* Former Illinois Senator Don Wooten…

(A) Springfield PAC launched a scurrilous assault on — of all people — Katelyn Hotle in the 72nd house district race.

She was accused of funneling “thousands of taxpayers dollars to her private employer.” You will look in vain for a vote to back up that charge, unless they are referring to approving payments for the city’s continuing relationship with Mediacom, where Katie works; a relationship established before she was elected to the council.

I’m assuming that state Democrats are backing Mike Halpin, if one may judge from the cluster of flyers from what appears to be a related source. Another candidate, Jeff Jacobs, has solid local support. So, why pick on Katie? Go figure. That’s politics these days: subterfuge, smear, and heavy-handed attempts to steer the vote. Why bother with facts when innuendo will serve?

The mailers, paid for by Speaker Madigan’s Democratic Majority PAC, have kept coming since that column was written in mid February. Another one was disclosed yesterday. And I agree with Wooten that the mailers have zero basis in reality.

* KWQC TV asked Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown why his boss was targeting her…

“The point of the mailing was to identify Rauner plants in these legislative races so that voters can be informed that’s all,” said Brown.

We asked Brown how is it known that Hotle might be planted by the Rauner administration.

“How do we not know, because there’s no real record and I’m told she has a strong support from the Republican county chairman,” said Brown. “She has contributors from the suburbs who I’m not sure have any reason, so it appears that she had been supportive of some of the things the Rauner administration is supporting.”

The Rauner stuff is bogus, as far as I can tell. And as I recall, she told me she’s related to that “mysterious” suburban contributor. I can’t find any other direct or even indirect links between Hotle and the Republicans. They certainly aren’t flooding her campaign with money if they are secretly backing her.

* One of her Democratic primary opponents, Jeff Jacobs, was so upset about Madigan’s attacks that he issued a press release…

“I received a disturbing piece of mail yesterday attacking one of my opponents Katelyn Hotle. This mailing came from outside of the 72nd District. These old fashioned attacks are deplorable and they are the reason why so many people shy away from the political process. My campaign has always been about the people of Rock Island County and how we can work together to make the place I was born and raised grow. That message is working and it is why over 80% of the money I have raised is from the Quad Cities. When Rep. Verschoore endorsed me I was committed to running my campaign with the same principles that he has used to serve the 72nd so honorably. If I am elected I am committed to fight against these types of attacks. And I know our message of future growth of Rock Island County will prevail on March 15th.”

From her bio, it appears she is a Governor Edgar Fellows Program member. Not many Raunerites are in the Edgar Fellows Program. Just sayin…

* Maybe her anger at the state of the state’s economy is the tipoff that she’s not a Madigan Democrat?…

State Representative candidate Kate Hotle (D-Rock Island) called for a unified, focused and urgent plan to grow the Illinois Quad Cities in light of recent U.S. Census data showing stagnant population and income growth in Rock Island County.

“The recent Census report should serve as a wake-up call to all leaders that we need new leadership and a sense of urgency in addressing the continuing stagnation of our local population and economy.”

“Rock Island County has never fully recovered from the Reagan recession of the 1980s. While both Rock Island and Scott County fell in population from 1980 to 1990, Rock Island County has dipped slightly since 1990 while Scott increased by 14%. Incomes have also increased in Scott by 6% since 2010 and Rock Island County incomes dropped by 2%.”

* She also appears to be pretty well-spoken, so maybe they figure she won’t be a mushroom?…

$21,391.49 on attack ads… What good could that money have gone to instead?

Posted by Katelyn Hotle on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

* Or maybe it’s because she’s the only woman in the race and the Madigan folks are worried she might win without much money.

Whatever is going on, the women members of the House Democratic Caucus need to have a chat with Speaker Madigan about what he’s doing to this person. He’s deliberately sabotaging what could have been a bright future. That ain’t party building. It’s eating your seed corn.