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* Background is here in case you need it. ILGOP…

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement on State Representative Jeanne Ives’ recently released campaign advertisement:

“There is no place in the Illinois Republican Party for rhetoric that attacks our fellow Illinoisans based on their race, gender or humanity. Representative Ives’ campaign ad does not reflect who we are as the Party of Lincoln and as proud residents of our great and diverse state. She should pull down the ad and immediately apologize to the Illinoisans who were negatively portrayed in a cowardly attempt to stoke political division.”

* And…

Republican Attorney General Candidate Erika Harold released the following statement on new Ives campaign ad:

“This ad denigrates, mocks and marginalizes groups of Illinoisans and cannot represent our Republican Party. I call on the Ives campaign to immediately take it off the air. The Republican Party must be about fighting for the ideals and values that have made our country the envy of the world and promoting the dignity and value of every Illinoisan.”

* OK, but keep in mind that Gov. Rauner’s campaign never once mentioned Ives’ ad in his official statement yesterday…

Governor Rauner is the only candidate in either party who will take on Mike Madigan, cut taxes, and reform our state. Representative Ives has already admitted that she’s not willing to take on Mike Madigan and will keep his 32% tax hike — not surprising given her history of opposing property tax reductions. Looks like JB Pritzker has some competition as Mike Madigan’s favorite candidate.

Whether it’s refusing to comment on a cartoon that was deemed racist, or saying “What doesn’t matter is definitions” when asked if a Neo-Nazi attack was domestic terrorism, or when he wouldn’t call David Duke a racist, the man has real trouble with stuff like this.

This Ives ad is a meatball right over the plate. But instead of taking a swing himself, he’s making everybody else - from fellow Republicans, to the news media, to activists, to Democrats - do his work for him.

* The governor will have the perfect opportunity to say something this evening. From tonight’s Equality Illinois fundraising gala schedule…

8:00 p.m. - 8:20 p.m. Introduction of Elected Officials and Candidates, featuring brief remarks by First Lady Diana Rauner, Gov. Bruce Rauner, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

If he doesn’t say something tonight, then he’ll probably again have to be dragged into reacting and that won’t be a good look.

* Meanwhile, one of the weirdest things about the controversy surrounding Ives’ ad was that some of her supporters were apparently so freaked out by the spot that they took to social media to accuse others of fabricating the ad to make Ives look bad. For instance, here’s somebody claiming I made the ad myself…

* This guy posted several tweets accusing the CS-T of fabricating the story…

the whole video looks poorly fabricated, still waiting for a confirmation from Ives Camp HQ that this is her ad or is it another fabricated ad.

— Ric Riebold (@ricriebold) February 3, 2018

The Ives campaign had confirmed it was her ad hours before he wrote that tweet.

* But other Ives supporters are taking this route…

A bit of political analysis from @AllenSkillicorn’s Facebook page. He admits this ad was designed to “offend those that will never vote for us anyways.” It’s right out of the Milo playbook — the guy Breitbart fired. pic.twitter.com/zxvEr8XsTO

— Mark Maxwell (@WCIA3Mark) February 3, 2018

Also, to those on the left side of the equation who said the ad was merely a PR ploy by Ives and would never actually air, Chicago-area folks are telling me they’ve been seeing the ad on their teevees today.

*** UPDATE *** Here you go…

Full quote: @GovRauner “I think that just shows how unelectable @JeanneIves really is.”

On if her ad hurts the Illinois Republican Party:
“Rep. @JeanneIves has associated herself with questionable individuals that really don’t represent the views of the people of IL.”

— Baylee Steelman (@bayleeasteelman) February 3, 2018

* Related…

* GOP Governor pokes IL social conservatives’ in eye keynoting abortion, gay rights banquet

* Illinois governor candidate stands by ad blasted as racist

* Ives’ anti-Rauner ad ripped as ‘racist, sexist, homophobic’

* Ives ad targets transgender community, immigrants and women who get abortions

* Jeanne Ives ‘Thank You’ ad stirs controversy

* Ives “Thank you, Bruce Rauner” TV ad causing uproar