Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 430,328 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 425,129 50%
And…
Plummer , Jason GOP 229,685 34%
Murphy , Matt GOP 222,540 33%
And…
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 362,465 46%
Miller , David Dem 361,770 46%
* 10:56 pm - With just 3 precincts to count, Seals is ahead by 658 votes. That’s pretty much impossible to overcome…
Seals , Daniel Dem 22,325 48%
Hamos , Julie Dem 21,667 47%
* 11:10 pm - Andy McKenna just basically said the race is too close to call. No concession.
* 11:38 pm - Reporters have been told that Gov. Quinn will come downstairs in about 10 minutes. It won’t be to concede, I guarantee you that. lol
* 11:46 pm - At the moment, it appears the AP is undercounting Andy McKenna’s numbers in Lake County by about 3,500. They’re undercounting Dillard by 1,401 votes. They’re undercounting Brady by 504. That’s a 900-vote pickup for Dillard. With about 7900 GOP votes not counted in Cook County and Chicago and about 1,000 votes not counted in Downstate, who the heck knows what could happen now?
* 11:58 pm - Hynes is about to speak.
Hynes - “We are going to continue fighting.” … “This is a close race. A very, very close race.” … “About half have voted for me and half have voted for him.” … “But if democracy means anything, it means we need to count all the votes. All of them.” … “There are thousands of ballots that haven’t been counted. And whatever the outcome, it’s important for Illinois to get this right. So we say, ‘Hang in there, hold on tight.” … “Let’s just keep fighting until tomorrow.”
Wow. I just don’t see how he can come from as far back as he is. We’ll see what his people say.
* As far as Dillard goes, it looks - to my tired eyes - like he is losing by about .16 votes per precinct overall. That’s closer than the Thompson-Stevenson race. Recount for sure there.
* 12:08 pm - Here comes Gov. Quinn.
“The time for fighting is over. The people have won and we have won this election!” … “It was a close election, but one more than the other guy is a landslide in my book.” … “I think it’s important to understand that the primary is over.” … “When the winning candidate emerges from the primary, we unite behind that candidate for the cause of Illinois.” … “All of us together, we have to make the will of the people the law of the land.”
* 12:26 pm - We’re now at 99 percent…
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 442,543 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 437,161 50%
Plummer , Jason GOP 234,301 34%
Murphy , Matt GOP 227,279 33%
Miller , David Dem 374,855 46%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 371,301 46%
* 12:27 am - Kirk Dillard is speaking…
“In just a few more hours, we feel confident that the race will be called for us.” … “Breaking reports show that we are within less than a thousand votes of victory.” … “I am confident that when the votes are counted, we will win now and we will win in Novemer.” “If the trend continues on how they will carry those precincts, then I will be your nominee…”
* 12:35 am - So, I missed most of Brady’s speech. Anybody catch it?
* The GOP “Unity Breakfast” in the morning ought to be fun.
* Burt Odelson is on ABC7 now. The election lawyer represents the Quinn campaign. He suggests this could take 30-45 days.
* Hynes campaign manager Mike Rendina talked to ABC7 - They’re going to look at results to see if the margin closes. Not talking about recounts just yet.
* 12:53 am - From a press release…
The following is a statement by Raja Krishnamoorthi, candidate for Illinois Comptroller.
“First of all, I would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of voters who chose to give Illinois a more open, transparent and accountable state government. Until every vote is counted fully, accurately and completely, this race is not over.”
Results in that race so far…
Comptroller - Dem Primary
Illinois - 11056 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 99%
Miller , David Dem 375,661 46%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 372,552 46%
Krislov , Clint Dem 61,590 8%
* 9:42 pm - With 82 percent reporting, we’ve got a “wow” situation developing…
Brady , Bill GOP 118,349 20%
Dillard , Kirk GOP 114,717 20%
McKenna , Andy GOP 113,832 20%
With 83 percent in, GOP lt. guv candidate Jason Plummer is making his move…
Plummer , Jason GOP 182,218 34%
Murphy , Matt GOP 178,231 33%
Downstate is really hurting both McKenna and his running mate Murphy.
Democrat David Miller is holding a few thousand-vote lead over Raja Krishnamoorthi in the Democratic comptroller’s race. Scott Lee Cohen has a commanding 20,000-vote lead over Art Turner for Dem lt. guv. Oh, man, there’s gonna be trouble.
And Gov. Quinn is holding steady with his 2-point edge over Dan Hynes. Not looking good for the challenger there.
* 9:46 pm - 86 percent…
Brady , Bill GOP 124,437 20%
Dillard , Kirk GOP 123,183 20%
McKenna , Andy GOP 121,560 20%
Half of DuPage is still not counted, so keep that in mind. Murphy and the DuPage guv candidates could make a run there. And 160 Cook County precincts have yet to be counted.
Could be a long night.
* 9:54 pm - David Hoffman has conceded the Democratic US Senate race.
* 9:56 pm - DuPage’s numbers have just jumped up to 86.5 percent counted, so we’ll have a readjust soon.
* Quinn and Hynes are now within 6,000 votes or so with 87 percent counted…
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 393,369 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 387,044 50%
90 percent counted and Dillard moves up…
Dillard , Kirk GOP 134,790 20%
Brady , Bill GOP 132,038 20%
McKenna , Andy GOP 130,189 19%
91 percent…
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 407,908 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 401,439 50%
* I didn’t notice this earlier, but AP has an interactive map of the results as they come in and which counties have not yet reported full results. Click here.
* 93 percent…
Dillard , Kirk GOP 139,977 20%
Brady , Bill GOP 137,843 20%
McKenna , Andy GOP 133,739 19%
93 percent…
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 412,092 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 406,811 50%
* 10:13 pm - With 99 percent of the vote counted, Dan Seals leads Julie Hamos in the 10th CD Dem primary by 662 votes.
* Ethan Hastert has conceded to Sen. Randy Hultgren in the 14th CD Republican primary. Big upset there, man.
* 10:15 pm - 93 percent counted…
Plummer , Jason GOP 216,071 34%
Murphy , Matt GOP 212,554 33%
93…
Miller , David Dem 351,126 46%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 350,874 46%
* 10:22 pm - State Sen. Dan Cronin won big in the DuPage County Board Chairman’s race. With 96.5 percent of the votes counted…
Dan Cronin R 40980 47.92%
Debra L. Olson R 23643 27.65%
Gary Grasso R 10756 12.58%
Carole Pankau R 10140 11.86%
* 10:24 pm - 94 percent…
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 417,494 50%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 412,040 50%
94…
Dillard , Kirk GOP 142,748 20%
Brady , Bill GOP 139,809 20%
McKenna , Andy GOP 135,987 19%
94…
Plummer , Jason GOP 219,107 34%
Murphy , Matt GOP 215,988 34%
94…
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 354,202 46%
Miller , David Dem 352,763 46%
* 10:35 pm - Jim Ryan has conceded and said he thinks Sen. Dillard will “probably” win the race.
* 10:39 pm - Champaign County is finally reporting most of its results and Bill Brady leads Dillard in that county by 3,000 or so votes. We’ll get a reset in the AP numbers soon. However, the Dillard people point to the uncounted votes in Cook and DuPage as what will put them over the top.
* 10:45 pm - There are 416 precincts still to be counted in the Democratic gubernatorial race and Dan Hynes trails Gov. Pat Quinn by 5,154 votes. So, Hynes needs to win every precinct by an average of 12.39 votes to come even. Just a little math to show you how tough this is for him right now.
* Here’s that reset I mentioned above. 96 percent counted…
* 8:39 pm - OK, let’s cut through some of the clutter and look at a few interesting races.
In the 10th CD GOP race, Bob Dold has a huge lead over state Rep. Beth Coulson, 38-29, with 66 percent of the vote counted. And third-time Democratic candidate Dan Seals is leading state Rep. Julie Hamos 49-45.
Toni Preckwinkle has the Cook County Board President’s race wrapped up. She’s got 48 percent of the vote with 70 percent counted.
Dan Hynes better hope he has a ton of support downstate and in the suburbs because the Chicago and Cook County results really hurt him. With 41 percent of the vote counted, Gov. Quinn leads Hynes 53-27 (about 23,000 votes).
Andy McKenna is leading on the GOP side with 40 percent counted…
McKenna , Andy GOP 48,941 24%
Dillard , Kirk GOP 39,877 19%
Ryan , Jim GOP 37,641 18%
Andrzejewski , Adam GOP 30,430 15%
Brady , Bill GOP 27,770 14%
As Downstate votes are being counted, Scott Lee Cohen has moved up in the Democratic lt. guv race. This is with 36 percent counted…
Turner , Arthur L. Dem 89,812 25%
Cohen , Scott Dem 89,207 25%
Sen. Matt Murphy has a 12-point lead over Jason Plummer, but Plummer has been closing a bit. Democrat David Miller leads Raja Krishnamoorthi in the comptroller’s race, but only by a bit…
Miller , David Dem 171,364 47%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 168,153 46%
Robin Kelly has a big 58-42 lead on Justin Oberman in the Democratic treasurer’s race.
What else are you seeing?
…Adding… Former Senate Democratic staffer Elgie Sims is losing badly to incumbent Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers. Beavers leads with 20,234 votes to Sims’ 16,354 with about 80 percent of the vote counted. I can’t see how he makes up those votes.
*** 8:54 pm *** Hamos is closing fast…
U.S. House - District 10 - Dem Primary
Illinois - 447 of 511 Precincts Reporting - 87%
Seals , Daniel 19,490 48%
Hamos , Julie 18,854 47%
Dillard is also closing…
McKenna , Andy 79,503 22%
Dillard , Kirk 70,316 20%
Ryan , Jim 62,371 17%
Brady , Bill 59,788 17%
* 9:04 pm - Rep. John Fritchey won by a huge margin in the 12th county board district…
John A. Fritchey 17,418 75.52%
Ted Matlak 5,645 24.48%
* 9:06 pm - Hynes is closing a bit with 64 percent counted…
Quinn , Pat 324,542 51%
Hynes , Daniel 306,741 49%
So is Dillard…
McKenna , Andy 92,141 21%
Dillard , Kirk 85,304 20%
As Downstate votes come in, Scott Lee Cohen is pulling away. He’s ahead of Rep. Art Turner 26-23. David Miller and Raja Krishnamoorthi are just 5400 votes apart (Raja leads).
* 9:18 pm - Close, but McKenna is still holding on…
McKenna , Andy 96,190 21%
Dillard , Kirk 91,546 20%
Brady , Bill 90,785 19%
* Plummer is closing fast…
Lieutenant Governor - GOP Primary
Illinois - 7958 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 71%
Murphy , Matt GOP 148,855 34%
Plummer , Jason GOP 144,772 33%
* My interns are in Chicago. Barton is with the Quinn campaign and filed this little crowd-shot video…
* Dillard is pulling closer to McKenna. He’s now just 2700 votes behind with 77 percent counted. Percentage-wise, they’re tied at 20. Also, Bill Brady is just a few hundred votes behind Dillard. He’s also at 20 percent.
Sen. Matt Murphy’s lead is now just 5,000 votes, with 77 percent counted.
* Rep. Beth Coulson has conceded in the 10th GOP CD race.
* 9:34 pm - Rep. David Miller has moved ahead of Raja Krishnamoorthi in the comptroller’s race with 80 percent counted…
Miller , David 315,102 47%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja 311,536 46%
With 80 percent of the vote counted, Hynes has not budged the margin…
Quinn , Pat 373,194 51%
Hynes , Daniel 362,810 49%
Alexi Giannoulias is maintaining a 5-point lead over David Hoffman (39-34).
Plummer pulls ahead with 81 percent counted…
Plummer , Jason 174,356 34%
Murphy , Matt 173,569 34%
* Huge upset in the making in the 14th Congressional District primary…
U.S. House - District 14 - GOP Primary
Illinois - 431 of 578 Precincts Reporting - 75%
Hultgren , Randy GOP 26,256 54%
Hastert , Ethan GOP 22,739 46%
* If you want to watch TV news feeds or watch the various live-blogging from other sources, click here. Let’s use this post to blog the results ourselves.
Robert Marshall 11,072 4.86 %
David Hoffman 69,245 30.38 %
Jacob J. Meister 3,130 1.37 %
Alexander ‘’Alexi'’ Giannoulias 82,403 36.16 %
Cheryle Jackson 62,058 27.23 %
Arthur L. Turner 57,590 27.57 %
Terry Link 16,662 7.98 %
Rickey R. Hendon 43,158 20.66 %
Scott Lee Cohen 46,800 22.40 %
Thomas Michael Castillo 26,420 12.65 %
Mike Boland 18,273 8.75 %
Justin P. Oberman 83,023 40.88 %
Robin Kelly 120,061 59.12 %
* 7:56 pm - These are all results available at the moment, both city and county…
Cook County Board President
Illinois - 2149 of 4510 Precincts Reporting - 48%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Preckwinkle , Toni Dem 123,388 47%
O’Brien , Terrence Dem 60,330 23%
Brown , Dorothy Dem 39,577 15%
Stroger , Todd (i) Dem 38,849 15%
* Live Chicago only results…
* 8:10 pm - Latest statewide results…
U.S. Senate - 2010 - Dem Primary
Illinois - 2812 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 25%
Giannoulias , Alexi Dem 113,579 37%
Hoffman , David Dem 99,694 32%
Jackson , Cheryle Dem 76,771 25%
Governor - Dem Primary
Illinois - 2788 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 25%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Quinn , Pat (i) Dem 165,932 53%
Hynes , Daniel Dem 144,927 47%
Governor - GOP Primary
Illinois - 2774 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 25%
McKenna , Andy GOP 21,930 27%
Ryan , Jim GOP 16,167 20%
Dillard , Kirk GOP 14,960 18%
Andrzejewski , Adam GOP 12,954 16%
Proft , Dan GOP 7,354 9%
Brady , Bill GOP 6,927 9%
Lieutenant Governor - Dem Primary
Illinois - 2743 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 24%
Turner , Arthur L. Dem 73,177 26%
Cohen , Scott Dem 65,991 24%
Hendon , Rickey Dem 52,421 19%
Castillo , Thomas Dem 34,456 12%
Link , Terry Dem 29,221 10%
Boland , Mike Dem 25,388 9%
Lieutenant Governor - GOP Primary
Illinois - 2741 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 24%
Murphy , Matt GOP 32,379 45%
Plummer , Jason GOP 18,129 25%
Tracy , Don GOP 7,477 10%
Cook , Dennis GOP 6,395 9%
Cole , Brad GOP 4,967 7%
White , Randy GOP 2,882 4%
Comptroller - Dem Primary
Illinois - 2738 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 24%
Miller , David Dem 137,052 48%
Krishnamoorthi , Raja Dem 129,214 45%
Krislov , Clint Dem 20,054 7%
Comptroller - GOP Primary
Illinois - 2732 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 24%
Baar Topinka , Judy GOP 45,066 61%
Kelly , William GOP 15,120 20%
Dodge , Jim GOP 13,780 19%
Treasurer - Dem Primary
Illinois - 2734 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 24%
Kelly , Robin Dem 158,625 58%
Oberman , Justin Dem 114,316 42%
* 8:18 pm - Still a bunch of votes to be counted, but the two IL House members aren’t doing well at all…
U.S. House - District 10 - GOP Primary
Illinois - 276 of 511 Precincts Reporting - 54%
Dold , Robert GOP 7,486 37%
Coulson , Elizabeth GOP 5,777 28%
Friedman , Arie GOP 3,510 17%
Green , Dick GOP 3,185 16%
Hamann , Paul GOP 467 2%
U.S. House - District 10 - Dem Primary
Illinois - 276 of 511 Precincts Reporting - 54%
Seals , Daniel Dem 10,713 50%
Hamos , Julie Dem 9,571 45%
Richardson , Elliot Dem 1,147 5%
* 8:20 pm - Scott Lee Cohen is making a move…
Lieutenant Governor - Dem Primary
Illinois - 3436 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 31%
Turner , Arthur L. Dem 84,252 26%
Cohen , Scott Dem 79,816 24%
* NBC5 starts its extended coverage at 9 o’clock. You can watch it here. Click that link for its six o’clock broadcast as well. The embed was causing problems for some people, so I took it down. I’ve also readjusted this post and I’ll be adding more in a bit, including links to results. Be patient, please.
* Y’all can keep track of the Chicago Current exit polling if you want, but their numbers are so low that I’m not gonna update them any longer. No offense to CC. It was a worthwhile endeavor. But 12 precincts in Cook County ain’t much.
* I mentioned this in comments earlier, but I’m almost hoping for a little Karmic justice for the Democrats today. If some supreme Democratic goofballs unexpectedly win because of the low turnout, general disinterest and - most importantly - way too early date of this primary [and it’s compressed schedule], then Karma will have been appropriately meted out because the House Democrats, in particular, refused to move this thing back to March where it belongs. As a policy, I don’t wish any party ill will, which is why I wrote “almost,” but this is just ridiculous.
Good turnout in counties favoring us over Kirk, e.g. Carroll & McHenry
Carroll County? You mean that county with a total population of under 17,000? This is the big strategy?
* I’m not sure when Langdon Neal said this, or where he’s been, but I’m not getting the impression so far that there’s a “growing interest” out there. He’s the expert, though, so we’ll see…
“There’s seems to be a growing interest in the election from the voters. So, we’re hoping to reverse the trend and see a larger turnout from voters than we usually have for a primary election,” said Langdon Neal of the Chicago Board of Elections Commission.
Numbers are horrible in Sangamon County, but expected to improve…
Sangamon County Clerk Joe Aiello says that as of early afternoon today, the percentage of voters going to polling places in the county seems to range from about 7 to 13 percent.
He said he expects that total to top 20 percent with the coming after-work crowd.
25 percent was the statewide turnout in 2006. The Tribune has a good graph to put all this into context…
“We’re looking real light, maybe 15 percent turnout,” predicted St. Clair County Clerk Bob Delaney. That’s on the low side of average for St. Clair. The statewide average for primaries is higher (around 25 percent for off-year primaries, says the State Board of Elections), spurred largely by Chicago. But local media up here are reporting almost in unison today how measely the turnout has been at the polling places so far.
There’s likely a few things at play. It could be that a lot of people took advantage of the early voting system available this year, so it only looks like turnout is down. And the usual after-work spike in voting could still push the numbers to better than average. Also, it’s a cold, overcast day in Chicago, which, like the rest of the state, is used to voting in early spring, not mid-winter.
Paul Green, political scientist at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, has a simpler explanation: That despite all the breathless media declarations about the importance of these primaries, what average voters are seeing are average candidates.
“There’s not an Obama or a (Chicago Mayor Richard) Daley running — no bigger-than-life figure,” said Green. “None of these candidates would need a bodyguard to walk down Michigan Avenue.”
Just got off the phone with Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden who says that voter turnout today appears to be very low. That’s what I’m hearing from others in the community.
He said we’d be lucky to get a 20 percent turnout today (the 2006 numbers) and that it could be as low as the 1986 non-presidential primary percentage of 17.5 percent.
* Mayor Daley caption contest!…
# ryancudney: Best photo yet of a politician voting http://bit.ly/bHGR1T [They changed the link, so I did, too.]
# RutherfordDan: precinct committman in Kane County tells me his precinct is projecting only 5 to 6% turnout
# ramsincanon: I really think the shifting patterns in the Cook and inner DuPage, Lake, and Will burbs are the deciders for lots of these elections.
# ramsincanon: If @hoffman4il were to pull off an upset of @alexi4illinois, it’ll be because of reflexive anti-Chicago-Dem-Machine vote in Cook Suburbs.
# BrianMcDaniel: At 3:15 PM, only 91 of 865 have voted in my precinct. Rs - 56 Ds - 35
# kiyoshimartinez: Man, even the polling places in Logan Square are kinda hipster-ish.
# kiyoshimartinez: My polling place keyed my card for a Democrat ballot. Had to take it back & say “Um, I know this is rare, but I want to vote Republican.”
# kiyoshimartinez: I dunno if it’s because I pulled a Republican ballot, but I was NOT offered an “I voted” sticker.
# bmeyerson: As school gets out in Schaumburg, students and parents dwarf the few voters.
# AdrianCurrent: Handed a survey, a woman says, “I don’t remember who I voted for.” This was a few seconds after she voted.
# BrianMcDaniel: Turnout’s so low that the #ILPrimary may rest with eastern DuPage where most of the Gubernatorial candidates live.
# AdrianCurrent: A woman walks toward a polling place, asking, “Can I have some propaganda?”
# Suntimes: Conspicuously absent in this election day photo gallery? Voters. http://bit.ly/9tJCXx Light turnout today. Get on it, folks!
# Suntimes: RT @ascorzo: @Suntimes I’m working one of the polls today, we’ve only had 21 people vote so far.
# ilreports: With Illinois voters deciding his fate Quinn signs Funeral/Burial Funds Act/Cemetery Sales Act http://ow.ly/138rc & http://ow.ly/138rJ
# juggernautco: Field report: one Winnetka polling place has turnout at 35% at 1:30PM
* This revelation would definitely be a kick in the teeth [or help for the fall] to Gov. Pat Quinn, who so eagerly embraced the White House plan to move Gitmo detainees to Illinois…
The second-ranking House Democrat signaled Tuesday that the White House is reconsidering a plan to move Guantanamo detainees to a prison in northwest Illinois.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he agrees that the Obama administration should reassess the plan to move terrorist suspects from the Cuba military base to Thomson Correctional Facility in the state’s northwest corner.
“I think the administration realizes that this is a difficult issue,” Hoyer said, speaking at his weekly meeting with Capitol Hill reporters. “And I think that they are assessing where they are and where they think we ought to be and I think that’s appropriate and I look forward to discussing it with them.”
Congress would have to appropriate such funds, which could prove a stumbling block for the White House plans. Republicans have been largely unified in opposition to the prison move and Democrats such as Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois have joined along.
It’s clear that the Scott Brown election has totally, completely freaked out the DC Dems. Everything is now up in the air. Yesterday, LA Times blogger Johanna Neuman mused: “Could Gitmo topple Democrats in Illinois?”
Brown got a lot of traction in Massachusetts suggesting that U.S. tax dollars shouldn’t go to defend terrorist suspects but to protect Americans. Will Gitmo help Kirk too?
…Adding… It should be noted that Obama has the Thomson prison purchase in his budget proposal. They could still buy the prison, which would be a win/win for Quinn - no Gitmo prisoners and money from the feds.
* Chicago Current’s Cook County/Democratic-only exit polling isn’t going well…
(I)t’s clear that turnout so far at these four polling places is well below what we expected.
We based our turnout projections for today on vote counts from the 2006 Democratic primary, and in some cases we’re seeing numbers that are 50-60% of what we expected. […]
If turnout is as low as I suspect, it’ll have some implications for our exit poll results, too. We originally hoped to tally results from about 500 Dem voters, but we’ll likely have far fewer than that, which will mean a wider margin of error for some calculations.
We’d originally planned to survey 25 precincts, but logistics are interfering, and we’ll probably wind up with about half that. We’d targeted 600 voters, but low turnout will probably leave us with about half of that count.
“I have no freaking idea what’s going to happen Tuesday,” said Kitty Kurth, a Chicago-based Democratic consultant. “It’s going to be an election that’s going to have people scratching their heads for a week.”
* Toni Preckwinkle’s campaign manager Scott Cisek’s latest Tweet…
just returned from the field and I saw some serious electioneering in the 8th ward [Stroger]. Complaints have been phoned in.
* A text message from the 42nd Ward…
True to form, [Rep. Ken Dunkin is]… walking into polling
places, electioneering next to polling booths, etc. Also found pre-marked Dunkin ballots…
Board of Elections and States Attys are currently investigating electioneering and ballot fraud
* An instant message from a good friend…
so one of my friends got called 10 min ago and begged to go in and do gotv calls for quinn today, they NEED people. really? hmm..nice gotv plan
GOTV has not been the strong suit of any statewide candidate this year. All their money is going into TV.
# jaymesiemer: Last primary, I was one of 2 Republican votes in my Chicago precinct. Now that I have a new precinct, I’m hoping for at least 3.
# Pantagraph: Midterm primary turnout historically low in McLean County http://bit.ly/ax5sRG
# thomascbowen: “Did I do everything I could have?” Is the most haunting feeling in the world.
# Brooke22: Lowest Illinois primary turnout was in 1978 when just 25% of registered voters voted. Wonder what today’s will be?
# thomascbowen: Dear national media: I like Russ Stewart, but if he’s the guy you’re relying on for IL political analysis, you don’t know what you’re doing
* Adam Andrzejewski’s supporters were all aflutter yesterday about a supposed endorsement by shock jock Glenn Beck. Beck disabused them of that notion today. A Dan Proft supporter gets in a dig…
Anyone who actually listens to the Glenn Beck Program would be mightily confused, as Beck didn’t even mention his name, let alone talk about the GOP race for governor in Illinois. Put simply, it just didn’t happen.
1. Gov. Pat Quinn will edge Comptroller Dan Hynes in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. People know Quinn better than they know Hynes and, despite his flaws and missteps, they like him.
2. Kirk Dillard will win the Republican gubernatorial primary. GOP voters will see in his comparative moderation their best chance at regaining the governor’s mansion. He will not beat the combined vote totals of Adam Andrzejewski and Dan Proft, who will split the substantial yet ill-focused Earl Grey vote with Bill Brady, but he’ll handily beat former party chairman Andy McKenna ,who will do worse than expected.
3. I can see Cook County Board President Todd Stroger pulling a Dick Devine-like upset surprise tonight, but in the end I expect Ald. Toni Preckwinkle will narrowly edge him out for the Democratic nomination for Stroger’s job, and that Terry O’Brien and Dorothy Brown will lend up far behind.
4. Former Chicago inspector general David Hoffman will run strong in Chicago and the suburbs but Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias will beat him on the strength of the downstate vote.
Any last-minute changes of heart in your predictions?
* Man, does Alexi looked tired in this pic of him at Manny’s Deli or what?
Other pols have visited the deli this morning. Its Twitter feed lists, Giannoulias, Dorothy Brown and Scott Lee Cohen. Terry O’Brien stopped by yesterday. Dan Hynes was there a few days ago.
* As subscribers know, 59th House District Republican candidate Cynthia Hebda was disqualified for the ballot because she signed a petition for the Democratic incumbent - appointed state Rep. Carol Sente (D-). The Illinois Supreme Court ordered last week that votes for Hebda be counted (she was still on the ballot because the appellate ruling came so late in the game). The House Republicans put Hebda in the race, and are now scrambling to help her win the primary against two opponents with big head starts.
Lake County Clerk Willard Helander said she expects Hebda to demand a special election, depending on today’s results.
That race has been ugly on both sides. Sente and Elliott Hartstein have been slamming each other and the House Republicans pulled a bit of a dirty trick on the incumbent…
Sente wasn’t as understanding when it came to automated calls made recently to voters by a Republican political group that said Sente is a member of the National Rifle Association. Sente denied she’s a member of the group. So did the association’s spokesman.
The group behind the calls, Citizens to Change Illinois, is funded by state House Republican leader Tom Cross. A Cross spokeswoman defended the calls.
And then yesterday, some group made what looks to be a possibly illegal robocall into the district designed to confuse voters. Here’s the text…
All around the state the Democrats have engaged in last minute dirty tricks to confuse Republican voters in the upcoming primary. Don’t be fooled. The only two legally recognized candidates in the Republican Primary for State Representative in your district are Mohan Mania and Dan Surge [sic]. Paid for by Republicans for a fair election.
There’s no such group listed at the Board of Elections website, of course.
* Illinois Review posted the Log Cabin Republican endorsement list last night. The comments are quite funny, particularly considering that Kirk Dillard was endorsed and is also supported by conservative activist Jack Roeser, who is not exactly noted for his support for gay rights.
* Jacob Meister dropped out of the US Senate race the other day, but somebody posted his yard signs near a polling place today…
To help root out voter fraud and voting irregularities during Tuesday’s primary election, Attorney General Lisa Madigan will be sending out teams across the state to help monitor polling places.
A total of 166 teams comprised of Assistant Attorneys Generals and investigators will be assigned to various polling places to assist local election officials in investigating claims of fraud. Madigan has assigned 125 teams in Chicago and northern Illinois and 41 teams in downstate Illinois.
Madigan’s office also has hotlines available for voters who witness improper or illegal activity. Voters in Chicago and northern Illinois can call 1-866-536-3496. Downstate voters can call 1-866-559-6812.
* Primary Campaign Contributions — Governor: Crain’s Chicago Business and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform have teamed up to provide a snapshot of campaign financing in important state and local 2010 races.
* Let’s start a fresh thread, shall we? The first one is full.
Also, we know the turnout is low, so some numbers from your polling place would be welcomed. This report from the LaSalle News Tribune was enlightening and frightening…
The four precincts at the La Salle VFW were so slow today that by 7 a.m. there were more election judges (20) on hand than people who had voted (15).
Raymond Miklavcic, an election judge at La Salle precinct 7, counted just seven voters in the door — low even by primary standards.
“It’s horribly slow,” Miklavcic said. “Primaries are normally slow, but this is ridiculous.”
Have at it.
*** UPDATE 10:53 am *** Twitter hashtag #ilvote has more updates from the front. But a lot of it is just propaganda…
TheCHICon Just cast my ballot, place was empty. Oh and they didn’t ask for ANY ID. @danproft - @hughesforsenate - lets hope for the best! #ILvote
National political pundits have been busy trying to divine broad meaning from Illinois’ Groundhog Day primary, but that noisy class of professional crystal ball gazers could be in for a challenge if an early collective yawn from voters continues through the day.
City election officials said turnout for the first hour of voting was extremely low. Jim Allen, communications director for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said there were precincts all over the city that experienced as few as two voters coming through their doors. […]
Cook County Clerk David Orr, who oversees election machinery in the suburbs, said morning turnout appeared “relatively slow,” though it was too early to make any broad projections about how things might end up by the time the polls close at 7 p.m.
“A lot of people vote late and whether or not this snowy weather will have an effect, who knows,” said Orr as he visited a precinct at the Dorchester Senior Center in Dolton. By 8:30 a.m., Orr said, 19 residents had cast ballots. While he said that’s a typical pace for that retirement village, its residents don’t have to venture outdoors to cast a ballot.
[Cook County elections spokeswoman Gail Siegel] says her office hasn’t received any complaints about a new feature on voting machines. For the first time, the machines reject incomplete ballots. That’s where someone fails to vote in one or more races for statewide office.
Election judges are asking voters if they intentionally left part of the ballot blank when the machine spots so-called “undervoting.” If not, they’ll be allowed to vote in those races. If so, the ballot will be approved.
*** UPDATE - 11:31 am *** For what it’s worth, the snow has stopped in Chicago, I’m told. Also, I hear one key Lakefront precinct reported just 6 votes this morning. Oof.
There were no crowds in Quincy polling places despite the close races.
“I’m not seeing any lines or crowds,” said Adams County Clerk Georgia Volm.
She visited one polling site at 7:30 a.m. where seven people had cast ballots. She was at a voting site on Sycamore at 8 a.m. and found that only seven voters had been there.
*** UPDATE - 12:10 pm *** Some of my recent “retweets“…
# Chicago_Reader RT @dansinker: sounds about right. RT @chitownpolitics: Setting over/under for turnout at 22%.
# ramsincanon If city turnout is as low as anecdotes would have you believe, @alexi4illinois could coast to 10+ point victory.
# johnfritchey I’ve been kissing hands and shaking babies all morning; not sure why people are reacting strangely. Oh. Damn. Never mind.
# dancurry Just voted for Jim Ryan, governor. Only person in polling place.
# rsamuels Mayor Daley votes at Old Saint Mary’s at 11. Alas, I shan’t be on hand for the Q&A. First time in years I’ve missed the mayoral vote.
# ramsincanon I’ve heard this from about a dozen ppl the last few days: “Quinn or Hynes? Seems like a coin toss.”
# PeoriaChronicle Only about 4 voters were at my polling place (which covers three precincts) this morning. Very low turnout.
# nbcchicago NBC’s live coverage of the primary elections begins at 4:30pm. Bookmark our livestream page: http://snipurl.com/u94c0
# BrianMcDaniel Turnout is quite low in the Collar Counties of Illinois.
# CollinCorbett Voter turnout is abysmal across the state, and it’s not just the snow. After the last 13 months what more motivation do IL voters need?!?
By midday, a look at precincts in Springfield and Champaign might prove instructive for Giannoulias and Hynes. If turnout is steady and strong south of Peoria, it’s most likely a soothing sign for the two, because both are more familiar to downstate voters.
A Hynes aide said recent polling has shown the comptroller surging into the lead over the governor in rural areas, but the aide cautions that “it has to translate into actual votes cast.”
Hoffman lacks strong name identification outside Chicago, and a potentially damaging story about Giannoulias’s role in his family’s bank has been bumped from leading the evening newscasts in favor of the racially charged gubernatorial primary. On the flip side, a big turnout on the North Shore and Lakefront would be beneficial to Hoffman.
The timing of this election makes enthusiasm even more difficult to measure.
“With how early the election is, it’s very difficult to gauge who’s going to vote and whether it’s going to line up with traditional votes,” said Jerry Morrison, political director of the Illinois Service Employees International Union.
* Not so sure of this yet, though. From CQ Politics…
Tom Jensen, the director of Public Policy Polling, said he thought the undecided voters would break for the front-runners, Giannoulias and Kirk, because those are the more familiar names in the race.
Kirk, yes. Alexi? We’ll see.
* We already kinda know this. From the National Journal…
If Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes beats Gov. Pat Quinn in today’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, the political wires will once again be buzzing about the anti-incumbent and anti-establishment mood out there. […]
The mood is very anti-Washington and very anti-status quo. If you are a sitting governor, senator or House member, you already know this. That said, simplifying this as an anti-government backlash misses the point. It’s about competence. When voters are hurting they really don’t care to hear excuses from those who are in charge. They want results. And if you are someone who can sell that — whether you are a longtime legislator or a first-time candidate — you can get the ear of voters.
Looking for an overarching theme in the voting? How about the latest test of just how anti-incumbent/anti-establishment the voters are feeling. Gov. Pat Quinn is in serious trouble and, while his challenger — state Comptroller Dan Hynes — isn’t exactly an outsider, the defeat of a sitting governor in a primary race is a rarity. (The last governor to lose in a primary? Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2006; he lost to a little known mayor named Sarah Palin.) The insider/outsider dynamic is even more clearly at work in the Democratic Senate primary where state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has lined up the support of much of the party establishment but has seen former Chicago inspector general David Hoffman making up ground with a law and order, outsider appeal — think Elliot Ness. In one ad, Hoffman paints Giannoulias as an insider’s insider — lumping the treasurer in with disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich and real estate developer Tony Rezko while touting himself as the only one who can bring real change to the state’s politics. Wins by Hynes and Hoffman today would rightly be interpreted as voters in Illinois sending the same message that the voters of Massachusetts did last month when Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R) scored an upset victory in the heavily Democratic Bay State.
The same message as Massachusetts? I’m not sure of that. We’ve had some pretty specific issues here that they didn’t have there.
Here at Manny’s legendary deli, where expansive pols have for decades stormed across the linoleum floor appealing for votes from the well-fed, Dan Hynes does not suit up as much of a dragon slayer.
Um, it’s supposed to be a newspaper report, not a bad novel.
* Worst column of the day goes to the New York Times’ Gail Collins. I don’t even want to excerpt it, it’s that bad.
Here’s one final observation about Illinois: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has to feel very fortunate about the timing of today’s primaries in the state. Why? Because had the primaries been next month (as had been normal pre-’08), we’re guessing that front-runner Giannoulias — who has political baggage — might no longer be the front-runner, especially if the story about his family’s bank continued to play for several more days. Make no mistake, the NRSC feels that Kirk would have an easier time in a general election against Giannoulias than, say, Hoffman. We’re also guessing that if the primary took place a month from now, Kirk — who voted for cap-and-trade and supports abortion rights — would be facing a stronger Tea Party challenge that he currently is. However, as we said above, it’s worth watching how close Hughes might get to Kirk tonight. This INCREDIBLY early primary (six weeks earlier than what WAS normal for Illinois) meant the campaign season didn’t kick off until after New Year’s, leaving underdog challengers just three weeks to gain traction.
The meme since the NY-23 kerfuffle has been that Republicans will face contested primaries in dozens of their races, and an emboldened tea party movement will give establishment candidates the boot and potentially hand easy wins to the Democrats.
The evidence had been adding up - with tea party candidates popping up in Pennsylvania and Texas and conservative groups targeting moderate Republicans in California and Florida.
But Kirk holds a steady lead in our TPMPolltracker average over two tea party-backed challengers Patrick Hughes and Judge Don Lowery despite all those efforts. Republicans in Washington expect him to emerge the nominee and shake off the tea party fears for the GOP nationwide.
“This blows a hole in that whole narrative,” said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.
* Ben Smith of Politico tries to shoehorn his “outsider” theory into our primary…
The Illinois primaries today are set to test a thesis I’ve been thinking about, and on which I’d be interested in readers’ input: This wave of populist revulsion at the establishment, almost by definition, is far harder to bring to bear in primaries. […]
If Giannoulias, Kirk, and, say, McKenna win today (the insider-outsider dynamic is a bit muddied in the Democratic governor’s primary), it’ll suggest that partisan primaries maintain a degree of insulation from the free-floating anger — which may not actually be good for the parties’ general election candidates. And if they’re upset, it’ll suggest the reverse.
Except, McKenna is running as an outsider and Kirk is a shoe-in.
The biggest and longest-term maturity in the transaction was $520 million of 6.63 percent securities due in February 2035, priced at 205 basis points, or 2.05 percentage points, more than benchmark 30-year Treasuries.
* Money woes could threaten high-speed rail’s future
The $8 billion in stimulus cash awarded to 13 high-speed rail corridors across the country may seem like a windfall for advocates, but there’s a catch: The money isn’t enough to finish any of the major projects.
* Illinois may get new regulations for debt settlement companies
[Lisa] Madigan recently forwarded legislation in the state that would forbid debt settlement companies from charging certain fees, including those charged to consumers monthly. Companies would also have to get a license from the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
The historically large budget includes about $270 million for the prison, which is slated to host terrorists moved from Guantanamo Bay prison when it is closed.
That’s nearly double the amount that Governor Pat Quinn sought for the penitentiary, $100 to $145 million.
Carothers’ father and political mentor, former Ald. William Carothers (28th), went to prison in 1983 for extorting up to $32,500 in remodeling work for his ward office from the builders of Bethany Hospital. The son’s crimes were strikingly similar.
Last week, the city asked the FAA for more time to complete the deal, a request the FAA has granted, according to a spokesman for the city Finance Department. The city had a Monday deadline to file the notice to comply with an FAA pilot program that allows up to five U.S. airports to be privatized, including one major hub, and Chicago wants to keep first dibs on that designation.
Shortly after taking office in 1989, Daley turned towing over to Environmental Auto Removal, a newly-formed company whose owners had close ties to former State Sen. Jeremiah Joyce (D-Chicago), one of the mayor’s closest friends in politics.
Total enrollment stands at 19,134, which includes 16,950 students on campus and 2,184 off-campus. The off-campus enrollment reflects a 21-student increase compared to a year ago.
While most towns in this area already have negotiated settlements with CN, Will County, New Lenox and seven others are still fighting to get the railroad to address their environmental concerns.
Just last month, Plainfield dropped out in exchange for local upgrades, including a system to alert emergency workers about blocked crossings and easements for an overpass at 143rd Street.
The City Council authorized a $14.1 million funding agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation on Monday that will allow the city to begin property acquisition necessary to start the West Main project.
Galesburg was awarded $33.5 million through the state’s capital infrastructure program last summer to build grade separations — overpasses or underpasses — at West Main, East Main and North Seminary streets.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has been attempting to negotiate a new contract with the city for more than a year but those talks have reached an impasse over the union’s demand that it have a guaranteed work week.
* Polling charts can be very helpful in analyzing campaigns. These are from pollster.com. Their javascript is not working properly, so I’m using screen caps. Click the pics for larger images.
Let’s start with the Democratic governor’s race…
The trend is obviously not the governor’s friend. The question now is whether he’s stopped the bleeding. Still, his job performance numbers with undecideds are just awful. Very tough to overcome. And his campaign mechanism has imploded in recent days as Quinn has taken complete charge of his schedule and his message.
The Republicans…
For me, the question here is whether McKenna can get himself over the top. He has the bucks and the message, but he’s still a relatively unknown quantity to regular Repubs. Notice how everyone is moving up but Jim Ryan, who sat on his big lead, didn’t raise enough money and could pay for those mistakes tomorrow.
Also, I just got a call from the Adam A campaign. Apparently Rush Limbaugh just called him “the Scott Brown of Illinois.” He’s been getting a ton of late help from conservative media the past few days, but, as I said, it’s late. The Right was so outraged by Mark Kirk that they ignored a guy who had a shot.
…Adding… I just listened to the audio file of Rush’s show. He didn’t mention Adam A by name. Probably because he didn’t know how to pronounce it.
* The Senate Democratic primary…
That downward trend line for Giannoulias and the steep upward line for Hoffman are what has the Giannoulias campaign more than a bit freaked right now. He’s still got the lead, but it’s dwindling and there are still lots of undecideds.
The race is for all intents and purposes between Giannoulias and Hoffman; Jackson, a former communications spokeswoman for Rod Blagojevich, will probably be limited to 15-20 percent of the vote, mostly coming from Chicago’s predominately Afrian-American South Side. Hoffman, however, has gradually been creeping up on Giannoulias, the front-runner.
And the Republicans…
No analysis necessary.
* Oh, goodie. Exit polling. I’m not sure how scientific this will be, but I’ll be watching tomorrow. From a press release…
The Chicago Current, Chicago’s political journal, will conduct exit polling for the Feb. 2 Illinois primary election. Voting data from polling places across Cook County will be collected to provide media outlets and the public with accurate trends to gauge voters’ preferences.
Analysis of the data will be available throughout Tuesday at www.chicagocurrent.com. Data will include trends for the Democratic Illinois Senate and gubernatorial races, as well as for the Cook County Board president’s race.
“Our study will show which candidates are trending upward or downward throughout the day, while providing statistical analysis of which way voters are leaning,” says Current editor Geoff Dougherty. […]
Current reporters will be following the race throughout the day, and reporting on Twitter, using the hashtag #ILVote.
Fun.
* Bernie Schoenburg has posted his statewide predictions, which were compiled by Eric Zorn…
* GOVERNOR: Hynes, Dillard
* U.S. SENATOR: Giannoulias, Kirk
* LT .GOV. Turner./ Murphy
* COMPTROLER . Miller/Topinka
* TREAS: Kelly (Dan Rutherford is running unopposed for the GOP)
* These Stroger/Fritchey signs began mysteriously appearing on light posts and street signs on the Northwest Side this weekend…
Rep. John Fritchey, you already know, is running for the county board against former Ald. Ted Matlak - a supreme hackmeister. Fritchey responds on FaceBook…
Leave it to an old-school hack opponent to resort to old-school dirty tricks like this one. Let’s put an end to this nonsense tomorrow. Vote for Toni Preckwinkle for Board President and for me for County Commissioner. It’s time for change.
* In the 47th Ward, Ald. Gene Schulter put the official City of Chicago Seal on his election day mailer. That would not be legal. Click on the pic for the full thing…
Sheesh.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Ald. Ed Smith did a robocall into the 10th House District slamming the only white candidate, Jonathan Goldman. Listen…
From Goldman’s weekend press release…
On Jan. 30, many 10th District voters came home to a thinly veiled racist robocall on their answering machines from Alderman Ed Smith on behalf of State Rep. Annazette Collins.
In the 48-second recording, Smith states that Bucktown resident Jonathan Goldman, the only white opponent of Collins in the Feb. 2 Democratic primary, “lives in the Bucktown and Lincoln Park areas but wants to take over the East and West Garfield Park areas.”
The racist tactic incensed a multicultural group of political and community leaders that gathered for a press conference Jan. 31 to denounce it. Goldman was joined by 26th Ward Ald. Roberto Maldonado, West Side activist Virgil Crawford, Rev. Charles Walker, Jr., and other district residents.
“The State of Illinois is facing serious problems, and I have been talking about my plans for solving our fiscal crisis, creating jobs and reducing gun violence,” said Goldman. “Unfortunately, Ald. Smith and Rep. Collins don’t have any plans, so instead all they want to talk about is the race of the candidates opposing her. Isn’t it time we put the politics of racial division behind us?”
Ald. Maldonado called for an immediate end to the divisive tactics: “I hope that Ald. Smith will really come forward and apologize for the tone of that robocall and hopefully these acts of desperation will not continue through Election Day.”
Rev. Walker agreed, saying, “What difference does it make what color the person is as long as he can get the job done? The job isn’t getting done right now.”
Neither Angela McMahon, of Evergreen Park, nor Karen Sullivan Casey, of Oak Lawn, circulated a single petition sheet herself to get on the ballot in the 36th District. The seat is open due to the retirement of state Rep. James Brosnahan (D-Evergreen Park).
Wouldn’t you think if you were running for office for the first time you might ask your neighbor, even your husband, to sign a petition sheet? Host a coffee? Attend a debate? Neither did.
More than 80 circulators who live outside the district in the 13th and 23rd wards of Chicago descended on Evergreen Park in the fall to collect signatures on McMahon’s and Casey’s behalf. Keep in mind they’re supposedly “competitors” for the seat, but the same troops helped them both get on the ballot. Those would be House Speaker Michael Madigan’s troops, along with 23rd Ward Committeeman Michael Zalewski’s. […]
Meanwhile in the 37th House District GOP primary, Jeffrey Junkas of Tinley Park faces Molly McAvoy Flynn, of Orland Park. The winner will try to unseat state Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) in November.
Flynn - notice the Irish female thing again - has run a campaign in name only. She also didn’t circulate a single petition sheet herself.
The same 13th and 23rd ward foot soldiers who worked the Evergreen Park district gathered signatures for Flynn to get on the ballot in Orland Park.
Defending his handling of the state’s deficit-plagued budget, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said today he’s “cut all the frills” out of state government but more tax money is needed to fund essential services. […]
“What I basically have done is cut all the frills out of state government — more than $2 billion of cuts of non-priority items,” Quinn said.
That’s pretty easy to disprove, discredit and ridicule. Anybody can find a bit of “frills” in the budget. It ain’t hard. Take, for instance, the money he’s spending on airplane rides.
A nasty hit piece hit residents of the 8th Cook County Commissioner’s district. Coming from the phantom “Taxpayers Coalition Initiative” which provides no return address, the piece delves into Nogueras’ tenure with the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce and unpaid water bills. The piece is huge–22×17–full color, glossy. The 60647 post office, from where the piece originated, did not provide information on the owner of the “Permit #1″ used to send the piece out.
Nogueras’ opponent, Ed Reyes, is an ally of 33rd Ward boss Dick Mell, who engineered his elevation to the seat after Roberto Maldonado was appointed by Mayor Daley to replace Billy Ocasio, who in turn was appointed to Governor Quinn’s staff after he replaced Rod Blagojevich. To get that straight: Blagojevich gets impeached, Quinn taps Ocasio, Daley taps Maldonado, Maldonado pushes for Nogueras to replace him but gets outmaneuvered Mell.
How does Quinn the Outsider choose Berrios the Insider instead of former Circuit Court Judge Raymond Figueroa, the only assessor candidate with any reform credentials? I just don’t get it.
Figueroa, you should know, is nursing a severely slashed hand after confronting a guy who was yanking down his campaign yard signs last Tuesday. The guy fled. Figueroa, 62, went to the emergency room and got bandaged up.
Mr. Quinn’s spokeswoman said he endorsed the candidate because he’s known Mr. Berrios for decades, when Mr. Quinn was a commissioner and Mr. Berrios was on the board’s staff, and “believes Mr. Berrios is qualified to be assessor.”
Uh-huh. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the Cook County Democratic Central Committee — Joe Berrios, chairman — has endorsed Mr. Quinn for governor?
And it doesn’t make Mr. Quinn — who always rails about how he’s on the side of the little guys against special interests — look like a raging hypocrite?
Sad. Sad. And, sad.
* This is not a hit piece, nor is it negative, but it is certainly one of the more hilariously bizarre stories I’ve seen in a while…
A longtime spokesman to arguably the state’s most powerful Democrat supports former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s trip to central Illinois as “a good thing.”
Steve Brown, aide to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, is vice president of the board of directors governing Five Points Washington, where Palin will deliver a speech April 17 kicking off the organization’s “Lessons from Leaders” series.
Brown, whose family has lived in Washington for the past five years, emphasized that the address isn’t a “political event” and should not be viewed as such.
“I think the governor has established a niche for herself,” Brown said. “I’m a person who believes there is a lot of room for different points of views.”
Brownie is not exactly known for his love of Republicans. I spit out my coffee when I saw that piece.
* Alderman Scott Waguespack Abandons Neutrality in Race to Succeed Rep John Fritchey to Back Ed Mullen
* In many legislative contests, Tuesday will decide who’s going to Springfield
* Watch state spend wildly at new website: A Web site launched by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago displays a ticker that counts up Illinois’ debt. On Friday evening, the number was around $128,586,300,000 and swiftly on the rise.
* Investigation Needed Into Governor Pat Quinn’s Personal Ponzi Scheme
* Veteran Dems point to differing backgrounds in Cook assessor race
Monday, Feb 1, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Chicago Bar Association has a banner ad on Comcast.net with a link to their Guide to Judicial candidates for Cook County.
Go to www.comcast.net. Then click on the email sign in page. Click on the banner ad for Chicago Bar Association.
Then download and print either the detailed Green Guide to Candidates or the quick two page summary Pocket Guide. You can take it right into the voting booth with you.
Remember, we get the government we deserve, so don’t forget to vote tomorrow. And don’t forget those judicial candidates. Judges play a vital role in all of our lives. Just ask any politician!
* As I wrote over the weekend, Dan Hynes’ Harold Washington ad is so difficult to rebut not just because Washington’s words are so powerful and prescient, but because there is a legitimate disagreement over whether Washington really meant what he said. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington weighs in against Quinn today…
A pre-election postscript: There’s one political old-timer whose wisdom, even in death, is as relevant today as 22 years ago. Back then, I was privileged to serve as a spokeswoman for Mayor Harold Washington. Forever eloquent, Washington knew exactly what he was saying in that long-ago interview about firing Gov. Quinn. He meant every unequivocal word of it, and then some.
Washington doesn’t need to be rescued by craven politicians who feign outrage at that brilliant Dan Hynes campaign ad. The cynical rush by the pols to protect Washington’s name is a fig leaf for protecting the benefits of incumbency.
Like Quinn, Dan Hynes is an imperfect candidate. But that ad was not racist. It was right.
* I write my syndicated newspaper column on Friday. The Southtown-Star and others run the column over the weekend or on Monday, but the weeklies don’t run it until Wednesday or Thursday. So, I can’t really write about the election at hand. Such was the case this time as well…
Lawyers for Rod Blagojevich told reporters that there might be a delay in the former governor’s criminal trial when a federal grand jury, as expected, hands down a new indictment. But they also stressed that they were working hard to keep the trial on track for its June start date.
As I write this, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago is hoping to re-indict Blagojevich in order to make sure its criminal case isn’t damaged by an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the federal “Honest Services” statute. The brief statute has been used by federal prosecutors for years to prosecute politicians and corporate executives on a wide variety of charges, claiming they defrauded citizens, investors, etc. via “a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.”
The law has come under fire because it is so incredibly vague that prosecutors have used it to prosecute all sorts of behavior. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wondered aloud whether a worker taking an unauthorized break “to read the Racing Form” could be indicted.
Thankfully, federal prosecutors have better things to do than indict employees for reading newspapers. Still, the law is so vague and broad that Chief Justice John Roberts more than hinted that the statute was impossible to understand, which would therefore make it unconstitutional. Former Gov. George Ryan, Enron’s former president Jeff Skilling, former Chicago media baron Conrad Black and many others, including Rod Blagojevich were all indicted on honest services fraud counts.
At least some court-imposed restrictions on the law are expected, so prosecutors are scrambling to make sure their cases are solid, including in Chicago.
But this column isn’t about honest services fraud. It’s about Illinois politics. So, let’s get on with it.
Blagojevich’s criminal trial has been expected to last most of the summer and end just about the time that the fall campaigns are heating up around Labor Day.
To date, Blagojevich has used every opportunity that he could to claim he was railroaded by prosecutors and to point fingers of blame at his fellow Democrats who he believes are far more deserving of prosecution than him.
Blagojevich deeply and thoroughly despises Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, so many believe he’ll use his trial and the accompanying daily media spotlight to try to hurt them and, by extension, their candidates as much as he can. Blagojevich’s book is drenched with hostility towards the two men.
The former governor also detests Pat Quinn, whom he accuses of cutting a deal with Madigan and Cullerton on tax hikes in order to become governor (yes, it’s a silly theory, but this is Rod Blagojevich we’re talking about here). As I write this, we don’t know whether Quinn will survive the primary Democratic primary. But Blagojevich often sparred with Quinn’s opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, so I’m sure he’ll think of something to thwack Hynes with as well.
A brief delay while Blagojevich’s defense lawyers retool their case would probably hurt the Democrats even more than a June start because the trial could be pushed back into the fall campaign season itself. What the Democrats really need in order to avoid this embarrassment is a much longer delay, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards as of yet.
The only saving grace might be if Republican George Ryan makes it into the headlines with a post-decision appeal to have his conviction overturned. But even that probably wouldn’t be much help. Ryan left office a long time ago. And since the nation’s mood seems to be anti-incumbent (for good reason), and the Democrats dominate just about everything in Illinois, it’ll likely just add fuel to that particular fire.
In other words, if you’re a Democrat there’s trouble on the way for you whether you like it or not, or whether you deserve it or not. Then again, if you’re a Democrat, then there’s a good chance you voted for Blagojevich twice — or four times counting the primaries. In that case, it really is your fault. Particularly that last time, when if you’d been paying any sort of attention, you would’ve known you were taking a risk on a known ethical dud.
* NBC5 took a look at the complete internal ethics committee report by the Illinois Republican Party and found some interesting nuggets…
“Andrew McKenna compounded one ethical misstep with another,” the report said.
But what McKenna didn’t specifically address in that statement is that when he presented the poll to his party’s central committee in June 2009, he failed to mention to them that his name had been included at all. […]
The report also seems to back up candidate Jim Ryan’s assertion last week that McKenna failed, to some extent, to cooperate with the ethics committee’s investigation. In the report, the committee chairman noted that on Dec. 22, 2009, McKenna’s campaign manager was twice asked to clarify some questions that had come up, or even just to let them know he wanted more time to respond. He was given until 4 p.m. on Dec. 24. But when the report was printed on Dec. 28, he had done neither.
* He doesn’t say who did the poll, when the poll was done, or how it was done, but Gateway Pundit blogger Jim Hoft claims that Adam Andrzejewski is surging…
In the final days of this primary campaign Adam Andrzejewski is surging in the polls. He has closed the gap from 9 points down to 2 points in the last 5 days with two days to go before the primary election.
Take it for what it’s worth. I’ve sent an e-mail to Hoft asking for an explanation. Andrzejewski also had this to say to the American Spectator…
“We feel we’re either within the margin of error or leading the race right now,” said the Tea Party candidate, adding that he senses “panic” among his rivals in the crowded primary field. “We think 22 percent wins the race. Anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 votes — in a state of 13 million — will win the nomination. The bar is that low.”
I think he may do better than expected. He raised $752K during the last half of 2009, mostly in loans to himself. He’s reported raising $61K since January 1st, but he’s also claiming to be taking in lots of smaller contributions which wouldn’t show up on A-1 reports. In a normal year, that’s not enough to win. Jim Ryan has raised less than that, but Jim Ryan is far better known than AA. Still, in a year like this, who the heck knows.
That, by the way, was a classic pre-election “cover your behind” story.
[Sen. Kirk Dillard] owes three campaign supporters a total of $634,814.
That’s a very large debt. Dillard has said he won’t raise money after he takes office, so when will he raise the cash to pay off those loans? Before the fall campaign? Probably not. He’ll need every dime he can get. After the campaign and before he’s sworn in? More likely, but that’s when an administration is put together - not a great time to be raising money if you’re supposed to be Mr. Ethics.
* Related…
* Small primary turnout expected: “I’m predicting a 16 percent or so turnout,” said Winnebago County Clerk Margie Mullins. “That’s what we had four years ago.”
* Early line sees light turnout for Tuesday’s primary: [Lake County’s] Helander said she is hoping for a 30 percent turnout in her county compared to a 22 percent turnout in 2006, but the current totals are not overly encouraging.
* Illinois Primary on Tuesday: Is Obama’s State up for Grabs?
* PJ Star View: Be careful about drawing conclusions from Massachusetts: From where we sit, Republicans who want to duplicate this result and Democrats who want to prevent it need to rally behind candidates who can prove their ability to work together. In a nation facing enormous challenges, many Americans are sick of watching those they elect do nothing about them.
* Ill. candidates look to make good last impression
* We had several stories over the weekend about the new Burr Oak Cemetery allegations, but I shut down comments in the middle of it all, so let’s consolidate it all into one post for your commenting ease…
