 with the goal of revitalizing the Illinois Republican Party into a serious opposition force, Surus has instead overseen substantial Republican losses. Historically Republican areas like Kane county have shifted markedly toward Democrats under Surus management.

Some Surus clients, such as the Chicago GOP and Northwest Side GOP, have essentially abandoned competitive strategies. They no longer field candidates in many races; notably, there wasn’t a single Republican judicial candidate in approximately 30 judicial contests. When the Chicago GOP does endorse candidates, they are often openly aligned with the Democratic Party, including high-profile figures like Paul Vallas.

Surus profits in Republican loss

Candidates backed by Surus rarely find success, and this election was no exception.

In the most recent cycle, Surus supported Hannah Billingsley and Desi Anderson for state representative, Mary Cole for Lake County State’s Attorney, Ben Grump for Lake County Board, and Andy Dalkin for another board seat. All five candidates suffered resounding defeats.

In the 2022 election, Surus managed two separate U.S. Congressional campaigns: Jeanne Ives in District 6 and Esther Joy King. Both candidates lost, but Surus collected over $119,000 from the two campaigns. Statewide, Surus also worked on Gary Rabine’s gubernatorial campaign. Although Rabine failed to finish in the top three during the primary, Surus still pocketed over $114,000 from the effort.

Gary Rabine for GovernorExpenditrues.

More troubling is Surus' role in the defeat of four Republican incumbents: Chris Bos, Greg Hart, Mark Luft, and Jack Vrett all lost their reelection bids. This is a startling failure, given that incumbents enjoy a reelection rate of up to 97%.

One of Surus’s rare victories, Tim Ozinga’s state representative campaign, is hardly a success story, as Ozinga ran unopposed in 2022.

Ozinga recently stepped down after a staffer sent sexually inappropriate images to multiple state legislators.

Surus’ electoral missteps bear significant responsibility for the Illinois Republicans’ current super-minority status.

The Business Model of Losing

While Surus’ electoral performance has been disastrous, its business has thrived. Since 2022, the company has generated at least $2.5 million in revenue. After paying out $850,000 to their customers through Citizen Farmers Combine PAC, Surus still cleared at least $1.65 million in profit.

Leaked contracts suggest that Surus may have another significant source of revenue. These contracts indicate that Surus retains ownership of all data it collects.

While Surus is paid by GOP clubs, it also generates valuable assets from the unpaid labor of these clubs’ volunteers. Surus leverages this volunteer work to harvest data, further enhancing its revenue potential.

As likely the largest holder of Illinois Republican club data, Surus stands to maximize profits by selling this data to the highest bidder, including political opponents. Any revenue generated from selling Republican data would not appear in election finance reports. It’s plausible that figures like J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Democrats would be willing to significantly overpay for valuable, active Republican data.

Murky Ownership and Allegations

The ownership of Surus remains opaque. Davie has stated that all investors are bound by NDAs, preventing them from disclosing their involvement. Interestingly, Davie himself claims he cannot confirm whether he holds equity in the company.

One known investor, former gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine, described his investment in Surus as “one of the worst investment I ever made.”

In a phone call, Rabine suggested that Surus may have improperly shared his campaign data with a rival Gubernatorial Candidate.

While Citizen Farmers Combine Pac shields some donor identities through an entity called “Citizen Farmers C4 LLC,” most donors are public. The list includes prominent party figures like former Party Chair Don Tracy, current Party Chair Kathy Salvi, and RNC Committeeman Dean White—a who’s who of Illinois Republican leadership.

Surus can make more from a failing Republican Party

Counties that have avoided Surus, such as McHenry County, have managed to maintain or even expand their Republican leads. From both an efficiency and public trust standpoint, it’s clear that the Illinois GOP would benefit from cutting ties with Surus.

However, the party’s leadership may have different priorities.

As illustrated in Mel Brooks' classic movie The Producers, Illinois Republican leaders may stand to make more money and retain more control with a losing party than with a winning one.

If the Illinois GOP began winning again, it could attract more attention, leading to investigations and scrutiny of the party’s questionable practices. The catch-22 is that if Surus were to succeed, it could prompt objective analysis that may ultimately lead to their dismissal.