It’s a targeted statewide TV and digital ad on Representative Ives’ poor record on taxes and her unwillingness to take on Mike Madigan. We will continue highlighting JB Pritzker’s record and we’re able to walk and chew gum at the same time. But Representative Ives has already proven herself to be a completely unelectable candidate in the general election, and we’re going to make sure Republicans know how wrong she is on the issues of taxes and failing to fight the status quo.
* Here’s the ad…
* Script…
Jeanne Ives took thousands from a shady labor union tied to Mike Madigan.
She voted against increasing your property tax exemption.
Now, she’s criticizing Bruce Rauner for calling Mike Madigan a crook, brags about Madigan voting for her bills and complains Rauner is “picking on Madigan.”
Let’s recap. Jeanne Ives was for higher taxes, took shady money from Madigan’s cronies and now defends and defers to Madigan.
Jeanne Ives might just be Mike Madigan’s favorite Republican and Illinois’ worst nightmare.
Rauner Responds to Ives The Only Way He Knows How: With Lies.
At the Tribune editorial board meeting, Governor Rauner bragged about playing golf with Madigan and knowing him very well.
As Governor, it’s been more like Rauner caddying for Madigan.
It was Rauner who abdicated during last year’s budget debate, and let 15 House Republicans pass Madigan’s tax hike.
In fact, Ives has actually taken on Madigan and won as she did in preventing a Chicago teachers pension holiday backed by CPS and Madigan that would’ve skipped three years of pension payments.
This ad is consistent with Rauner’s character. He is an unrepentant liar. If he’ll lie to Cardinal Cupich, he’ll lie to anyone about anything. And in his three years as Governor, he has lied to everyone about everything.
As State Representative and House Republican Floor Leader Peter Breen (R-Lombard) said after the last of Rauner’s many betrayals, HB 40, “Rauner’s promises were just flat out lies.”
As Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) said, “Rauner has been completely ineffective - other than the TV ads and press releases he hides behind - in attempting to actually pass something. He could be the most ineffective politician in the country.”
Ives expects Rauner to lie about her and to lie to Illinois families. That’s just what he does. And so it begins.
*** UPDATE 2 *** DGA…
Incumbent Governor Rauner Forced to Turn Attention to Republican Primary
Nation’s Most Vulnerable Incumbent Begins Running Ads Against Primary Opponent after Failing to Avoid Serious Challenge
It was never supposed to get this far. Today, news broke that Governor Bruce Rauner will air an attack ad again his primary opponent, State Representative Jeanne Ives. Rauner tops most national lists as the “most vulnerable incumbent” running for reelection, and spent months ignoring Ives in the hope she could not put together a serious primary challenge. For her part, Ives has rung up a string of bad press stores: she’s cancelled a fundraiser with a white supremacist, had to refund a $1,000 donation from a neo-Nazi, and put on air one of the most offensive ads ever.
Yet, Rauner now finds himself wasting time and resources running ads in a Republican primary.
Thanks in part to Rauner’s unpopularity and ineptitude, Ives has kept rolling along. She racked up endorsements from numerous sitting legislators and county parties. She absolutely walloped Rauner in their only debate together. And Ives received $2.5 million from a Midwestern mega-donor that used to be a strong Rauner ally.
Now, she’s got Rauner’s attention.
“Bruce Rauner’s been looking over his shoulder all winter and now he’s officially sounding the alarm,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner was already suffering from Trumpian-level approval ratings and today’s news that he’ll air attacks against State Rep. Jeanne Ives shows just how weak his position really is. Rauner failed the voters of Illinois, regardless of their party, and now he’s paying the price.”
Ives ad indicates to me that she is only interested in hurting Rauner (Proft wants to hurt Rauner). How do you win a general election in Illinois with that ad? And if you are a Republican why would you say Madigan is the good guy? Good ad.
Nothing to add to Willy’s assessment. It’s bull’s eye on this.
The bulletin here is that Jeanne got under Rauner’s skin enough to run the ad. i.e. he took the bait. May not be any going back now. This may turn out to be a very expensive decision.
I’m betting the ad refers to some Local 150 money from her first run. Smart thing to do, is for Ives to pick it up and run with it.
Rauner made a big mistake with his attack on trade unions. Ives can pick those guys up of sorts with a small hug.
She can embrace c the idea that Bruce wants to pick on tradesmen. Hell, surround herself with real guys in carhart jackets and say we won’t see eye to eye on everything, but you’ll have an open door and we’ll figure out a way to put Illinois back to work.
Embrace the Trump idea of a capitol plan and say that Rauner had 3 plus years to put a capitol plan together, if elected we’ll sit down and figure one out.
find a way to take the sour lemons he is tossing and make lemonade.
She’s wrong on taxes? What a dumb line. She could call for repealing the entire income tax if she wanted. He’s stuck partially having to take feasible positions; her entire campaign is a fantasyland, and she can say whatever she wants. All she has to do to undercut this entirely is take some crazy new tax position.
When is Rauner going to figure out that most voters aren’t as obsessed with Madigan as he is? Rauner has become as fixated on him as Captain Ahab was on Moby Dick.
Interesting tweet Monday from Trib reporter @kimjnews about controversial Ives ad:
“FWIW Dan Proft was repeatedly asked after Ives’ event whether he’d written the ad and he refused to answer in such a manner that left few of us in much doubt that he had.”
The trades could make a real significant difference in allowing Ives to have another base group Rauner turned on. Can they collectively get motivated enough to want to make this statement in this Primary, that is something I’d be interested to find out, just for the raw politics of this race.
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:46 am:
Madigan and the DuPage far right Republicans he controls.
- From the 'Dale to HP - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:46 am:
LOL. Maybe it will work?
Ives should run the same ad only with Rauner, and list all of MJM’s accomplishments under Rauner. It’s probably closer to the truth than whatever that was.
OW you’re correct but it seems the point of this ad is to keep her from picking up the socially moderate fiscally conservative Rs. She is in the House, the House overrode his veto, we got a tax increase… ad nauseaum
I’m approaching this that Ives’ negative ad is more about burning down the village against Rauner so her voters will never vote Rauner again, come April.
If she wins, fine. The real is “expose Rauner to the alleged base and burn down his chances to ever getting them to support him ever again.”
I see your point. I’m just coming at this differently.
She could reach out and Proft is already working with 150 on other stuff. its not that far of a reach.
and lots of trade guys are very conservitive. it drives the dems bat$hit crazy when they vote republican like they did for Trump.
She can cpme out against pritzgers milage plan and say thats a non starter. And point to Indiana and what they did and say I’m not for higher taxes but user fees we can talk about
Remeber if it were not for a bunch of liberal unions that could not get their head around the idea of a republican, Dillard almost pulled it off 4 years ago with the trades help
As you know, and my respect for you that you know too…
I’m hedging, I guess is one way to describe it, because as you ably point out, the reach in the sense of the “math” to it is close, and Dillard closed in a 4-way race too, but I’m hedging because the reach “ask” to overtly go and embrace the trades, will both side do that, or will this be a covert undercurrent of coordination?
A good discussion angle. You aren’t wrong… which is why I always enjoy our back and forths.
I thought it was time for an attack on Ives. The Governor needs to worry about the damage being done. That being said; that Madigan now controls a Republican candidate for Illinois highest office. I bet if you checked he caused the dinosaurs to become extinct, the Mt St Helens volcano, and the black plague. Rauner; blaming all of his, and our woes on the Speaker is getting real old. How about doing your job? If he did most of his troubles would have never happened.
It’s a good ad in pursuit of a bad strategy. It’s technically fine, but he shouldn’t be running negative ads on Ives at all right now, and if he ever does have to address her, he shouldn’t do the “Because Madigan” thing. It throws away all of the opportunities this gave him for the General Election.
-To the update: Am I having deja vu, or are the first and sixth paragraphs the same?
Or is Dan Profit so pleased with himself that he repeated the line on purpose?-
P1-This ad is consistent with Rauner’s character. He is an unrepentant liar. If he’ll lie to Cardinal Cupich, he’ll lie to anyone about anything. And in his three years as Governor, he has lied to everyone about everything.
P6-This ad is consistent with Rauner’s character. He is an unrepentant liar. If he’ll lie to Cardinal Cupich, he’ll lie to anyone about anything. And in his three years as Governor, he has lied to everyone about everything.
Proft ad links Durkin to Madigan. Rauner ad links Ives to Madigan. Ives ad says Rauner “caved” to Madigan. Board of Elections and court decisions going either way in Berrios or Drury races, all somehow blamed on Madigan.
Has John Kass finally won hearts and minds? Or has Rauner’s multi-year ad campaign moved the public?
Polling shows otherwise? The only polling I have seen was from weeks ago when nobody had even heard of Jeanne Ives. Bruce Rauner was no different when he announced his candidacy in in 2013.
Bruce Rauner has NO support…the Republican base and Trump supporters want no part of him…like Jeanne Ives said…Rauner will be Mark Kirk’ed out of office.
The dummy turned his back on his supporters and our President…did he believe Democrats were going to vote for him?
Rauner is the worst Republican Governor in the country, his ratings are horrific. Jeanne Ives will defeat Rauner. Rauner can buy the political party hacks but he can’t buy the voters. Put a fork in him.
===Rauner is the worst Republican Governor in the country, his ratings are horrific. Jeanne Ives will defeat Rauner. Rauner can buy the political party hacks but he can’t buy the voters. Put a fork in him.===
Voters who could be captured with “but Madigan…”, can be captured by Ives, easily. These are simple voters demanding change that Rauner failed to deliver. Ives can win these voters away from Rauner.
== Rauner made a big mistake with his attack on trade unions. Ives can pick those guys up of sorts with a small hug. =
That worked really well for Kirk Dillard in 2014. The same hard right social conservatives are also all-in for the Scott Walker line against labor unions. It doesn’t help Ives if she’s working with the Democrats.
- Whatever - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:18 am:
Trouble in Rauner paradise?
- Anonin - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:22 am:
Ives ad indicates to me that she is only interested in hurting Rauner (Proft wants to hurt Rauner). How do you win a general election in Illinois with that ad? And if you are a Republican why would you say Madigan is the good guy? Good ad.
- Ste_with_a_ven - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:22 am:
Good. It’s about time.
- Shemp - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:23 am:
Great comedy!
- HCMcB - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:25 am:
Someone’s hearin’ footsteps.
- old time golfer - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:26 am:
Proft isnt about winning he is about making money. Now Ives will get a dose of Rauners money and not in the form of a donation
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:26 am:
Ives base voter is a voter who is angry about Rauner signing…
HB40
“Sanctuary State” legislation
Criminal justice reform
Birth certificates
This is “Madigan”
Ives voters won’t be moved from her because of this Ad.
- @misterjayem - is right. This is for Rauner’s bass and again, “Madigan”, not defending his signatures.
In actuality, it’s telling. Rauner won’t defend what Ives is accusing him of doing, no matter how “Right” or actually wrong Ives is.
It’s extremely telling.
- Back to the Mountains - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:29 am:
Just curious, is there anything that isn’t a vast Madigan conspiracy in Rauner’s mind?
- Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:30 am:
$2.5 million from Roy Moore lover Uhlein will change the calculus. Glad he’s attackin’ Ives.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:30 am:
why waste money attacking her of she blew herself up with the weekend ad?
Is Rauner’s polling a different reaction to the Ives ad among GOP primary voters than that of pundits?
- A guy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:31 am:
Nothing to add to Willy’s assessment. It’s bull’s eye on this.
The bulletin here is that Jeanne got under Rauner’s skin enough to run the ad. i.e. he took the bait. May not be any going back now. This may turn out to be a very expensive decision.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:31 am:
–..we’re able to walk and chew gum at the same time.–
LOL, little defensive there BTIA(TM)? Felt the need to assert that up front, without prompting?
Has that been in question? Wonder why?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:31 am:
==Is Rauner’s polling a different reaction to the Ives ad among GOP primary voters than that of pundits?==
No point in letting her have the airwaves to herself.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:31 am:
Seriously, without Madigan I ain’t got nothin’.
- Todd - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:32 am:
I’m betting the ad refers to some Local 150 money from her first run. Smart thing to do, is for Ives to pick it up and run with it.
Rauner made a big mistake with his attack on trade unions. Ives can pick those guys up of sorts with a small hug.
She can embrace c the idea that Bruce wants to pick on tradesmen. Hell, surround herself with real guys in carhart jackets and say we won’t see eye to eye on everything, but you’ll have an open door and we’ll figure out a way to put Illinois back to work.
Embrace the Trump idea of a capitol plan and say that Rauner had 3 plus years to put a capitol plan together, if elected we’ll sit down and figure one out.
find a way to take the sour lemons he is tossing and make lemonade.
- PJ - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:32 am:
She’s wrong on taxes? What a dumb line. She could call for repealing the entire income tax if she wanted. He’s stuck partially having to take feasible positions; her entire campaign is a fantasyland, and she can say whatever she wants. All she has to do to undercut this entirely is take some crazy new tax position.
- Grand Avenue - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:33 am:
Subject Verb Madigan
- IllinoisBoi - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:35 am:
When is Rauner going to figure out that most voters aren’t as obsessed with Madigan as he is? Rauner has become as fixated on him as Captain Ahab was on Moby Dick.
- Rabid - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:36 am:
“Jeanne Ives might just be mike madigan’s favorite republican” urging democrats to vote for Ives and take him out
- Whatever - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:36 am:
He must be saving the tapes of her phone calls with Blago for the week before the primaries.
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:38 am:
Good ad. Smart ad. Rauner could hit harder.
Interesting tweet Monday from Trib reporter @kimjnews about controversial Ives ad:
“FWIW Dan Proft was repeatedly asked after Ives’ event whether he’d written the ad and he refused to answer in such a manner that left few of us in much doubt that he had.”
- Ste_with_a_ven - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:42 am:
Could it be Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC? They have donated to her in the past.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:43 am:
===Could it be Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC?===
That’s probably it.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:44 am:
- Todd -
The trades could make a real significant difference in allowing Ives to have another base group Rauner turned on. Can they collectively get motivated enough to want to make this statement in this Primary, that is something I’d be interested to find out, just for the raw politics of this race.
(Tips cap to - A Guy -)
- Ste_with_a_ven - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:46 am:
I realize that fine folks over at IR have beef with the PAC-maybe they didn’t know about Ives donation?
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2014/01/republican-state-lawmakers-take-campaign-funds-from-right-to-work-opponents.html
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:46 am:
Madigan and the DuPage far right Republicans he controls.
- From the 'Dale to HP - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:46 am:
LOL. Maybe it will work?
Ives should run the same ad only with Rauner, and list all of MJM’s accomplishments under Rauner. It’s probably closer to the truth than whatever that was.
- the Cardinal - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:48 am:
OW you’re correct but it seems the point of this ad is to keep her from picking up the socially moderate fiscally conservative Rs. She is in the House, the House overrode his veto, we got a tax increase… ad nauseaum
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 10:58 am:
- the Cardinal -
I’m approaching this that Ives’ negative ad is more about burning down the village against Rauner so her voters will never vote Rauner again, come April.
If she wins, fine. The real is “expose Rauner to the alleged base and burn down his chances to ever getting them to support him ever again.”
I see your point. I’m just coming at this differently.
- Todd - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 11:07 am:
OW
She could reach out and Proft is already working with 150 on other stuff. its not that far of a reach.
and lots of trade guys are very conservitive. it drives the dems bat$hit crazy when they vote republican like they did for Trump.
She can cpme out against pritzgers milage plan and say thats a non starter. And point to Indiana and what they did and say I’m not for higher taxes but user fees we can talk about
Remeber if it were not for a bunch of liberal unions that could not get their head around the idea of a republican, Dillard almost pulled it off 4 years ago with the trades help
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 11:15 am:
- Todd -
As you know, and my respect for you that you know too…
I’m hedging, I guess is one way to describe it, because as you ably point out, the reach in the sense of the “math” to it is close, and Dillard closed in a 4-way race too, but I’m hedging because the reach “ask” to overtly go and embrace the trades, will both side do that, or will this be a covert undercurrent of coordination?
A good discussion angle. You aren’t wrong… which is why I always enjoy our back and forths.
OW
- Retired Educator - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 11:22 am:
I thought it was time for an attack on Ives. The Governor needs to worry about the damage being done. That being said; that Madigan now controls a Republican candidate for Illinois highest office. I bet if you checked he caused the dinosaurs to become extinct, the Mt St Helens volcano, and the black plague. Rauner; blaming all of his, and our woes on the Speaker is getting real old. How about doing your job? If he did most of his troubles would have never happened.
- Ste_with_a_ven - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 11:34 am:
That response from Ives…she doesn’t take criticism well
- Reality Check - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 11:43 am:
To the update: Am I having deja vu, or are the first and sixth paragraphs the same?
Or is Dan Profit so pleased with himself that he repeated the line on purpose?
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 12:04 pm:
It’s a good ad in pursuit of a bad strategy. It’s technically fine, but he shouldn’t be running negative ads on Ives at all right now, and if he ever does have to address her, he shouldn’t do the “Because Madigan” thing. It throws away all of the opportunities this gave him for the General Election.
- Ste_with_a_ven - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 12:17 pm:
-To the update: Am I having deja vu, or are the first and sixth paragraphs the same?
Or is Dan Profit so pleased with himself that he repeated the line on purpose?-
P1-This ad is consistent with Rauner’s character. He is an unrepentant liar. If he’ll lie to Cardinal Cupich, he’ll lie to anyone about anything. And in his three years as Governor, he has lied to everyone about everything.
P6-This ad is consistent with Rauner’s character. He is an unrepentant liar. If he’ll lie to Cardinal Cupich, he’ll lie to anyone about anything. And in his three years as Governor, he has lied to everyone about everything.
Looks like it
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 12:21 pm:
===are the first and sixth paragraphs the same?===
The first one is a subhed. I removed it for clarity.
- walker - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 12:21 pm:
Proft ad links Durkin to Madigan. Rauner ad links Ives to Madigan. Ives ad says Rauner “caved” to Madigan. Board of Elections and court decisions going either way in Berrios or Drury races, all somehow blamed on Madigan.
Has John Kass finally won hearts and minds? Or has Rauner’s multi-year ad campaign moved the public?
- Jose Paharito - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:04 pm:
Bruce Rauner is LOSING to Jeanne Ives…no other way for his team to explain why they are wasting money on a “fringe candidate”.
Like President, Trump…her supporters are hardcore and growing daily.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:05 pm:
===Bruce Rauner is LOSING to Jeanne Ives…====
Polling shows otherwise.
- -Jose Paharito - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:18 pm:
Polling shows otherwise? The only polling I have seen was from weeks ago when nobody had even heard of Jeanne Ives. Bruce Rauner was no different when he announced his candidacy in in 2013.
Bruce Rauner has NO support…the Republican base and Trump supporters want no part of him…like Jeanne Ives said…Rauner will be Mark Kirk’ed out of office.
The dummy turned his back on his supporters and our President…did he believe Democrats were going to vote for him?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:22 pm:
-Jose Paharito -
The poll was 65/20 I recall…
Ives made up a 45 point spread.
Please show your work.
Thanks.
- Jose Paharito - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
Rauner is the worst Republican Governor in the country, his ratings are horrific. Jeanne Ives will defeat Rauner. Rauner can buy the political party hacks but he can’t buy the voters. Put a fork in him.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:26 pm:
===Rauner is the worst Republican Governor in the country, his ratings are horrific. Jeanne Ives will defeat Rauner. Rauner can buy the political party hacks but he can’t buy the voters. Put a fork in him.===
This is not polling data. It’s opinion. Sorry.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:37 pm:
===Polls are quite volatile and are totally tanking for Rauner.===
Please cite… or stop with this. Thank you.
I’ve fed you enough. You have an opinion, it’s not based on data.
- Jose Paharito - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 1:42 pm:
At least there is a good chance President Trump will campaign for her. He would love to come to
Illinois now that he has someone worth supporting.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 2:03 pm:
Weak ad.
Voters who could be captured with “but Madigan…”, can be captured by Ives, easily. These are simple voters demanding change that Rauner failed to deliver. Ives can win these voters away from Rauner.
Easy come, easy go, Bruce.
Find a new plan, oh- governor without a plan.
- DS - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 2:40 pm:
== Rauner made a big mistake with his attack on trade unions. Ives can pick those guys up of sorts with a small hug. =
That worked really well for Kirk Dillard in 2014. The same hard right social conservatives are also all-in for the Scott Walker line against labor unions. It doesn’t help Ives if she’s working with the Democrats.
- DS - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
== At least there is a good chance President Trump will campaign for her. ==
Not if she doesn’t have a chance to win. He learned his lesson in Alabama.
- thehypocrisy - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 3:31 pm:
So Rauner is turning his money and attention to Ives? And people don’t think her ad was effective.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 3:36 pm:
Just in. Loud BOOM in Florida linked to Illinois Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan.
- Nick Name - Tuesday, Feb 6, 18 @ 4:49 pm:
===Just curious, is there anything that isn’t a vast Madigan conspiracy in Rauner’s mind?===
The League of Shadows’ role in the 1527 sacking of Rome, but Rauner is trying to establish a connection anyhow.