What kind of Republican says he supports Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately?
The kind of Republican who voted Democrat in seven of the last eight primaries.
The kind of Republican who says this about JB Pritzker: ‘It is my honor to bring to the podium a great friend and a great leader who has guided our state with professionalism and compassion.’
You know who you call Richard Irvin? You call him ‘a Democrat.’ In the Republican primary, vote for, you know, a Republican. Vote ‘No’ on Democrat Richard Irvin
But the Irvin campaign is claiming that their media tracking shows Proft’s new PAC, perhaps ironically called People Who Play by the Rules, has spent $2,473,131 so far on broadcast TV, cable and radio ads while only claiming to have raised $1 million.
Hmm.
I sent Proft an email asking for comment.
*** UPDATE *** From Proft…
Clerical error. Received $2.55M from Dick Uihlein on April 20. Should’ve been reported accordingly. Thought it was. The person who keeps my books made a reporting mistake online. He is on the phone with the State Board of Elections now to notify them of our mistake and correct it. Our bad.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic Party will host a high dollar fundraising reception with President Joe Biden in Chicago on Wednesday evening, with the top ticket price $365,000, the Sun-Times has learned. […]
The White House also said Biden will attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser while in Chicago. The Sun-Times obtained a copy of the invitation and the price levels:
*$365,000 to be a “sponsor.”
*$250,000 to be a “leader.”
*$100,000 to be a “supporter.”
These top three levels get a donor into a small meeting — called a “clutch” in fundraising — with Biden plus a photo.
A pic for a ticket is standard in politics. For instance, the going rate for a photo with former President Trump at US Rep. Mary Miller’s recent fundraiser was $25,000…
The Winnebago County GOP is calling for their chairman Eli Nicolosi to resign from his position.
Precinct Captain for the Winnebago County Republican Central Committee (WCRCC) Austin Davies told 13 Investigates that Nicolosi was not conducting meetings properly with the organization’s bylaws.
Davies has also expressed concern over an order of protection that was filed against Nicolosi in April, which was later withdrawn on May 4.
“We think it’s important at this time to let the public know that Eli does not represent us based on these new allegations by his wife, by his conduct over the last couple years of his chairmanship and his unwillingness to meet with those that are concerned,” Davies said. […]
Nicolosi is currently running for state senate in the 35th district against incumbent Dave Syverson.
* Stolen hunter valor? /s…
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Jesse Reising does not have a hunting license. That didn't stop him from wearing camo and hunter orange in campaign videos.
However, according to FOIA documents from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources obtained by 5 On Your Side, Reising does not have a hunting license in Illinois. He acknowledged as much during a recent interview.
“Right. No, I don’t,” he said. “I haven’t hunted since I was a young kid.”
Illinois state law allows 15- to 18-year-old teenagers to hunt with a provisional license if they have a licensed adult hunter accompanying them.
A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee gave a statement on the campaign tactic.
“Already Chicago lawyer Jesse Reising is running a dishonest campaign,” Elena Kuhn with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement. “Reising has made clear he’s not up for the job.”
Reising says portraying himself as a hunter is fair game because he used to go hunting years ago.
Firefighter Eric Mattson, who’s running to represent the 43rd state Senate seat that’s been held by former Sen. John O’Connor, was appointed to the seat over the weekend.
How convenient: The move was designed to give Matson an edge in the June primary over Democrat Rachel Ventura, a Will County board member who’s also running for the seat. O’Connor stepped down a month ago to care for a family member. […]
Insiders have worried that Mattson, a moderate Dem with establishment support, will have a tough time against Ventura, a progressive who ran for Congress in 2020 and has higher name recognition.
Local unions are also almost entirely opposed to Ventura.
* Another appointment is coming for the Supreme Court that so far has not been covered like the appointment above…
For nearly five decades, Justice Rita Garman has been a judge in central Illinois. Effective July 7, the sitting justice of the Illinois Supreme Court will retire.
“This is the right time for me to step back from my public role and allow someone else to assume this all-important position,” Garman wrote in an open letter on Monday. [scroll all the way to the end…]
In the short term, Garman will be replaced by a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court. Her seat will then be filled in the 2024 election cycle, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the state board of elections.
There are two seats up for election on the state’s highest court in the 2022 cycle. The partisan elections are for the Second District, which covers the northern suburbs of Chicago outside of Cook County, and Third District, which covers the southern and western suburbs outside of Cook County.
That’s actually not a terrible amount of money to spend on ads. But without actually identifying which candidate voters *should* vote for, all this is going to do is soften up Irvin for the General.
First the Proft BLM ads are the best. Wait til Mr Hold On a Minute gets asked about that….he’ll be Let Me Finishin’ for an hour. Meanwhile the ad appeals to a central GOPie belief — winning by mockin’ certain groups.
“That didn’t stop him from wearing camo and hunter orange in campaign videos”
Game animals, including deer, do not have red-sensitive cones in their eyes, and cannot distinguish orange from green and brown. The point of wearing orange blaze is to not get accidentally shot in an area with active hunting. You don’t have to actually be hunting to want to be safe.
Proft should run the draft ad I suggested for Jesse. Irvin pre-inoculated himself for this attack by attacking Bailey AND Sullivan as the closet Democrats.
Now Republican primary voters are like, “which one is the Democrat again, dear?” Now we have three Democrats running for the Republican nomination? That’s got to be some kind of record. It’s clear as mud.
The first GOP candidate to own the Pro Life mantle is going to be rewarded. The only GOP candidate that doesn’t want that mantle is Irvin.
Therefore, if you want to defeat Irvin, you know what to do: force him into a position on abortion and smoke him out of his hiding place.
Understandably Mary Miller has been rather quiet lately but following her unavailability for a press conference last week in Chicago it was revealed that her cost to put on the 2 hour Mar-A-Lago fundraiser was over $17,000. We know which local politicians were in attendance but I wonder how many were in the $5 - 10 - 25,000 categories.
I guess we will have to wait for more information from the FEC. Seems to me that I remember there being some “irregularities” with her previous fillings.
“Insiders have worried that Mattson, a moderate Dem with establishment support”
Moderate dems in Will county are just republicans who are afraid to put an R next to their name.
The current moderate dem county board executive and head of the county party, while a state senator;
Voted against cannabis decriminalization and legalization.
Didn’t vote for the state minimum wage.
Didn’t vote for womens reproductive rights.
With Mattson’s acknowledged connection to the Joliet Diocese, he should not escape questions on Roe simply because he is running in a democratic primary. But for all intents and purposes there is no longer local news in this area, so it won’t come up.
That being said, the only thing worse than the current Will County democratic party is the Will county republican party.
I weighed 40 pounds less as a young adult. That doesn’t mean I can say so on a drivers’s license or convince a doctor that the scale is wrong. If you haven’t hunted since college, then you aren’t a hunter now and shouldn’t portray yourself as such. Wear orange for safety in the area - absolutely. No camo though because no one there was hunting while the photo shoot was happening. No possessing a firearm because you don’t have a FOID card. Seems to me that people not allowed to carry guns have been arrested because they’ve been shown in photos to be handling a gun. Unless this gun somehow isn’t included under the law?
Perhaps he has a Foid? I agree with Ron on the reason he should have provided for the outfit. In the end nobody cares- Way more phony stuff going on in politics than this people, please.
- Lady Chatham's Lover - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 6:15 pm:
What is the big crime in wearing apparel that signals solidarity? Is our blue-blazer- and orange-tie-wearing Treasurer standing a bit TOO TALL for the University of Illinois, when really he went to Yale? Just like our orange camo hero, bi the way.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 7:32 pm:
Kinda sad that Bailey went all the way to Florida to purchase a picture and get no endorsement.
Mostly funny, though.
- West Side the Best Side - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 7:58 pm:
Darren’s going to get Trump’s endorsement for sure. He’s wearing his tie just the way Trump does. Unlike anyone else who knows the right way to wear a tie these days does.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 8:23 pm:
==Is our blue-blazer- and orange-tie-wearing Treasurer standing a bit TOO TALL for the University of Illinois, when really he went to Yale? ==
I wonder if one of his Yale classes was “How to Tax Retirement.”
- Arsenal - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
==$2,473,131==
That’s actually not a terrible amount of money to spend on ads. But without actually identifying which candidate voters *should* vote for, all this is going to do is soften up Irvin for the General.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:14 pm:
If Proft could find those missing thousands from his last PAC, that’d be great too.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:19 pm:
Also, to Proft;
If I learned anything about grift and making dollars off anger, the last thing Proft wants is a GOP governor.
The last time Proft couldn’t grift properly with a GOP governor Proft burned down the party for Bruce abd Diana Rauner.
Sure I was grateful, but this Irvin ad is good to keep Proft making the dollars he wants by ensuring the GOP can’t win much of anything.
Of course, Irvin’s voting record is teed up for an ad like this, Irvin’s own remarks too, not helpful… but I digress.
Mayor Irvin is not Candidate Irvin, and Proft sees dollar signs to it all.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:20 pm:
-But without actually identifying which candidate voters *should* vote for-
They would if they could, but they can’t.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:22 pm:
-Reising says portraying himself as a hunter is fair game because he used to go hunting years ago.-
Uh… I played football years ago. Why not just say I was out meeting with actual hunters, who I support, and wore an orange vest for safety reasons?
- Ryan - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:23 pm:
Maybe Darren used his forgiven PPP loan money to pay for the photo…on Fridee.
- Annonin' - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:24 pm:
First the Proft BLM ads are the best. Wait til Mr Hold On a Minute gets asked about that….he’ll be Let Me Finishin’ for an hour. Meanwhile the ad appeals to a central GOPie belief — winning by mockin’ certain groups.
- Huh? - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:26 pm:
Camo,
Blaze orange vest,
Shotgun,
Standing in a field,
No hunting license
Could reasonably infer he was hunting.
Where is a game warden when you need one?
Anyone know if he has a FOID?
Second amendment won’t shield those tickets.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:26 pm:
“That didn’t stop him from wearing camo and hunter orange in campaign videos”
Game animals, including deer, do not have red-sensitive cones in their eyes, and cannot distinguish orange from green and brown. The point of wearing orange blaze is to not get accidentally shot in an area with active hunting. You don’t have to actually be hunting to want to be safe.
- 47th Ward - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:31 pm:
Proft should run the draft ad I suggested for Jesse. Irvin pre-inoculated himself for this attack by attacking Bailey AND Sullivan as the closet Democrats.
Now Republican primary voters are like, “which one is the Democrat again, dear?” Now we have three Democrats running for the Republican nomination? That’s got to be some kind of record. It’s clear as mud.
The first GOP candidate to own the Pro Life mantle is going to be rewarded. The only GOP candidate that doesn’t want that mantle is Irvin.
Therefore, if you want to defeat Irvin, you know what to do: force him into a position on abortion and smoke him out of his hiding place.
- JS Mill - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:34 pm:
=Uh… I played football years ago. Why not just say I was out meeting with actual hunters, who I support, and wore an orange vest for safety reasons?=
You sir, have a gift.
- walker - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:39 pm:
Dan’s an artist, not an accountant.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:41 pm:
“I’m makin’ it, spendin’ it, skimmin’ it so fast, it’s tough to report it all correct. My bad”
- Dan Proft’s thinkin’, maybe.
But, good on Proft for admittin’ an error. That’s always appreciated, truthfully. So thanks.
- Hot Taeks - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 3:43 pm:
I tried to look up who’s behind that PAC against Irvin before and couldn’t find out. Thanks for reporting that Dan Proft is running it.
This is why I hate dark money and Super PACs. People should have to put name behind ads.
- illini - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 4:11 pm:
Understandably Mary Miller has been rather quiet lately but following her unavailability for a press conference last week in Chicago it was revealed that her cost to put on the 2 hour Mar-A-Lago fundraiser was over $17,000. We know which local politicians were in attendance but I wonder how many were in the $5 - 10 - 25,000 categories.
I guess we will have to wait for more information from the FEC. Seems to me that I remember there being some “irregularities” with her previous fillings.
- TheInvisibleMan - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 4:15 pm:
“Insiders have worried that Mattson, a moderate Dem with establishment support”
Moderate dems in Will county are just republicans who are afraid to put an R next to their name.
The current moderate dem county board executive and head of the county party, while a state senator;
Voted against cannabis decriminalization and legalization.
Didn’t vote for the state minimum wage.
Didn’t vote for womens reproductive rights.
With Mattson’s acknowledged connection to the Joliet Diocese, he should not escape questions on Roe simply because he is running in a democratic primary. But for all intents and purposes there is no longer local news in this area, so it won’t come up.
That being said, the only thing worse than the current Will County democratic party is the Will county republican party.
- New Day - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 4:22 pm:
Hate Dan Proft. Think he’s a grifter. But this is a perfect ad for the GOP primary. Really good work.
Grade: A
- thoughts matter - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 4:41 pm:
I weighed 40 pounds less as a young adult. That doesn’t mean I can say so on a drivers’s license or convince a doctor that the scale is wrong. If you haven’t hunted since college, then you aren’t a hunter now and shouldn’t portray yourself as such. Wear orange for safety in the area - absolutely. No camo though because no one there was hunting while the photo shoot was happening. No possessing a firearm because you don’t have a FOID card. Seems to me that people not allowed to carry guns have been arrested because they’ve been shown in photos to be handling a gun. Unless this gun somehow isn’t included under the law?
- White dynamite - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 5:12 pm:
Perhaps he has a Foid? I agree with Ron on the reason he should have provided for the outfit. In the end nobody cares- Way more phony stuff going on in politics than this people, please.
- Lady Chatham's Lover - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 6:15 pm:
What is the big crime in wearing apparel that signals solidarity? Is our blue-blazer- and orange-tie-wearing Treasurer standing a bit TOO TALL for the University of Illinois, when really he went to Yale? Just like our orange camo hero, bi the way.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 7:32 pm:
Kinda sad that Bailey went all the way to Florida to purchase a picture and get no endorsement.
Mostly funny, though.
- West Side the Best Side - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 7:58 pm:
Darren’s going to get Trump’s endorsement for sure. He’s wearing his tie just the way Trump does. Unlike anyone else who knows the right way to wear a tie these days does.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, May 9, 22 @ 8:23 pm:
==Is our blue-blazer- and orange-tie-wearing Treasurer standing a bit TOO TALL for the University of Illinois, when really he went to Yale? ==
I wonder if one of his Yale classes was “How to Tax Retirement.”