* I was told not to use this by the Sara Feigenholtz for Congress campaign, but the story about how they got it appears to be false, so I’m gonna use it anyway.
As I told you yesterday, Feigenholtz was slammed in a Fox Chicago report for running a poll that made some false and/or outrageous assertions about two of her opponents in the special election to succeed Rahm Emanuel, Rep. John Fritchey and Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley.
Feigenholtz’s poll claimed, among other things, that Fritchey took money from a mob connected source. The Feigenholtz campaign will not confirm on or even off the record that they ran the poll in question, but from what I can tell it’s obviously theirs.
I asked about what “mob” money Fritchey could’ve taken and was eventually e-mailed this story which they claimed came from a simple Google search…
Fritchey Was One Of Several Politicians To Receive Contributions From PAC Run By Family With Mob Ties And Under Federal Investigation:
In 2005 the Chicago Sun-Times noted that the political action committee of Liquor & Wine Sales Representatives Local 3 had contributed to three Chicago aldermen and three members of the state Legislature, including Fritchey. Local 3 represents around 1,700 liquor distribution workers and others and is run by Patrick Duff and his elder brother, John “Jack” Duff III… [Chicago Sun-Times, 1/31/05]
Trouble is, the above narrative isn’t available on Google. I looked. I also checked Google using various keywords without success. The Sun-Times story likely ran, but it has since apparently disappeared behind the paper’s firewall.
Also, Fritchey accepted a measly $500 contribution from the union in 1995. One of the local’s favorite campaign recipients? Grand reformer and governor-to-be Pat Quinn, who has banked $1,400 since 2002.
You don’t run poll questions unless you’re thinking about using the information in your campaign. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a bare-knuckled candidate. I quite like them, in fact. But please spare me the rhetoric from now on about how Rep. Feigenholtz is floating above the fray. She’s right down there in the mud.
…Adding… Quigley is attempting to raise some cash off the Feigenholtz flap. From a campaign e-mail…
Yesterday we watched with great pride as our friend Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. It was a reminder that a campaign based on hope and new ideas can truly change things for the better.
Sadly, at nearly the same time, one of Mike’s opponents, Sara Feigenholtz, launched the first negative attack of the campaign. On Monday night, Fox News reported that her campaign put out a poll attacking Mike and accusing State Representative John Fritchey of having connections to organized crime. Outrageous!
I know, my reaction was the same as yours. I thought that was the politics of the past we were all hoping to put behind us.
That’s why we need your help. A contribution of $35, $50, $100, $250 or more will help the campaign tell voters about Mike’s message of reforming government and getting this economy moving again.
Since we spoke last, you helped us get more than half-way to our goal of $5,000, but we still have $1,500 to go.
Let’s show Sara’s campaign that old-school politics are behind us, and blow past that goal this week.
* Meanwhile, this seems a bit early, but the early bird gets the worm, I suppose…
A Republican Air National Guard pilot already is considering a run for Congress against newly elected Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson in 2010.
Bloomington Republican Adam Kinzinger, 30, said he’ll make a final decision about entering the 11th Congressional District race in April after returning from a two-month stint in Iraq.
’’I’m taking a look,’’ said Kinzinger, a former McLean County board member. ’’Exploring.’’
Kinzinger explored taking on U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, in 2007 but eventually decided against it. Now, he says he’s interested in Halvorson’s seat.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 10:36 am:
Many think that Halverson won on Obama’s coattails in a district had tracked Republican for years. Halverson won because people were not impressed with Ozinga. He did not win a primary but was slated by the party. Plus, most of us felt neglected and ignored by the previous office holder, Jerry Weller, and were willing to go with Halverson.
Adam is very conservative in his politics. It will be interesting to see how the electorate responds to initiatives by the Dems in regards kick-starting the economy. If there are no signs of improvement in the economy, he may have a chance in the Republican primary. The party would probably be looking for a fresh face in that district. Problem will be name recognition in the northeastern part of the district where there are more voters who lean Democratic.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 10:45 am:
So, how many lies is Feigenholtz up to today? Her staff is lying to cover up a lie and her polling has been exposed to being full of lies too.
We don’t need another liar in Congress.
- BoB - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 10:51 am:
I’m just laughing that 2 of these campaigns for the 5th CD have former Congressman Foster campaign managers running them. Maybe both can do better in the City when it comes to field.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 10:54 am:
I don’t agree with Halvorson’s politics at all, but I still support her because she is real. That is the problem the GOP faced when she ran. If she stays away from the Pelosi Kool-Aid during these heady times, she can have a long Congressional career by remaining center-left on the political scale. Halvorson has two years to lock into power. Voters are going to like her as they see how hard she works. She may be too liberal for this district, but voters will support someone who sincerely cares and if they are competent. Halvorson is both.
Winning this seat back will not be easy for the GOP. Halvorson will need to make some very controversial votes and really screw up.
- tc - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 11:00 am:
Notice that Quigley repeated the Fritchey attack in his email solicitation? About the mob ties? But not the one against him?
Am I the only one who noticed that trick right off the bat?
- DoubleAgent - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 11:08 am:
Ever think that Fritchey or Quigley or both did the poll to bring out the dirt that would get brought out anyway during the campaign, but set it up to finger Feigenholtz…whom they likely can’t find anything on?
- In the 5th - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 11:23 am:
tc - of course. they ain’t stupid. Quigley is Fritchey’s “ally” on this one, but is ultimately running against him for the seat.
DoubleAgent - that’s one of the more ridiculous things I’ve heard, have to say. If you read Rich’s post above, you’d know there is no “dirt.”
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 11:54 am:
I think Fritchey and Quigley were a little foolish right off the bat ~ turning a benchmark poll that MAYBE reached 500 voters into a nightly news story that blared headlines about Fritchey’s alleged mob ties and Quigley’s support for Stroger.
Quigley DID in fact support Stroger over Peraica, which Quigley and Vanillaman can call a lie if they want, but the record is pretty obvious.
As for the allegations against Fritchey, he should be much less worried about alleged mob ties and much MORE worried about ties like these:
“This matches up with an anecdote from a recent New York Times story written by Monica Davey. Davey quotes John Fritchey, who shared a campaign office with Blagojevich in 1996.”
Given my druthers, I’d rather be accused of mob ties than Rod ties.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 11:59 am:
===Quigley DID in fact support Stroger over Peraica,===
So, Sara supported Peraica? I don’t get it.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:32 pm:
Windy City Crier, a $500 campaign contribution in 1995 and an office-sharing arrangement in 1996 are big campaign issues to you?
OK, well, then I have two words for you. Ask around the campaign office about them: Eddie Vrdolyak.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:39 pm:
Not a good start, Sara
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:43 pm:
Let me rephrase: Quigley endorsed Stroger, and Quigley’s Chief-of-Staff took a leave-of-absence to help run Stroger’s campaign. Unlike Claypool, who refused to endorse Stroger. Or Feigenholtz, who to my knowledge didn’t support either candidate.
But I’m sure that if Quigley wants to make this a campaign about who’s been a closer ally of Todd Stroger, Feigenholtz is happy to have the debate.
Even the Daily Herald referenced the on-again, off-again alliance of Stroger and Quigley:
Stroger, Quigley friends no more; Budget discussion ends with heated exchange
Daily Herald
Written by Rob Olmstead
Well, that didn’t take long.
Just two months into Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s term, the strange alliance of Stroger and Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley blew up in spectacular fashion Wednesday….
…Stroger then accused Quigley - who had heretofore supported Stroger’s attempt to balance the county budget without raising taxes - of abandoning ship just because his pet project, the preserves, was being affected.
…Stroger accused him of playing both sides.
“I strive for consistency,” Quigley said.
“Your consistency has been being on my side and still stabbing me in the back at the same time,” Stroger said.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:44 pm:
While you were Googling that story, didja ask around about Vrdolyak?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:48 pm:
Also, WCW, I don’t like to drag staff into things, but since you brought up Blagojevich, you might also check some resumes over there on staff.
- Tom B. - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:49 pm:
Zing!
- tc - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 12:55 pm:
I have a feeling this is about to get much worse and far dirtier.
Last week, I overheard supporters of one particular candidate using another candidate’s supposed infidelities as a talking point.
If true, its a bombshell. If not, its just a sign of how dirty this thing is gonna get.
- Huh - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:19 pm:
People are losing their jobs and their homes, and that’s a bombshell? More like bs. Btw, there are a lot of glass houses on the east end of that district.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:29 pm:
Googling “Eddie Vrdolyak” returns 2320 hits…maybe you can help me narrow the search a bit?
tc ~ There’s nothing “bombshell” about a candidate’s supporters spreading rumors about another candidate’s alleged infidelities…its only when a candidate or a candidate’s surrogate does that its news, unless you have official divorce records on the scale of Blair Hull or JACK! Ryan.
Politics ain’t beanbag, folks, and it ain’t for the faint-of-heart. You can already see how this campaign is gonna play out:
Fritchey touts his reform creds, Feigenholtz and Quigley attack him for past ties to Blagojevich, father-in-law;
Feigenholtz touts her reform creds, Fritchey and Quigley attack her for past ties to Blagojevich, special interest groups;
Quigley touts his reform creds, Fritchey and Feigenholtz attack him for support of Stroger, Cook County tax increases.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:33 pm:
I’ll cut Feigenholtz some slack when she stops lying and starts being honest about how she tried to shank Fritchey and Quigley.
Something like, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry that we got carried away with those polling questions. No, I don’t think Fritchey has mob ties. It is my campaign and I take full responsiblity for this.”
Until then Sara, your pants are on fire.
- eastern illinoisan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:43 pm:
i think they are all “testing messages” in the district and not very pretty messages. It was certainly a good team tag for fritchey and quigley to gang up against feigenholtz and showed that she is the one they are both worried about. Given that effectively she is the only woman in the race and has more money than they have and has a whole bunch of really committed volunteers, this is not so surprising. And yes I have heard people twittering about infidelities and whether some people’s girlfriends seem to be running their campaigns etc. Generally, so what? but if you are running as Mr. Clean/Mr. Ethics, then that stuff matters just as a matter of hypocrisy.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:47 pm:
Still waiting for her to answer my question about this I put to her on twitter.
- Stuck with Sen. CPA - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:50 pm:
Uh, BoB, you mean Rep. Bill Foster, the Democrat who won the lean-GOP 14th? No bad work there.
- Princess - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 1:51 pm:
I did not find the 31 Jan 2005 story off google but a few clicks thru newsbank using the paper and date Rich provided brought up a story by Robert Herguth talking about campaign cash n the Duffs. Nothing exicting , nothing worth thumping about four years later, or at least not in my opinion. Rep. Fritchey stated in it he believed he got a donation because of his pro labor stances. Works for me. Didn’t see anything there to toss stones at the guy over.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:09 pm:
Vanillaman ~
I don’t know if you’ve ever worked on a political campaign, but I don’t know of ANY campaign that comments on its message polls.
I agree that Feigenholtz’s campaign should’ve had a better response, but I would have gone with something like:
“If Mike Quigley is worried that his past allegiances with Todd Stroger are a political liability, then he should consider dropping out of this race.”
Or
“If John Fritchey and Mike Quigley can’t handle the truth from a fellow Democrat, how’re they gonna handle the Republicans?”
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:12 pm:
=== but I don’t know of ANY campaign that comments on its message polls.===
Yeah, well, I do.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:18 pm:
and for the love of God, Vanillaman, stop calling Feigenholtz a liar until you can show us something she actually LIED about
Her campaign refused to comment on whether or not the poll was theirs, which is perfectly within their rights. Campaigns have secrets, duh.
And Quigley did fight to elect Todd Stroger, just as Fritchey admits to taking political contributions from a PAC with mob ties. Does the poll question tell Quigley and Fritchey’s side of the story? No. But that’s THEIR job, not Feigenholtz’s.
What’s disturbing about this allegation of “mudslinging” is that I’ve seen some REAL mudslinging ~ honest-to-god push polls, anonymous letters and fliers, misidentified and anonymous phone calls, outright lies.
Anyone who thinks that Feigenholtz’s poll questions are over-the-top needs to move back to Montpelier, Vermont. In Chicago, Illinois, politics ain’t beanbag.
- OOC - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:19 pm:
WCC - i agree that her response re: message testing was poor. But not as bad as her campaign’s first comment in that FoxNews piece, when they said the poll in question could have belonged to any one of the other candidates. So basically, “that’s not our poll, but if it was, we were just testing message.” Enough already. (Wo)man up and move on.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:21 pm:
Rich ~
Do they hand over their campaign plan, field plan, budget and list of volunteers while they’re at it?
Do you, or anyone else, think that Fritchey and Quigley aren’t going to be polling similar questions about Feigenholtz, and about themselves?
Much ado about nothing. FOX News might as well be reporting on allegations of torn-down yard signs.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:21 pm:
===I’ve seen some REAL mudslinging ~ honest-to-god push polls, anonymous letters and fliers, misidentified and anonymous phone calls, outright lies.===
Then expose it. Stop whining and dissembling.
- Been There - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:23 pm:
WCC. ===You can already see how this campaign is gonna play out:===
If these three keep beating each other up I might think that voters may wander over to one of the many other candidates. It’s hard to go negative on 16 opponents so some of the others may sneak on up to the top. You would think there will be some negatives on O’Connor just from being around so long. So one of the fresher faces who can put together a positive message would be a great alternative. Heck, if this ends up like the states attorney race somebody with just a big family voting for them can win.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:24 pm:
Also, this wouldn’t have been a problem at all if they had just decided not to be so secretive and admit it. Instead, we’ve got days of stonewalling, false non-denial denials, and arrogance. Gee, it’s like RRB all over again up there. Y’all need to just deal with it and move on.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:26 pm:
OOC ~ Agreed, probably a better response, except that it COULD have belonged to anyone.
Fer pete’s sake…I guarantee you that Fritchey’s poll will have a few Quigley-Stroger questions, and Quigley’s poll will include Fritchey-Blagojevich, Fritchey-Banks, and Fritchey-Pawn Shop questions.
And you should be careful about the gender stuff ~ one of the other front runners is spreading the word that a Jewish woman can’t win this district. Wouldn’t want folks to think you’re part of that mind set.
- Windy City Crier - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:31 pm:
=== Stop whining ===
Whining? Whining is the guys running to FOX News with “Sara’s picking on me!!”
For the record, if they wanna complain and see the headlines about their alleged mob ties and alleged stroger ties played out through several more news cycles, while Feigenholtz is accused of “dirty tricks”, I’m FINE with that.
I think its an unwise strategy, as I said before, but they’re free to use it. When Obama was attacked, he didn’t call a press conference, and if I’d been advising Quigley or Fritchey, that would’ve been my advice.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:33 pm:
===Wouldn’t want folks to think you’re part of that mind set. ===
LOLOL.
I know who OOC is. I assume she’d be offended at your moronic anti-Jewish claim.
In other words, learn something about commenting here. Instead of constantly fighting a losing battle, deal with it and move on. It ain’t gonna end until you do.
Learn or perish. Your choice.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:34 pm:
===Whining is the guys running to FOX News with “Sara’s picking on me!!”===
Another lie.
The Fox reporter was polled. He went to them.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:39 pm:
who won the lean-GOP 14th?
Against one of the most popular and lovable GOP congressional candidates of all time, no less!
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:40 pm:
Six, you forgot [/snark
- Tom B. - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 3:56 pm:
Hey WCC. I showed Dane our poll. Not one negative question in it. In fact, I’ll release the entire thing if @saraforcongress does the same.
- Brian Frederick - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 4:39 pm:
Could we please start talking about issues? We are in the midst of two wars, a severe economic crisis, and our health care system is in dire need of reform. I could care less about this trumped up issue. What are the candidates’ plans for solving these problems?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 4:43 pm:
Brian, they’re all going to be pretty close on the issues, except maybe for O’Connor (don’t really know what he’ll do). They’re all gonna say they’ll support Obama’s agenda, for instance.
The differences, if any, will be in matters of degrees important mainly to interest groups.
That means this is likely to devolve into mudslinging.
- SAM - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 5:03 pm:
Rich,
If you’re still looking for the article or back-up to the story here are some ideas.
Lexis/Nexis will likely have the article if you have access to it. Another possibility is the WayBack Machine, a internet archive of websites: http://web.archive.org. I’m using it right now to see if I can find the article and haven’t had any luck yet.
Finally the website, followthemoney.org, allows you to type in a candidate’s name and gather data about donors. Fritchey received $7,200 from the Beer, Wine and Liquor industry since 2005. At the website it shows that Fritchey received $1,000 from the Local 3 Pac, $500 on 8/9/2005 and $500 on 6/26/06. Not sure if this helps or if you wanted the information. Pat Quinn received $400 from the Local 3 Pac in 2006:
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/contributor.phtml?d=81869483
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 5:04 pm:
I know it sounds nice to “talk about the issues”, and dismiss the concerns of others in doing so. But thankfully, everyone has a vote, and thankfully everyone makes their decisions based on what they believe. That’s freedom for you.
Blagojevich and Emanuel voted similarly. But both men were dramatically different, weren’t they? Blagojevich was a bench warmer and Emanuel was a doer. One is impeached, and the other is the new Chief of Staff.
The difference between these two men have to do with their personalities and experiences. So discussing how Feigenholtz has handled this situation reflects on how she will handle similar situations. Additionally, we are also discovering what lengths she is willing to go to win.
It is OK for us to discuss this situation. It demonstrates how each candidate handles tough situations, even those they cause themselves. We are seeing how Feigenholtz stonewalls and lies when asked questions on her campaign. We are seeing how some of her supporters are accepting of this stonewalling, and believe it is all a part of the political game.
But we don’t have to accept this view. We don’t have to vote for a person who is quick to deny, split hairs and then create new stories. We are living in a post-Blagojevich era, where voters are understandably cautious.
If Feigenholtz doesn’t understand our concerns, then she is also demonstrating an inability to perform her Congressional tasks if elected. If her staff and supporters are unwilling to demand transparency, then we have to. We should not accept less.
Let’s all strive for the best. Let’s look beyond the images marketed by candidates and do the best we can when we vote.
You will be pleased at how similar the political stands being taken on the issues you have demanded attention. These people are all Democrats. They will all vote similarly.
Now start peering behind the curtain to how these people actually function.
That is why we are discussing this “trumped up” issue.
- Amy - Wednesday, Jan 21, 09 @ 5:26 pm:
WCCrier…..appropriately named. sounds like the 44th ward/lakefront play pen with all the whining.
somebody more in the mainstream of the district could be getting ahead while the children are crying.