Campaign notebook
Friday, Sep 2, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign reported an $11,134.51 refund from Tom DeVore’s law firm today. Trouble is, an online ISBE search of Bailey’s expenditures finds only $7,000 in reported payments to the firm. $5K in 2020 and $2K in 2021. Odd.
* Lots of folks have been asking me this same question. The answer is it’s one of those Dan Proft papers and this is an election year…
* Sen. Darren Bailey’s Labor Day message…
It’s Labor Day weekend. Be safe out there. Have fun and enjoy family. And let’s celebrate freedom. Let’s celebrate the actual fact that we live in a free land and we get to choose what we do, where we work, how we work. And let’s make it a vow to ourselves to let’s keep more of the fruits of our work instead of letting government continually take so much.
* A blast from the past…
In a move that may dispel some doubts about the viability of his candidacy, mayoral hopeful Paul Vallas has signed up an A-List of nationally-recognized consultants to work on his campaign.
Retained as senior strategist/media advisor is Joe Trippi, a political veteran who served as campaign manager for Howard Dean in 2004. He also worked on presidential campaigns for Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Richard Gephardt, Jerry Brown and John Edwards and has advised numerous other ranking pols including ex-Los Angles Mayor Tom Bradley and Doug Jones, who, in 2017, became the first Democrat to be elected senator from Alabama in a quarter century. […]
In a phone interview, Trippi said Vallas “will have the resources” to wage a full TV ad campaign against incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other contenders. He also rejected the notion that Vallas, who has riled the Chicago Teachers Union and consulted for the Fraternal Order of Police, is too conservative to win in a city that has moved to the political left.
“I don’t see him in that way at all,” Trippi said. “He’s a political progressive who’s trying to find ways to get the city working again.”
Trippi hasn’t run a race in years. Lightfoot campaign’s response…
Lightfoot for Chicago campaign spokesperson Christina Freundlich released the following statement on so-called “political progressive” Paul Vallas:
“We can’t wait to meet ‘political progressive’ Paul Vallas. The only Paul Vallas Chicagoans know is the one who plays footsie with white supremacists, promotes racist and homophobic tweets, opposes police reform, closed neighborhood schools, and funds his campaign with high-dollar Republican donors. Who, exactly, is this so-called ‘political progressive’ Paul Vallas? We’d love to know – but the Paul Vallas who is currently running is nothing but a Republican with extremist views and a long track record of financial mismanagement.”
* Lopez has a goofy take, but I’ve been wondering lately if the attacks by Darren Bailey on the city and the Abbott bus stunt, etc. are strengthening Lightfoot’s political position…
* More…
* GOP congressional candidate blames Highland Park mayor for parade shooting: “Rotering is the reason the shooting occurred,” Severino’s tweet reads. “She was negligent in ensuring that steps were made to confiscate the gun by court order after awareness of the red flag.” … Schneider campaign manager Matt Fried called Severino’s tweet disgusting and accused him of spreading misinformation. “If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize to Mayor Rotering and the families of the victims whose memories he has sullied,” Fried wrote, adding “the bottom line is this: Easy access to dangerous assault weapons and our nation’s failed mental health care systems are contributing to the proliferation of monsters like the one who attacked Highland Park on July 4.”
* DuPage County judge bows out of race for circuit court seat: Republican nominee Kavita Athanikar has bowed out of the judicial race with a little over two months until the November election. Her exit virtually ensures her Democratic opponent, attorney Mia McPherson, will ascend to the court.
- Roadrager - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 2:52 pm:
==In a move that may dispel some doubts about the viability of his candidacy, mayoral hopeful Paul Vallas has signed up an A-List of nationally-recognized consultants to work on his campaign.==
In a move that will reaffirm doubts about the viability of the campaign, its candidate is still Paul Vallas.
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 2:57 pm:
=let’s keep more of the fruits of our work instead of letting government continually take so much.=
From a guy who’s reaped the distribution fruits of government subsidies and PPP loans this is “rich.”
- Lefty Lefty - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:00 pm:
My college-age daughter ended up on the Kane County Reporter mailing list - same format but interesting Page 1 news. All of the photos in the left column are people of color: a mug shot, Mayor Lightfoot, and SA Kim Foxx.
I think I heard the paper whistling for my pooch IYKWIM.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:00 pm:
===We can’t wait to meet ‘political progressive’ Paul Vallas. The only Paul Vallas Chicagoans know is the one who plays footsie with white supremacists, promotes racist and homophobic tweets, opposes police reform, closed neighborhood schools, and funds his campaign with high-dollar Republican donors.===
To be fair, and tongue likely firmly in cheek;
Candidate Lightfoot probably wouldn’t be anything of a fan of this Mayor Lightfoot.
So, what of a big deal is it if Paul Vallas and his spineless existence as an apologist for all things Republican, including racist thinkers, insurrection apologists and conspiracy theorists?
Phonies travel in packs?
- vern - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:01 pm:
=== Let’s celebrate the actual fact that we live in a free land and we get to choose what we do, where we work, how we work. ===
They say Labor Day is the start of the general election season, but I’m surprised to see Bailey pivot so aggressively to the left. A robust unemployment safety net, universal healthcare, and collective bargaining are all things that can contribute to the freedom of choosing our own employment. Glad Bailey is seeing the light. /s
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
===Let’s celebrate the actual fact that we live in a free land and we get to choose what we do, where we work, how we work. And let’s make it a vow to ourselves to let’s keep more of the fruits of our work instead of letting government continually take so much.===
Including joining a workplace that is pro-union, or not applying or choosing a union job if you don’t want to be part of a union.
Freedom.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:07 pm:
===Candidate Lightfoot probably wouldn’t be anything of a fan of this Mayor Lightfoot===
The best way to handicap a progressive is to put them in charge of something.
That being said, Joe Trippi might have taken the job before finding our some of Paul Vallas’ negatives.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:12 pm:
In fairness to Darren’s understanding of labor day, he’s a multimillionaire agribusiness owner who inherited a substantial amount of his current capital assets and probably can’t name a family member thet has even benefited from being in a union due to the extent of his generational wealth.
His lack of familiarity with collective bargaining is due to his silver spoon. He thinks labor day is about freedom because he can’t understand anything else.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:16 pm:
After reading bailey’s statement, I am committed to seeing legislation passed that requires at least a 25 on the ACT or 1100 on the SAT to be eligible for governor.
Community college does not count.
For those that do not think higher ed is valuable, just read bailey’s statements.
- Bourbon Street - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:47 pm:
=he worked on presidential campaigns for Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Richard Gephardt, Jerry Brown and John Edwards=
Given that no one on that list had the title “President” before his name (and the fact that Mondale lost 49 of the 50 states), this accomplishment is not something I’d be trumpeting if I were a political consultant.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:50 pm:
=He thinks labor day is about freedom because he can’t understand anything else.=
I am not sure he really understands freedom.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:54 pm:
“In a move that may dispel some doubts”
LOL. So much political journalism is like reading a teenybopper magazine.
“Wowzers, Joe Trippi! Remember how hot he looked on the Jones campaign?!?”
Literally what will that mean for Paul Vallas in practice? He gets 30 or 40 more votes than he’d have gotten without Joe Trippi on his campaign, maybe? They’re going to drown him in media of his attendance at the white supremacist power hour with Awake IL and that’ll be it for him. Glad some people are going to make money off this pointlessness in the meantime.
- MisterJayEm - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 3:59 pm:
“He’s a political progressive”
And we have always been at war with Eastasia.
– MrJM
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 4:25 pm:
“In a move that may dispel some doubts about the viability of his candidacy…”
How about the ones where he finished 9th last time and got stomped even by Willie Wilson?
- Union - Friday, Sep 2, 22 @ 4:29 pm:
But millions of women have been stripped of their right to decide when or if to have a baby. Who is he to talk about freedom?