* I totally forgot about this story, but I stumbled across an outline I worked up during the long weekend and I can’t waste it now. WGN…

Last night’s debate between the major party candidates running for Governor of Illinois, Democrat J. B. Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey, was a ratings winner for WGN-TV. The first debate, “YOUR LOCAL ELECTION HEADQUARTERS: ILLINOIS GOVERNOR’S DEBATE,” took place on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. CT, at the Illinois State University campus in Normal, IL.

The debate reached over 240,000 total viewers, finishing #1 in the time period. It also finished #1 in the key Adults 25-54 demographic.

The actual number was 241,313. The WGN numbers above were only for the Chicago media market.

According to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America, there are 3,471,560 TV households in the Chicago media market.

Nielsen’s average is 2.4 viewers per household. So, that equals a potential of 8,331,744 total viewers.

Now, subtract out the 813,000 viewers in Indiana and you get 7,518,744 Illinois viewers.

According to the US Census, 22.1 percent of Illinoisans are under 18, and therefore cannot vote. Subtract those 1,661,642 people and you’re left with 5,857,102 adult Illinois viewers in the Chicago media market.

The statewide voter registration rate among eligible voters is 74.4 percent. So, somewhere around 4,357,684 registered voters are in the Chicago media market.

And that means, with 241,313 viewers, about 5.5 percent of registered voters in the Chicago media market watched last week’s debate on TV, assuming all the viewers were 18 and above. More may have watched online, but even so, as I always warn people, the vast majority of folks just don’t watch gubernatorial debates.

* The Tribune goes against type again and endorses Alexi Giannoulias for SoS…

However, [Rep. Dan Brady] also discussed his plan to reduce vehicle registration fees by $50 during his first year in office. Brady insisted that this would be affordable for the state and would be a way to help cash-strapped motorists.

But there are 11 million vehicles registered in Illinois. Even if 1 million of those vehicles do not renew their registration in a given year, that still appears to amount to a loss in revenue of some $500 million which would need to be plugged. Brady insisted that this was not the case, but even at the end of our session, we couldn’t fully understand his math. And, since we have editorialized against schemes that look like vote-getting giveaways (already a feature of the mayoral race in Chicago), we found this aspect of Brady’s plan to be problematic.

Giannoulias appeared further along in his thinking on how to enhance the digital capabilities of the office, discussing with us his ideas for a new secretary of state app (long overdue) and developing a digital driver’s license, meaning that you would be able to carry around your license on your smartphone. And, of course, that would also allow for instant updating.

Brady rightly pointed out the real dangers of cybercrime and identity theft, but Illinoisans already carry their credit cards and other sensitive documents on their phones. And digitization (to varying degrees) already has happened in other states, including Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma and Colorado. Much attention has been paid to security. As Giannoulias said, “Illinois doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel.”

* OK, on to a couple of oppo dumps. Last year…

“I’m not vaccinated,” @DarrenBaileyIL told a room of Republican primary voters last Thursday in Wheeling at the Chevy Chase Country Club. He tells the crowd he wants to see more transparency about what DNA might be in “MMA and rubella.” It’s MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella.” pic.twitter.com/z4eawkCtjH

— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) July 28, 2021

Somehow, Bailey must’ve forgotten about that statement this week when he was on WPNA Radio…

Host: During the same debate, Gov. Pritzker accused you for not being vaccinated for COVID-19 [laughs]. He said, ‘He, himself is not vaccinated.’ You responded, ‘How do you know that?’ What was the reason for your reply?

Bailey: Well, I’ve had a lot of people suggest that I file suit against him for a HIPAA violation for, for purporting information like that. He has no idea if I am or not. And how dare a governor of a state, such a high position, to go around and talk about someone else’s health and whether or not such you know, yeah, no, I think that’s wrong, but to him…

Host: Yeah personal medical medication. Right. Nobody should know if you got vaccinated, if you got X-ray, tooth pulled out, right?

Bailey: And I think that shows how dangerous this man is by what he’s potentially looking for in the future that we might carry some card or wear some kind of a badge to say, you know, we’re vaccinated or you know, give our health status. It’s dangerous.

* More over the transom stuff, this time on Bailey-related gun raffles. One of Bailey’s schools…

‼️ We are having our 2nd annual gun raffle! ALL proceeds go back to pay off our new gym.🤩

‼️ WINNER gets the choice…

Posted by Full Armor Olney on Wednesday, October 5, 2022

And here’s Bailey’s running mate…

* On to a semi-related press release…

Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee Launches Six-Figure Campaign to ‘Halt The Assault’

Following months of public outcry demanding policy change, today the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee launched a new campaign to bolster and build legislative support around a ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines dubbed ‘Halt The Assault.’ A statewide effort supported by leading national gun violence prevention organizations, Halt The Assault will utilize tools to organize and activate supporters to reach their state lawmakers and ultimately advance the life-saving measure in the coming months. […]

Halt the Assault will pair digital advocacy and paid media to reach concerned residents and drive them toward action. Campaign assets are attached, and you can learn more about the affiliated political action committee, G-PAC, in this video profile.

The campaign will focus its efforts on DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, McHenry, Suburban Cook and Will counties, as well as the Bloomington, Champaign, Metro East, Peoria, Springfield and Quad Cities metro areas. An updated legislator contact tool will be employed to connect constituents with their lawmakers and put facts front and center in the policy conversation. GVPAC is investing six figures into the campaign and will activate its advocacy network of nearly 200 organizations that have organized behind past efforts to hold gun dealers accountable, require universal background checks for all gun sales, and make ghost guns illegal.

Organizations supporting Halt The Assault include GVPAC, One Aim Illinois, Everytown, Giffords, Moms Demand Action and Brady.

Click here for some online graphics.

* Roundup from Isabel…

* Democrats are counting on Duckworth to help them keep control of the U.S. Senate: Although Salvi has said she expects “full well” to win the November general election, a defeat to Duckworth would be far from the first electoral setback for the Republican nominee and her husband, Al Salvi. […] But in a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans, Duckworth has eagerly highlighted the differences she has with Salvi on virtually all of the biggest political issues of these times, including gun control, abortion and immigration.

* Close election expected for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District: The district, which was held by U.S. Rep. Cherri Bustos before she announced she wasn’t seeking another term, was redrawn by Democrats in what some say was a blatant case of gerrymandering, but the move may backfire. Bustos, D-Moline, is backing Democrat Eric Sorenson, a former TV weatherman. He faces Republican Esther Joy King, an Army veteran who narrowly lost to Bustos in 2020.

* The election for Illinois’ attorney general comes at a dramatic legal moment: The attorney general’s race rarely grabs front-page headlines — but experts and advocates across the political spectrum say the position is one of the most essential in the state. In addition to the hot-button issues of crime and criminal justice reform, Illinois’ next attorney general could play a key role in everything from abortion to LGBTQ rights.

* Police groups endorsing different candidates for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District: “I am proud to announce that with our 34,500 plus members out there whom we represent … we unanimously endorse Regan Deering as the candidate for U.S. Congress for the 13th Congressional District,” said Illinois Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Southwood during a news event this week. […] Earlier this year, the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District.

* Endorsement: Casten for Congress from Illinois Dist. 6: [Casten] is articulate as well as passionate about issues including abortion rights, gun control and, with his particular expertise as the former head of an energy business, climate policy. And, he is a frequent presence in the district, having conducted more than 60 town halls in his two terms to discuss his ideas with constituents. We would have liked to have seen more thoughtful engagement during the campaign between these two candidates, but we’re confident that Casten’s background and congressional experience make him well suited for a third term. He gets our endorsement.

* Daily Herald opinion: Wheeler for Illinois’ 83rd House district: Wheeler, the House assistant minority leader, has impressed us as a thoughtful, business-oriented legislator who maintains solidly conservative values while understanding the need to work across the aisle. He is measured and compassionate on the issues, including being open-minded about proposals in response to mass shootings and supporting the need to keep guns away from those who should not own them. When voicing concerns about provisions of the Safe-T Act, he does so with reasoned arguments, steering clear of the hyperbole and ugly rhetoric that have dominated the debate for so many of the act’s opponents.

* Judicial races include 2 write-ins: Six candidates are seeking three judicial seats Nov. 8 in a sometimes controversial election in Madison County. Current Associate Judge A. Ryan Jumper, a Democrat, and attorney Tim Berkley, a Republican, are competing for the seat of retiring Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge, who is stepping down in December.

* Video: House District 65 candidates Ugaste, Robertson discuss state finances, helping businesses, more: Republican state legislator Dan Ugaste and Democrat Linda Robertson are running for the 65th state House district in the Nov. 8 general election. Here, they discuss their own take on issues facing Illinois with a representative of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

* Video: Candidates for 66th House debate parental notification, Illinois pension reform, and more: Democratic state legislator Suzanne Ness and Republican challenger Connie Cain are running for the 66th state House district in the Nov. 8 general election. Here, they discuss their own take on issues facing Illinois with a representative of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.