* ABC7 Chicago…

Vickie Ponciano feels like breaking her television every time she sees a video clip of her nephew’s murder being used in a Republican ad campaign that seeks to pin violence in Chicago on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the city’s Democrats.

“Every time I see that freaking commercial I just start cursing in front of my kids. And I don’t know how to control it,” Ponciano said Thursday while standing alongside the Rev. Michael Pfleger during a rally at 875 N. Michigan Ave., the building formerly known as the Hancock Center.

Her nephew, Gyovanni Arzuaga, and his wife, Yasmin Perez, were killed following Puerto Rican Day festivities last summer and video of the incident went viral.

“I don’t need to see my nephew getting murdered every day on TV. The pain starts all over again,” said Ponciano, who called for the ad to be pulled. “Stop using our pain and suffering for votes.”

Fox 32

“Stop running and condoning comments and commercials that continue racist stereotyping of the Black and brown communities. We are divided enough in Chicago. There’s enough racism in Chicago. We don’t need you to stereotype Black and brown folk with the violence in Chicago running your commercials,” said Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church.

The Bailey campaign released the following statement in response:

“We have no communication with or control over this pac, but Pritzker and his pal Lightfoot have control over the skyrocketing crime in Chicago, but sadly they don’t care about the more than 500 people murdered this year in Chicago or the fact they’re creating new victims everyday with their soft-on-crime policies. Pritzker has turned his back on law enforcement and left these communities behind. Darren Bailey’s focus is making Illinois safe and affordable for everyone.”

Sun-Times…

The St. Sabina Church pastor criticized the ads as playing off racist stereotypes of Black and Latino communities.

Proft didn’t return messages Thursday.

The ad is intended to criticize the SAFE-T Act, a criminal justice reform package that Pritzker signed into law in an attempt to address longstanding public safety issues and police distrust. Panned by Republicans for its provision to end cash bail, it goes into effect next year.

* Politico…

Also Thursday, WGN and NBC news stations pulled a political ad by the conservative People Who Play By The Rules PAC, which also is run by Proft.

The ad featured Beverly Miles, a little-known candidate in the Democratic primary for governor, claiming Pritzker fired her from a government job.

Pritzker’s legal team wrote the stations saying the ad was “false and defamatory” and demanded the stations remove it “immediately.” Failing to do “is actionable under Illinois defamation law,” according to a letter from the Elias Law Group.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Demmer would prefer not to talk about Bailey. There’s been no endorsement either way, although in a news conference earlier this year, Demmer said he believed Bailey would make a good governor.

“We’ve tried to build a plan that’s very focused on issues of taxes and spending of dollars and cents,” Demmer said. “And so, you know, trying to cut through some of the rest of the clutter that comes out there, just by having a very straightforward message.”

Democratic Party of Illinois pounced…

After endorsing far-right extremist Darren Bailey, Tom Demmer, GOP candidate for State Treasurer, is now flip-flopping on his support — trying desperately to rewrite history to score cheap political points.

Demmer endorsed Bailey earlier in the race, saying he thinks Bailey would make a good governor. Even after Bailey’s horrific comparison of abortion to the Holocaust, Demmer stood by his support of the far-right extremist, saying: “We have this choice between reelecting Pritzker, or making a change going in a new direction. I think we need to go [in] a new direction.”

That “new direction? Darren Bailey, who besides his Holocaust/abortion comparison is best known for his opposition to abortion without exception, his comments encouraging Illinoisans to “move on” from the Highland Park mass shooting, and his record of campaigning with insurrectionists.

Now, Tom Demmer’s trying desperately to walk back his endorsement of the far-right extremist — and hoping voters don’t notice. In an interview with Crain’s, Demmer dodged: “Demmer would prefer not to talk about Bailey. There’s been no endorsement either way, although in a news conference earlier this year, Demmer said he believed Bailey would make a good governor.”

Does Tom Demmer want to take Illinois in a “new direction” with Darren Bailey or not? Voters know the truth — and they’ll remember it at the ballot box in November.

* Patch…

A number of Elmhurst politicians, including the local state representative, are not taking part in candidates forums on Sunday, a local group says.

The League of Women Voters of Elmhurst aimed to hold forums for state representative, state senator, DuPage County Board and DuPage County Forest Preserve board. […]

According to the league, Mazzochi, who is vying for the District 45 seat, did not respond to its invitation. Her Democratic opponent, Jenn Ladisch Douglass, who agreed to take part, has been invited to make a two-minute statement. Mazzochi’s campaign did not return Patch’s message for comment.

Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton, an Elmhurst Democrat running in District 23, said she would take part in the forum, according to the league.

However, the league said her Republican opponent, Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst, failed to respond to the invitation. Glowiak-Hilton will be given two minutes to speak, the league said.