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Foster race attracts yet another GOP candidate

Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Rep. Darlene Senger has a new GOP primary opponent. From what I hear, he’s a pretty good guy, has secured about a quarter million dollars in commitments and could give Senger a real race to face Democratic incumbent Bill Foster…

Bert Miller said he had an epiphany a few weeks back, and it led him to set his sights, and his skill sets, on a new goal.

Flanked by his family and backed by nearly two dozen supporters attired in campaign T-shirts, the longtime Naperville businessman Wednesday morning launched his bid for the U.S. House seat representing the 11th Congressional District next year. The district includes a part of the Aurora area.

Miller, 66, emphasized the experience he accrued over more than three decades as owner of the Naperville plastics manufacturing firm Phoenix Closures, and said it will translate well to lawmaking in the nation’s capital.

* Daily Herald…

The other candidates in the race haven’t raised a huge amount of money. Senger has led the group in fundraising but has taken in far less than some other suburban primary candidates.

The run is Miller’s first try for political office, which contrasts him with Senger and Balkema. Senger has picked up support of local Republican members of Congress such as U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Winfield.

Miller is former chairman of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, a major player in Illinois politics.

Aurora private investigator Ian Bayne is also running for the GOP nod.

* Meanwhile, Democratic Congressional candidate Ann Callis didn’t sound all that enthused about welcoming either Gov. Pat Quinn or President Barack Obama to her swing district campaign against freshman Republican Rodney Davis…

On Quinn: “He’s been around the district. I don’t think it’s my choice whether I welcome him or not. . . . I’ve seen him at various events.”

On Obama: “Well, he is the president of the United States. I would never tell the president of the United States not to come to my district.” […]

(W)hile an Obama appearance might help Callis with Democratic voters in the district, it could lose her as many (or more) Republican-leaning independents.

As for Quinn, it’s not clear he’d be all the much help even among Democratic voters in the district, given his Chicago-centric base and general lack of popularity.

* Watch…

* In other news, Congressman Davis is once again coming under fire from his right flank…

A tea party group has launched a campaign to support primary challenges against all 87 Republicans who voted for the deal in late October to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling.

The Tea Party Leadership Fund, a PAC affiliated with the group TheTeaParty.net, began a fundraising push — dubbed the “Primaries for Traitors Fund” — shortly after the shutdown deal passed in the House, and they are now ramping up efforts to find “credible candidates” in each of the districts, said the fund’s treasurer, Dan Backer.

“From our perspective, we see this as a signature vote. You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,” Backer said. “I recognize there are some places where voters may actually think that was the right vote. And there may be places where you have an incumbent who wins with 90% of the vote every time and there’s not a credible challenger. I recognize that, but we’re certainly going to do our best.”

Backer says the group has honed in on a few specific members to start: Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, New York Rep. Peter King, North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger, Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany, and most importantly, Backer said, House Speaker John Boehner in Ohio.

* But…

Despite raising more than $1 million in 2012, the group only spent around $27,000 in support of two Republican candidates last cycle, according to Open Secrets, and no money against Republican incumbents.

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Quinn plays dodgeball in Springfield presser

Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Pat Quinn was determined to avoid answering some questions at his press conference yesterday. On the Chicago Park District pension reform bill, for instance, he said…

“We’ll look at that bill as we do every other bill,” Quinn said, “and look at it very carefully, and make a decision based on how I feel the merits are.”

* More…

Quinn was asked three times about keeping the income tax increase. He opted to discuss pensions instead.

“I’ve said before, you know, our No. 1 focus has to be on pension reform,” Quinn said, adding, “You don’t want to put the cart before the horse.”

* More…

Pressed on why he wouldn’t directly answer the question, Quinn responded: “A budget is based on what your costs are. We don’t know what our pension costs are until we really address the pension-reform issue. That is the No. 1 budget challenge that we have.

“You don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” Quinn continued. “I think you need to know what your expenditures are and what the pension requirements are, and I hope we can come up with a pension-reform measure that is good for those who receive retirement income as well as for the taxpayers,” he said.

* More…

Efforts to increase penalties for gun crimes? “When it comes to anything with public safety and criminal justice, I think we need to do it in a comprehensive way; a way that protects the public. I’ve signed bills dealing with those who commit crimes with guns.”

What about whether the income tax rate should stay at 5 percent after 2014? “We don’t know what are pension costs are, until we really address the pension reform issue.”

Pension reform was also his answer to a question of whether lawmakers will return to Springfield between now and the end of 2013. As for what sort of corporate tax breaks the state should be offering, the governor walked away. The news conference took all of 20 minutes and included the presentation to Quinn of a pink guitar autographed by country music star Carrie Underwood.

* And…

Wednesday’s event was the latest in a series of taxpayer-financed fly-arounds Quinn has scheduled to highlight construction projects heading into the 2014 election season.

In addition to praising changes being made to the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, the governor also made pit stops in East Alton and Peru.

While he wouldn’t discuss the pension proposal, Quinn did say the $4 million in state funds to upgrade the convention center was money well spent.

“We want Brad Paisley to be very happy,” the governor said, pointing to the country music star’s upcoming visit to the facility.

* Raw audio…

Click to listen

* In contrast, Metro East reporters attending Quinn’s Alton presser basically gave him a pass on everything yesterday…

Click to listen

12 Comments

Rauner triggers candidate self-defense law

Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune…

Wealthy Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner is adding $500,000 of his own money to his campaign, an amount that will trigger a provision allowing his three GOP rivals and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn to raise unlimited amounts from contributors.

Much of the Rauner’s money will be spend on a new series of ads set to begin airing Friday on broadcast and cable TV, two sources close to the campaign said Wednesday. The new ad continues a theme in which Rauner contrasts his inexpensive wristwatch with a critique of “Pat Quinn’s watch” over Illinois government spending.

The commercials will mark the beginning of what one of the sources described as the start of an “intensive and sustained” presence on television as the first-time candidate tries to introduce himself to potential voters. It’s also a further display of Rauner’s campaign wealth relative to his Republican rivals.

Rauner’s latest cash influx was to have been made Wednesday, the sources said, and show up in campaign finance disclosure forms as required by early next week. Rauner, an equity investor from Winnetka, will have donated $749,000 to his own campaign. That will bring to nearly $4 million the amount generated since he began his bid earlier this year.

* Ormsby…

In the new ad, which primarily attacks Governor Pat Quinn, Rauner, speaking to the camera, ditches his trademark hunting jacket, flannel shirt and rural background stage in previous ads for a brown, sleeve-less fleece-like zipper vest, button-down shirt, and a suburban kitchen.

* Rate the new ad…

* Script…

This old watch cost me 18 bucks. Pretty cheap, but it gets the job done.

Pat Quinn’s watch in Springfield - just the opposite. Record spending, taxes, job losses, and one of the worst run governments in America.

I’m Bruce Rauner. I’m a business guy, not a politician. I’m running for governor to turn our state around; to send a message to the special interests and career politicians who created this mess: your time - it’s up.

* Caps explained…

Before this week, Rauner was just $1,000 shy of the threshold to take off the caps — having given $249,000 of his own money. He’s now given $749,000 of his own money into his campaign. He has not disclosed his upper limit, but aides have said he would do what it takes to win.

Under state law, candidates can only accept contributions of up to $5,300 from individuals and $52,600 from political action committees.

But those caps are lifted for everyone in a campaign if any statewide candidate or member of the candidate’s immediate family contributes or loans more than $250,000 to his or her campaign during the 12 months prior to an election.

So Rauner’s latest infusion allows all three other Republicans, as well as Quinn on the Democratic side, to accept contributions of any size.

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Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

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