The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police’s top campaign priority this spring is defeating Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. The police group is backing Chicago police detective Erin Jones, who not long ago was described as a “loyal member” of the Northwest Side GOP Club.
The previous practice in that area of fielding Republican candidates against Democrats in the general election has simply not worked. In 2018, then-Rep. Martwick defeated Republican Ammie Kessem, a Chicago police sergeant and the current 41st Ward Republican committeeperson, by 21 points. Lindsey LaPointe was appointed to Martwick’s seat when Martwick was appointed to the Senate in 2019, and she buried Republican police detective Jeff Muehlfelder by 20 points in the 2020 general election. The failed Republican push in both years, and even long before that, was a project of GOP operative Dan Proft and folks affiliated with the Illinois Policy Institute.
Republicans have also run in Democratic primaries in that part of the world with disastrous results, but they’re going to try again with Detective Jones.
In addition to the Martwick vs. Jones race, LaPointe faces famed 911 dispatch operator Keith Thornton, who managed the radio response to Officer Ella French’s fatal shooting, and realtor Tina Wallace in the June 28 primary. Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) is up against Carolynn Crump, a cop with a PhD in business administration, as well as Steven Williams.
As noted above, Martwick is at the very tippity top of the FOP’s hit list. FOP President John Catanzara made it clear to his members last week that any politician who endorses or helps Martwick will feel the fiery wrath of his union.
Martwick, LaPointe and Harper all voted for the SAFE-T Act, the police and criminal justice reform bill that Catanzara said on a Facebook video last week was backed by the “Black Caucus and a ridiculously left-leaning agenda, radical Democrats in Springfield.” The Chicago FOP, Catanzara said, “has been very clear none of those members who voted for that [bill] will get any support from the FOP. Period.” Harper chairs the Legislative Black Caucus.
Catanzara also said in the video message that he told three Northwest Side alderpersons, who are loyal to the Chicago Firefighters Union, that if they back Martwick in the primary there will be consequences when they run for reelection next year. They and any others could introduce or even pass all the police-friendly ordinances they wanted, but it wouldn’t matter if they stood with Martwick over the cops, he warned.
Martwick himself has taken tremendous media heat for sponsoring a pension sweetener bill for the Chicago police, but the police union doesn’t care. They want that man gone, end of story.
Martwick is also absolutely despised by the charter school lobby, and those folks may wind up spending significantly more against him than the FOP, which recently boosted dues for its political push against its enemies.
I think LaPointe could be viewed as collateral damage. The cops definitely don’t like her, yet they don’t hate her with the intensity that they hate Martwick. But she represents half of Martwick’s district, so they might as well take both shots while they’re mucking around in Martwick’s neighborhood. Same goes for the charter schools.
One issue for the FOP is that LaPointe’s other opponent Tina Wallace will likely not bow out in favor of 911 dispatcher Thornton, who reportedly has district residency issues and has an opposition research file that’s like five miles deep. The general rule of thumb for incumbents when it comes to primary opponents is ‘The more the merrier,’ because multiple opponents can split the opposing vote into smaller fragments. But Wallace will undoubtedly want a clear shot at a majority-wins, two-way primary and will likely try to kick Thornton off the ballot.
The Illinois Association of Realtors is almost always supportive of any member, like Wallace, who runs for office. Coincidentally, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools hired the Realtors’ top political person away from them not long ago, so the two groups now have a lot in common.
Meanwhile, Crump will be “fully supported” by the FOP against Harper, who had real trouble gathering candidate petitions.
A gigantic question remains whether the FOP, INCS and the Realtors can convince enough conservative Chicagoans to take Democratic ballots to vote against liberal Democratic incumbents in liberal districts, instead of voting Republican. It’s not an easy ask and it almost never works, despite all the money that’s about to be dumped into these races.
It pretty much goes without saying that if the FOP loses these primaries, it’ll be tough to make the case to city council members that they need to be obeyed.
- Can - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 7:47 am:
== A gigantic question remains whether the FOP, INCS and the Realtors can convince enough conservative Chicagoans to take Democratic ballots to vote against liberal Democratic incumbents in liberal districts, instead of voting Republican. ==
Not happening. They’re not pulling D ballots in the primary.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 7:48 am:
The Mayor doesn’t seem to like Sen. Martwick either. Pretty ironic.
- TNR - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:01 am:
There are actually a decent number of conservative-leaning northwest siders who routinely show up in Dem primaries because it’s the only game in town. But the late primary date and the competitive GOP primary are likely to keep the crossover number lower than usual, which should help Martwick.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:13 am:
Re Thornton’s residency, apparently he doesn’t live in either the old or the new district that he is running in. But the redistricting legislation allows the winner to move in to the district after the election. So while he isn’t barred from running, he still can be called out as a nonresident.
- Steve - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:14 am:
Very good column here by Rich.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:19 am:
===But the redistricting legislation allows the winner to move in to the district after the election===
No.
- JS Mill - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:20 am:
This seems like it has the potential to blow up in Catanzara’s face in so many ways. Not sure he is smart enough to see the many sides of his play.
- Regular democrat - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:23 am:
I have been a member of Fop for many years and cant say im happy with this regime. Its a clown show on most days. Martwick not my favorite either but i appreciate that he willing to take a lot of heat about pension enhancement. I believe Martwick can make a case to sensible members and be ok.
- NW Sider - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:26 am:
The pretend Democrats (NW Side GOP shills) who are backed by current FOP leadership (if you can call it that) will lose. Badly. The FOP membership will win because they will be one-step closer to getting rid of this buffoon who hijacked their union.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:27 am:
=Not happening. They’re not pulling D ballots in the primary=
Happen’s all the time, have many police friends who live in the city, 41st and 19th Ward and others, every one of them a GOP voter. They routinely pull a Dem ballot in the primary. Two reasons - keep up the appearance on the voting rolls that they are Dems, or to vote for a police friendly candidate
- Cheryl44 - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:33 am:
I’m white and old and I don’t know if I’d call a cop if I needed one. That’s how much I trust them right now.
- Ben Gazzara - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:34 am:
Whenever I read yet another story about John Catanzara’s fiery rhetoric, ridiculous ego, and love of threats, I finding myself humming the old opening theme from “Dragnet”
Dum-da-dum-DUM
Dum-da-dum-DUM-DUUUUUUMMMMMMM
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 8:37 am:
Great stuff, Rich. It’s a game within a game where the local and the window to a bigger narrating to the politics intersect, like in a race that is looking at personal scores to settle.
I really dunno how much of a numeric impact it will have deciding to go about this plan through the Democratic primary, as a possible “hot” gubernatorial race on the GOP side might make folks think twice about which primary they feel might be more important to vote.
Are folks more angry and wanna have a voice to “take down Pritzker” with their choice, or leave that to others, downstate others, and vote locally towards this end with Martwick as the target?
It’s too early for me to tell which overriding thought might either enhance Dem ballots or not have any real impact because the GOP race is just too hot for others that not pulling that ballot to choose the nominee against Pritzker isn’t a choice.
- Can - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:14 am:
== Happen’s all the time, have many police friends==
While they’re may be a few individuals here and there that do this, it doesn’t happen in large enough numbers to make a difference. And GOP primary voters certainly aren’t crossing over now with a gubernatorial race going on.
- CLR - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:21 am:
If the polling that shows crime is the top issue of concern among Chicago Dems is accurate, Martwick and LaPointe are definitely vulnerable. If Catanzara is the de facto campaign manager for the opposition, they just got a lot less vulnerable.
Trolling for likes on facebook and views on YouTube is a lot easier than getting voters to the polls.
- Homebody - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:24 am:
Honestly I don’t follow legislators enough outside of my own and the top leadership, so I know virtually nothing about Martwick as a person or politician. That being said, if all I will ever know about the guy is that the FOP and charter school lobbyists hate him, that is probably enough to win my vote.
- Ashland Adam - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:38 am:
Pretty sure that both Martwick and LaPointe will win, handily, w over 60%.
2020 Dem Primary:
Martwick - 54% to 45%
LaPointe - 43% - 35% - 22% (3 way primary)
2020 Gen Election:
Martwick - 54% - 46%
LaPointe - 58% - 38%
Now, these two incumbents are running for re-election in districts that were redrawn, and the worst precincts (for them) were lopped off, and better performing, more progressive Dem precincts added on. They’re not going to lose. But never say never.
Let’s check in on June 29th.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:40 am:
==Two reasons - keep up the appearance on the voting rolls==
Yet on their social media they rail against the Dems lol.
- Anyone Remember - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:51 am:
“Dragnet”
As law enforcement officers can be banned from off-duty marijuana use, can hear Sgt. Joe Friday calling pot “Plenty of Trouble” and telling people what they need is “a smoke and a cuppa joe” …
- Soccermom - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:52 am:
Donnie Elgin - I know it happens, but in this case there’s a fairly hot race at the top of the ticket. If you’re Republican, you probably want a voice in who runs for governor. (I speak as someone who has tried and failed to get Republicans to pull a D ballot.)
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:52 am:
=Yet on their social media, they rail against the Dems lol=
It is easy to analyze and sort tens of thousands of Voters’ roll records in Excel. Not so much with Facebook and twitter.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 10:29 am:
Great column, Rich.
I think the FOP may be simply be digging a big moat around a political island that no one is going to want to visit.
- Back to the Future - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 10:52 am:
I think I would change “almost never works “ to never works.
Thinking the odds are in favor a State Senator who has been steadfast in supporting benefits and pocket book issues for public safety officers as opposed candidates supported by the future former head of the Chicago FOP group.
Really good article. Facts and a knowledge of the history of politics and government in our state continue to make this Sun Times columnist a good Sunday read.
- thisjustinagain - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 12:10 pm:
TO: - Anyone Remember - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 9:51 am, Sgt Joe Friday:
“Alcohol vs. Marijuana vs LSD” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Twre6ItGEI
And of course…”1 Fatal Second”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JawdbAL7lg
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 1:38 pm:
This FOP dude sure throws a ton of threats around. I wonder if anyone has taught him threats bring……….action. Yea, he is a cop. But man, he is threatening everyone.
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Monday, Mar 21, 22 @ 1:41 pm:
Although I must admit Cantanzara makes it easy to make political donations. I just send a nice fat check to whomever he threatens.