* Sen. Darren Bailey lashed out on Facebook this morning at reporters who are reading his Facebook posts…

Political pundits, and all this other nonsense of digging back in our Facebook posts of 5, 6, 7 years ago. It’s absolute nonsense. And that’s the problem with government here in Illinois. They want to deal with the way things always have been and they don’t want to move forward and do something new and try to figure out our problems, trying to get crime under control, try to ease your burden of taxes so you can stay and flourish and raise a family here in Illinois. And guess what schools getting ready to start. No one wants to talk about making sure our schools are in proper order. The only thing they want to talk about is CRT and sex education and that’s absolute nonsense. Friends, that new day is coming to Illinois, and I know that people all across this state get that we’re fighting for you. You’re fighting with us, and we’re going to change Illinois.

Notice how he never disavows those posts or says he now believes something very different. He simply chafes at a little bit of scrutiny.

* Darren Bailey talks about how he got into politics…

I served 17 years on our local school board of education from 1995 to 2012. Cindy and I have been very instrumental in our community. We’re Rotary members. We’re very, very active in our church We’ve always focused on the youth. And when it came to a back to that to 2017 date, many people might remember that, you know, the Illinois General Assembly came into session. Over the July 4 weekend, we were celebrating Cindy’s birthday that weekend. And yeah, I believe it was a total God thing that I was totally checked out of politics, because politicians are corrupt. Politicians are lazy. Politicians, you know, just make life harder for us by by doing what they do, and, and I wanted nothing to do with it. And I found it a little easier, especially when I discovered that, you know, the General Assembly had checked in under the guise of the Fourth of July weekend, I began exposing what I was discovering, within my Facebook group, and it exponentially grew. And I just kept complaining, I really liked that it’s easy to complain, you know, on social media, but in our area the day came when our friends and our family began to come and say you need to represent us and I knew I was in trouble. And I said absolutely not. But Cindy understood the the bigger plan. And again, we laid that down to our church in our community, prayed, fasted, and it just became evident that this is the new mission field that God wanted us to approach. And we’re very blessed that our three sons were able to manage to take over my role on the farm, and that our daughter was able to accomplish the co-administration of Full Armor. So that alleviated us because they knew we’re in this full time, we’re putting 150% of our energy into getting the state under control. We believe it is that important.

TL/DR: The end of the Rauner impasse is what set him off and his spouse was instrumental in getting him into the race.

* Also, it turns out that Bailey’s running mate agrees that comparing things to the Holocaust is a no-no…

“Wearing a #MAGA hat is the equivalent of wearing a swastika or a confederate flag”, @karenhunter on @SXMUrbanView. I wonder how people of Jewish descent feel about that comparison. There is a painful history associated with those symbols of hate.

— Stephanie Trussell (@ReaganMom) July 25, 2018

* Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign found a couple of Democratic sheriffs…

As Darren Bailey attempts to bolster his flimsy voting record and feign support for law enforcement, he once again finds himself in hot water for protecting the disgraced former president instead of police officers. When asked for comment on the FBI’s raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home following months of investigations into the former president’s role in the January 6th Capitol attacks, Bailey joined scores of other Republicans in casting doubt on the FBI’s legitimacy and demanding that the FBI “immediately explain their actions.”

Bailey has consistently refused to denounce the deadly insurrection on January 6th, where numerous Capitol police officers were brutally attacked.

He’s also spent the last four years voting against bipartisan legislation that supports law enforcement. Bailey voted against the single largest investment to expand cadet classes in Illinois history, $10 million for a local law enforcement retention grant program, and $8 million for a multi-year equipment replacement program at the Illinois State Police.

“Talking about supporting law enforcement and actually supporting law enforcement are two different things,” said Rick Watson, St. Clair County Sheriff. “When the going gets tough, Darren Bailey has failed first responders and proved that he treats support for the men and women who put others before themselves only as a political convenience.”

“Darren Bailey’s hypocrisy puts the public at risk. He talks about supporting law enforcement, yet in the same breath suggests nefarious motives simply because holding his favorite president accountable is an inconvenience to his campaign,” said John Idlenburg, Lake County Sheriff. “Meanwhile, he votes again and again against public safety measures and resources for our first responders.”

To date, Bailey has voted against:

• Strengthening the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services
• Strengthening safety for first responders on state highways
• Installing hundreds of highway cameras and doubling state police presence on Chicago-area interstates in response to on-road violence
• Providing tens of millions of dollars for police body cameras, retention grants, and mental health screenings
• Building new, state-of-the-art forensics labs to provide law enforcement with the resources to solve crimes
• Delivering millions of dollars to local fire departments to purchase firefighting and ambulance equipment
• Requiring municipalities to coordinate 911 and 988 services in order to respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies with proper emergency care, reduce danger to those in crisis, and lessen the burden on local police

* CD3 leans pretty heavily Democratic. The only Republican to win the district was Comptroller Leslie Munger in 2016. The Fair Tax lost in the district by 6 points Some commenters were right. I was accidentally using old numbers. No Republican won this district, and I don’t have Fair Tax numbers for the new districts…

Today, Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of nine candidates running for the US House of Representatives to challenge the influence of the gun lobby in Washington. Each of these candidates will play a crucial role in ensuring that the issue of gun safety remains at the forefront of our policy decisions.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:

“The candidates we are endorsing today are the kind of fearless champions we need to end gun violence in America. Each one has proven to be a leader with the courage to act. At the state and local level around the country, they’ve stood with communities rocked by gun violence and pushed for legislation that will make all Americans safer.

“As we know all too well, the current House majority is one of the slimmest in decades. If we want to enact lifesaving reforms to stem America’s epidemic of gun violence—like universal background checks and strong extreme risk protection order laws—we must work to expand our gun safety majority this fall. Giffords is proud to help this group of challengers get to Washington DC so they can stand up to the gun lobby and deliver clear victories on gun safety legislation for the American people.” […]

Delia Ramirez (IL-03): State Representative Delia Ramirez is an accomplished legislator, community leader, and coalition builder who has dedicated her life and career to advocating for working families. Having grown up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood—where gun violence is all too common—Representative Ramirez is acutely aware of the need to solve the root causes of crime and violence. She knows that building safe communities requires a comprehensive plan that includes funding community-based youth programs and mental health services, investing in domestic violence prevention, and reinvesting in communities that have long been neglected. As a state legislator, she fought to do just that—and secured $250 million for community-based violence prevention in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. Representative Ramirez also supported the Illinois General Assembly’s critical “Fix the FOID” legislation, which expanded background checks for firearm purchases across the state of Illinois. In Congress, we know she will be a strong proponent of passing universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons, reducing the flow of illegal guns across state lines, and adequately funding street outreach and intervention programs.

* Austin Talks…

Marlon Watson, leader of the Freedmen Descendants of Chicago, and Pastor Anthony Williams of King International Ministry are calling on Chicagoans to draft state Rep La Shawn Ford to join a growing field of candidates challenging Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Thursday night, they expect a group of about 100 Chicago residents to gather at The Quarry Art & Cultural Center, 2423 E. 75th St., to garner support to launch Ford’s run for mayor.

Pastor Williams ran for US Senate as a Republican this year, receiving just 7.4 percent of the vote. He’s also run in Democratic, Libertarian and Green Party primaries, according to the Tribune. His main issue is anti-violence and he pushed hard for the passage of a bill that declared violence as a public health crisis.

* Doug T. Graham at the Daily Herald…

As recently as March, Adam Shores and Laura Faver Dias were colleagues on the Grayslake village board. But in November, the duo will face off as voters choose which one will represent the 62nd state House District in Springfield. […]

The two started working together in 2019, when Dias was selected to serve as a resident member of the village’s Economic Development Commission, chaired by Shores. […]

“She was just elected last year, and we’ve had a respectful working relationship,” Shores said of Dias. “I’m proud of my leadership style where I work to find commonality even in the face of opposing opinions.”

When discussing how she and Shores differed, Dias cited the vote she cast in February against the plan to build a Casey’s General Store and gas station at Lake Street and Belvidere Road near the town’s namesake lake.

Dias said more than 500 residents expressed concerns about the project and she chose to take that into account.

“I’m looking forward to a robust campaign and debates when we have them,” Dias said. “Ultimately, it comes down to two people who want to serve in the state legislature and not about my relationship with Adam.”

I doubt the race will remain this cordial, but that’s a really nice piece.

…Adding… CD6…

Pelosi and her political allies are propping up one of their favorite candidates because they know his voting record is out of step with the new 6th District. Read my response to Pelosi throwing millions behind Sean Casten: https://t.co/SnQ4rIGZ1L pic.twitter.com/kvZP7aY0cN

— Keith Pekau (@KeithPekau) August 12, 2022

…Adding… Republican SoS candidate poses with incumbent Democrat during State Fair parade…