* It’s probably too late for Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold campaign to run an ad about this, but it will likely dominate her fly-around on Monday…
If you click the link you’ll see Speaker Madigan made the contribution to Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign fund on Halloween. Kinda fitting. Not everyone is happy about this behind the scenes, I’m told, with one calling it “Clearly a power move.” Madigan could’ve washed that cash through the Democratic Party of Illinois, but for whatever reason chose to give directly to Raoul. Since Raoul could really use the money for late TV, he took it.
Harold, an Urbana attorney, bought limited broadcast TV advertising time in the Chicago market for the race’s final weekend. Her campaign late Friday also purchased cable advertising time in the Chicago market. […]
From Oct. 23 through Friday, Raoul has taken in more than $1.3 million in cash and assistance for his campaign. Oct. 23 marked two weeks out from the Nov. 6 election. The donations to Raoul included nearly $445,000 worth of phone banking assistance plus another $55,400 in cash from the Democratic Party of Illinois, $103,867 worth of mailings from the abortion-rights advocacy group Personal PAC, $200,000 from the Laborers’ union and $50,000 from the Teamsters union.
Over that same home stretch of the campaign, Harold reported taking in $166,850. Of Harold’s overall haul of $5.4 million, $3.5 million — or 64 percent — has come from Rauner and Rauner ally Ken Griffin, the founder of Citadel. Rauner has contributed $1.8 million while Griffin has given $1.7 million. […]
Raoul allies acknowledged privately that the contest would likely be among the closest of statewide races on the ballot, though they dismissed concerns that their candidate could be in danger. Internal polling, though, has shown that Raoul has consistently trailed behind the larger leads held by other Democrats seeking statewide office, particularly Pritzker, party operatives said.
…Adding… Harold campaign spokesperson…
Mike Madigan wants an Attorney General he can control. That’s why he’s attempting to bail out @KwameRaoul’s failing campaign with a last-minute $1M personal check. Unlike Raoul, @ErikaHarold will hold Madigan accountable and will be the independent voice #IL needs. #twill#ILAGhttps://t.co/82WiF5aHzq
Just days before Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is slated to be on the ballot for a second term, a new campaign ad surfaced Friday showing her announcing a run for Chicago mayor, but her team insisted the ad was only made in preparation for a potential run.
“I’m Susana Mendoza and I’m running for mayor of Chicago,” Mendoza says in the seconds-long clip obtained by NBC 5, adding, “and I ask you to join me on this journey together.”
The ad, which Mendoza claimed was stolen from her campaign, surfaced four days before she is slated to be on the ballot in the midterm elections, running against Republican Darlene Senger for a second term as Illinois comptroller.
Mendoza’s campaign said the ad was simply made in preparation for a possible run, as she is still considering her options.
Worst. Kept. Secret. Ever.
Either this was stolen or leaked from within. Either way, somebody needs to upgrade their security before making a formal announcement for mayor.
…Adding… If you click here and go to the 18-second mark of a Mendoza comptroller campaign ad, you’ll see that she’s wearing that same gray sweater and appears to be in the same room as in the above ad. It seems possible that she cut these at the same time.
Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) hedged her bets, filing for both re-election to her aldermanic seat and for city clerk. She’ll have to drop one or the other by Monday, she said. She and her husband will talk about it over Thanksgiving dinner, she said.
State Rep. Susana Mendoza poked fun at Jackson’s double-filing as she filed her own candidacy for clerk.
“I filed for one office I’m really passionate about and that’s city clerk,” she said.
…Adding… ILGOP…
“Susana Mendoza is a liar. She said she would respect voters by focusing on the Comptroller’s race, but it’s clear that she only cares about her own ambition and climbing up the ladder. Mendoza has been misleading the people of Illinois, asking for their vote with no intention of serving her term. She should immediately drop off the ballot for Comptroller” - Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling
Eric Adelstein, Mendoza’s political consultant, stepped up to take the blame for the mayoral video.
“We were filming her comptroller ads and I suggested that, while she hasn’t made up her mind on the mayor’s race, she should record some lines so we had them and could move quickly if she decides ultimately to run. It’s a tight time-frame,” Adelstein said, noting the Nov. 28 mayoral filing deadline.
“She hasn’t made up her mind. One-hundred percent. l hope she runs … because the city could really use her energy, her drive and her vision. … But, maybe I jumped the gun by urging her to go out. … People should be focused on Tuesday.”
Asked if he had a mole in his firm, Adelstein said he didn’t know.
“There are a lot of people involved in these campaigns. Hopefully we get to the bottom of how that leaked out. It shouldn’t have,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s any surprise she’s been thinking about running, and said she’d make that decision after Tuesday, and a prudent candidate gets ready for any eventuality given how close the next one would be coming up … I know she has not made up her mind, but I had suggested she get prepared and get ready.”
After pouring a record-breaking $161.5 million into his own candidacy, Illinois Democrat J.B. Pritzker will close out his 18-month gubernatorial campaign with an ad that never even mentions his name.
In the final spot, first obtained by POLITICO, Pritzker doesn’t ask Illinois voters to go to the polls for him specifically. Instead, the ad urges “on Tuesday, vote Democratic.” […]
In a statement about the ad, Pritzker said he’s focusing on boosting Democrats up and down the ticket. Pritzker has already financed a massive statewide GOTV operation that is coordinating with Democrats across the state. While polls have consistently shown Pritzker holding a comfortable lead against Rauner, four Republican-held Illinois congressional districts remain toss-ups. The Democratic nominee for governor has also invested in the contest for attorney general, which pits Democrat Kwame Raoul against Republican Erika Harold.
The fact that Pritzker can take an unusual step of not including his name in his closing spot is a testament to the onslaught of ads that have carpeted every media platform available for 18 months. Viewers will likely recognize the narrator’s voice: it’s Pritzker himself. He also makes an appearance in the spot.
* The spot, per state law, does say briefly on-screen that it’s paid for by JB for Governor…
Hard work, decency, looking out for our children’s future, creating opportunity. That’s what’s on the ballot on Tuesday. When you vote for Democrats, you can make clear health care is a right and pre-existing conditions should be protected. You can make sure that all kids get a quality education no matter where they live. You can send a message that it’s time for a change in Springfield and in Washington. On Tuesday, vote Democratic.
With Rauner at the helm, we believe the state stands a better chance of navigating the difficult financial straits ahead.
We understand Pritzker holds what appears to be an insurmountable lead in polls leading into the election and that if elected, Rauner would face the challenge of working with a Legislature he largely has alienated.
We take the governor at his word, though, with his mea culpa and think he would be an important, much-needed check on single-party rule in the General Assembly.
With that in mind, we endorse Gov. Bruce Rauner for a second term.
A campaign ad put out by Rauner’s campaign for governor this week showed his childhood home in suburban Deerfield, prompting CBS 2 to look into his past as a child growing up in the Chicago suburbs.
A Chicago Tribune article that ran in 1963 shows an 8-year-old Rauner with his family.
A check of Rauner’s birth certificate shows his birth year was actually 1956, a year earlier than the year widely-published.
Rauner’s campaign staff on Thursday acknowledged the mistake, and his Facebook page had been changed to the correct year on Thursday.
But it may take the rest of the internet some time to catch up, however. His Wikipedia page still cites his birth year as 1957.
* I haven’t received anything yet from the Republicans in these two races, but here’s Lauren Underwood…
* Script…
This is our community. We work every day to make it better for our children.
Our representative in Washington pledged to protect our health care, then voted to sabotage it. He told us he would stand up for our families, then he championed a tax break for the rich.
We were disappointed and we were emboldened. This is our community and our representative is not working for us.
Casten: “I’m Sean Casten, and I’ve spent my career building businesses that will leave a safer, cleaner planet to our children. But when Donald Trump was elected, I knew I had to do more.”
Narrator: “After 25 years, Peter Roskam can’t run on his record. He’s lost touch with the people who sent him to Washington.”
Casten: “In Congress, I’ll make decisions based on facts, not partisan politics. I’ll work with Republicans and Democrats to tackle our problems and I’ll be an independent check on Donald Trump.”
* In past years, the Democratic Party of Illinois opened a hotline on election day to take calls about voting issues. The effort was expanded to a month this year. From DPI…
(T)he Voter Protection Program has received more than 700 calls and helped resolve dozens of voting-related issues. While a majority of the calls relate to vote-by-mail or general election questions, the staff intervened and helped resolve dozens of issues often with the assistance of the State Board of Elections. These include:
Successfully intervening at a Will County early voting location, with the help of local officials, that was plagued by long wait times and even turned potential voters away;
Intervening on the first day of voting when a local election authority incorrectly advised voters that a Drivers’ License was required to vote, which is not the case;
Working with DuPage County election officials to ensure that ballots for disabled voters were made available at an early vote location.
* That Will County instance was interesting. I first heard of it from a legislator’s tweet…
Voters are having problems at the Crete Twp. early voting facility; 1367 Wood St. in Crete. They're being told they have to sign a list and to expect long waits. This is nonsense. Many people there feel as though this is an instance of voter suppression.
* This e-mail was sent by the Will County Clerk’s chief deputy that afternoon..
To: Kathie Holubek, Crete Township Clerk
Michael Liccar, Crete Township Supervisor
Today was the first day for Early Voting at Crete Township Office Building. Our office has received numerous calls complaining about the long lines and inappropriate procedures taking place at this location. The clerk is making up her own policies for voting that are unlawful and unacceptable and must cease immediately.
I personally trained the Clerk (and staff) and it was never communicated that you can do any of the following:
· No voters should ever be turned away if they have entered your building during the hours you have agreed to for Early Voting
· All voters in line must be allowed to vote
· No phone numbers or lists are to be written down for a call back when they can vote
· No signs should be posted that voting is closed, especially if it is still within the hours you agreed to
As elected officials it is your duty to provide this service to your residents per the guidelines of the agreement you signed (copy attached). The Will County Clerk is asking for you to provide us with a phone number so we can call you after all voting is finished today in Crete to further discuss this matter. We await your response.
*** UPDATE *** That sign requiring a driver’s license to vote was in Cumberland County…
