Republican candidate for governor Richard Irvin has shifted $800,000 from his Ken Griffin-funded campaign to two members of his slate of GOP candidates a little more than one month before the June 28 primary.
Secretary of state candidate John Milhiser received $500,000 from the Irvin for Illinois Fund on Friday, while Steve Kim, a candidate for attorney general, got $300,000 from the Irvin fund, state campaign records show. Both men are part of a slate of Republicans seeking statewide offices put together by Irvin’s campaign and backed by Griffin, Illinois’ wealthiest individual and the billionaire founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund.
Griffin has already given Irvin, who is mayor of Aurora, $45 million to help Irvin secure the Republican nomination for governor and challenge Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November.
Irvin, during a campaign stop on Saturday, said more money would be coming for Milhiser, Kim and other members of the Griffin-backed slate.
Today, Secretary of State Candidate John Milhiser is launching a new ad as early voting is getting underway. The ad, titled ‘Competence,’ highlights exactly why Illinois needs a career prosecutor who has put corrupt public officials behind bars as our next Secretary of State.
Even today, we learned more about how deeply Madigan corruption has permeated this state. The Sun-Times reported today on a recording of Madigan discussing a plan to provide secret payments to a disgraced former aide, a scheme Madigan has consistently denied having knowledge of.
The Democrats in this race have shown they are more of the same Madigan Machines politicians, and are pointing fingers over who is more corrupt. In contrast, the Irvin-Bourne slate is laser-focused on ending the Madigan-style corruption that has eroded competence in state government and held Illinois back. We must restore trust in government in Illinois, and with John Milhiser in charge of the state government office more Illinoisans interact with than any other, they can have faith that government is working for them, not the special interests and corrupt insiders.
Madigan-style politics permeating every government office, and we pay the price.
I’m John Milhiser. As a federal prosecutor and state’s attorney, I put criminals and corrupt politicians behind bars.
As Secretary of State, I’ll root out corruption and modernize government services, saving millions in taxpayer dollars to make government work for you, not just the chosen few.
* According to AdImpact, Richard Irvin spent $3.44 million this week on TV spots. The other side spent a total of $4.4 million, however: The DGA spent $2.25 million, Darren Bailey spent $1.57 million and Dan Proft’s committee spent $621K…
The Democratic Governors Association has spent millions in both Illinois and Nevada, where incumbent governors are seeking reelection, in an apparent effort to weaken their likely Republican opponents.
“The DGA is wasting no time in educating the public about these Republicans,” said Christina Amestoy, the group’s senior communications advisor. “These elected and formerly elected officials want to deceptively retell their histories, and we’re just filling in the gaps.”
So far, the DGA has dropped $8.4 million on television ads across Illinois, including more than $4 million in the Chicago market alone. Those ads target Irvin, the leading Republican ahead of next month’s primary, in which he faces state Sen. Darren Bailey (R) and a handful of other contenders. The winner of the GOP primary will face Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) in November.
Irvin briefly met with reporters at a campaign stop in Bethalto on Thursday morning. Thirteen times, Irvin dodged specific and direct questions about whether he voted for Trump. Twice, he dodged questions about whether he was a more conservative candidate than Darren Bailey.
During an online forum Thursday night, all five Republican candidates for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District seat criticized the U.S. House committee investigating last year’s deadly assault of the U.S. Capitol.
One, Mike Koolidge, said there are much more pressing issues in the nation than determining exactly what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.
“We waste a lot of time talking about something from so long ago,” said Koolidge, of Rochelle. “We need to move on.”
The others criticized the committee for not having an equal number of Democrats and Republicans or for how the two Republican members — Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming — were chosen.
“It’s a sham and a fraud,” said candidate James Marter of Oswego.
— Rep. Rodney Davis has been endorsed by 18 current and former central Illinois county sheriffs in his bid for the 15th Congressional District seat. He’s also been endorsed by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.
— Jonathan Jackson, candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District seat, has been endorsed by Our Revolution Illinois, the state affiliation of the national, progressive political action organization that spun out of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign of 2016.
* Back to the governor’s race…
Today, the Irvin for Illinois campaign announced the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council endorsed Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and State Representative Avery Bourne in the Republican primary for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. The endorsement adds to Irvin’s growing list of support from law enforcement announced in the last few weeks including the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge No. 7 , Association of Professional Police Officers (APPO) and Illinois Troopers Lodge #41.
…Adding… I knew I was forgetting something…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) released his first TV ad of the cycle. The ad is part of the campaign’s nearly 7-figure ad buy and will be seen on broadcast and cable channels across the 6th District.
With families facing high costs, this ad highlights Rep. Casten’s work to address supply chain issues and high gas prices, all while remaining true to his core values of fighting the climate crisis and protecting a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. […]
Transcript
The last few years haven’t been easy. Our homes have become our schools, our offices, and even our gyms. But it’s time to get life back to normal, and that’s why I’m working to free up the supply chain and get gas and prescription drug prices down. All while never losing focus on the fight against climate change. I’m Sean Casten—a scientist, a businessman, pro-choice, and a Democrat—and I approve this message.
* Dargis campaign worker suspended after ethics complaint by 8th District GOP rival: While the Dargis campaign condemned Biebel’s actions, it maintains there is a record of financial litigation involving Kopsaftis. The campaign did not accuse the real estate businessman of any criminal wrongdoing. The campaign provided a list that includes eight breach of contract cases from 1990 to 2009, Chapter 7 bankruptcies in 1996 and 2010, four foreclosures during the ’90s, a civil judgment for debt in Cook County, a small claims case in McHenry County in 1990, a 1993 housing court case, a 1995 condemnation case, and a 1987 eviction for possession — a type of case in which a landlord aims to take back possession of a property.
political ammunition aside, rating agencies and investors all have made negative mention of Illinois having been one of only three states that had supposedly lost population…. https://t.co/uuLwcwEReL
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) May 19, 2022
GOP leaders in the General Assembly could not immediately be reached for comment. […]
Laurence Msall, president of the budget watchdog group The Civic Federation estimated the state could receive at least $100 million in additional federal funding based on the new population data.
“So many of our formulas are based on population,” Msall said. “This is really good news for Illinois.”
Oddly enough, the Census stories were not mentioned on a few websites notorious for trumpeting the state’s population loss, including ChicagoTribune.com. But Rodney Davis chimed in…
“Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats who run state government should not use this news as a license to continue their tax hikes, corruption, and pro-criminal policies,” Rep. Rodney Davis said in a statement to Playbook.
Dude knows how to get his message out there, I suppose.
…Adding… US Rep. Davis’ spokesperson sent me the full quote he submitted to Politico…
“Given these updated Census numbers, I will continue to advocate in Congress that Illinois gets its fair share of federal resources. For years, I have worked to fix unfair formulas for federal programs, including those for Medicaid and transportation, which have limited the amount of federal dollars the State of Illinois should otherwise receive.
“At the same time, Governor Pritzker and the Democrats who run state government should not use this news as a license to continue their tax hikes, corruption, and pro-criminal policies. Pritzker’s Far-Left agenda is limiting Illinois’ great potential.”
* But it’s not clear that the new numbers will bring any extra federal revenue to Illinois…
The results do not change the official population numbers of any state, nor do they affect congressional reapportionment, but they do help guide the bureau in its planning for the next decennial census.
The survey data released Thursday did not identify the causes of undercounts or overcounts within any particular state, nor did it identify the cities, counties or regions within a state where the count may have been inaccurate.
On a national level, however, officials said undercounts generally occur within the Black population, Hispanic or Latino population, American Indian and Alaska Native populations living on reservations and the demographic group that reported being of “some other race.” […]
They also noted that the 2020 census undercounted children, especially young children ages 0-4.
*** UPDATE *** Krishnamoorthi writes to Secretary Raimondo…
May 20, 2022
Gina Raimondo
Secretary of Commerce
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20230
Dear Secretary Raimondo:
I’m writing with regard to yesterday’s release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s release of the 2020 Census estimated undercount and overcount rates by state and the District of Columbia from the Post- Enumeration Survey (PES) which found that 14 states are estimated to have had an undercount or overcount, including my state of Illinois which was undercounted by 1.97 percent. This follows my January 13th, 2022 letter to Census Bureau Director Santos, in which I expressed similar concerns about the bureau’s undercounting and methodological issues in response previous undercounting issues in Illinois.
In light of this major revelation and the implications for Illinois and other states having been significantly undercounted, please provide answers to the following questions:
1. What is the mechanism and timeline by which the apportionment of federal resources will reflect this new data?
2. What additional data is available with regard to the undercounting of Illinois?
3. While the report discusses general factors for undercounts across the country, what specific factors contributed to the undercount in Illinois?
Sincerely,
Raja Krishnamoorthi Member Of Congress
Good questions.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
“Since day one, Governor Pritzker has championed Illinois. His commitment to fiscal responsibility, rebuilding our critical infrastructure, investing in job creation, and delivering tax relief has encouraged residents to come to Illinois to live, work and raise families,” said JB for Governor Spokesperson Natalie Edelstein. “Every single Republican running for governor has built a campaign on fraudulent claims badmouthing Illinois and must face the truth: due to Governor Pritzker’s strong leadership, Illinois has a positive financial outlook, an influx of residents and, for the first time in a long time, is on the rise.”
* Katherine Doherty, Natalie Wong and Shruti Singh for Bloomberg…
Billionaire Ken Griffin is reaching a tipping point with Chicago, the home to his market maker and hedge fund business, as the city wrestles with rising crime.
“We’re getting to the point that if things don’t change, we’re gone,” Griffin, who founded both the hedge fund Citadel and the market-making business Citadel Securities, said Thursday in an interview. “Things aren’t changing.” […]
“I am involved in politics because I’ve seen what happens when you have poor political leaders,” Griffin said during a Bloomberg Intelligence event in New York on Thursday. “Right now, I live in a state that’s the case study of this.” […]
“My patience is wearing thin,” Griffin said Thursday in the interview, citing an incident he witnessed outside his office this past weekend.
I’ve asked which incident he was referring to.
* From Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
No one should take Ken Griffin’s moral outrage seriously, considering one out of every four guns recovered from city homicides in the past five years came off the assembly lines of companies in which Citadel held shares. If public safety––not scoring cheap political points––truly kept Griffin up at night, he would divest himself from the very weapons that perpetuate cycles of violence. Instead, he’s allowed his investments in gun and ammunition companies to grow to more than $139 million, up 62% from three months ago from when he first claimed to be aware of them.
Governor Pritzker has added hundreds of new troopers to the depleted ranks of the Illinois State Police and funded state-of-the-art crime labs to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to quickly solve crimes and put dangerous criminals behind bars. He’s also made unprecedented investments in violence prevention programs, ensuring people have access to the tools that prevent crime in the first place, such as mental health support, job training opportunities, and summer youth employment programs.
Crime is a complex and multifaceted issue that Illinoisans are understandably concerned about, but we will not be lectured by those actively profiting off of gun violence.
…Adding… Griffin’s spokesperson said his boss witnessed this incident.
For the 2020 census, all states were not counted equally well for population numbers used to allocate political representation and federal funding over the next decade, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday.
A follow-up survey the bureau conducted to measure the national tally’s accuracy found significant net undercount rates in six states: Arkansas (5.04%), Florida (3.48%), Illinois (1.97%), Mississippi (4.11%), Tennessee (4.78%) and Texas (1.92%).
It also uncovered significant net overcount rates in eight states — Delaware (5.45%), Hawaii (6.79%), Massachusetts (2.24%), Minnesota (3.84%), New York (3.44%), Ohio (1.49%), Rhode Island (5.05%) and Utah (2.59%).
For the other 36 states, as well as Washington, D.C., the bureau did not find statistically significant net over- or undercount rates.
A 2 percent undercount means Illinois grew by about a quarter million rather than shrank by 18,000.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pritzker…
Following a review of 2020 U.S. Census Data, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today that Illinois was undercounted by nearly 2%. This means that Illinois’ population grew by nearly 250,000 people and is now above 13 million people for the first time in Illinois history. In response, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“I ran for governor on a promise to be our state’s best chief marketing officer and reverse the trend of outmigration we’ve seen over the past few decades. These latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Illinois is now a state on the rise with a growing population,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “From boundless economic opportunities, to booming economic development and leading institutions of higher education, Illinois has so much to offer our new residents. While it is disappointing that these numbers were not reflected in the initial count, I have already spoken to members of our congressional delegation and will work tirelessly to ensure Illinois receives its fair share of federal funding. I look forward to celebrating this development with all Illinoisans, including those who routinely badmouth our state.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi…
Earlier this year, I wrote to the Census Bureau regarding my serious concern that the agency had undercounted Illinois, potentially putting our proportional federal representation and funding at risk. I’m glad to see that the Bureau’s additional review of their data has revealed the truth: that our state’s population is growing and now exceeds 13 million for the first time in our history. These new findings reaffirm that our state is on the upswing in every way, and I’m committed to ensuring that we get our fair share of federal funding.
…Adding… Senate President Don Harmon…
This is excellent news. It confirms what most of us already know: Illinois is a great place to live and work. We need more people cheering for Illinois and fewer spelunking for misery.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
This correction confirms what Democrats have been saying all along: Illinois is growing, Illinois is thriving, and Illinois has so much to offer.
Billionaire Kenneth Griffin’s financial empire expanded its holdings in gun and ammunition stocks this spring, newly-filed records show, while he and his favored GOP gubernatorial candidate, Richard Irvin, hammered Gov. JB Pritzker for rampant violent crime.
Griffin’s $51 billion hedge fund, Citadel, and its market-making cousin, Citadel Securities, increased the value of their gun and ammunition manufacturing holdings by 62% during the first quarter of this year compared to the final three months of 2021, a company filing with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission shows.
All told, Citadel’s gun and ammunition holdings were worth more than $139 million as of March 31, up from $86 million three months earlier, the records showed. […]
Last February, WBEZ reported how gun manufacturers in which Citadel invested produced one in four recovered firearms from Chicago homicides during the past five years.
Citadel maintained that it was compelled to hold shares in those gun companies because of its role as a market maker, but Griffin and the company faced criticism from some anti-violence activists because of his stridency in blaming Pritzker personally for rising crime in Chicago.
* From Ken Griffin’s spokesperson Zia Ahmed…
Citadel Securities is the largest equity market maker in the U.S., helping people buy or sell stock in companies they want to invest in to achieve their financial goals — whether to buy a home, fund their children’s education, or save for retirement. It is disappointing that a publicly-funded news organization insists on continuing to deliberately misconstrue our role in the marketplace and parrot sloppy political opposition research from Governor J.B. Pritzker. The violence destroying Chicago is the result of a failure to prosecute criminals, a lack of support for police, and progressive left legislation that prioritizes criminals ahead of law-abiding citizens – policies perpetuated by the Governor.
A “publicly-funded news organization.” Hmm.
* From Ken Griffin…
There’s an old adage, ‘Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty while the pig likes it.’ When great companies like Boeing decide to leave our State it should be a wake up call that policies not politics matter. The Governor should focus on making our streets safer, improving our schools, and creating more jobs in Illinois
Not sure that Boeing left for such parochial reasons, but whatevs.
* Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
Ken Griffin is entirely unserious about making our state safer and this massive increase in investments is just further proof. One out of every four guns recovered from city homicides in the past five years came off the assembly lines of companies in which Griffin’s Citadel held shares––and when faced with that information Griffin doubled down. Just like his hand-picked gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin, Griffin will say anything to save face in public, but Illinoisans can see right through their tired act and know where their loyalties lie.
It’s still kind of a stretch.
* Eleni Demertzis at the Irvin campaign…
Mayor Irvin is a supporter of the 2nd amendment, owns two licensed firearms and believes Mr. Griffin, like everyone else in this country, is free to invest in whatever industry he chooses. Everyone agrees the spike in violent crime is directly related to the radical anti-police, pro-criminal policies pushed by JB Pritzker and Kim Foxx. To get violent crime under control, throw Pritzker out of office, repeal his radical pro-criminal policies, empower the police to do their jobs and pass a constitutional amendment to allow voters to recall pro-criminal prosecutors like Kim Foxx.
The spike in violent crime has been national.
Anyway, your thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** A spokesperson for Boeing just called to say that the company is not leaving Chicago. “We’re going to continue employing 400 people in the area.”
The spokesperson also pushed back at Griffin’s notion that the company left because of crime or other issues. “I can confirm that is not the case,” he said.
