* Cook County Assessor candidate Kari Steele was on the Munir Muhammad Show recently and took caller questions….

Q: My question is how much does a senior income have to be in order to receive a tax freeze on their property? Thank you.

Steele: I believe the senior income has to be less than 55. I’m not sure because I’m not at the assessor’s office now. But I can tell you this, once I’m at the assessor’s office, one, I’ll definitely know the amount, but I will work with the senior community…

Um, it’s $65,000 and that answer is just facepalm embarrassing. Video clip is here. Full show is here.

* Brenden Moore…

Trump campaign rally for Rep. Mary Miller appears increasingly likely […]

Overall, Trump’s candidate has won 12 congressional primaries and lost three times with 11 left to be decided, according to Axios.

* The House Republicans have taken the “closet Democrat” claim to a whole other level in the 93rd District, where Rep. Mark Luft (R-Pekin) is facing Travis Weaver in the primary. From a Weaver Facebook ad…

In this week’s installment of “What’s Mark Makin’ Up”, we have a decade old picture of me and a family friend that has been photoshopped into a picture of me and public enemy number one—JB Pritzker. You can’t make this stuff up; oh wait… I guess you can! These untruthful mailers are sad, but fortunately they’re so blatantly bad it is comical. Nonetheless, without any further ado, here is FACT CHECK #3:

- Claim #1: I “share the same insider circles” as JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan
- Fact #1: It is an absurd statement to make. I have never hung out with them, I don’t have any friends who have hung out with them, I don’t know what shows they watch; frankly, sometimes I don’t know what planet they live on. I would recognize them if I saw them because they ransacked our state, but that’s about it. I don’t know how else to refute it, except to point out that I live by Kickapoo. This may shock you, but I don’t think Pritzker and Madigan are regulars at the Jubilee Café.

- Claim #2: I’m “not a Republican”
- Fact #2: I’ve been a Republican my entire life, I was raised by two Republican parents and four grandparents who flipped between Rush Limbaugh and the Chicago Cubs on the radio. I have never voted for, aligned with, donated to, or supported a Democrat in my life. In the words of Mike Pence, “I’m a Christian, Conservative, Republican, in that order”

Weaver posted the photoshopped Luft mailer pic…

Sheesh.

* Illinois Times…

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, faces a challenge in the Republican primary from Kent Gray, a candidate with more baggage than Samsonite. […]

Gray, 52, is a Springfield-area lawyer who had his law license suspended for one year, beginning in December 2018. He owes back property taxes for his Leland Grove home. And by his own admission, he’s behind on child-support payments for his two children.

“The Illinois General Assembly already has enough ethical challenges without electing someone like this,” Butler said of his opponent.

Gray said the Sangamon County Republican Party establishment hates Donald Trump and consequently is opposed to him because he supports the 45th president and once managed his Illinois campaign. He added that his opponent is a “Never Trumper.”

* Whew…

Top 10 early votes by Chicago ward pic.twitter.com/VgIlmLwsnS

— Frank Calabrese (@FrankCalabrese) June 16, 2022

* CD1…

“Day One” a 30-second ad has begun to run on broadcast and cable television. The ad will also reach voters on digital channels, and features Alderman Pat Dowell, saying in her own words that she will be ready on Day One to represent the 1st Congressional District. The ad will run through Election Day.

“My goal as a public servant has always been to listen and speak directly with the people I represent. As Alderman and Chair of the Budget Committee in City Council, I have been able to pass legislation and work across the aisle to get results. I am ready to begin work on Day One in Congress,” said Ald. Pat Dowell, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ 1st Congressional District.

The ads can be viewed at:

TV
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xth7hun61emdy6y/PatDowell_01DayOne.mov?dl=0

Digital
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7eou87l88o0hnes/PatDowell_01DayOne.mp4?dl=

“Day One”

Alderman Pat Dowell:

I got my start with Mayor Harold Washington.

As an alderman, I’ve delivered resources that have transformed neighborhoods into thriving areas of growth and opportunity.

Now we need a voice in congress to deliver on the issues that matter.

Protecting our votes;

Stopping gun violence;

Making it easier to afford gas and groceries.

I’m Democrat Pat Dowell. I approve this message because on day one, I’m ready to get the job done for you.

* Also from Dowell…

National Organization for Women Political Action Committee has endorsed Pat Dowell for Democratic Nomination for Congress in the First District of Illinois.

“The National Organization for Women has been the voice for women for generations, and I am incredibly proud to receive this endorsement. I will continue standing with NOW to fight for a women’s right to choose, pay equity, and equal rights. If elected, I will be the first woman to represent the 1st Congressional District; I am ready for that responsibility,” said Ald. Pat Dowell, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ 1st Congressional District.

…Adding… Press release…

As part of a multi-stop tour of Chicago, Senator Bernie Sanders will host a rally at the Humboldt Park Boathouse for Northwest side progressives. The event is aimed at encouraging Chicagoans to take advantage of early voting, which commenced on June 13th.

Senator Sanders has endorsed progressive Delia Ramirez in her run for U.S Congress in the newly re-drawn 3rd District, which covers Humboldt Park as well as Logan Square, Belmont-Cragin, and several northwest suburbs. Ramirez is a lifelong Chicagoan and daughter of Guatemalan immigrants who has served as 4th District State Rep in the Illinois General Assembly since 2018.

WHO: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, State Rep. Delia Ramirez, Congressman Chuy Garcia, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, Jonathan Jackson Candidate for IL-01, Senator Omar Aquino, Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Senator Karina Villa, Senator Robert Peters, State Representative Will Guzzardi, 4th District Illinois House candidate Lilian Jimenez, 8th District Cook County Commissioner candidate Anthony Quezada, 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez.

* More…

* Illinois Republican primary for attorney general: Tom Devore against Steve Kim and David Shestokas: Crackdowns on crime, corruption and COVID-19 restrictions — with some unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud for good measure.The three men vying for the Republican nomination for Illinois attorney general have all the major conservative hot-button issues pressed down as they duke it out for a challenge to Democrat Kwame Raoul, who is wrapping up his first term as the state’s chief legal officer.

* Sullivan, Rabine, Schimpf, Solomon seek to catch up with frontrunners in GOP governor’s race

* Quinn calls out Lightfoot for not keeping promise on enacting mayoral term limit

* Spotlight Politics: Billionaires Spend Tens of Millions on Governor’s Race

* Free gas, tax relief, guaranteed income all part of pre-election freebie frenzy

* Karl Rove: Why Democrats Are Funding the GOP Fringe

* Rob Martwick and Erin Jones square off in negative campaign mailers in race for 10th Senate District seat: Jones has said that she became politically engaged about 5 years ago when she was one of dozens of city workers who former alderman John Arena (45th) filed a police accountability complaint against because of “racially charged” comments she allegedly made on social media about a controversial mixed-income housing project at 5150 N. Northwest Hwy. … Jones’ campaign is being supported by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, and she has been endorsed by Alderman Anthony Napolitano (41st) and County Clerk of the Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez.

* ‘Save America Rally’ reserves Adams County Fairgrounds for June event: A contract to reserve the Adams County Fairgrounds June 24 to 26 has been signed by a renting organization named “Save America Rally,” fairground officials confirmed Tuesday. Save America likely is a reference to the leadership PAC established in November 2020 by former President Donald Trump, who previously stated he would be open to traveling to Illinois to support the campaign of U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland.

* The Race for the 1st District - As Rep. Bobby Rush retires, more than a dozen vie to take his place

* Miller and Davis compare conservative credentials in the 15th Congressional District primary

* Marter: Underwood, Democrats to Blame for Caterpillar Move

* Toni Preckwinkle defends her criminal justice record as primary opponent Richard Boykin claims she’s ‘pandering to the … defund the police movement’