* So far, at least, all the speculation about Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. stepping down has been just that. His staff is now trying to change the narrative…
In one move, Rick Bryant, Mr., Jackson’s chief of staff, phoned about 25 south suburban mayors to update them on the congressman’s condition.
In another, longtime Jackson campaign consultant Kevin Lampe told me that not only is Mr. Jackson running for a new term, but the congressman expects to hit the campaign trail soon.
Mr. Bryant said he made the calls in the past couple of days “at the congressman’s request.”
“I told them that the congressman was feeling much better and that he was looking for updates on several projects in the district,” Mr. Bryant told me in an email. “The congressman also said he expects to be home soon; he is looking forward to getting back to work; and he fully expects to be running for re-election in the fall.”
A similar message came from Mr. Lampe.
The congressman “is on the ballot. The campaign is moving forward,” Mr. Lampe said. “He is running for re-election.”
Mr. Jackson will get out to press the flesh with voters “as soon as he’s better,” Mr. Lampe added.
All those folks who whispered in reporters’ ears that Jackson would be leaving may live to regret their actions. And the folks who’ve floated their own names while Jackson has been down and out will have to rush back to his side if he does indeed return.
* Meawhile, Republican Congressman Bob Dold has a new TV ad that positions himself as a brand new candidate instead of an incumbent and highlights his independence…
As you can tell by the poor quality, this is an Internet ad.
Also, I think The Who might be a bit angry about the ILGOP stealing their stuff.
* But neither ad is the real story, says Greg Hinz…
But the real news was buried at the bottom of Mr. Dold’s press release.
And that’s not about this ad, which will run only on cable TV and will cost just $25,000 or so a week, but the “additional $1.88 million in Chicago network (broadcast) television” that the Dold campaign has purchased in October and November.
Though TV ad buys are a matter of public record, campaigns rarely announce their ad strategy, much less two months in advance. Team Dold clearly is trying to make a point here, and it does have money in the bank, a lot more than does Mr. Schneider. The implied message is that Dold can’t be beaten.
Of course, “reserved” time has not yet been paid for, only put on hold. But the Dold campaign will have to pay a financial penalty if it backs out.
I’ve noticed this year that lots of people are announcing their reserved TV time well in advance of the fall campaign. It helps fill up the news hole during slow periods, but as Greg points out we don’t really know yet whether any of it is real until it actually happens.
