* Darren Bailey was asked recently how he would counter Jesse Sullivan’s huge campaign finance advantage in the GOP primary…

I’m not a bit worried about that because every bit of his $10 million is Democrat-controlled money. If people will check Jesse Sullivan out they’ll see that his number one supporter that dumped in $5 million. All these people are from the Silicon Valley, from California and Colorado. Chris Larsen, his number one supporter, $5 million. He was on Joe Biden shortlist for vice president March of 2020. February of 2021, he donated $250,000 to Nancy Pelosi. This is nonsense. Go to Illinoissunshine.org. Look at all of his donors, click on his donors and you will see who else they have been donating money to. This is a Democrat ploy to put someone to make them look like a Republican and it’s nonsense. So the more people get educated about this, the more that they will see this, the more that they will understand this. Yes, that is, so that’s what’s going on. There is no doubt about this.

We’ve got almost 15,000 individual donors from $5 all the way to $200,000. Money is not going to win this election. Anyone in the state of Illinois from the primary all the way to Pritzker that’s going to sit here and tell us that money is going to win they are wrong. Grass roots is going to win the day. We’ve got people who have never been involved in the political process. Every one of these events that we’ve put on, people are showing up they’ve never been to a political meeting before. They’re getting engaged. They’re learning. That’s what we’re doing. That’s how we’re going to get Illinois back on track.

The most dangerous thing for Illinois to do is to elect the wrong Republican for the wrong reasons.

Wait’ll he finds out Sullivan’s spouse was a field officer for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. And, of course, the only campaign Sullivan is known to have volunteered on prior to this run was Democrat Colleen Callahan’s unsuccessful congressional bid..

I’m not saying, I’m just sayin’ this is a line of attack that could prove to be successful. Make him deny it. “I am not a plant!” The Republican Party’s conspiracy theorist wing is Bailey’s core constituency, after all. If they can believe there’s a microchip in every vaccine, or that you can “de-vaccinate,” they’ll probably buy into this.

* Moving right along, a press release…

Today, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorsed Congresswoman Marie Newman for re-election in Illinois’ 6th congressional district.

Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Co-Chairs Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal, and Jamie Raskin released the following statement:

“The Progressive Caucus has delivered for working families this year thanks to dedicated champions like Congresswoman Marie Newman who consistently put the needs of their community before corporations and special interests. Since the moment she came to Congress, Representative Newman has been delivering for her constituents, fighting to close the gender pay gap by making it easier for women to access capital, tackling the climate crisis, and creating good paying jobs by supporting investments in the future of our transportation systems. Her leadership has helped pass legislation that will strengthen organized labor and move America one important step closer to finally establishing health care as a human right. We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Newman for re-election.”

Congresswoman Marie Newman released the following statement:

“We are at a pivotal moment in this country and the Progressive Caucus is leading the charge to create an economy that works for all of us, championing policies that will uplift every single American. I’m honored to receive an endorsement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and I look forward to the opportunity to continue working with my colleagues in the caucus to rebuild our economy so that it is stronger, more equitable, and rooted in worker and climate justice.”

In 2020, the PAC raised $4.4 million and launched its first-ever independent expenditure arm, helping elect eight new candidates to Congress.

* And Rachel Hinton…

Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia on Wednesday garnered the backing of the Illinois Nurses Association in her bid to succeed Jesse White as Illinois secretary of state.

Tori Dameron, the president of the union, said in a statement nurses “need the support of strong union allies in office now more than ever” as the pandemic continues to “strain” frontline workers and others in health care.

“Anna Valencia understands that more than any other candidate in this race,” Dameron said. “We know she will always fight for us the same way we fight for our patients every day. The INA is proud to endorse her.”

Valencia wrote that she is “committed to using the Secretary of State’s Office to advocate for all working families and make sure that our nurses, who are a critical part of the community, are supported in every effort.”

*** UPDATE *** Press release…

U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) is touting Republican victories in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that authorizes military spending and enacts Department of Defense policies for FY22. Rep. Davis proudly voted in support of the FY22 NDAA last night.

The legislation passed the House last night by a vote of 363-70. Republicans were crucial to bringing the bill across the finish line, providing a majority of the Yes votes. 51 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against the legislation. You can find the roll call of the House NDAA vote here.

“We must never allow our military to be defunded, which is what voting No on the NDAA would have done.”

US Rep. Mary Miller, who may challenge Davis in a primary, voted “No,” along with Danny Davis, Chuy Garcia, Jan Schakowsky and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

…Adding… From Miller’s statement…

The NDAA still creates a federal vaccine mandate that allows President Biden to discharge healthy active duty service members from my district. The bill also includes leftist Critical Race Theory “equity” training requirements for the military that my constituents strongly oppose.

I am proud that as a result of hard work by conservatives, the gun confiscation and draft for teenage girls provisions were removed from the bill. I will always oppose radical leftwing policies being rammed through Congress by President Biden, and I will never vote for policies opposed so strongly by the constituents I represent.

It was so radical and left-wing that AOC and Jan Schakowsky voted against it. Right. She’s caught on this one.