* Democrats tend to beat themselves up pretty badly when they lose elections. Jimmy Carter was a pariah for many years after he lost. Hillary Clinton was pilloried after her 2016 loss. Locally, lots of Democrats have still not forgiven Pat Quinn for his 2014 loss to Bruce Rauner…
Amazing that every single person in Democratic politics knows what went wrong in this election, but none of them knew how to keep it from happening a few days ago.
The Republicans aren’t nearly as tough on their losing candidates. They basically just doubled-down after Donald Trump lost in 2020. Locally, after losing to Pat Quinn, Bill Brady eventually became the Senate Republican Leader. Neither of these are hard and fast rules, of course, because life isn’t completely black and white. I’m just sayin’ “in general.”
* What I would suggest to Democrats is that instead of solely focusing on their endless internal blame games, that they try to learn from Trump’s success this year. I saw various iterations of this TV ad during the campaign and it was just about a perfect play to working people…
The people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country. And for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them. One man will refuse to fall so America and its workers can continue to stand great again.
Simple and effective. Yes, no taxes on Social Security income will be disastrous to the system, but the Dems didn’t really pivot on it and push it back in his face. And the Democrats’ own economic messaging required a lot of explaining because it was less than clear.
Trump also talked constantly about inflation, and had a simple solution for job losses by imposing tariffs.
But based on what’s been landing in many voters’ mailboxes, texts and on their television screens, it would be hard to blame them for thinking they were choosing between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Trump. […]
“Donald Trump and out-of-state billionaires are pulling the strings of Angel Gutierrez,” reads a campaign flyer that depicts Gutierrez as a puppet. The [CTU] flyer tells voters to “expect Angel Gutierrez to dance to Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda.” That’s a far-right plan for the federal government under Trump if he’s elected president.
Flyers supporting Gutierrez, meanwhile, show Johnson’s picture next to statistics about CPS student achievement. “In Brandon Johnson’s Chicago Public Schools 3 of 4 students CAN’T READ at grade level.”
“Angel Gutierrez will say NO MORE to Brandon Johnson!” the flyer reads.
Four CTU-endorsed candidates are winning out of ten. But one of those four, Jennifer Custer, has credibly pledged independence from the union and the mayor, although the CTU did do some Trump hits on her opponent. And another, Aaron “Jitu” Brown, was unopposed on the ballot (a write-in candidate did file).
So, in admittedly simplistic terms, the anti-Johnson/CTU message defeated the anti-Trump message. In Chicago. Let that sink in for a bit.
* Illinois Freedom Caucus…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus says the election of Donald Trump as the 47th President has permanently changed the Republican Party and it is the strength of the Trump coalition that has delivered the US Senate, the US House and prevented major losses in Illinois.
“President Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party into the party of the middle class and working families. His message of hope, optimism and patriotism has brought a broad coalition of voters into the Republican Party. The transformation is real, and it is permanent.
The Trump coalition has propelled US Senate candidates to victory and appears to also preserve Republican control of Congress. Here in Illinois, Trump gained in the collar counties in Illinois and will lose Illinois by only a thin margin. In fact, Donald Trump has INCREASED his margins in Illinois every time he has run.
It appears Republicans in the Illinois House will hold onto their 40 seats. The fact that we did not lose seats is a testament to the strength of the Trump coalition which ran strong even in a deep blue state like Illinois.
Certainly, holding seats is better than losing seats, but the truth is it should have been a better night for Republicans in Illinois. We should have capitalized on the Trump momentum. If we want to bring the national success of the Trump coalition to Illinois, we need to embrace the change he has brought to our party instead of fighting that change. It is time for our party’s leaders to put head in the sand politicians like Jim Edgar, Jim Durkin, Ray LaHood, and Adam Kinzinger to bed. Their political acumen is on par with Adam Kinzinger’s gun safety skills. Illinois Republicans can and will win in Illinois. All we have to do is follow the blueprint set by our 47th President. It turns out the American people really do want secure borders, safe streets, a thriving economy, lower energy costs and they don’t want to pay more in taxes. The values of the Freedom Caucus are American values that appeal to everyone regardless of race. These are the values we have and will continue to fight for as we rebuild and remake the Illinois Republican party.”
Illinois House Democrats have had difficulties every time Trump’s name has appeared on the ballot here. They lost four House seats and one House seat in 2020. This year, it’s starting to look like a wash.
Their record in Trump’s mid-term election was much better, picking up seven seats in 2018.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: President-elect Donald Trump’s new White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, comes from Mercury Public Affairs, the same firm where former Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is a partner.
Bustos runs Mercury-Illinois and its Midwestern operations and handles federal affairs in D.C.
Her firm’s intimate connection to Wiles could be a big plus for Mercury-Illinois, which opened its doors less than two years ago, right after Bustos left Congress after serving five terms.
Mercury CEO Kieran Mahoney said Wiles’ appointment as White House chief of staff “is great news for the country. Susie has been a valued colleague. We are all proud of her and wish her the best.”
Any thoughts on whether this will be a “big plus” for Mercury-Illinois’ lobbying operation?
