* From a prominent Toi Hutchinson supporter, sent a day after Sen. Napoleon Harris dropped out of the 2nd Congressional District special primary race…
Napoleon’s wallet mattered in this race, not Napoleon himself. He has little profile to move voters Robin’s way. He is now a marginal figure in the race at most.
The person most negatively affected by Napoleon’s departure is Halvorson, who needed Napoleon to spend money to gobble up black voters. That won’t happen now.
Robin has been running around town for 6 weeks telling donors the key to her win strategy was Bloomberg attacking both Halvorson and Toi on guns. That hasn’t happened yet and may not happen at all. She also moved heaven and earth to get her former boss Toni to endorse her, a key tactical goal. Instead Preckwinlke, who is the only endorser who has real name ID, went against her CoS and picked Toi Hutchinson.
So both strategically and tactically, Robin and Debbie each had a bad week.
Toi, on the other hand, had a good week. The Toni endorsement and Toni burning up the phone lines is already giving her a big financial bounce. That is a huge tactical victory and it helps the strategic strength for Toi, who is the only candidate who gets both white and black votes in a significant way. If she wins, having a geographic base and winning white and black votes will be the two main reasons why she won.
Agreed that Hutchinson had a pretty darned good week. However, Harris’ exit means that Frank Zuccarelli’s Thornton Township organization is now freed up to back Kelly. Not sure if that’ll happen, but it’s the only place he’d go.
* The money totals…
Robin Kelly reported total receipts of $200,000 and about $198,000 cash on hand.
Toi Hutchinson reported a total of $135,000 in receipts and $129,637 cash on hand.
Debbie Halvorson reported $50,000 in receipts and $44,000 cash on hand. The total includes a $25,000 loan to herself. Note: this may be updated, according to the campaign, following a “big fund-raiser” last night. Stay tuned.
Anthony Beale reported just shy of $50,000 — though the filing only shows $5,000 in contributions, including from Tom Dart and Ed Burke’s committees. There’s $44,000 in unitemized contributions. That means he’s saying almost all his donations came in amounts less than $200. A Beale spokeswoman is getting back on this. He had about $44,000 cash on hand.
Kinda meaningless because those reported totals are as of December 31st. They’ve all been raising cash since then.
* This is an interesting development. Kos hisself just endorsed Robin Kelly…
Kelly is perfect on our Orange to Blue Candidate Questionnaire, which is to be assumed in this district. But who could’ve predicted that we’d get a very real chance to deal a blow to the NRA, in this turf, at this time?
We need to tear the NRA out of Congress, not strengthen its influence. Bloomberg’s anti-gun Super PAC is already softening up the frontrunner, former Rep. Debbie Halverson. We can and should do our part to join the effort.
You want real gun reform? Make the NRA radioactive.
* And speaking of guns, from an NBC5 interview with Ald. Anthony Beale…
Q: What kind of guns do you own?
A: A 30-.06 rifle, and 1187 Remington shotgun, and a 9 millimeter Glock. As aldermen, were legally allowed to carry [handguns]. I don’t carry, but under the city ordinance and the state law, we have the right to carry a concealed weapon.
Q: Do you think the entire state should pass that law?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: Why not? If it’s OK for aldermen, why not the general public.
A: An alderman is a sworn peace officer, and we have to go through 40 hours training in order to obtain the license. I’ve even taken 20 hours additional training.
LIVE session coverage...
- Ahoy! - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:13 pm:
–An alderman is a sworn peace officer, and we have to go through 40 hours training–
Wasn’t there a proposal for concealed-carry to only have 4 hours of training? Looks like 40 should be the minimum required.
- Leave a Light on George - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:16 pm:
Just because you can or do carry a weapon it doesn’t make you a sworn peace officer. A peace officer has the power of arrest.
- The Captain - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:17 pm:
Did Hutchinson win the week?
No.
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:19 pm:
Overall, quite a good week for the Senator. But Kelly keeps scrappin’, and the (former) Conresswoman Halvorson holding her own, hung tough in debate, and the only candidate I’m aware of who’s gained enough prominent NATional attention that a Super PAC keeps nailing away at her on their TV commercial every night this past week in Chicagoland…the race remains particularly enthralling to follow.
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:20 pm:
That was ConGresswoman. Please pardon the typo.
- reformer - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:21 pm:
Beale’s rank hypocrisy ought to turn off voters on both sides of concealed carry. He wants special treatment for Chicago pols that suburban village trustees don’t get, much less the general public.
- Todd - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:28 pm:
Aldermen are consider conservators of the peace and are deemed to be law enforcement officers, with the power of arrest. I haven’t looked at the statute in a while.
But it doesn’t surprise me that he thinks Aldercreatures are some sort of Lords to look out over the serfs for them to provide with office and privledge.
What I find interesting is that anti-gun types are making this race as if it were the 18th or some real downstate race. The seat has been anti-gun for ever, just held by a hypocrite who got his FOID revoked for going in for a menatal health stay and buying his guns, including scary so called assault rifles from a south side gun shop.
Talk about low expectations, if they have to fight to keep the Second in their column they gots real issues.
- Amalia - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:29 pm:
hurry up and get on to other things, Dems. you got this one, and it looks like the Mass Senate special will go Dems way now that Scott Brown will not run. eyes, and money, on other things…..taking over Texas, gun safety regulations, immigration reform……
- railrat - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:42 pm:
Todd if I’m not mistaken the “conservators of the peace” is a application and approved process not by virtue of office title…now wouldnt it be interestiing to cross section the “creatures” in the city and just see who(m) is in legal compliance ??? wasn’t there issue with former alderwoman Tillman and her “packing heat”?
- Quinn T. Sential - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:52 pm:
Isn’t Zuccarelli on the Cook County payroll somewhere?
- Been There - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:53 pm:
===who is the only candidate who gets both white and black votes in a significant way.===
I would think Robin would pick up a lot of white support. She represented a lot of white areas when she was a rep and she is somewhat known in other areas because of the treasurers race. And remember some of these voters that get dragged out by their committeemen are clueless and will gravitate toward a name. And I imagine some of the clueless whites will make the wrong assumption that Kelly is like them.
Also Halvorson is well known in the Kankakee area where she will pick up some black votes because of name recognition.
- Been There - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 3:57 pm:
===Isn’t Zuccarelli on the Cook County payroll somewhere?===
He was a paid member of the Cook County Employee Appeals Board. Not sure if he is still on there. He is the township supervisor and gets paid over $100k for that gig unlike most of the other sups who get a lot less.
- Let me get this straight - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:03 pm:
Toi wins week..no! She is endorsed by group of senators and pastors who are outside 2nd CD! While Kelly gets endorsement of every senator who cover 2nd CD!!
- bored now - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:09 pm:
did toi win the week? no. robin kelly is definitely the big winning. she raised the most money and has gained the support of the two candidates who dropped out of the race (both state senators, btw)…
- bored now - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:11 pm:
Been There: hmmm, i believe that toni preckwinkle cut frank zuccarelli’s pay for his cook county service…
- 47th Ward - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:16 pm:
I was in Jamaica drinking rum and smoking Cuban cigars until Wednesday, so I definitely am in the running for winning the first half of the week.
From what I understand, Fritchey is still out there on a yacht in the Caribbean, which if accurate, clearly makes him the winner of the week.
- Knifefighter - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:33 pm:
The Captain–
That was articulately and succinctly expressed. How can you argue with such brilliant logic?
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:45 pm:
I was surprised to hear Beale shout, “Are there any Christians in the audience?” during the debate at Rich South even though he followed closely with, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”
His point was supposedly to suggest that though he may be less recognizable than a few of the other candidates, he will rise to the top.
I’d rather not have candidates asking voters to identify their religious affiliation during debates and programs meant to gather their support.
Appeals to shared religious beliefs makes it too easy for candidates to avoid stating specific proposals to solve the problems facing their constituents in the natural, rather than supernatural, world.
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:51 pm:
@ Been There — “I imagine some of the clueless whites will make the wrong assumption that Kelly is like them…”
Do you mean blacks aren’t like whites and one shouldn’t vote for the other??
Whites can only vote for Halvorson and Blacks can not vote for Halvorson?
- Todd - Friday, Feb 1, 13 @ 4:58 pm:
47th — you’re right you win the fist half of the week.
But I’m going to the tavern Now. enough for one week.