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Campaign notebook

Monday, May 16, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jesse Sullivan at a Saturday candidates’ forum in Belleville

Sullivan believes the election is not “just a partisan battle” between Democrats and Republicans, but a “battle around our core values, a spiritual battle.” He believes Republicans are losing because “everyone buys into this idea of the separation of church and state.” Sullivan said he believes “faith values can insert themselves into government and they’re supposed to, and God belongs at the center of our politics.”

You can negotiate the substance of bills. You cannot negotiate the substance of someone else’s religious beliefs. And which God should be at the center of our politics?

* Also from the same forum, following this logic would lead one to conclude that Sen. Darren Bailey believes that all regulatory and criminal laws are needless

Asked about COVID-19 mandates, Bailey said he believes the role of government is to educate, inform and provide, but should leave it up to “we the people to decide how we’re going to live.”

* Let’s move on to Wikipedia

Sanctuary city refers to municipal jurisdictions, typically in North America, that limit their cooperation with the national government’s effort to enforce immigration law.

From June of 2019

Irvin said that Aurora joins with Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in, “prohibiting the use of our resources to aid or support ICE in its enforcement activities.”

Richard Irvin today on Tom Miller’s show

I do not support sanctuary cities. Aurora is not a sanctuary city. And when I’m governor, Illinois will not be a sanctuary state.

Sure, Jan.

* Irvin campaign…

On Friday, as the Democratic Governors Association doubled down on a multi-million dollar campaign to stop Aurora Mayor and Republican candidate Richard Irvin from becoming the next governor of Illinois, Pritzker finally admitted to reporters that he is personally involved in the pro-Bailey, anti-Irvin DGA television ads. While Pritzker tried to walk his comment back, the DGA later defended its coordination with Pritzker, telling the media that the ads “do not qualify as an ‘independent expenditure.’”

Pritzker’s decision to go all-in to support Darren Bailey in the Republican primary highlights the clear contrast between Republican Irvin and Democrat Pritzker. Pritzker pushed the largest income tax hike in Illinois history, signed the most pro-criminal law in state history and personally supported Mike Madigan’s criminal enterprise. Irvin, a combat veteran, former criminal prosecutor and successful mayor of Illinois’ second-largest city, lowered property taxes every year he was mayor, personally put violent criminals behind bars and defeated Madigan’s criminal enterprise when he ran for mayor.

Pritzker and Bailey, of course, have one big thing in common: they love to raise taxes. In a state with highest property taxes, Bailey voted to raise property taxes 13 times. Aurora property taxes, on the other hand, went down every year Irvin was mayor – because unlike tax-and-spend Pritzker and Bailey, Irvin cut spending and delivered economic growth.

In case you missed it, the Irvin campaign launched a new ad, “Proud,” on Friday to ensure Republican voters know that Pritzker is supporting Bailey, a fellow tax hiker, fearing he will lose re-election if he faces a proven tax-cutter and crime-fighter in Irvin.

* Politico

— Catalina Lauf has been endorsed by House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik’s (N.Y.) Elevate PAC, or E-PAC. Lauf is running in the Republican primary for the 11th Congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Bill Foster.

— Former Democratic state Rep. Litesa Wallace has been endorsed by the progressive Our Revolution Illinois in her bid for the 17th Congressional District.

— Eric Sorensen has been endorsed by Equality PAC Co-Chairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) in his bid for IL-17.

— John Fritchey has been endorsed by Congressman Chuy Garcia in his bid for judge in the 8th Subcircuit. Fritchey is a former state rep who also worked with Garcia when they were both Cook County commissioners.

* Whew. This Illinois US Senate candidate is quite something…


* AP

Michigan’s court seats are among the top priorities for the Republican State Leadership Committee, which plans to spend more than $5 million this year on state court races, a record for the group, said spokesman Andrew Romeo.

The group’s other priorities include the races in North Carolina as well as those in Illinois and Ohio — primarily to better position Republicans in the fights over drawing state legislative and congressional boundaries.

“People used to think redistricting was a 10-year fight,” Romeo said. “Now it’s going to be a battle every election cycle because there’s critical supreme court races every election cycle that have the ability to impact redistricting.”

* This was a government press release, but there’s definitely a campaign angle to it

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services is granting the State of Illinois with $5.4 million in funding to support and expand access to equitable and affordable family planning services for low-income populations across Illinois.

Governor JB Pritzker made the announcement on Monday, sharing that in addition to this federal grant there is also $5.8 million in state general revenue funds, meaning the Illinois Family Planning Program will provide approximately $11.2 million in funding in state Fiscal Year 2023.

The funds will be divided among 29 delegate agencies that operate 98 family planning clinics throughout the state.

With the new HHS grant the Illinois Department of Public Health will be able to support access to Title X services under the Illinois Family Planning Program that were being restricted under the previous federal administration.

Under the previous federal administration a “gag rule” was imposed to block family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers.

“Now that the Biden administration has reversed Trump’s gag rule, I am proud to announce we have rejoined the federal Title X program and we’re putting record funding toward our Illinois Family Planning Program,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Let this record-breaking investment remind women that the state of Illinois trusts you to make your own choices. To choose what contraceptives are right for you. To choose whether you want to be a parent or not. And we will make sure that—on top of protecting your right to choose—you get the care that you deserve.”

Governor Pritzker announced in July 2019 that the State of Illinois would forgo federal Title X funding in response to the rule imposed by the Trump Administration that banned federal funding for contraceptives for low-income people, unless grant recipients pledged not to counsel on abortion options or refer to abortion services.

“Countless vulnerable people lost a lifeline when Title X funding was lost due to the Trump administration’s gag rule, and the restoration of that funding is now more important than ever as our constitutional right to bodily autonomy is under attack,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “This $11.2 in critical funding is a step forward in ensuring people receive the reproductive care they need, and it will build on our commitment of a safe, welcoming Illinois for all.”

…Adding… DGA…

Last week, uber-conservative candidate Darren Bailey announced former Trump advisor Steve Cortes’ support of his campaign, solidifying Bailey’s stance as the most conservative, extreme candidate in this race.

On Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Cortes said: “State Senator Darren Bailey is the man whom I’m supporting … He’s an America-first stalwart and fighter. He was a Trump delegate in 2020 — so Darren Bailey should prevail in this primary.”

That’s coming from a guy who calls himself an “American nationalist,” who was sacked from Newsmax after refusing to follow their vaccination policy, and who loudly voiced his disappointment that Trump wasn’t fascist enough as president.

The far-rights of the far-right think Bailey is the true conservative for Illinois. And Bailey’s embracing it wholeheartedly as he angles for Trump’s endorsement after meeting with the former president in Mar-a-Lago last month.

“This endorsement from one of Trump’s cronies further confirms what we already knew to be true: Darren Bailey is the uber-conservative extremist candidate in this race,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “With a potential endorsement from Trump himself looming and new polling showing the matchup between Bailey and Richard Irvin closer than ever, the GOP primary is a total toss-up. But one thing is crystal clear: neither of these top contenders has Illinoisans’ best interests at heart.”

…Adding… IEA…

Today, U. S. Congressman Sean Casten announced that the Illinois Education Association (IEA) has endorsed him for re-election. IEA, one of the largest unions in Illinois with more than 135,000 educators across the state, is full-heartedly supporting Rep. Casten in the Democratic primary for Illinois’s 6th Congressional District. As a tireless advocate for teachers and students, Sean is proud of his 100% pro-public education voting record and honored to have IEA’s support.

* Another endorsement…

Nabeela Syed, the frontrunner in the Democratic Primary to take on incumbent Republican State Representative Chris Bos of Lake Zurich, continues to add support over her opponent in the June 28 Democratic Primary Election.

Congressman Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL4) made the following statement when releasing his endorsement: “While the Illinois General Assembly is one of the more diverse state legislatures across the country, there is still more work to be done. By adding Nabeela Syed to the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives, we can further our need for more voices from different backgrounds but also add a champion for welcoming and inclusive policies. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be a fierce advocate for northwest suburban families and stand up for all of her constituents.”

  25 Comments      


* LIVE COVERAGE *

Monday, May 16, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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* Comments now open * Late Friday news: Bailey gets $2.5 million from Uihlein; DGA blasts Irvin in second ad; ILGOP’s Tracy on election fraud; Pritzker signs several bills

Friday, May 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Darren Bailey reported $2.5 million from Dick Uihlein this afternoon.

…Adding… Sun-Times

Warning they are “turning up the heat,” Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor is planning to begin airing TV ads in Chicago and the rest of the state next week, thanks to another seven-figure infusion of cash from conservative billionaire Dick Uihlein.

Warning they are “turning up the heat,” Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor is planning to begin airing TV ads in Chicago and the rest of the state next week, thanks to another seven-figure infusion of cash from conservative billionaire Dick Uihlein. […]

The $1.8 million ad buy set to begin across Illinois on Monday will mark the first TV commercials that Bailey has aired in the Chicago area. […]

The latest contribution from Uihlein brings his contributions to Bailey’s campaign to more than $6 million. But that still pales in comparison to the competing largesse from hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who so far is bankrolling Irvin’s bid for governor to the tune of $45 million.

* Here’s the DGA’s other TV ad that just started running today

Script

It should be the welcome sign on Richard Irvin’s office: Pay to play. Because as mayor that’s how Richard Irvin does business. Over 100,000 in campaign donations for Irvin and millions in lucrative contracts for his friends. One telecom deal had already been rejected, but Irvin intervened and received a $10,000 campaign contribution after getting approval. Irvin even handed out another contract worth 9 million in taxpayer dollars. Then they hired Irvin’s former wife. Tell Richard Irvin, corruption is no way to run a government.

That could leave a mark.

These are supposed to be issue advocacy ads, by the way, so they don’t qualify as in-kind contributions or independent expenditures, the governor’s campaign says. And that means they aren’t legally required to be reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

* ILGOP chairman Don Tracy isn’t sayin’ the 2020 election was stolen in his latest party newsletter, he’s just sayin’…

Election Integrity Update

The 2020 Election is over and, unfortunately, Biden is the 46th President.

Recent books and movies like Rigged by Molly Hemingway and 2,000 Mules by Dinesh D’Souza argue that the 2020 Election was rigged by Democrat activists funded by Mark Zuckerberg and other liberal, wealthy elites through nonprofit intermediaries. I have read Molly’s book and seen Dinesh’s movie and found both to be extremely interesting and informative. However, investigating the 2020 Election is not my mission. We have another critically important election less than six months from now, which I am totally focused on.

Toward that end, in a state like Illinois with a rich history of voter irregularities, election integrity is our top priority, and that is what most of the funds we have raised during my tenure as your Chairman will be spent for this Fall. As the 2020 Election showed, widespread voting by mail presents unique and challenging election integrity issues, including especially illegal ballot harvesting and ballot chain of custody security issues.

I added the links.

* In government news, Gov. Pritzker signed several bills into law late this afternoon. Click here.

  1 Comment      


IDOT finally takes action against Oakbrook Terrace’s red-light cams

Friday, May 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune

Amid a federal corruption probe and a threatened lawsuit, the state has ordered red-light cameras at one of suburban Chicago’s busiest intersections to be turned off.

The Illinois Department of Transportation confirmed Thursday it revoked the operating permit for Oakbrook Terrace’s cameras, at Illinois Highway 83 and 22nd Street. But the reason given by IDOT had nothing to do with federal allegations the west suburb’s former mayor took bribes to greenlight the cameras, or with threats from a neighboring suburb that it would sue IDOT to get the cameras removed.

IDOT said Oakbrook Terrace hadn’t followed state requirements on submitting periodic reports documenting that the cameras had improved safety — requirements that the Tribune previously found IDOT had long failed to enforce.

Oakbrook Terrace, in a press release issued late Thursday, blamed IDOT for not releasing crash data in time for it to do the study

* ABC 7

Plastic bags have been placed over the cameras at Route 83 and 22nd Street. […]

Former Mayor Anthony Ragucci recently pleaded not guilty on charges he took bribes from a red light camera company.

* CBS 2

The charges do not identify the red-light camera company involved in the case, but according to published reports, the company is SafeSpeed, which has been connected to multiple other cases involving SafeSpeed representatives paying bribes to local politicians.

SafeSpeed has denied any wrongdoing, saying any bribes offered by former employees or representatives were made without the company’s knowledge.

* Meanwhile…


…Adding… Good points…

State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) has issued the following statement in response to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s announcement that the permit to operate red light cameras at Illinois Highway 83 in Oakbrook Terrace has been revoked:

“I appreciate that this justifiably vilified camera finally is going through the removal process. But it is baffling that IDOT cannot acknowledge the real reason why this camera should have been scrutinized and removed long ago: because it was specifically mentioned in a federal indictment involving red light camera public corruption for Democratic Senator Marty Sandoval. I also have repeatedly urged IDOT to conduct this review because this camera didn’t just fail to deliver improved public safety, it potentially was the cause of increased accidents.

IDOT expects us to believe that it is just a coincidence that the bureaucracy has belatedly reviewed the paperwork for compliance. In reality, given the recent criminal charges filed by the federal authorities against the former Mayor of Oakbrook Terrace involving this very camera, this has become a political embarrassment for IDOT and Governor Pritzker, who has let this sit for years. Various Democratic legislators are also about to face the voters during primary season. People want to know why Democrats’ prior promises to end red light cameras have gone unfilled, and why they have not enacted my common-sense legislation to target those involved with public corruption.

Further, by stubbornly refusing to concede the real reason behind this camera’s removal, IDOT is sidestepping two critical issues: first, how and why IDOT permitted this particular corrupt camera installation; and second, how and why red light cameras throughout the suburbs have been repeatedly tied to federal public corruption charges. Until IDOT can come clean, these cameras are going to continue to be tainted, and rightly viewed with suspicion until real reform legislation is put in place.”

* Related…

Key player in corruption case that led to Madigan indictment set for sentencing in August - Chinatown developer See Y. Wong wore a wire for the feds in an effort to get leniency in an unrelated wire fraud case.

  5 Comments      


*** UPDATED x1 *** Rate the new DGA ad

Friday, May 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Here we go

* Script

Republican Darren Bailey. An agenda too conservative for Illinois.

100 percent pro-life, Bailey wants to ban abortions and make it illegal here in Illinois.

An NRA member, Bailey opposes sensible gun control and says he’ll protect the Second Amendment at all cost.

And Bailey proudly embraces the Trump agenda, calling into question our elections and fighting for gun owners and the unborn.

Tell Darren Bailey his policies are just too conservative for Illinois.

The governor was asked about the ad today and the ILGOP has a response. I’ll get to those in a bit.

*** UPDATE *** ILGOP Executive Director Shaun McCabe…

“JB Pritzker is a failed Governor and weak man buoyed by his billions in inherited fortune. A lifetime of privilege coupled with obvious desperation has Pritzker believing he is entitled to pick which Republican he will face in the general election. Thankfully, Illinois Republicans are too smart to let Pritzker’s meddling - laundered through the DGA - influence who our nominee is.

The DGA and Governor Pritzker are flailing and it’s important for every person, including the media, to call out this severe case of election meddling.”

* During the governor’s exchange with reporters today, he said he, himself was trying to get the message out about Bailey, which would not be in line with the whole purpose of an independent expenditure

Q: Today, there’s a new ad from the Democratic Governors Association you’ve given quite generously to that group. The ad implies that Bailey is too conservative for Illinois. Might that only helped Bailey in the primary to point out his conservative roots?

A: Look, I’m focused on beating the Republicans in November. And so let me start with I’m a Democrat and I’m a Democratic governor. So yeah, I support the Democratic Governors Association, and have for some time. I think everything that’s in that ad is accurate. I mean, he is wrong for Illinois. He is somebody who stands up against Roe v. Wade. He’s somebody who stands up, opposed to advancing the interests of working families across Illinois. And you know, so I’m gonna say so.

Q: [Unintelligible] Are you afraid of Richard Irvin?

A: Are you saying that when I criticize a Republican that that’s… I say when I criticize Republicans, it elevates attention to all the good that Democrats have done in the state and that I as governor have done in the state. I’m not afraid of any of the Republicans. We’re gonna run a tough race against Republicans. We’ve got 5, 6, 6 and a half months I think, until the general election. We’re gonna beat them in November. But we’re just you know, they’re attacking me every single day. The Democratic Governors Association is I think responding to some of that.

Q: [Compares the new DGA ad to the Jeanne Ives ad from four years ago where she is labeled as “too conservative for Illinois”] This looks like meddling by Democrats in the Republican primary. Can you respond to that?

A: You gotta remember that Darren Bailey sued me, you know, a year and a half ago, almost two years ago now, to take mitigations away that frankly, have ended up with people dying in the state of Illinois. Darren Bailey has been attacking my policies since day one. Certainly if he becomes the Republican nominee, he’s gonna be a tough competitor. I’m simply trying to tell everybody who Darren Bailey really is.

Q: [Asked whether he’d rather face Darren Bailey or Richard Irvin, who is the “more moderate” of the two]

A: It’s a mess over there. I have no idea who’s gonna win that Republican primary. I mean, I think there are six candidates running. You know, it’s early. There seem to be more undecided voters there than there are people who’ve decided on somebody.

Q: You personally have contributed to the Democratic Governors Association, you’re behind this ad.

A: I have con… I’ve, you know, I mean, there’s a whole history of my contributing to the Democratic Governors Association, not just in the last the last year, I guess, but also over the course of the time since I began running for governor in 2017.

…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, who has endorsed Irvin…

JB Pritzker is so scared to face Richard Irvin in the General Election that he will do anything to win, even if it means trying to hijack the Republican primary to ensure the weakest candidate is his opponent this November. All Republican gubernatorial candidates need to immediately disavow these ads and tell Pritzker to stay out of the primary.

…Adding… Christina Amestoy with the DGA…

“Illinoisians need to know how out-of-touch and conservative Darren Bailey’s agenda is. These ads make it clear: Darren Bailey’s policies are too conservative for Illinois.”

  67 Comments      


*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Friday, May 13, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

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« NEWER POSTS PREVIOUS POSTS »
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* Catching up with the congressionals
* Do better
* Big Beautiful Bill roundup: Pritzker says special session may not be needed, warns 330,000 Illinoisans could lose Medicaid; Planned Parenthood of Illinois pledges to continue care despite cuts (Updated)
* RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois
* 'The Chosen One' tones himself down
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
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