The same day Elon Musk fires half of Twitter. It’s an official verified account for the spokesperson of the Governor of 5th largest state in the nation. Here’s hoping this was a rare occurrence. https://t.co/ZSwKQ7UvaW
The family of a murdered Chicago Police officer is calling out Governor JB Pritzker as the parole board comes under renewed criticism over prisoner releases.
“I think Governor Pritzker has blood on his hands for releasing these inmates,” said Jean Cable, the niece of a murdered police officer. […]
Cabel still incensed more than a year after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board released convicted cop killer Johnny Veal. He was sent to prison for 100-300 years for the 1970 Cabrini-Green sniper killing of her uncle, Police Sgt. James Severin, and his partner Anthony Rizzato. […]
“What’s going on with the Illinois parole board? I don’t like it. I don’t know what they’re doing,” Cabel added.
* Dan Proft’s PAC released a TV ad about the case the other day…
“My message to the governor,” Cabel says in the ad, “would be ’shame on you.’”
The Proft spot is called an “outrageous TV ad that should insult us all.” The ad points out that the governor cannot parole anyone and the announcer states “the [Proft] ad is 100 percent false.”
* Proft’s PAC today…
There will be a virtual PRESS CONFERENCE at 11AM CT Today hosted by People Who Play By The Rules PAC with JEAN CABEL, the niece of slain Chicago Police Officer Sgt. James Severin, to respond to a malicious commercial recently put out by sitting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker that attacked Cabel’s character. […]
Pritzker’s ad in essence calls the niece of Sgt. James Severin a liar, claiming that everything in her ad with PBR PAC is “100% false.”
In reality, everything in our ad is 100% true.
After a brief statement she will take questions from the media.
At press time, the Pritzker campaign has not made their ad available on their public YouTube channel, not surprisingly, but we have it and will play it at the press conference.
I got the Pritzker ad from Proft’s PAC. Isabel will be covering the press conference, so stay tuned for any updates.
The truth is that Governor Pritzker is directly responsible for the composition and integrity of his Prisoner Review Board. As a family member of a Chicago police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1970, I have spent my entire adult life maintaining his honor and working tirelessly alongside with both families to keep two convicted cop killers in prison. My family and the family of Anthony Rizzato have been fighting this horrific battle for 40 years. My recent involvement in a political ad only stated that truth. The family of Jim Severin and Tony Rizzato have been associated with eight cooperative Governors of the state of Illinois all the way back to Governor Ogilvie. These governors understood what the judge was trying to say to future generations with a sentence of 100 to 300 years. This all stopped when JB Pritzker was put in office in 2019.
The governor’s office says that the case had “only one other parole hearing in 2014. We checked the file and there are not letters from previous governors in it.”
For months, the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, run by one-time failed candidate and Florida resident Dan Proft, has been running ads funded by Dick Uihlein to support Darren Bailey’s run for governor. By law, PACs cannot coordinate with individual campaigns, but new reporting sheds light on Proft and Bailey’s relationship that begs the question: What is Dan Proft doing for the Bailey campaign and why?
• The political committee is an independent expenditure PAC and, by law, is not supposed to coordinate its spending activities with Bailey’s campaign. But the apparent efforts by Proft — who also co-hosts a conservative radio show for which Bailey has been a frequent guest — to try to intercede in a potential legal matter involving Bailey indicate he may be playing a larger role than previously acknowledged.
• Proft also is involved in political mailers disguised as newspapers that have been sent to thousands of homes across the state, disseminating disinformation to disparage Pritzker. In 2016, a similar mailing effort funded by a former Proft independent expenditure PAC was cited by the Illinois State Board of Elections for illegal coordination with candidates.
• An internal dispute between Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey’s campaign and a recently departed Bailey political worker has raised questions about the level of involvement the conservative leader of a Bailey-aligned political action committee has had with the Bailey campaign.
• During those negotiations, Proft weighed in, apparently in an effort to quash the filing of a possible lawsuit in the matter that could become public and hurt Bailey’s chances.
• Asked to clarify, the campaign did not respond.
With hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans already casting their ballots and thousands more headed to the polls this weekend, Darren Bailey’s campaign must answer about his relationship with Dan Proft. With just four days to go, voters deserve to know: Why did Bailey fire Brett Corrigan and why was Dan Proft involved in an internal HR dispute?
Corrigan declined to comment and referred all questions to his attorney, Scott Kaspar of Orland Park. Kaspar said Corrigan attended Bailey’s private Full Armor Christian Academy in downstate Louisville, Illinois, and lived with Bailey’s family on their farm in nearby Xenia. Corrigan on the campaign trail served largely as a “body man” for the Republican governor candidate, who is also a state senator, closely following Bailey at events and assisting Bailey as he needed. Since June 2021, state campaign finance records show, he was paid $18,861 by Bailey’s campaign.
But around mid-September, Corrigan left Bailey’s campaign — whether he was fired or left on his own is a matter of dispute, his attorney said. Corrigan now serves a similar role for GOP attorney general candidate Tom DeVore, whose campaign Corrigan joined almost immediately after leaving Bailey’s.
In an interview, DeVore said he was aware of a dispute between Corrigan and Bailey’s campaign and that the two sides were trying to reconcile their differences. DeVore had no comment when asked about any involvement by Proft.
The penalty appears to be a fine.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
The best read of the law suggests the State Board of Elections could impose a fine of as much as $28,083,000 on the [Proft] PAC should they find a violation. We haven’t found examples of fines that large, but that amount should be possible under the IE statute, as described in more detail below.
If an independent expenditure committee (in this case, People Who Play By The Rules PAC) makes a contribution to candidate committee, the State Board of Elections assesses a fine on the committee equal to the amount of any contribution received in the preceding 2 years by the independent expenditure committee that exceeded the limits a [normal, non-independent] PAC may accept in an election cycle. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/9-8.6(d). For background, a normal PAC in IL may accept $12,000 per year from individuals, $24,000 per year from corporations, unions, or associations, $59,900 per year from candidate committees, $24,000 per year from party committees, and $59,900 per year from other PACS. Id. 5/9-8.5; see also IL State Board of Elections, Contribution Limits Per Election Cycle (Jan. 1, 2021), https://www.elections.il.gov/downloads/campaigndisclosure/pdf/contributionsummary.pdf. So, any contribution the PAC received in excess of those limits could be imposed against them as a fine in the event of a violation.
Because PACs may accept $12,000 per year from individuals, the excess of any individual contribution over $12k will count towards the fine. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/9-8.5; see also IL State Board of Elections, Contribution Limits Per Election Cycle (Jan. 1, 2021), https://www.elections.il.gov/downloads/campaigndisclosure/pdf/contributionsummary.pdf.
Since the People Who Play By The Rules PAC was formed in March 2022, it has reported $28,095,000 in contributions from Richard Uihlein—which is $28,083,000 above the limit Uihlein could give to a normal PAC as an individual. See generally People Who Play By The Rules PAC, Committee Details, https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=meYU8YumQ1UjlydtIJRv9w%3d%3d (last visited Nov. 4, 2022). Should the State Board of Elections find that the PAC illegality coordinated with the Bailey Campaign, its fine could therefore exceed $28 million.
A $28 million fine? Whew.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Democratic Party of Illinois has filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections, according to the Tribune, and the Dems have revised the possible penalty upwards to $42 million…
We’ve updated the figures to include all of Uihlein’s contributions to the PAC, including the one on the October A-1. Based on all contributions, the fine could exceed $42 million. Revised version below.
he best read of the law suggests the State Board of Elections could impose a fine of as much as $42,018,000 on the PAC should they find a violation. We haven’t found examples of fines that large, but that amount should be possible under the IE statute, as described in more detail below.
If an independent expenditure committee (in this case, People Who Play By The Rules PAC) makes a contribution to candidate committee, the State Board of Elections assesses a fine on the committee equal to the amount of any contribution received in the preceding 2 years by the independent expenditure committee that exceeded the limits a [normal, non-independent] PAC may accept in an election cycle. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/9-8.6(d). For background, a normal PAC in IL may accept $12,000 per year from individuals, $24,000 per year from corporations, unions, or associations, $59,900 per year from candidate committees, $24,000 per year from party committees, and $59,900 per year from other PACS. Id. 5/9-8.5; see also IL State Board of Elections, Contribution Limits Per Election Cycle (Jan. 1, 2021), https://www.elections.il.gov/downloads/campaigndisclosure/pdf/contributionsummary.pdf. So, any contribution the PAC received in excess of those limits could be imposed against them as a fine in the event of a violation.
Because PACs may accept $12,000 per year from individuals, the excess of any individual contribution over $12k will count towards the fine. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/9-8.5; see also IL State Board of Elections, Contribution Limits Per Election Cycle (Jan. 1, 2021), https://www.elections.il.gov/downloads/campaigndisclosure/pdf/contributionsummary.pdf.
Since the People Who Play By The Rules PAC was formed in March 2022, it has reported $42,018,000 in contributions from Richard Uihlein—which is $42,006,000 above the limit Uihlein could give to a normal PAC as an individual. See generally People Who Play By The Rules PAC, Committee Details, https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=meYU8YumQ1UjlydtIJRv9w%3d%3d (last visited Nov. 4, 2022). Should the State Board of Elections find that the PAC illegality coordinated with the Bailey Campaign, its fine could therefore exceed $42 million.
Mr. Proft has consistently acted in “cooperation, consultation, or concert” with the Bailey Campaign. The examples are endless. For example, Mr. Proft co-hosts a conservative radio show in which Mr. Bailey has been a frequent guest. In one instance, Mr. Proft talks about the millions he has spent supporting the Bailey Campaign, with Mr. Bailey on the line, saying that he “supported Darren Bailey through the super PAC that I run in the primary. And I’m supporting him through the super PAC that I run into the general too.”
Jimmy Kimmel spotted a pretty unusual political ad that was made for a candidate in Illinois but that’s getting attention far beyond the state’s borders for an unexpected endorsement.
It’s “not a major name,” Kimmel noted. “But a really good one.”
That name? Dick Bigger Jr., a farmer featured in a spot for Susana Mendoza, a Democrat seeking reelection as state comptroller.
* Longtime readers will remember Tim Nieukirk, who ran for governor in 2006 as a write-in. We profiled the “Get Nieuked” campaign’s YouTube “ads” on the blog and Fox News eventually did a piece on him. He even showed up for my bipartisan preelection party. I’ve invited Dick Bigger Jr. to this year’s event.
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (11/03/22): Total VBM requested: 866,786 Total VBM returned: 489,730 Total VBM outstanding: 377,056 Return Rate: 57% Total Early Vote: 471,451 Total Grace Period: 7,705 Total Already Voted: 968,886https://t.co/44ga6AxRbY
* Back to the SAFE-T Act. The Tribune gets it right…
[Republican Rich Janor] has repeatedly accused [Rep. Janet Yang Rohr’s, D-Naperville] of being soft on crime. He inaccurately claimed in a League of Women Voters forum in October that under the SAFE-T Act a police officer couldn’t remove a trespasser sitting in someone’s living room watching TV.
While the law mandates tickets instead of arrests for misdemeanors such as trespassing, an Illinois Supreme Court task force has said police retain the ability to remove a person before issuing a citation.
…Adding… Since we’re talking about the SAFE-T Act, this is from a text message today…
* DPI media advisory…
Vice President Kamala Harris will rally with Illinois Democrats at 2:00pm on Sunday, November 6th.
WHEN: 12:00pm doors, 2:00pm event start, Sunday, November 6, 2022
WHERE: XS Tennis and Education Foundation, 5336 S State St, Chicago
The race for Congress in the west suburban 6th District, where incumbent Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, faces GOP nominee and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, has taken a turn toward the competitive after appearing to be solidly favorable for Casten. […]
The first sign that the contest had tightened occurred in late October when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid a visit for an event with Casten. And one of Pelosi’s big funding vehicles, the House Majority PAC, poured $630,000 into pro-Casten ads.
Since then, three different major national handicappers—Real Clear Politics, Politico and the Cook Political Report—have moved their forecasts in the GOP direction, though two of the three say Casten still has a real, if reduced, edge. […]
Casten’s folks say they always expected the race to narrow at the end, given that most of the newly remapped district was previously represented by someone else. Casten will continue to attack Pekau on issues like abortion while Pekau says he supports abortion in cases of rape, incest and risks to the mother’s life. But Pekau also praised the U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban all abortions.
* ILGOP Statement on President Biden’s visit to Illinois…
Today, President Joe Biden visits Illinois for a series of rallies to bail out sputtering Congressional Democrats in the Chicago suburbs. ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy issued the following statement:
“As the Biden economy sputters, races for suburban Congressional Democrats once thought safe are trending in the wrong direction. Now President Biden is making a last-ditch effort to dig them out of the hole they dug together. Senator Duckworth, Congressmen Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood have all spent two years supporting the inflation-fueling Biden-Pelosi spending binge every step of the way. Now with historic inflation fueling skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, they can follow their spending binge to its final destination - out of office on the morning of November 9th.”
A recent New York Times poll indicated that 44% of likely voters cite the economy and inflation as their most important issues. The U.S. economy is facing its highest inflation rate in 40 years as a direct result of runaway spending by President Biden and Congressional Democrats that even respected Democrat economists warned could fuel the historic inflation we are now experiencing. Reps. Casten, Krishnamoorthi, Foster, and Underwood supported this spending agenda at every turn.
RealClearPolitics recently moved Casten (IL-6) and Underwood’s (IL-14) races from Lean D to toss-up as the Congressional Leadership Fund announced a massive seven-figure investment in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District race.
America is facing challenging times. Inflation is skyrocketing, as the cost of everything from gas to groceries continues to rise. Everyday Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water with a shaky stock market and economic uncertainty. On the world stage, America’s stature continues to shrink, after a hasty and bloody exit from Afghanistan and a seemingly never-ending stalemate in Ukraine. As the nation finally exits the COVID pandemic and looks ahead to the 2022 mid-term elections and beyond, issues like abortion, gun control, and education remain top of mind for voters. In Illinois, voters face the opportunity to replace Gov. JB Pritzker after nearly four years of disastrous COVID policies that have left the state struggling to recover.
Amid these many challenges, conservatives from across the Midwest will come together for Freedom Summit 2022 on Saturday, November 5, 2022 — just a few short days before the critical mid-term elections. Attendees will have the chance to consider these important issues, as they are discussed and debated by some of the country’s most prominent conservative voices. This one-day event will feature speakers, break-out sessions, and book signings. As we prepare to head to the polls for thes critical mid-term elections, this event should not be missed.
Hear from keynote speakers Alex Berenson, Brandon Tatum, and Larry Elder, as well as break-out panels on the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, election integrity, and much more.
Dan Proft is also a featured speaker. Dennis Reboletti, who is running for the Senate this year, will be on a panel with DeVore, Stephanie Trussell and Tyrone Muhammad (whose group got into that tussle with police the other day). It’ll be moderated by John Anthony, who was fired from IDOC for sexual harassment.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chicago Tribune | President Joe Biden implores voters to save democracy from lies ahead of midterms: The president’s speech — focused squarely on the rite of voting and the counting of that vote — amounted to a plea for Americans to step back from the inflamed rhetoric that has heightened fears of political violence and challenges to the integrity of the elections. Biden was straddling two roles, speaking as both a president defending the pillars of democracy and a Democrat trying to boost his party’s prospects against Republicans. He called out the hundreds of candidates who have denied the 2020 election result and now refuse to commit to accepting the results of the upcoming midterms. “This driving force is trying to succeed where they failed in 2020 to suppress the rights of voters and subvert the electoral system itself,” Biden said. “That is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it is un-American.”
* Chicago Tribune | Getting out the vote in 2022: Text messages, social media posts, rallies, door knocking and a drag show : As voting continues through Tuesday along with the TV ads, the campaigns for governor, their local party organizations and their allies are relying on traditional strategies such as sending teams to canvass door-to-door and phone banking. They are also using more recent techniques such as digital ads, social media and text messaging. “There are several thousand people knocking on doors across Illinois and making phone calls,” Bailey said in one of his near daily Facebook Live posts on Tuesday.
* Quad-City Times | IL Comptroller, local officials call on state to timely pay families of fallen first responders : Surrounded by local police, firefighters, EMS personnel and elected state and local officials in Moline Wednesday, Mendoza detailed House Bill 5785, which aims to ensure timely compensation is given to the next of kin of those who perish in the line of duty. The bill would ensure a continuing line of funding is available without disruption, so there is no delay to the families.
* Register-Mail | Halpin spends more than twice as much as Thoms in District 36 Senate race: A look at third quarter (July 1 to Sept. 30) contributions and spending of the two candidates shows Halpin with a clear financial advantage. Halpin spent nearly $1.9 million for his campaign during the third quarter, more than doubling the campaign spending for Thoms, $767,979.
* Belleville News-Democrat | Here’s what happened when Madison County sent incorrect ballots to voters in this precinct: Madison County mistakenly sent ballots that included six judicial candidates for the Nov. 8 election to residents in one Edwardsville precinct, but County Clerk Debbie Ming Mendoza said efforts are underway to correct the mistake. Some residents of Precinct 3 received ballots that incorrectly listed judicial candidates in the newly created Subcircuit 1 of the 3rd Judicial Circuit. However, this precinct is not located in Subcircuit 1.
* WAND | African-American voters in Champaign receiving false texts about voting locations: “These messages are not affiliated with the Champaign County Clerk’s office. They were sent by a third-party vendor of an organization called Black Voters Matter. Black Voters Matter contracted with a third-party vendor to send push notifications to voters,” said Ammons. The messages stated that the residents would now have to drive to Gifford, Illinois to cast their vote. “I have not had an opportunity to speak to anyone from Black Voters Matter or Movement Labs. We wanted to immediately jump on this to make sure that our voters here in Champaign County got the accurate information that they need to make sure they know that it did not come from the election authority here locally and what they can do to resolve the issue,” stated Ammons.
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new :30 TV spot, “Last Dance.” It will run on Illinois TV stations this week and can be seen on YouTube and on the PBR PAC Facebook page.
*Unmodified footage of Pritzker ineptly dancing on stage
Hearing what Pritzker says about Black elected officials when he thinks no one is listening.
ABC7 broadcaster, 2018: “Newly released FBI recording of Democratic gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker is causing a deep split in the African-American community.”
“Of all the African Americans I can think that are sort of like qualified as least offensive, it’s Jesse White. Emil [Jones] is a little more crass.” -Pritzker from Blagojevich FBI tapes
Alderman Anthony Beale, 9th Ward, 2018: “This is a slap in our face, taking our community for granted. This is not the kind of leadership that we need at this time.”
PUNISH PRITZKER FOR HIS RACISM.
Paid for by People Who Play By The Rules PAC
* React from Secretary of State Jesse White…
I have known JB Pritzker for more than 30 years and I consider him a very good friend. I also consider him the best governor that Illinois has had in my lifetime.
As governor and as a private citizen, JB has supported not only the African-American community, but all communities throughout the state. I know where his heart is and he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.
To manipulate a taped phone conversation and to use it in a political commercial, as it reflects the Governor’s views, is highly offensive.
I strongly encourage the people of Illinois to ignore this desperate political ad.
* Ald. Anthony Beale…
Last night I discovered that Dan Profit, on behalf of the Republican Party, has created a commercial that uses my image and words to disparage Governor JB Pritzker.
Profit did not gain my permission or consent to ues my image or words. Rather, he took a sentence said years ago out of context in a crass attempt to diminish the vote for Governor Pritzker by implying that I am critical of the governor.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Over the last four years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Governor Pritzker on a variety of issues––and I’ve seen firsthand the impact his administration’s investments have made in our communities. Darren Bailey, Dan Proft, and their racist, fear-mongering propaganda machine have never once stood up for Black and brown families, and their attempts to use us as political pawns in the final days of this election is sickening.
Dan Profit did not ask my permission to appear in this ad––and had he asked I would have unequivocally refused. I demand that he take this ad off the air immediately, and will be pursuing all legal remedies available.
Not sure if he has a legal leg to stand on, but what do you think of the ad?
…Adding… Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
“If your strategy five days from Election Day is attempting to suppress the Black vote, you’re losing.”
* Related…
* How anti-Pritzker PAC is trying to suppress the Black vote in Chicago: One interpretation could be that it’s just an attempt to persuade Black voters to support Bailey. However, since the fear-mongering flyers and signs do not push Bailey’s candidacy, the strategy appears to be to depress Black voter turnout for Pritzker, political operatives said. Democratic political consultant Ron Holmes, a veteran of many campaigns in Illinois where turning out the Black vote has been critical, said these Proft PAC appeals are “directly aimed at ensuring Black voters stay at home rather than vote for candidates who have been working in their best interests.”
The White House confirmed Wednesday that President Joe Biden will stump in Illinois Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s midterm balloting — likely in the Chicago area — and Vice President Kamala Harris hits Chicago on Sunday.
Biden will lead a get-out-the vote for Democrats with a focus on boosting suburban Chicago congressional incumbents — especially Reps. Sean Casten and Bill Foster — who are in races that may be tightening.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris visits Chicago on Sunday. […]
The vice president’s office said Harris will “deliver remarks” at an Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders event in Chicago. Another source said the stop is likely an event for the AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Asian American, and on the Tuesday ballot, is also scheduled to attend the event.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (11/02/22): Total VBM requested: 860,663 Total VBM returned: 467,112 Total VBM outstanding: 393,551 Return Rate: 54% Total Early Vote: 419,002 Total Grace Period: 6,580 Total Already Voted: 892,694https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
The statewide vote by mail return rate (as of today) is 54.27%. Only a few jurisdictions are below that, but they include some of the most populous areas, like City of Chicago (37.42%), Lake County (43.51%) and Suburban Cook County (52.05%).
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 70,656 ballots cast.
Additionally, 76,071 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 208,003.
The grand total is 146,727 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
FOR COMPARISON:
As of June 22, 2022 (6 days out from the 6/28/22 Primary Election): 61,377 ballots cast
As of October 27, 2020 (6 days out from the 11/3/20 Presidential Election): 583,372 ballots cast
As of October 30, 2018 (6 days out from the 11/6/18 General Election): 152,320 ballots cast
Chicago is still at 16 percent of total votes cast, even though the city is 21 percent of the population.
* Michael Flynn’s The America Project is leafleting in suburban Cook County and it looks like they’re piggy-backing on the anti-union group’s bandwagon…
Republican Regan Deering, running for the new 13th Congressional District, appeared Wednesday to accept the endorsements of the Illinois, and U.S., Chambers of Commerce.
As she paints opponent Nikki Budzinski as a “political insider,” the discussion turned to why elective office seems to be the only job for which experience is a liability. After answering that she would represent business experience and new blood, Deering volunteered, “I also am a supporter of term limits. I think America is tired of career politicians.”
What term limit will she place on herself?
“I’ll get myself elected in six days, and then we’ll see.”
But she just said she supports term limits. What sort of term limits is she talking about?
“We can talk about that when it comes to a vote. That would be great.”
House Republicans’ top congressional super PAC is betting that a last minute cash infusion can flip two deep-blue districts on the edges of the House battlefield.
The Congressional Leadership Fund is going on air with seven-figure buys targeting Democratic Rep. Sean Casten in suburban Chicago and the Long Island seat held by retiring Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice. The super PAC is investing $1.8 million and $1.5 million, respectively, on broadcast buys in the expensive Chicago and New York City media markets.
Neither district has seen much outside spending before the final days of the midterms, and President Joe Biden carried both of them by double-digits in 2020. But the late ad buys suggest Republicans see opportunities in both places as the country grapples with high cost of living and the possibility of an economic recession looming.
House Majority PAC, CLF’s Democratic counterpart, also recently invested in both districts — a sign that both parties believe the seats are at risk of flipping.
Two-term Congressman Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) and challenger Mayor Keith Pekau (R-Orland Park) are locked in a closer-then-expected race than the major ratings services indicate:
- Cook Political Report with Amy Walter: Likely Leans Democrat
- Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Likely Democrat
- Elections Daily: Safe Democrat
- RCP: Toss-up
While no published independent polling is available in this race, Mayor Pekau is broadcasting TV commercials on broadcast TV in Chicagoland. Congressman Casten has been on broadcast TV since Labor Day. Casten launched attack ads against Pekau in late September, possibly indicating Pekau and Casten are close according to internal polling.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Black voters drive the right crazy by showing strength in numbers during elections: The strength of Black vote turnout in densely populated metropolitan areas drives the right crazy. The fact that urban Blacks vote in high numbers is one reason Republicans like to bash big cities. That’s partly why Darren Bailey, the GOP nominee for governor, called Chicago a hellhole. Black voters in the Southland are a big reason why Democrats enjoy one-party rule in Illinois. The concentration of likely Democratic voters on Chicago’s South Side and in the south suburbs makes this place ground zero for political power.
* Vaccines used to be apolitical. Now they’re a campaign issue: Pro-vaccine advocates worry that the rise of these candidates, along with an emboldened anti-vaccine movement, could spell trouble for public health in the years to come.”I think it’s really unfortunate that an issue that has saved so many lives has become partisan and hyper-political,” says Northe Saunders, the executive director of the SAFE Communities coalition, a nationwide nonprofit committed to supporting pro-vaccine political candidates and policies.
Scott Lennox, 21, of 3300 N. Lake Shore Drive, is charged with one felony count each of threatening a public official, telephone harassment and harassment by electronic communications, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
According to a Chicago police report, Lennox left Bailey a voicemail at 10:27 p.m. Oct. 28 in which he threatened to “mutilate and kill” him. Illinois State Police learned Lennox used his cellphone to make the threats against Bailey. Police said Lennox admitted making the threats.
Police say he admitted it. I’m hearing the threat was really gruesome.
Bailey had Illinois State Police protection the other day because of this awful man.
Pritzker on Wednesday took to Twitter to condemn the incident, saying “the violent rhetoric and division we’re seeing across our country is unacceptable.”
“Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois,” the governor continued.
Also condemning the incident was Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, of Hillside. “We need these violent threats to stop,” Welch tweeted. “Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to lower the rhetoric and bring back civility to our politics. I don’t agree with Mr. Bailey’s policies, but I want nothing but the best for him and his family.”
The voicemail in question followed a fight Lennox had at a Chicago bar after a political ad appeared on the bar’s television. The ad — and repeated ads he had seen during the campaign — made Lennox “angry,” prosecutors said, and a “heated argument” began between Lennox and his friends, leading him to send a voicemail to Bailey’s Springfield office, prosecutors said.
“I’m going to skin Darren Bailey alive, making sure he is still alive, and I’m going to feed his f****** family to him as he is alive and screaming in f****** pain,” prosecutors say Lennox said in the voicemail. He also made statements about abortion in his message.
He further said, “He is a piece of white a** racist s***, and honestly if he doesn’t kill himself, I will. You know what? I know where he lives. I know where he sleeps. I know where his kids sleep. And I know the f****** school he works at,” prosecutors allege he said. Lennox also said “the candidate teaching all this mother f****** misinformation is going to die. So honestly he should just kill himself before anything else happens.”
“Divisive, inflammatory, and misleading rhetoric is driving hatred across our state as some attempt to label political opponents as dangerous threats,” Bailey said in a statement Wednesday. “Whether we agree or disagree on policies, we are all Americans. I pray this young man gets the help he needs. We must bring our state together and fight for the safety and prosperity of every Illinoisan.”
This is the latest report in a research project established in 2019 to trace the use and provenance of local news sites created and operated for the purpose of exercising influence, be it electorally or to promote the interests of corporate clients or advocacy groups. While publishing news sites or newspapers to exert influence is not new, the increasingly involved campaign tools and tactics deployed through these networks create a challenge for independent local journalism and demonstrate how modern political campaigning makes it harder for readers to distinguish between political advertising and journalism.
This extended network is operated by a conglomerate of corporate entities—Metric Media, Newsinator (alias Franklin Archer), Local Government Information Services (LGIS), Pipeline Media (alias LocalityLabs or LocalLabs)—each of which claims ownership of different subsets of the network. […]
John Tillman, an influential conservative activist based out of Illinois, holds executive positions in at least nine organizations that, through a dizzying series of transactions, move millions of dollars around interconnected non- and for-profit organizations. As we reported last year, Tillman is also currently listed as the secretary for LGIS, the Illinois-centric subset of the network comprising thirty-four “local news” websites and eleven physical newspapers, which was subject to an FEC lawsuit for disguising campaign materials as local community newspapers (the suit was dismissed in 2019). Timpone is listed as the president of LGIS, a position previously held by Proft. In the run-up to the midterms this November, newspapers from the LGIS outlets have started appearing on doorsteps in Illinois attacking Pritzker for his policies on crime, COVID, and LGBTQ rights.
Proft’s PAC is financially backing Republican candidate Darren Bailey against Pritzker in the November election. Proft ran for office in 2010, currently hosts a show on the Salem Radio Network (which syndicates Christian political talk, conservative programming, and music), and his now-defunct PAC Liberty Principles paid Newsinator (one of the organizations in the extended network) over $300,000 for advertising. This year he started a new PAC, People Who Play by the Rules, which—at the time of writing—has received over $28 million from Uihlein, the shipping magnate and Republican mega-donor. The PAC has paid Pipeline Media just over $225,000 for services that include websites, SMS messages, and robocalls. […]
Only a small fraction of the $28 million that Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC received from Uihlein—$226,668—was spent on Pipeline Media to cover services like website, SMS messages, and robocalls. […]
Since July 13, [Proft’s PAC] has spent over $12 million opposing Pritzker, of which $10,000 was disbursed to Pipeline Media for “website.”
Other anti-Pritzker domains registered in mid-September include pritzkermustgo [dot] com (which features a new ad campaign by the pac) and pritzkerbook [dot] com (which presents users with a book about “what every Illinoisan should know” about the incumbent). The book, too, is paid for by the People Who Play by the Rules PAC.
All these domains share digital identifiers like IP addresses and analytics infrastructure with other sites in the extended local news network, including the Will County Gazette, Kane County Reporter, Chicago City Wire, and DuPage Policy Journal. […]
People Who Play by the Rules isn’t the only PAC that’s received millions from Uihlein this election cycle. Restoration PAC, whose raison d’être is to “provide support to truly conservative candidates” and to “oppose Leftists and the woke agenda,” received at least $13.7 million from the founder of Uline, the privately held shipping-supply company. Of this, $1.37 million went to Pipeline Advisors LLC ($1,336,109) and Pipeline Media ($30,463) for various types of consulting and “production costs.”
It’s apparently all one thing. There’s more, so click here.
*** UPDATE *** I should’ve posted this interesting graphic. Notice the Franklin News Foundation. That’s the publisher of Center Square…
The governor said he “balanced four budgets in a row” and saw the state’s credit rating upgraded six times.
“We’re going to go block-by-block, house-by-house to elect the greatest governor in the history of Illinois, since (Abraham) Lincoln,” an enthusiastic State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-55th) told his hometown crowd.
…Adding… I forgot that somebody sent me the video last night…
People throughout Chicago are receiving anonymous text messages that encourage them to vote Tuesday — but also include their name and, in some cases, photos or maps of their home.
The text messages come from various phone numbers that, when called, lead to nowhere — and recipients have not subscribed for them. The messages tell the recipient they haven’t voted yet and list their name, home address and a nearby polling location. They sometimes include a Google Maps picture of the person’s home or a screenshot of their address on a map.
The messages aren’t coming from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said spokesperson Max Bever. The agency — which governs elections in the city — doesn’t send text to voters, Bever said.
Chicagoans said the texts have left them annoyed, confused and, in some cases, concerned about their safety or worried about their ballot. […]
A resident who received one of the texts sent a message back to ask for information about the messages. The respondent said they are a volunteer with Voting Futures, a nonprofit “dedicated to ensuring every eligible voter is registered and participating in democracy.”
An official-looking text message created confusion among some Oregon voters because the information in the text — including the voter’s name or address — was incorrect. It didn’t match official voting records.
“They have my first name correct. The address is one in Eugene that I have never lived at,” explained Lauren Dunn in an email to KGW. “Seems like a scam.”
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office and Multnomah County Elections have received complaints about the text messages. Tim Scott, director of Multnomah County Elections said he personally received one of the text messages.
The texts claim to be from someone named Myra, a volunteer with Voting Futures. The message explained that if you live at a particular address, you will receive your 2022 ballot in the mail soon. […]
A company hired by political organizations that rally people to cast their ballot sent the text message.
The company, Movement Labs, admits some of the text messages were addressed to the wrong person or had incorrect voting information because of old or outdated cell phone records.
Movement Labs, a company that facilitates political text message campaigns, took responsibility for accidentally sending voters in five states messages with erroneous instructions for voting. […]
The statement explains that the company sent the messages to voters in Kansas, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia on behalf of text campaign clients Voto Latino, Black Voters Matter, and Voting Futures.
Movement Labs founder Yoni Landau assured it was not their intention to confuse voters. “In some of our texts, we sent addresses and images of drop-box locations when we intended only to include in-person early vote locations,” he said. “We didn’t specify in our text that we were trying to encourage voters to vote early. Some voters familiar with their election day location thought we were telling them to vote on election day at an early vote location.”
This program relies on difficult-to-compile polling location data from multiple sources matched to individuals on the voter file, and we fell short of our rigorous standards with some of these errors, which we believe impacted around 10% of the voters we contacted.
Moving forward, we are conducting an investigation and commit to releasing a report widely summarizing our findings.
*** UPDATE *** From the State Board of Elections…
For the past several days, voters in Illinois have complained of receiving unsolicited text messages with incorrect information on Election Day polling places.
The text messages, from a group called Voting Futures, list the recipient’s voting address, state that public records indicate the recipient has not yet voted and then inform the recipient of a voting location that often is incorrect.
Voters are reminded that correct polling place information can be found by using the Polling Place Locator tool on the State Board of Elections website. The State Board of Elections does not communicate with voters using text messages, nor does it hire third parties to communicate with voters.
“We want Illinois voters to know that their election information should come only from trusted sources like the State Board of Elections or their local election authority,” said Board of Elections Executive Director Bernadette Matthews. Voters can also receive election information by following the State Board of Elections on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Voters who receive suspicious election-related text messages or emails or view social media posts that contain suspected election misinformation should forward screenshots and/or links to scamalert@elections.il.gov.
