*** UPDATED x1 *** Campaign notebook
Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
The question everyone interested in Illinois’ conservative politics is wondering is “Where’s Dick Uihlein?” and “Who’s the key influencer that is apparently steering Uihlein’s political investments away from Darren Bailey’s bid to oust JB Pritzker?”
It’s a fair question. Conservative gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is fighting hard among the state’s grassroots to win support against Pritzker, who is nationally recognized as a Leftist COVID tyrant and a radical criminal comforter - exactly the kind of political figure Uihlein would be happy to defeat.
But nothing from Uihlein?
After all, Uihlein has been writing checks this summer to certain, specific House races, one specific Chamber leader, two statewide races (including Tom DeVore and Dan Brady), and a couple of countywide races.
* Open Secrets took a look at fundraising by Generation Z candidates and found that Nabeela Syed easily topped the list with $251,000…
At least 14 Gen Z candidates have collectively raised more than $734,000 for their state races so far this election cycle, an OpenSecrets analysis of campaign finance filings found.
A new generation of state leaders could challenge existing legislatures that remain predominantly male and white. The average age of all state leadership is 58, despite the average American being only about 38-years-old. […]
Run for Something recruits and supports young progressive Democrats running for city, county and state offices through mentorship and direct funding.
Two Run for Something-endorsed state House candidates, Nabeela Syed in Illinois and Joe Vogel in Maryland, are two of the three top Gen Z state candidate fundraisers during the 2022 midterm election cycle.
Syed raised over $251,000 for her primary race against Chelsea Laliberte Barnes to represent Illinois’ 51st District in the statehouse. After winning her June primary with over 73% of the vote, Syed will face off against incumbent state Rep. Chris Bos (R-Ill.), who has raised only about $34,000.
In an emailed statement to OpenSecrets, Syed said that her campaign spent the vast majority of money raised leading up to the primary election and is now pivoting to focus on the general election.
Gaining endorsements from several state senators as well as Everytown for Gun Safety, Syed has utilized her platform to advocate for gun violence prevention, access to abortion and empowering Muslim women to lead.
Syed said there was initial hesitation among some voters given her younger age, but her team knocked on doors and talked with the community. She’s received over $33,000 in political contributions of $150 or less.
She’s quite something.
* Press release…
Today, the Chicago Board of Elections released new ward and precinct maps for the City of Chicago ahead of the upcoming November 8, 2022 General Election. A ward-by-ward break down of precinct changes is included at the end of this press release.
The new ward boundaries were adopted by the Chicago City Council on May 19, 2022, as required every 10 years after the U.S. Census. The Illinois General Assembly recently passed legislation that gave the Board the authority to create new precincts containing up to 1,800 registered voters.
The Chicago Board of Elections is now creating 1,290 precincts across all 50 Wards in Chicago, for a reduction total of 779 precincts. The average number of precincts per ward is 26, and the average number of voters per precinct is 1,165.
Just previously, the City of Chicago had 2,069 voter precincts, with an average of 550-750 voters per precinct. For comparison during the last redistricting process in 2010, the Chicago Board of Elections reduced its precincts from 2,570 to 2,069, for a total reduction of 501 precincts.
Please click here to view and download the new City of Chicago ward and precinct maps
Text from Rickey Hendon, slightly modified by me….
The Chicago Board of Elections is trying to close 1,100 polling places!! It’s HORRIBLE!! People won’t know where to vote, Seniors can’t go far to vote and Black people lose. Meet me at 69 West Washington 9AM Wednesday (tomorrow) outside the Board of Elections with Willie Wilson for a press conference where we will have Attorneys there threatening to sue they *ss!!
If this was Georgia the Democrats would be screaming!!! Voter Suppression!! Racism!! Etc.
* IDCCA…
* Politico…
— Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic nominee for Illinois secretary of state, is getting an endorsement and campaign support from AFSCME Council 31, the public services employees union that represents more than 90,000 active and retired members in Illinois. AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch praised Giannoulias for his work as former state treasurer, saying “he’s experienced, energetic, and he values working people and their unions.”
*** UPDATE ***
The ad is here.
* More…
* Arlington Heights residents want the Bears — but they don’t want to foot the bill, poll finds: “Our polling shows Arlington Heights voters strongly believe they shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill as taxpayers,” added Costin, who tells Sneed the ARW survey was a phone poll of 300 voters living in the village — population 77,000 — with a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.
* Koehler, Anderson make their cases for representing the new 46th State Senate District: Anderson said she thinks a decision on how what direction the state takes on abortion rights should be up to the citizens. “That’s the beauty of having a democracy like this: Voters get to turn out and vote on amendments they want, and you’ve got individuals that are running that should hopefully represent what their constituents want. That is up to the voters and whatever voters decide and whatever way that goes, and so be it,” she said.
* Illinois voting rights landscape widens with permanent vote by mail option - As in the last two elections, Illinois voters will be in for some changes when they hit the polls on Nov. 8, 2022.
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* KSDK…
This is the first year AAPI history courses will be taught in East St.. Louis School District and all other Illinois public schools.
The Teaching Equitable Asian American History (TEAACH) Act was signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in July 2021 to educate students and help combat false stereotypes at the height of hate crimes during COVID-19 pandemic.
We spoke with the Director of Curriculum for East St. Louis School District, Antoinette Johnson, who said the curriculum will be worked into social studies, history, science and math classes for students.
She adds, teachers have been attending several monthly meetings leading up to the first day of class to design the lesson plans for the new AAPI curriculum.
* PBS interview with North Grand High School teacher Mueze Bawany…
“The biggest blessings of being educators is getting our students to understand who exists and who’s out there and also kind of pushing them towards the lens of humanity.
Why the stories of others matter and why we should lens why should we should see it as an appreciation, but also an opportunity to reach out and make some connections and build community together. It’s beautiful, right?
I often thought about my experiences and not being able to live understand my story in my history. And that kind of felt like looking in the mirror and not seeing anything back.
So the opportunity for Asian American students in our district to be able to learn, to learn their stories, and also for others from so many different backgrounds to learn the stories of Asian Americans in this country. It’s just beautiful. I mean, this is what education is about right?”
* NPR explains required topics after JB Pritzker signed the act into law in 2021…
The Teaching Equitable Asian American History (TEAACH) Act comes at a time when growing numbers of Asian Americans have become the targets of hate crimes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian Americans are facing hate incidents at a higher rate than ever reported before, and the Democratic governor says teaching students about Asian American history will help combat false stereotypes. […]
Required topics that will be covered in the new school year include the Asian Americans advancing civil rights and the contributions Asian Americans have made in government, the arts, sciences, economics and politics.
Asian American history is American history. Yet we are often invisible. The TEAACH Act will ensure that the next generation of Asian American students won’t need to attend law school to learn about their heritage,” said State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who sponsored the legislation.
“Empathy comes from understanding. We cannot do better unless we know better. A lack of knowledge is the root cause of discrimination and the best weapon against ignorance is education,” she said.
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* From Red State Secession…
Brown County and Hardin County will vote November this year on splitting Illinois into two states, according to a map released by organizers today. The referendums are non-binding. Two townships in the northeastern corner of Madison County will also vote on such referendums. County clerks had verified earlier this month that the organizers had submitted enough valid signatures to force the questions onto the ballot.
If these areas vote in favor of the referendums, they will join 24 conservative counties in southern and central Illinois that have voted in favor of this idea in the last couple of years. The referendums ask voters “Shall the board of your county correspond with the boards of the other counties of Illinois outside of Cook County about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state, and to seek admission to the Union as such, subject to the approval of the people?”
Illinois state legislators introduced legislation regarding the idea, and were granted a hearing, but the bill failed to clear the legislative committee. There would be financial benefits to northern Illinois to allow downstate Illinois to go, because these counties are a drain on the state budget. Yet, a financial comparison of rural Illinois counties to rural Indiana counties shows that incomes are the same. Apparently the beneficial effect of state spending that Illinois bestows on these counties is canceled out by the negative effect of Illinois taxes and regulation.
State legislators in Kentucky and Missouri have expressed interest to the organizers about acquiring downstate Illinois by moving a state border, but have not taken action. The most recent relocation of a state border was in 1999 when the Nebraska/Missouri border was adjusted slightly to accommodate changes in the course of a river, but two whole counties switched states after West Virginia became a state in 1863.
Brown County has a population of not quite 7,000. Hardin County’s population is less than 4,000.
I’ve asked Darren Bailey’s campaign for comment.
…Adding… Can’t help but wonder how long it will now take him to double down on his original take…
Also, there are plenty of nice Chicago neighborhoods outside of the lakefront and downtown.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Joe DeBose at the Bailey campaign…
“Many people across Illinois are struggling under JB Pritzker’s negligent watch. Darren Bailey will fight to make Illinois safe and affordable for everyone, not just the elites.”
Not sure how that answers my question, but whatevs.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
For someone who has only passed two bills throughout his entire tenure in office, you’d think Darren Bailey would be more proud of his only legislative proposal to ever make the news. Bailey introduced serious legislation to separate Chicago from the rest of Illinois and even claimed he would put his Lieutenant Governor in charge of the region. His latest watered down walk back of his offensive comments should be seen for exactly what they are: yet another lie to get elected.
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More debate over cashless bail
Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ted Slowik…
Republicans and law enforcement are winning the messaging war over police reform legislation that the Legislative Black Caucus championed. […]
The Pretrial Fairness Act is part of a broader package of reform legislation known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, or SAFE-T, Act. Many lawmakers who represent the south suburbs had pushed legislation for years to address police misconduct and racial and wealth disparities in the criminal justice system.
Members of the Legislative Black Caucus rejoiced when they passed the bill in January 2021. But since then they seem to have dropped the ball on messaging, and critics of the legislative have rushed in to fill the void. Public discourse about the law seems decidedly one-sided.
* Lake County News-Sun…
[Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart] alluded to how the legislation has been received around the state by the media and residents, and said, “the media has not always done the best job of explaining this.”
“But I will say it one more time, it’s not that violent offenders no longer have to post cash bail,” he said. “It’s that they no longer get to post cash bail. That’s a very important distinction.”
* Knowable…
Social scientists have spent decades studying the devastating effects of high US incarceration rates on individuals and communities. But in recent years some of them have also begun to focus on the equally devastating effects of the US cash bail system. Their findings, as well as prospects for reform, are documented in the 2022 Annual Review of Criminology by sociologist Joshua Page of the University of Minnesota and criminologist Christine Scott-Hayward of California State University, Long Beach.
Knowable recently spoke with Page about what he, Scott-Hayward and other scholars are finding out about bail. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. […]
* Wirepoints…
Although some other state’s attorneys and many HB 3653 critics in the legislature and elsewhere continue to call for the outright rescinding of the entire bill, [DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin] takes a more moderate tack. He says, “This law is very fixable. It really is.” He argues that lawmakers can still allow a general presumption against cash bail as in New Jersey’s law, but that also like that state, they can allow too for firm exceptions when deemed necessary by judges.
“And that’s really what the State’s Attorneys have been pushing for. Many of us are not just saying, ‘repeal the whole thing, just get rid of it.’ We have to respect the fact that the General Assembly passed a law. But fix it.”
However in contrast, a group of four county state’s attorneys in Illinois recently telegraphed another line of attack. It forcefully accents the essential right of Illinois communities under the state’s constitution to be protected through a robust bail-setting process.
They wrote that the abolition of cash bail embodied in the bill “denies crime victims their constitutional rights. Article 1, Section 8.1 of the Illinois Constitution, codified in the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, mandates that crime victims shall have the right to have their safety and that of their families considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail, determining whether to release the defendant and setting conditions of release after arrest and conviction. Eliminating bail clearly contradicts previously established and superior law, places crime victims at a greater risk to be re-victimized, and unnecessarily subjects witnesses to threats and intimidation.”
And Berlin himself is thinking about legal remedies if need be. He says the Illinois Supreme Court in Hemingway v. Elrod has affirmed “on the issue of bail…it’s supposed to be a balancing process. Judges are supposed to balance the right of an accused against the right of the general public to receive reasonable protective consideration by the courts.” The Hemingway ruling reads in part, “…the constitutional right to bail must be qualified by the authority of the courts” with sufficient evidence “to deny or revoke bail” for a defendant before trial “to prevent interference with witnesses or jurors or to prevent the fulfillment of threats.”
* Sun-Times…
A coalition of national, state and city nonprofit organizations is looking to help some people with housing while their cases move through the courts.
People released on individual recognizance, or I-bonds, can get help paying rent or finding housing from a program backed by the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund, The Bail Project and the Lawndale Christian Legal Center.
Six people have been housed since the groups started working together in mid-June. The program has 50 units waiting to be filled by any Chicago residents on personal recognizance who qualify, meaning they make less than 30% of the city’s area median income: $21,900.
The Lawndale Christian Legal Center interviews new arrestees to weigh their needs. If housing is one of them, the process starts, and the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund — which specializes in helping low-income residents with rent assistance — will work with landlords and clients to find them housing.
Amy Campanelli, the vice president of restorative justice at Lawndale Christian Legal Center and former Cook County public defender, said the program is largely about stabilizing people so they can get back on their feet.
* Richmond is in McHenry County…
A Richmond man was arrested after he allegedly complained to his apartment management company that there were “illegal foreigners” in the parking lot and he was “ready to shoot to kill them.”
David L. Nelson, 53, of the 400 block of Cunat Boulevard in Richmond, was charged with disorderly conduct, a Class 4 felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Nelson sent an email to his property management company, Lakes Management, on August 9.
In the email, Nelson complained about “illegal foreigners hanging around the parking lot,” the complaint said.
“My gun is ready to shoot to kill them. The revolution had started. Down with commie democrats!” the email said, according to the complaint. […]
Nelson was released from the McHenry County Jail after posting 10% of a $20,000 bond, records show.
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* WTVO…
A federal appellate court judge has dismissed a $150 million class action lawsuit against Illinois energy company ComEd and its parent company, Exelon, over a bribery scandal involving former House Speaker Michael Madigan. […]
ComEd admitted that it arranged jobs, subcontracted work, and monetary payments related to those jobs to Madigan in order “to influence and reward the official’s efforts to assist ComEd with respect to legislation concerning ComEd and its business,” prosecutors said. […]
The suit was dismissed in 2021, with a judge citing that the suit did not establish a firm link between bribery and the passage of the bills that allowed it to raise its rates. The plaintiffs appealed the decision, which was dismissed today.
* From the opinion…
Nine Illinois energy consumers sued their electricity provider, Commonwealth Edison Company, and its parent, Exelon Corporation, on behalf of themselves and those similarly situated for damages under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) alleging injury from increased electricity rates. These rates increased, the plaintiffs allege, because ComEd bribed the former Illinois Speaker of the House to shepherd three bills through the state’s legislature. The district court dismissed the suit. Because paying a state’s required filed utility rate is not a cognizable injury for a RICO damages claim, we affirm.
The plaintiffs acknowledge that the rates they paid to ComEd were filed with the ICC. And although that would seem to trigger the filed rate doctrine’s bar on judicial adjustments to filed utility rates, the plaintiffs seek monetary damages (and not declaratory or equitable relief) for “overpay[ment] for electricity” from ComEd under RICO. See 18 U.S.C. § 1964(c). In effect, they request a federal judgment retroactively adjusting the electricity rates they paid. To allow such a claim to proceed, we would need to hold that the filed rate doctrine has been displaced by RICO. We must therefore decide whether Congress, in passing the broadly applicable civil RICO statute, authorized federal courts to award damages in contravention of the filed rate doctrine. We hold that it did not. […]
If this suit were allowed to proceed, the plaintiffs could not rest on their allegations as they can here at the motion-to-dismiss stage; they would need to conduct discovery for facts supporting their contention that ComEd’s bribery of Madigan directly caused the three pieces of legislation to pass. See Anza v. Ideal Steel Supply Corp., 547 U.S. 451, 459–60 (2006) (civil RICO damages claim requires “a direct causal connection” between the predicate offense and the alleged harm). That would necessarily involve probing the motives of individual state legislators who voted to enact the le islation to understand Madigan’s influence on them. Yet judicial tribunals rarely dive so deeply into the legislative process or into legislators’ motives. […]
At bottom, when the plaintiffs paid their electricity bills based on rates which had been properly filed with the ICC, they paid the state’s required legal rate. Based on our above analysis, we hold that the plaintiffs suffered no legally cognizable injury by paying this legal rate and thus were not “injured in [their] business or property,” as required to pursue a claim for damages under § 1964(c) of RICO.
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IL SGOP press secretary is new Mrs. America
Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senate Republican Leader a few days ago…
My press secretary Nicole La Ha Zwiercan is also Mrs. Illinois! Nicole is the mother of two, Homer Glen village trustee,…
Posted by Dan McConchie on Saturday, August 20, 2022
* She won. Fox 32…
A Homer Glen village trustee is the new Mrs. America.
Nicole La Ha Zwiercan won the crown Saturday night in Las Vegas, competing against 51 national contestants.
Earlier this year, FOX 32 spoke with her about her efforts to make Homer Glen more inclusive for individuals with disabilities. Zwiercan’s five-year-old daughter Ashlynn was born with cerebral palsy. Zwiercan has encouraged the village to make three public playgrounds more accessible.
Zwiercan will compete in the Mrs. World pageant this December in Las Vegas.
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* Wirepoints…
Good news of sorts was recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Illinois led the country with the largest increase in manufacturing employment in July, up 6,300 workers.
In a state that’s been in the bottom ten nationally for economic growth and job creation since Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019, the new manufacturing jobs are certainly good news for Illinoisans looking for work.
But context matters and a look at Illinois’ manufacturing employment over the last two decades is sobering at best. That’s also true for the last three years under Gov. Pritzker, where manufacturing continues to sputter.
Even with the 6,300 increase, Illinois is still down almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000.
And it goes on.
* From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics…
Two million [manufacturing] jobs were lost [nationally] between 1980 and 2000 and 5.5 million [manufacturing] jobs were lost between 2000 and 2017.
Huge increases in productivity, trade imbalances, a “skills mismatch,” changes in migration patterns, etc. are all blamed for the loss. Yes, Illinois can do much better. And it appears to be doing better.
* This wasn’t a one-month thing, either. Illinois’ year-over-year was pretty darned strong, too. From the National Association of Manufacturers’ chief economist…
Texas has more than twice Illinois’ population. Michigan is a bit smaller than Illinois.
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* Lever News…
An elderly, ultra-secretive Chicago businessman has given the largest known donation to a political advocacy group in U.S. history — worth $1.6 billion — and the recipient is one of the prime architects of conservatives’ efforts to reshape the American judicial system, including the Supreme Court.
Through a series of opaque transactions over the past two years, Barre Seid, a 90-year-old manufacturing magnate, gave the massive sum to a nonprofit run by Leonard Leo, who co-chairs the conservative legal group the Federalist Society. […]
As President Donald Trump’s adviser on judicial nominations, Leo helped build the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, which recently eliminated constitutional protections for abortion rights and has made a series of sweeping pro-business decisions. Leo, a conservative Catholic, has both helped select judges to nominate to the Supreme Court and directed multimillion dollar media campaigns to confirm them. […]
Seid, who led the surge protector and data-center equipment maker Tripp Lite for more than half a century, has been almost unknown outside a small circle of political and cultural recipients. The gift immediately vaults him into the ranks of major funders like the Koch brothers and George Soros.
* Barre Seid was well-known in Illinois several years ago. James Merriner called him a “conservative angel” in 1996. Seid was one of an elite group of wealthy businessmen who funded conservative challengers against moderate Republicans, with limited success…
Two Chicago industrialists, Barre Seid and Denis J. Healy, have sunk a combined $3.4 million into conservative causes and candidates in Illinois since 1989. Despite this impressive bankroll, candidates they backed were losers and organizations they subsidized are struggling.
In fact, Republican moderates regularly prevail over the party’s right wing in this state. You might think hard-headed businessmen would demand a better return for their money. In other states, conservatives have realized a payoff for their efforts. They’ve managed to take control of Republican organizations in Iowa, Virginia, Texas and South Carolina. So what gives in Illinois?
As elsewhere, conservatives in this state regularly divide along theoretical and strategic lines, but, as much as anything, personal rancor explains why conservatives can’t seem to top 40 percent of the Illinois GOP primary vote.
Seid and Healy, though far from the whole of the conservative movement here, stand at the head of a class of right-wing donors who consistently play politics at its most pure and personal. The practical give-and-take of mainstream candidates doesn’t appeal to them, nor do the tactics of professional campaign organizers. Thus, beyond nudging the GOP middle toward the right on occasion and nettling one another endlessly, Illinois conservatives have been unable to make any statewide electoral gains.
* An article published in the Washington Post in 1990 shows how Barre bet heavily against Secretary of State Jim Edgar and on losing Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Baer…
Internal enmities that tore the Republican Party asunder in 1964 have reappeared here, with enraged conservative activists firing off a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater condemning his endorsement of the party establishment’s candidate for Illinois governor.
Atwater has broken precedent by putting the national party organization behind Illinois Secretary of State Jim Edgar for the Republican nomination against an unknown insurgent challenger. That produced this protest from 13 prominent businessmen and industrialists associated with the party’s right wing: ‘’Sending to Illinois a pedigreed pack to go after a plucky underdog is both comic and meretricious. This action will embarrass you and Republicans throughout the country, including us.'’
This view is shared by rank-and-file conservative GOP loyalists who consider Edgar a clone of Gov. James Thompson, finishing a record 14 years as a high-taxing, pro-union Republican. Whereas politicians of both parties see Edgar an easy winner against Democratic State Attorney General Neil Hartigan in November, grass-roots Republicans could sabotage the probable nominee. […]
Stunned Illinois conservatives went to an ally on the National Committee — Morton Blackwell of Virginia — to check it out. When he found out from Deputy Chairman Mary Matalin that the national party was truly endorsing Edgar, Blackwell told her: ‘’One gets on the wrong side of Phyllis Schlafly in Illinois only at your peril.'’
Then came the Jan. 12 letter to Atwater from the 13 businessmen, all URF and Baer backers, asserting the state’s economy and politics have been ‘’pillaged'’ by high taxes and that the signers ‘’would be affronted personally'’ by a national party endorsement. ‘’I didn’t pay much attention to it,'’ Atwater told us, though the signers include some of the state’s heaviest givers: Jack Roeser (Otto Engineering), Frederick Wacker (Liquid Controls), Barre Seid (Tripp-Lite), Dietrich Gross (Mercury Stainless).
Edgar won the three-way primary with 63 percent of the vote. Baer received 34 percent.
* Let’s look at some of Seid’s history of funding Illinois politicians…
* As Steven Baer began his third-party bid for governor the Chicago Tribune reported in 1994, Seid used the United Republican Fund to back him, putting around $715,997 into the fund.
* In 1998, Seid contributed $35,000 to Chris Lauzen, a former Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, when he unsuccessfully ran for Illinois comptroller.
* Seid gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Paul Caprio Family - PAC to support candidates throughout Illinois.
* Seid gave $12,500 to Appellate Judge Robert Steigmann’s failed run for Illinois Supreme Court in 2002. Steigmann wanted to “get buzz” and used the University of Illinois mascot in his TV advertisements, despite a protest from the college.
* The New York Times reported yesterday about how Leo’s trust received the funds to “avoid tax liabilities”…
The Marble Freedom Trust could help conservatives level the playing field — if not surpass the left — in such nonprofit spending, which is commonly referred to as dark money because the groups involved can raise and spend unlimited sums on politics while revealing little about where they got the money or how they spent it.
The cash infusion was arranged through an unusual series of transactions that appear to have avoided tax liabilities. It originated with Mr. Seid, a longtime conservative donor who made a fortune as the chairman and chief executive of an electrical device manufacturing company in Chicago now known as Tripp Lite.
Rather than merely giving cash, Mr. Seid donated 100 percent of the shares of Tripp Lite to Mr. Leo’s nonprofit group before the company was sold to an Irish conglomerate for $1.65 billion, according to tax records provided to The New York Times, corporate filings and a person with knowledge of the matter. […]
Mr. Seid has kept a low political profile in recent years. His last federal campaign donation, in 2008, was to a Republican running for Congress in Illinois, and his name has previously appeared only once in The Times, in 1990, for lending a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois nearly half a million dollars.
* Background on Leonard Leo, now wielder of the unprecedented sum, from CNN…
Marble Freedom is led by Leonard Leo, the co-chairman of the conservative Federalist Society, who advised former President Donald Trump on his Supreme Court picks and runs a sprawling network of other right-wing nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors, which are often referred to as dark money groups. […]
The massive donation instantly makes the Utah-based group one of the most well-funded organizations bankrolling conservative causes in the US – a staggering distinction for a group with zero public profile or even a website. In comparison, the single contribution is more than double the total amount raised by Trump’s presidential campaign committee during the entire 2020 election cycle.
Robert Maguire, the research director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called the donation “stupefying,” and “by far” the largest known contribution to a dark money political group.
“I’ve never seen a group of this magnitude before,” Maguire said. “This is the kind of money that can help these political operatives and their allies start to move the needle on issues like reshaping the federal judiciary, making it more difficult to vote, a state-by-state campaign to remake election laws and lay the groundwork for undermining future elections.”
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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