With only three weeks until the primary, Republican 12th District congressional candidate Gail Kohlmeier has fired three quarters of her campaign staff following an attempt to acquire the Chicago Tribune endorsement.

Newly appointed co-campaign manager Mark Urbin confirmed the move Monday.

Me and this other guy are running the campaign now. Everything is going a whole lot better, he said.

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The other guy is Brian Newton, who was not available for comment, but according to Urbin was aiding in cleanup efforts. Affected by the recent downsizing in staff were, among others, Kohlmeier’s chief strategist Mike Holt, a consultant from North Carolina and former campaign chairman Jeff Naami. Both, according to Urbin, were partly to blame for failing to return a questionnaire sent by the Chicago Tribune during the newspaper’s endorsement process.

The publication printed their endorsement of Kohlmeier’s primary opponent and Belleville orthopedic surgeon Bill Price on Monday, citing his moderate-conservative political views and experience he’s a physician as the two key elements in their decision.

Kohlmeier’s firings seem to characterize her campaign to this point, a campaign struggling to find a winning formula in its effort to upend an opponent whose name recognition has him soaring in recent polls. Price’s name recognition stems from his father, the immensely popular former Rep. Mel Price, D-Ill.

Urbin is adamant the recent turmoil has not steered the campaign off course, and said Kohlmeier’s message remains consistent. That message however is opponent-centered. Rather than focusing on the issues, Kohlmeier consistently has attacked Price for his long-time service in the Democratic party.

There’s no issue-oriented anything going on in this campaign if you’ve noticed, Urbin said. Our message is that Bill Price is a Democrat. He’s not a Republican. Gail Kohlmeier’s the only Republican in this race. She’s also the only conservative in this race. It’s pretty clear.

Price’s Democratic ties seemingly have not affected his campaign, as polls show his lead over Kohlmeier at about 25 percentage points. Campaign manager Stephanie Tebow says Price, unlike Kohlmeier, has targeted important issues such as tax reform and education, and subsequently has gained the momentum needed to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Jerry Costello in November. Tebow dismissed Kohlmeier’s attacks, merely asserting Price’s strong conservative views.

As for Kohlmeier’s staff problems, Tebow said:It’s unfortunate for any campaign to have to go through that. You just have to decide what’s best for the campaign and act on it. Beyond that, we don’t really have any comment.

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Though Price has touted tax reform as the major issue this year, he has scrapped his original proposal, which called for a flatter two rate income tax:60 percent for those receiving welfare benefits and 40 percent for those independent of government aid. Price now backs a one-rate flat tax at 20 percent.

Tebow could not explain the reason for the switch, saying he’s been working on it and reforming it. It is a similar proposal, though.

I’d rather not quote a bunch of numbers, because he’s still working on it.