Campaign notebook
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today if he supports the DGA’s efforts against Richard Irvin…
I’ve been a Democrat my whole life and I’ve supported not just the DGA, but the DCCC, the DNC and Democrats up and down the ticket both here in Illinois and across the nation. So, I think it’s important that Democrats be involved in telling the truth out there. And when it comes to what the DGA is doing here in Illinois, they’re simply telling the truth, which is more than the Irvin campaign can say. So they’re getting the word out about what the truth is about his record.
* Press release…
Continuing to build a statewide, grassroots-powered campaign, Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia today announced her best fundraising quarter of the campaign, bringing in a total of $456,451 from January 1 through March 31– an increase of $127,000 from the previous quarter’s total of $329,131.
Valencia received 1,004 grassroots contributions of $100 or less. Since launching her campaign, Valencia has received more than 2,000 donations of $100 or less. The campaign has just over $1.1M in cash-on-hand. Eighty-nine percent of contributions came from Illinois donors.
“I’m so grateful for the grassroots supporters across our state who are backing our campaign because they know I’ll always fight for hard-working Illinoisans, not the wealthy and well-connected,” said Valencia. “Because of their support, we have the resources to share my story of being raised by working class parents in a union household and delivering bold and innovative ideas as Chicago City Clerk, a record I’ll build on as the first woman Secretary of State in Illinois history.”
“While her opponent has benefited from nearly a million dollars in family loans and has cultivated wealthy donor friends through his time as a Wall Street investment banker, Anna’s worked hard for every dollar she’s raised from grassroot supporters across Illinois who know she fought for them during the Trump and Rauner administrations,” said Cheryl Bruce, Valencia’s campaign manager. “With fewer than three months to go until the June 28 primary, we are in a strong position to communicate with Democratic primary voters about why Anna’s the best candidate to be on the ticket in November and to succeed Secretary White—who has endorsed Anna because he knows she will continue his legacy of leading with integrity and putting people first.”
* Press release…
Today the Villegas for Congress campaign released a preliminary estimate of the total funds raised since announcing his run for Congress on the birthday of the United States Marine Corps November of 2021. In the 1st Quarter of 2022, Villegas for Congress expects to report more than $390,000 raised bringing in approximately $775,000 since Alderman Gilbert Villegas entered the race for the newly created Third Congressional District of Illinois.
Campaign Magdalena Fudalewicz released the following statement:
“We’ve been absolutely blown away by the support from across the district and it’s a testament to the fact that Gilbert’s background and message are resonating strongly in his run for Congress,” said Magdalena Fudalewicz.
That’s almost double Delia Ramirez’s total.
* Daily Herald…
Candidates for congressional districts serving the North, West and Northwest suburbs are divided — almost perfectly along party lines — as to whether they’ll respect a strike by WTTW Channel 11 employees and not participate in election forums or interviews with the station.
Local Union 1220 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, representing technicians, graphic artists and floor crew members, walked out March 16 over work jurisdiction and job protection issues.
The Daily Herald asked more than 40 candidates running for Congress in the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 14th districts if they intend to honor the picket lines. About half responded.
All but one of the Democrats who replied said they wouldn’t speak with WTTW until the strike is settled. Juan Aguirre, a Chicagoan running in the 3rd District representing parts of Cook and DuPage counties, said he’d appear on WTTW if asked. […]
Most of the Republicans who replied said they would speak with WTTW despite the strike. Three — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, who’s running in the 6th District, Winfield’s Justin Burau in the 3rd, and Susan Hathaway-Altman of the Geneva area, who’s running in the 11th — said they wouldn’t cross the picket lines.
* And a story which was covered here yesterday…
* Richard Irvin’s campaign acknowledges mailer blasting rival violated election code, blames the printer: In reaction to Irvin’s mailer, Bailey’s campaign retweeted a tweet from David Smith, executive director of the evangelical conservative Illinois Family Institute, a group opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage. “Wow! The Richard Irvin campaign is lying like a rug in an attempt to discredit the best GOP candidate in the primary race for #Illinois governor,” Smith’s tweet said.
* DPI: After nearly three months dodging reporters and voters, it is time for Richard Irvin to answer the question: Did you vote for Donald Trump?
- Say What? - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 1:32 pm:
These commercials continue to help Irvin with GOP voters. It gives him bonafide credentials as the opposition that he couldn’t buy in his own - which is coincidentally his biggest challenge with GOP voters, especially downstate.
Remember when the DCCC spent a significant amount of money against Mike Bost featuring the “Let my people go rant?” They actually asked the question “Do you want this man as your US Congressman?” The answer was a resounding YES. They ran and paid for the ad Bost would have ran himself. LOL. Guess the brainiacs in DC had never visited Southern IL.
The DGA ads are helping Irvin. Fits his script beautifully as the only one who can win. The ads themselves are exhibit A.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 1:42 pm:
===These commercials continue to help Irvin with GOP voters. It gives him bonafide credentials as the opposition that he couldn’t buy in his own - which is coincidentally his biggest challenge with GOP voters, especially downstate.===
The Irvin campaign has as a prong to winning an ad that promotes voting for “someone who looks like me, but thinks like us”
The racial underpinning to vote for a person of color, something the GOP *might* not do, normally, generally, actually, and to do so to “own the libs”… I mean, yikes…
===Remember when the DCCC spent a significant amount of money against Mike Bost===
Statewide versus a congressional district, and a deep downstate district at that. Not the same animal.
Irvin needs moderate suburban folks willing to vote for “someone who looks like me” and maybe peel some folks who wanna “own the libs” by voting against their own racial biases.
===The DGA ads are helping Irvin.===
I can’t imagine any candidate sees an ad that connects them in a professional way (defense attorney) of defending child molesters as a “plus”, but…
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 1:43 pm:
==It gives him bonafide credentials as the opposition that he couldn’t buy in his own - which is coincidentally his biggest challenge with GOP voters, especially downstate.==
I don’t think that’s quite right. Republican voters are, if anything, worried that he’s insufficiently conservative. The DGA’s ad, if anything, emphasizes that concern (it also blows up Irvin’s entire campaign theme so far). “But this shows that Pritzker is scared I can beat him” does not rebut the presumption that Irvin is an ideological outlier, and voters just simply do not consider strategy so deeply as to make that connection.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 2:11 pm:
===… Cheryl Bruce, Valencia’s campaign manager. “With fewer than three months to go until the June 28 primary, we are in a strong position to communicate with Democratic primary voters about why Anna’s the best candidate to be on the ticket in November and to succeed Secretary White—who has endorsed Anna because he knows she will continue his legacy of leading with integrity and putting people first.”===
I dunno what exactly they are waiting for, if they are in a strong position, this “waiting” seems a bit odd.
- Say What? - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 2:20 pm:
The smart money always bets on the winning horse. The rest is minutiae. GOP voters believe that anything the Pritzker team / DGA says is nonsense. Have you watched events in our State and nationally over the last several years? If the other guy says it, it must false, is utilized 100% of the time. It is ingrained into the process.
“They are not telling the truth” works for Irvin in the primary as GOP voters already assume it to be so.
The General election is a different animal.
- Manchester - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 2:47 pm:
So Bailey has the support of the IL Family Institute. Even if he wasn’t a far right whack job,as far as I’m concerned their endorsement would be the kiss of death for this voter.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
== GOP voters believe that anything the Pritzker team / DGA says is nonsense.==
They’re not gonna pay any attention to who’s saying it.
- Say What? - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 4:01 pm:
=They’re not gonna pay any attention to who’s saying it.=
They always do. In the end, Irvin wins this decisively - DGA assists with Irvin’s biggest challenge. The Eastern Bloc (Bailey) nut jobs insinuate openly that Irvin is some kind of Dem/Pritzker plant. That is the current/short term opponent for Irvin.
The counter punch for Irvin is telling GOP voters who is saying it. The meddling in the GOP primary bit because they do not want to run against me is helpful to Irvin. Particularly in the suburbs.
There are also many more traditional GOP voters out there that despise all that the Eastern Bloc, Mary Miller et. al. represent than you think. They see the bottom feeders as ill informed losers and bigots.
Hence, for these folks to support Irvin in concert with suburban voters isn’t a big stretch. Some are never Trumpers and some simply have Trump fatigue. Either way, they are desperate to hitch their wagon to a winner.
- Say What? - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 4:07 pm:
=They’re not gonna pay any attention to who’s saying it.=
They always do. In the end, Irvin wins this decisively - DGA assists with Irvin’s biggest challenge. The Eastern Bloc (Bailey) nut jobs insinuate openly that Irvin is some kind of Dem/Pritzker plant. That is the current/short term opponent for Irvin.
The counter punch for Irvin is telling GOP voters who is saying it. The meddling in the GOP primary bit because they do not want to run against me is helpful to Irvin. Particularly in the suburbs.
There are also many more traditional GOP voters out there that despise all that the Eastern Bloc, Mary Miller et. al. represent than you think. They see the bottom feeders as ill informed losers.
And yes, weak on crime IS a problem for Suburban Dems.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 4:11 pm:
===The counter punch for Irvin is telling GOP voters who is saying it. The meddling in the GOP primary bit because they do not want to run against me is helpful to Irvin. Particularly in the suburbs.===
Irvin is also telling voters to vote for a person of color to own the libs. In the same ad. Together. Both messages.
Here…
“ Now Governor Pritzker is afraid that I’ll beat him, too.
There’s nothing the left fears more than Republicans who look like me and think like us”
The message is vote fir a person of color, I’m their worst fear.
No. Sorry… it’s… “And I’m their worst nightmare.”
Pandering to those racist thinkers to own the libs by voting for someone they’d usually wouldn’t support?
It’s an odd flex.
===There are also many more traditional GOP voters out there that despise all that the Eastern Bloc, Mary Miller et. al. represent than you think. They see the bottom feeders as ill informed losers and bigots.===
No.
The reason Irvin wants this crowded primary is Jeanne Ives came all to close to Rauner in a primary.
Now toss in that Irvin is a person of color.
A majority of identified Republicans think things that are, well, crazy. Irvin is counting on getting ~ 34-39% and winning. No matter who wins of the 5, odds are the winner won’t be a majority vote getter.
===Hence, for these folks to support Irvin in concert with suburban voters isn’t a big stretch. Some are never Trumpers and some simply have Trump fatigue. Either way, they are desperate to hitch their wagon to a winner.===
The goal is to peel off enough “Never Trump”, but also attract “All Lives Matter” racist thinking odds and ends. The actual words in the ad specifically target an odd play to “owning libs”
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 4:13 pm:
===In the end, Irvin wins this decisively===
This is delusional to the makeup of where GOP voters are voting in a primary.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 6:03 pm:
=There are also many more traditional GOP voters out there that despise all that the Eastern Bloc, Mary Miller et. al. represent than you think. They see the bottom feeders as ill informed losers and bigots.=
Don Tracy agrees. In fact his actions and rhetoric suggest that the ILGOP can’t win without the Eastern Bloc.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 5, 22 @ 6:12 pm:
=== ===… They see the bottom feeders as ill informed losers and bigots.=
Don Tracy agrees. In fact his actions and rhetoric suggest that the ILGOP can’t win without the Eastern Bloc.===
This is quite tasty and all too accurate.
Irvin reaching out as he (the campaign actually) is, they acknowledge Tracy’s thoughts.