* You’ll recall that Gov. Pritzker gave the Democratic Party of Illinois $500,000 not long ago. I told subscribers on Monday about the first mailer (here and here). And this is their second mailer to Republicans…
As somebody noted in comments earlier, if this was mailed during the general election, the Dems would call him “100% anti-abortion” or “100% anti-choice,” not “100% pro-life.”
‘Tis a weird year, campers.
…Adding… From comments on a different thread…
I have to agree with Oswego Willy.
Richard Irvin and Avery Bourne are arguing that fundamentally, Bailey and the GOP are too conservative to govern.
Irvin is making the same argument that the DGA ads are making now, that Bailey is too Conservative for Illinois, and that is a real head scratcher.
On the one hand you say DGA ads are killing you, but now you are repeating them?
Also, I am gonna trust that OW knows that of which he speaks, but I can [tell] you that in a Democratic primary, when you complain that your opponent is too liberal, the liberals turn out for them in massive numbers…just ask John Fetterman.
Finally, if Bailey is too conservative, why is Avery Bourne on the ticket?
If Bailey has any sense, he is going back to the same message “This is a battle for the heart and soul of the GOP, and it’s pretty clear that the real Richard Irvin hates conservatives.”
It’s quite the trick bag.
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Dr. Ezike’s job acceptance under review
Friday, Jun 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* BGA…
The state’s former public health director – a well-regarded advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker during the COVID-19 crisis – is under investigation by a state ethics agency for taking a CEO job at a medical non-profit overseen and funded by the state agency she led.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, a steady, reassuring figure alongside Pritzker during pandemic news conferences, stepped down from her $178,000-per-year state post in March. In April, she accepted an offer to lead Sinai Health System — one of the state’s top medical nonprofits.
The Illinois Ethics Act requires department heads like Ezike to wait a year before accepting positions with companies that hold contracts overseen by their departments, or with companies their departments license or regulate. And while in office they cannot engage in job negotiations with companies that lobby their agencies.
The law is designed to prevent the cozy revolving door between state officials and the companies their agencies fund and regulate.
The Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General opened an ethics investigation of Ezike amid inquiries by the Better Government Association.
Contacted by telephone, Ezike — once a fixture in daily media — declined to be interviewed. Instead she said the BGA would get a call from her attorney. “Let me have your contact information and I can have them reach out to you,” Ezike said.
One of her attorneys told the BGA Ezike’s new position was not subject to the state’s revolving door law because the more than $2 million in grant agreements Ezike signed with Sinai were not “contracts.’’
“I do not believe Dr. Ezike violated the revolving door,” said Heather Wier Vaught. “From a legal perspective, it’s not clear cut. That’s part of the problem with Illinois’ law. The revolving door law is not clear cut. It’s very gray.”
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about the story today…
Let me begin by saying Dr. Ezike has been a phenomenal public servant. She truly saved lives. You all, I think, understand that. She has been a leader who has helped Illinois become a leader at vaccinating people and making sure that we had testing available, keeping people healthy. That story that you’re referring to about her indicates that there’s a debate about this provision that they’re looking at. And all I can tell you is Dr. Ezike left the Department of Public Health, not to take some big-time job at a major corporation pharmaceutical or otherwise, she went to a safety net hospital doing, yet again, more public service. So I want you to know, I believe now as I have throughout her tenure, that she’s one of the great public servants that we’ve had in Illinois, proud of her and I know, they’ll get through this, you know, look at all of whatever’s necessary. But I want to be clear, she is somebody who is always trying to do the right thing.
…Adding… Her predecessor made more than $1 million a year.
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*** UPDATED x3 *** Question of the day
Friday, Jun 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Can this path work?…
By the way, Irvin is having a press conference this afternoon at 1:30 pm with AG Candidate Steve Kim, SoS candidate John Milhiser and law enforcement folks. Click here to watch it.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The governor was asked today about Irvin’s claim that a vote for Bailey is a vote for Pritzker…
Well, it’s a ridiculous statement. The idea of equating the most conservative person on the Republican side with me. I’m a Democrat. I believe in the values of the Democratic Party. He’s a right-wing conservative. He’s anti choice. I’m pro choice. He’s pro Trump. I clearly have not been an ally of former President Trump. And so there’s just no equating the two.
Oh, please.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Irvin’s running mate Rep. Avery Bourne just repeated the line today during the above-mentioned press conference.
…Adding… Irvin is continuing to repeat the line.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Irvin’s Q&A…
Q: Why do you think your message hasn’t resonated with primary voters, and what will you do over the next few weeks to try and win them over?
A: Let me be clear, a vote for Darren Bailey is a vote for JB Pritzker. Let me say that one more time: A vote for Darren Bailey is a vote for JB Pritzker. You know we’ve got two and a half weeks left in this campaign. So that’s it’s a lifetime in politics. And I’m confident that my team will continue to get our message out and it will resonate because as I drive around the state I hear the same thing. People concerned that under JB Pritzker crime is out of control, taxes and wasteful spending is out of control. Corruption is out of control. And they want somebody to address it head on. That person is me, the Irvin-Bourne team. That’s my record. That’s my record as a prosecutor. That’s my record as mayor of the second largest city in the state of Illinois. Getting things done, reducing crime by supporting our men and women in blue, reducing property taxes every single year, by expanding our tax base and attracting new businesses and new residents and fighting against that Madigan Pritzker corruption that’s plagued our state for decades. Look, you know, as we work to make sure we get our message across and we’ve changed our plan you know, how we’re gonna get our message message across over the over the next couple of weeks, you know, as we look to cross that finish line first on June 28. You know, it’s necessary for us to reassess, just like all the other campaigns are changing their message. But let me tell you who’s not changing and who’s not reassessing. That’s JB Pritzker. JB Pritzker has spent, is on track to spend over $35 million in a Republican primary. A Democrat, a Democrat meddling in the Republican primary with negative campaign ads against me. 10s of millions of dollars to take me down and prop up Darren Baley. So you got to ask the question. Why is he doing? Why is he spending 10s of million dollars in negative ads against me? Because he doesn’t want to face me in the general election. That’s exactly why he’s doing it. And why is he spending just as much money to prop Darren Bailey up? Because he’s trying to choose the Republican candidate that he faces in the general, one that he knows he can beat. I’ll say it again. A vote for Darren Bailey is a vote to reelect JB Pritzker.
Q: Mayor Irvin, do you trust the poll numbers are showing or is your polling showing something different.
A: Look a poll is a snapshot in time. We’ve got two and a half weeks left. You know, polls will change you know daily. But as I said, we’re going to continue to send out our message. We’ve got we’ve just in this last week alone, we’ve had 200,000 calls and texts out to residents of Illinois. We’re on track to knock on 30,000 doors in central and southern Illinois. We’re gonna get our message out, you know, we’re gonna get it out strong and make sure people hear our message. But again, I can’t say this enough. This is JB Pritzker spending 10s of millions of dollars meddling in the Republican primary to prop up a Republican thaet knows he can beat. A vote for Darren Bailey is a vote for JB Pritzker. Period. […]
Q: Why do you need to reassess?
A: Again, as I said, over the next couple days we’ll change just like all the other campaigns have changed. I’ll say this one more time. What hasn’t changed is JB Pritzker’s position to spend 10s of millions of dollars in the Republican primary meddling in the Republican primary to take me down, to take our team down because he knows that if we face him in the general we will beat him. So he’s propping up a candidate and Darren Bailey that he knows he can be a vote for. A vote for Darren Bailey is a vote to reelect JB Pritzker.
He ran a ton of TV ads attacking Pritzker almost from the get-go. He should have known that Pritzker wouldn’t allow those attacks to go unanswered. I mean, OK, Pritzker would’ve undoubtedly jumped in anyway, but just sayin.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Morning campaign notebook
Friday, Jun 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A Darren Bailey campaign official told me today that the candidate and his running mate are making bus stops in every county in the next two weeks. Either Bailey or Stephanie Trussell or both will stop in all 102 counties, they claim.
Also hearing lots of chatter that former president Donald Trump’s operation is considering the Adams County fairgrounds for a late June event. So far, the only non-Trump focus of the possible event is US Rep. Mary Miller, who’s in a primary race against US Rep. Rodney Davis.
*** UPDATE *** Today…
* Meanwhile, here’s Decatur Tribune Editor Paul Osborne…
• Congressman Rodney Davis was at the Tribune one morning last week and we couldn’t help but reminisce about the first time we talked when he was running in the Republican Primary ten years ago. I remember Rodney telling me back then that, if he was fortunate enough to win election to Congress, he would always stay in touch. He has kept his promise and has always been willing to talk to me about any issue over the years. In fact, it is usually his office calling to see if I have some time, or some questions, to meet with him. That’s unusual in my long experience as a newspaper editor. Usually, the only time a candidate is available is when they are running for re-election.
• Rodney is running for election in the 15th IL District, against Congresswoman Mary Miller. Like the Macon County Sheriff’s race, the Republican Primary winner in the 15th is the same as being the winner of the General Election in November. While Rodney has always been available, Mary Miller has been almost invisible in Decatur and Macon County. I’m not sure why. Although I’ve received several news releases from her campaign, I have not talked with her, or even met her, which is highly unusual in my decades of experience in writing about candidates for office.
I have contacted one of her district offices and her office in D.C. and was finally told to send an email to her communications person, which I have done but have not yet received a reply. Other reporters I know have mentioned to me that Miller is a difficult interview to land. She has also never appeared (at least as I am writing this column) on my friend Brian Byers’ WSOY Byers & Co. program, which always has an open mike to candidates regardless of their views or party affiliation.
Hopefully, Miller will open up the lines of direct communication soon, because the primary election is less than three weeks away.
* In other news…
* Politico…
An effort to add a Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution has received $4.7 million in donations. The proposal says employees have a fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively about wages, hours, and working conditions. Among the big donations: $1 million each from Liuna Chicago, International Union of Operating Engineers, and Fight Back Fund, which advocates for union families. In a statement, IUOE Local 150 President and Business Manager James M. Sweeney said: “Illinois workers have had enough of politicians in Springfield playing games with our livelihoods. The Workers’ Rights Amendment will ensure that workers have a voice.” Full list of donations. […]
Alexi Giannoulias is reporting nearly $637,000 today, including $250,000 from SEIU Illinois Council, $150,000 from Liuna, $59,900 from the Plumbers and Pipefitters union, $25,000 from UFCW 881, $25,000 from Chicago attorney Bob Clifford, and $10,000 from Grosvenor’s Paul Meister. […]
Karin Norington-Reaves has been endorsed by the Tribune.
* Milhiser…
In a Chicago Tribune story published yesterday, Secretary of State Candidate John Milhiser lays out exactly why the last thing Illinois needs is another career politician as Secretary of State.
From the Tribune:
“Instead, he emphasized a need to “restore faith in government,” something he said he learned was needed, in part, from his most recent job teaching at the Lawrence Education Center in Springfield.
“What that has taught me is that students don’t trust government,” Milhiser said. “They think everybody’s corrupt. They read the headlines.”
…“When you look at the Democrats’ side with the two front-runners, Anna and Alexi, who are pointing fingers at each other, arguing who’s less ethical for the position … we don’t need a secretary of state coming in with this cloud of ethical concerns,” Milhiser said.
Milhiser is a career prosecutor with experience overseeing a large office covering 46 counties in Illinois. He has prosecuted public corruption, Republicans and Democrats, across Illinois including a case involving an employee of the Secretary of State’s office. Milhiser knows what to look for when it comes to cleaning up state government.
More career politicians won’t solve the problems in Illinois’s state government. A career prosecutor will.
* CD1…
Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District, State Senator Jacqui Collins, announced new endorsements today from the following elected officials:
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, (D-Peoria)
Rep. Latoya Greenwood, (D-East St. Louis)
Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, (D-Chicago)
Rep. Camille Lilly, (D-Chicago)
Rep. Anna Moeller, (D-Elgin)
Iris Martinez, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court
“I’m running for Congress to be the first Congresswoman in the 1st Congressional District, and I’m grateful to my fellow female colleagues for their support,” said State Senator Jacqui Collins (D-Chicago). At a time when our rights as women are facing existential threat, it’s more important than ever that we continue to elect women to office with strong records of fighting for justice.”
…Adding… What in the world is this dude thinking?…
* More…
* Illinois Secretary of State Race: 4 Democrats and 2 Republicans Look to Succeed Jesse White
* Watch now: Rep. Rodney Davis on his reelection bid
* Beyond the Podium: Rodney Davis, candidate for 15th Congressional district
* Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s opponents are trying to link the incumbent to crime spikes, but their biggest issue is just staying on the ballot
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* Tina Sfondeles and Dave McKinney…
A total of 32% of respondents said they’d vote for Bailey if the primary were held this past week. Only 17% chose Irvin. And the downstate lawmaker was beating Irvin not only on his own rural and small-town turf but also in the vast stretch of Chicago suburbs, where the Aurora mayor had been expected to do well. […]
But besides Bailey and Irvin, only Sullivan finished in the double digits in the poll, with 11%. Rabine had 6%; Schimpf — recipient of the Chicago Tribune’s endorsement — had 4%, and Solomon just 2%. The automated poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, found 27% of respondents were still undecided. […]
Not surprisingly, Bailey appears to be carrying his home base, leading Irvin downstate 38% to 14%. But in an ominous turn for Irvin, Bailey was also ahead in the collar counties, 29% to 18%, and in suburban Cook County, 29% to 21%. Suburban Chicago had been believed to be an Irvin stronghold, and the Chicago television market is where Irvin had concentrated much of his ad buying. […]
The poll found that 44% considered the economy their top issue of concern. Crime and corruption came in second with 11% each, while taxes polled at 10%. Just 8% of those polled called abortion their top concern. […]
The poll found 52% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who supported Trump, while 36% said it wouldn’t make a difference. Another 8% said they were less likely to vote for a candidate who supported the former president.
Crime is not the campaign issue some people think it is in a race like this. Go read the rest.
…Adding… DGA…
Richard Irvin, Ken Griffin’s $50 million candidate, has woken up to find his campaign in free fall with just under three weeks until the primary election. A game-changing poll by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ shows State Senator Darren Bailey with a stunning 15-point lead over mega billionaire-backed Irvin.
This comes just as Irvin’s campaign pulls down ad coverage from the entire downstate media market where he has floundered to find a message that resonates with voters. Irvin even admitted he can’t be himself downstate. But ultra-conservative Bailey isn’t just leading downstate, he’s also pulled in Irvin’s own backyard, outpacing Irvin in the Chicago suburbs.
It’s no wonder his numbers are plummeting. Voters can see right through his constant flip-flopping and fence-sitting. With months and $50 million to take a stand on pertinent issues and claim ownership of his record, Irvin has done everything but.
Even with Griffin’s war chest, it seems Irvin has taken this race and Illinois voters for granted. The Irvin campaign is grasping at straws to reinvent a disingenuous candidate in the last leg of this race, but with early voting already underway, their failing strategy is likely unrectifiable.
“After months of dodging reporters and the public, the Irvin campaign is paying the price,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “The only candidate for governor prepared to represent all Illinoisans is JB Pritzker.”
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