Mid-afternoon campaign roundup
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pretty much, yeah…
* Kerry Lester…
For example, the race for 20th District Illinois House, which includes portions of Rosemont, Des Plaines and Park Ridge, between 20-year incumbent Michael McAuliffe, a Chicago Republican, and Chicago Democrat Merry Marwig is now considered to be the most expensive state legislative race in the nation, according to the Center for Public Integrity, with more than $4.1 million spent so far.
Ultimately, [former GOP state Sen. Kirk Dillard] said, that money will work to thwart the independence of the eventual victor — and the ability to get along with the other side.
“The amount of money on both sides in that race, no matter who wins that race, will make it very difficult for the winner of that race not to toe the line of their political party or whoever was paying for those ads. When you need that kind of money to win it’s very difficult to break from the folks who paid for your campaign. And that’s not the way you should legislate.”
* Meanwhile, GWB’s former voicebox is doing comms work for Rauner’s campaign these days…
I hope that doesn’t mean we’re preparing to invade Iraq.
* By the way, the governor’s most recent D-2 shows he paid $8,339.47 to Peter Noel Murray, Ph.D & Partners LLC. From Murray’s website…
The big opportunity in digital media is not the next new technology. It is adding EMOTION to existing websites and social media.
The promise of digital and social media is promoting consumer engagement, creating brand community, and developing customer loyalty. Technology alone is not enough to make this happen.
He’s really big on using emotion. That may explain all the pictures of fall foilage, the Cubs, etc. on the governor’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
* From a reader…
Hey Rich - just thought I’d kick this over to you. This was in a plastic bag on my door this morning and looked like everyone else on my block had one also, I am also a solid D and early voted so its obvious there was no targeting done. I’ve also NO mail from Kifowit or Strick. I’ve gotten 2 door knocks from the Kifowit campaign.
The flier…
Man, will I ever be glad when this one’s over.
* Should we really be happy about this?…
Point being, we need to do better. A lot better. People shouldn’t be forced to wait in such long lines to exercise their right to vote, whether by nefarious design (as in North Carolina) or by poor planning.
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* The pessimist in me worries that maybe they’re over-building, but you gotta love the jobs…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today visited the installation of the 33rd tower crane to go up in 2016 in Chicago. Located at 451 E. Grand Ave. in the Streeterville neighborhood, the new crane sets a post-recession record and marks eight more than went up last year. The new crane is the 48th tower crane to operate in Chicago during 2016 – 31 more than we saw in 2011.
“The tower cranes seen across Chicago’s skyline mean one thing – economic opportunities that reach neighborhoods across the city,” Mayor Emanuel said. “As Chicago’s economy continues to gain strength, City Hall will continue to partner with all businesses, big and small, to keep the progress going.”
With this new tower there are 29 tower cranes currently operating on construction sites in the city with seven more approved and pending installation.
The new building, called One Bennett Park, is being developed by Related Midwest and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. It will be the tallest all-residential tower in Chicago at 836 feet tall. The building will feature a unique 1.7-acre public park designed by architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, the creator of Maggie Daley Park and The 606. Residential deliveries are expected to begin in late 2018 and will continue into 2019.
“We are excited to join Mayor Emanuel, Alderman Reilly and Commissioner Frydland in commemorating this important milestone not just for One Bennett Park, but also for the city of Chicago,” Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest said. “One Bennett Park represents the continued investment in our beautiful city through private developments like this one, which includes a 1.7-acre park that will serve the greater Streeterville community, as well as through public infrastructure projects like the Chicago Riverwalk and ongoing revitalization of the lakefront. Over the next three years, One Bennett Park will create 1,100 new jobs, serving as a catalyst for additional investment and symbolizing the growing appeal of downtown as a home for future generations of Chicagoans.”
In addition to tower crane records, Chicago is also seeing a five-year record high for building permits. As of October 31, 2016, the Department of Buildings issued a total of 39,815 building permits, an increase of nearly 2,000 permits as compared to the same time in 2015, or 5.2 percent.
To keep up with the increase in permits, the City has hired eight new inspectors and two structural engineers, and expects to hire 11 additional inspectors by year-end 2016.
Under Mayor Emanuel and Department of Buildings Commissioner Judith Frydland, the city has made a number of reforms to speed up the issuance of building permits. The reforms include the expansion of certified corrections and self-certification, the issuance of Code Memorandums to address new technologies and modernizations not yet covered in the code, the review of all foundation permits in-house and assisting through the Office of the Underground, reducing the time for permit issuance by as much as eight weeks.
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Monday early afternoon campaign roundup
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you read this morning’s roundup, you already know that a Democratic group called Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP has sent out a mailer tying Rep. Michael McAuliffe to Donald Trump.
Here’s another mail piece from the same group which was apparently mailed to Republicans…
Weak.
* The Democrats are shifting financial and human resources into this race, so keep an eye on it…
The 45th House District race between Wood Dale Republican Christine Winger and Democratic challenger Cynthia Borbas of Carol Stream has brought in $2.2 million. The district in northern DuPage County roughly runs from Route 59 in Bartlett east to Route 83 in Wood Dale.
“Put it this way,” a buddy told me today, “If there is a Hillary wave, this is where we’ll know it.”
* And speaking of hot races, Personal PAC is mailing this into Rep. Dwight Kay’s district…
* No mobile phones at some polling places? Yep, it’s a thing…
While there is no state law against bringing your cellphone in the booth, local authorities can establish rules to preserve decorum, according to Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois State Board of Elections.
In Kane County, that means no cellphones in the polling place, a voter was told Sunday in Carpentersville. Even election judges are not to have phones, Kindles, tablets or other electronic devices, according to the judges’ manual. […]
They’re trying to keep the noise level down. “It’s just disruptive,” Lake County Clerk Carla Wyckoff said. […]
State law does prohibit taking photos of ballots.
* As if the Chicago airwaves aren’t crowded enough already…
Wealthy former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg again is investing a chunk of his fortune in a hot Chicago-area issue—this time, a proposed tax on soda pop and other sugary drinks in Cook County.
Bloomberg today is launching a $1 million TV ad blitz in the Chicago media market on behalf of the tax, which Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says is needed to avoid layoffs of law enforcement personnel and others in county government.
Political insiders believe Preckwinkle has the board votes to pass the measure as part of her proposed 2017 budget, but Bloomberg, who’s paying for the spots personally, is taking no chances.
“Big soda is spending money, too,” with ads opposing the tax, Bloomberg senior adviser Howard Wolfson told me in a phone call. “We tend to follow closely what they do.”
* Things are getting ugly in Kankakee County. From a press release…
Ed Glazar, Republican Candidate for Kankakee County State’s Attorney, has uncovered a disturbing fact involving Bradley village attorney and Kankakee County State’s Attorney opponent Jim Rowe.
According to Bradley village records, a Bradley man was arrested for possession of child pornography. Rowe, as village attorney, refused to refer the case to the State’s Attorney, and instead prosecuted it as a violation of Bradley village ordinances, with a fine of just $100.
The judge in the case was noted to have said that the outcome “could have been much, much worse” for the man, had it not been classified as a village ordinance violation.
The defendant not only escaped the serious charges of possession of child pornography, but Jim Rowe allowed the defendant to keep the illegal materials on his phone, potentially allowing him to send them to others.
…Adding… From Rowe’s Facebook page…
I appreciate Mr. Glazar pulling his radio ads regarding his press release of yesterday; he realized his allegations against me were NOT TRUE and has voluntarily pulled the ads. This is the third time his radio ads have been pulled during the campaign for being untrue - but I am happy that in the end, he had the integrity to pull the false ads. He should now retract his press release.
I appreciate Ed recognizing his mistake and doing the right thing by pulling the ads and untrue statements. Now, let’s vote!
* Hmm…
* NY Times…
The largest bloc is whites who have no college degree, and the voting-age population of this group is as large as that of voting-age blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans combined. Mitt Romney won this group over Barack Obama by 26 percentage points, and Ronald Reagan by 31 points in 1984. But Bill Clinton won this bloc of voters both times he ran. In this year’s political polls, this group favors Mr. Trump by large margins over Hillary Clinton. […]
However, the voting electorate — the people who actually go to the polls — could look substantially different from the voting-age population. […]
This population is the heart of red-state America. It dominates the rural landscape of swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin. But it is outnumbered in urban centers and in most suburban areas. A big unknown in this election is how many additional voters will turn out in these counties. On election night, watch for the votes from these areas
* The Illinois map: “Largest voter group by county based on the turnout in 2012 by race and education”…
* Other stuff…
* Kirk Urges Voters To Go To Polls, Regardless Of Choice For President
* As in Willis Tower climb, Kirk has uphill fight against Duckworth
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* KMOX…
In tomorrow’s election, a convicted felon is running for state representative in the metro east. Republican Bob Romanik, a former Washington Park police chief, was convicted in 1997 for lying to a grand jury 150 times and in 1999 for bank fraud.
Illinois State Election Board General Counsel Ken Menzel says Illinois is the one state that allows felons to run for office, with just a few exceptions, “Probably the most notable example of that,” he says, “is the Illinois municipal code prohibition on felons holding city or village office in Illinois.”
So, you can run for Governor but not dog catcher. […]
In Missouri, felons are banned from holding statewide office. Federal laws allow felons to run for congress and President.
* The Question: Should Illinois ban convicted felons from running for and holding state elected office? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
panel management
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C’mon, man
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Zorn…
Republicans will probably pick up seats in both chambers of the General Assembly — Rauner won the 2014 popular vote in 33 of the contested districts now held by Democrats.
Off-year elections and presidential elections are completely different animals. Pat Quinn got 1,681,343 votes in 2014, while Barack Obama received 3,019,512 votes in 2012.
I’m not saying his prediction is wrong (I don’t do predictions and he could very well turn out to be right), but what is wrong is to not even mention the fact that President Obama won a lot of those same Democratic districts four years ago that Gov. Rauner won two years ago.
* There simply is no doubt that this is a Democratic year in Illinois. So, if the Republicans net significant gains outside the one in the Senate where the Democrats didn’t even put up a candidate to replace retiring Sen. John Sullivan, and retiring Rep. Jack Franks’ district, where the Dems have only recently started spending money, and manage to hold onto their own existing seats, then this is a real win for Republicans. Make no mistake about it.
Yes, Team Rauner is spending a whole lot more on Republican legislative campaigns this year than ever before, but if you check the Tribune’s website you’ll see that Team Madigan is clearly holding its own.
* The Democrats drew the map, they have entrenched incumbents, lots and lots of capable foot soldiers and more than enough money in a year that’s trending strongly their way at the top of the ticket. Yes, Donald Trump will do well in some Downstate Democratic districts, but Republican presidential candidates always do well in those same districts.
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Monday morning campaign roundup
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* So, you wanna be a poll watcher? Well, don’t just show up on election day…
[Jim Tenuto with the State Board of Elections] adds that state poll watchers have to be affiliated with a political party, candidate or civic organization. The State Board of Elections or a local election authority also must sign off on them.
“Somebody just can’t show up at the polling place (and say) ‘I want to be a poll watcher, I want to watch,’” Tenuto explained. “You can’t do that; you have to have credentials.”
Even so, he says it may not be too late for those who want to serve as poll watchers on election day.
* Raising expectations a bit? We’ll see tomorrow…
Pat Brady, a former state Republican chairman who supports Rauner, acknowledged the Democrats “have always killed us on ground game, but not this year.”
“We have some legislative districts where we have 30 paid staffers actually working the ground game. We’ve never had that before,” he said. “We are now doing door knocks, going door-to-door. In a state representative race, you can win that race just on door knocks.”
* Background on the lockbox proposal…
The “Safe Roads” amendment was the brainchild, sources told the Sun-Times, of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, who then brought in the trade unions to create a powerful alliance.
This alliance needed to win the approval of the General Assembly in order to get their amendment on the November ballot.
State Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, the chief Senate sponsor of the amendment legislation, told the Sun-Times it came to him on behalf of that alliance through Illinois Chamber President Todd Maisch.
The “Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding” political committee was created with money from that construction industry and trade union alliance to drum up votes to pass the amendment.
However, the “citizens” committee name is misleading – every contribution is from a union or a business-related group.
* From DNAInfo Chicago…
Invoking Donald Trump has become a go-to tactic for down-ballot Democrats all over the country, as candidates of all stripes have tried to tie their opponents to the controversial top of their ticket.
A political action committee aligned with local Democrats is putting an underhanded twist on that tactic, with an ad campaign posing as a tacit Trump endorsement from Chicago’s only Republican state representative.
A mailer has circulated with the Republican presidential nominee’s face alongside Rep. Michael McAuliffe, who represents Edison Park and parts of Norwood Park along with several suburbs.
One page has “The Trump-McAuliffe team working for us!” printed in Trump’s iconic hotel-sign font, below unsubtle declarations like “Donald Trump knows what’s best for our families.” […]
The Trump-focused ad campaign was paid for by a PAC called Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP, which lists City Council finance committee chair Ald. Ed Burke (14th) and the Service Employees International Union as top donors, according to the transparency site Illinois Sunshine. The PAC has spent money to aid to a broad range of Democratic leaders at the state and local level.
More info about the PAC’s funders is here.
* Meanwhile, WGN Radio’s Steve Cochran has posted this on his audio page today…
If you want to see change…The Mike Madigan Era needs to end. Here are the list of people that you need to vote against to stop Madigan. Each has voted for unbalanced budgets. All are opposed to term limits and redistricting reform.
Comptroller canditate Susan Mendoza
State Rep candidate Mary Marweg
State Rep Michelle Mussman
State Rep Mike Smiddy
Sate Rep Sam Yingling
State Rep Kate Cloonen
State Rep John Bradley
State Rep Carol Sente
The Tribune editorial board posted a similar list a few days ago.
* From a subscriber who lives in Lincoln…
Not to pick on Tony because I assume this was a package sticker deal with the SJ-R. But probably not the best expense given none of Logan County is in the 99th District.
Oops…
* Other stuff…
* Spending in suburban races shattering records
* Longer early voting period leads to record-setting numbers
* Sangamon County seeing record numbers for early voting
* Signs vandalized: Cook Co Board of Review race next to turn nasty
* Vote rigging, democracy and an accidental precinct captain
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Today’s quotable
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Via Kerry Lester…
Just before Tuesday’s election, it’s impossible to turn on a television or radio without being inundated with ads in which each party assigns blame to the other for the state’s woeful financial condition.
It’s the latest battle in an all-out war between longtime Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner of Winnetka, who have been at odds since shortly after Rauner’s January 2015 inauguration.
“We now have two political bosses in Illinois,” said Mike Lawrence, former director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. “They demand folks do what they want them to do, and they’ve used money as a major incentivizer.”
Your thoughts?
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Today’s number: $127 million
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie…
Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, compared the top 10 donors, or donor families, to Illinois state and local campaign committees in three four-year cycles.
He found that the total of those top donors in 2005-08 was $19.2 million, with 2006 Republican primary candidate for governor Ron Gidwitz and his family topping the list at $6.75 million.
From 2009 to 2012, the total of the top 10 donors was about $13.6 million, with the top three people on the list giving less than $2.5 million each.
But in the ongoing period beginning in 2013, the total already tops $127 million — with more than $60 million from Gov. Bruce and Diana Rauner; more than $25 million from Kenneth Griffin and his former wife, Anne Dias; and more than $12 million from Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, leaders of packaging materials company Uline.
The Rauner total also includes about $27 million the governor spent on his own winning 2014 gubernatorial race, which had a price tag of $65 million, including money from other donors.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The innocuous-looking mailer began arriving last Wednesday.
Whoever sent it used plain manila envelopes with first class postage. Usually campaigns use bulk mail, but those have permit numbers, making them traceable. First class mail isn’t so easily tracked.
There was no return address on the envelopes. Whoever sent it used preprinted address labels. The letters were addressed to a generic “Registered Voter” recipient.
Inside was a picture printed on somewhat expensive photo stock paper.
“Got Avery?” was the headline above a poorly Photoshopped picture of state Rep. Avery Bourne’s (R-Raymond) head on someone else’s nude body.
It was probably the vilest thing to happen during a legislative campaign that I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been doing this. And that’s a lot of years writing about a lot of vile muck.
Stamped on the back of the photo was a date of Oct. 7—which likely shows that this mailer had been planned for quite some time, and could provide investigators with a clue about where it was produced and maybe even who did it.
-
As I write this before the election, the mailer hadn’t been widely sent, perhaps because of the cost of both the postage and the paper. But its distribution wasn’t confined to Bourne’s downstate district. The first to report receiving it last Wednesday was an official at the Sangamon County Farm Bureau, which is north of Bourne’s district. The Farm Bureau quickly notified Bourne, and she went over there to pick it up.
But others saw it in their mailboxes that day, too. Bourne’s Democratic opponent, Mike Mathis, was called by a high-level House Democratic staff after somebody forwarded it to them. Mathis called Bourne to express his shock and to deny all involvement.
Bourne told me last week that many of her campaign contributors got the piece, suggesting that the culprit or culprits used publicly available information. The Illinois State Police told her that her endorsement list could have been used as well. But the Sangamon County Farm Bureau and some others who received the mailer aren’t involved in her race.
Bourne’s grandmother and great-grandmother both received the mailer. They were, of course, appalled.
A friend of her opponent also received the mailer, even though the guy, I’m told, isn’t at all involved in politics.
The immediate, private reaction from the top on both sides was to blame the other side. Was it a “false flag” operation or an incredibly dirty Democratic trick?
But that speculation was probably ludicrous, and eventually everybody calmed down enough to admit it. The Republicans wouldn’t ever do something as disgusting as publicly humiliate the youngest woman in the House like that (or any of their female candidates, for that matter). And the Democrats aren’t stupidly insane enough to put their own candidate at risk by doing something that despicable to Bourne.
So, both sides’ initial reactions seemed to be more about self-preservation during the inevitable finger-pointing than sober judgment.
If I had to guess, I’d say the culprit (or culprits) is likely some local weirdo (or weirdos) with an ax to grind who has just enough political knowledge and experience to make him or her dangerous.
Unfortunately, there are more than a few of those types out there in our current age of weaponized misogyny. You don’t have to spend much time on Twitter or Facebook to see this type of behavior. But posting a Photoshopped picture on Twitter takes very little effort. These envelopes were likely stuffed, labeled and stamped by hand. That takes time and, to me, makes this even creepier.
Whether that person simply wanted to hurt Bourne or damage Mathis’ campaign—or possibly do both at once—is something we might never know. But I have got to figure that anyone who is this loathsome to go to all this trouble will want to brag about it and/or was stupid enough to leave a clue here and there. The fact that the letter was apparently sent to one of Mathis’ nonpolitical friends means whoever did this has some local knowledge.
Mathis, for his part, did all he could to strenuously deny his involvement and denounce the mailer. He even showed up for Bourne’s press conference last Thursday to show his solidarity. He did the right thing by a woman who was horribly wronged.
But right or wrong, the opponent usually gets the blame for this stuff in voters’ minds.
What a truly awful way to end one of the foulest campaign seasons ever.
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Politics before governance
Monday, Nov 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My Crain’s Chicago Business column…
Sometimes cynicism knows no bounds.
Back in August, Gov. Bruce Rauner held a media conference with Democratic lawmakers to sign several criminal justice reform bills into law. The package of legislation did things such as shorten mandatory minimum probation for juveniles, lower the notoriously high-priced per-minute phone costs for prison inmates and allowed people convicted of certain drug offenses to eventually work for local park districts.
“We need to think strategically, thoughtfully, compassionately, about helping people come back, have a second chance and be productive citizens,” Rauner said.
The Republican governor has signed a host of criminal justice reform bills since he was inaugurated in 2015. He’s also pushing hard for an even more comprehensive list of reforms, which he hopes will allow the state to reduce its prison population by 25 percent over 10 years.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a North Side Democrat, unexpectedly used the conference with Rauner to complain about a campaign mailer sent by a member of her own party. She criticized Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, for using the governor’s reforms as a “political weapon” against his Republican opponent, Dave Severin, in the Nov. 8 election.
Bradley claimed in the mailer that his opponent’s “biggest supporter wants to let 25 percent of the state’s prisoners loose into our communities.” Rauner is the Illinois Republican Party’s biggest contributor by far and the state party is, in turn, Severin’s largest backer.
Just a few days after that media conference, Rauner signed Senate Bill 42 into law. The measure allows licensed health care workers who’ve been convicted of most felonies to petition the state to reinstate their licenses after their release from prison.
That was a gutsy move, and it wasn’t an easy bill to pass. But a Republican governor on a mission to reform the criminal justice system made it possible.
So imagine my surprise when a mailer from Rauner’s Illinois Republican Party landed in Sen. Tom Cullerton’s DuPage County district recently accusing the Villa Park Democrat of letting
Click here and read the rest before commenting, please.
* Along the same vein, here’s a Tribune snippet about something we hashed over several days ago…
Then there’s the deep southern Illinois contest in which Democratic state Sen. Gary Forby faces Republican challenger Dale Fowler in a district that’s culturally and geographically much closer to Kentucky than Chicago. Fowler’s GOP campaign put out an anti-Forby mailer that says “organized labor can’t trust” the Democrat and accuses him of siding with the Republican governor on state labor board appointees.
That wouldn’t be all that remarkable, except that 95 percent of the more than $1.5 million Fowler has raised through October came from the various campaign financial arms of the Illinois Republican Party, which has received nearly $21 million from Rauner’s campaign fund this year. Rauner, in effect, paid for ads that are critical of himself, all the in the name of picking up a state Senate seat.
That misses the point, however. If a Democrat is gonna get whacked by the Republicans for supporting a Republican governor’s nominee, what’s the point of any Democrat supporting any even slightly questionable Rauner nominees in the future?
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Early Sunday afternoon campaign roundup
Sunday, Nov 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Comments now open on this post.]
* I’ll do another one of these later today or tonight if people send me their mail, pics, robocalls, etc. For instance, click here to see a Republican mailer that makes the case that Sen. Gary Forby, who’s about as pro-coal as somebody can get, is actually anti-coal.
In the meantime, click here for the latest campaign finance updates, and here’s today’s quotable…
“We’re going to wake up on the day after the election, and Bruce Rauner will still be governor, and the Democrats will still be in control of the Legislature,” Yepsen said. “And what is going to change as a result of this? If anything, I think the partisanship will continue.”
* At first glance, these may look like 75th House District Democrat Martha Shugart’s signs. But look closer…
Shugart is up against appointed Rep. David Welter (R-Morris). She’s only raised about $46K since July. But the chatter has started increasing on the contest of late.
* Speaking of Madigan, check out this story about the Adams County Sheriff race between incumbent Democrat Brian VonderHaar and Republican challenger Jon McCoy…
VonderHaar’s largest contributor has been the Health Care Council of Illinois Political Action Committee, which represents nursing homes throughout the state.
That $10,000 contribution in mid-October prompted some McCoy supporters to try to tie it to Democratic House Speaker Mike Madigan. Republican campaigns throughout the state have been trying to link Democratic candidates to the unpopular Madigan.
Although Madigan has received money from the Health Care Council of Illinois PAC since Jan. 1 — $53,900 to his personal campaign account and $107,800 to two other campaign accounts he controls — the committee also has donated to Republican candidates, including two in West-Central Illinois.
The PAC has given $30,000 to state Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, and $5,000 to Illinois Senate candidate Jil Tracy, a Republican from Quincy, this year.
Sheesh.
We’ve essentially crossed the line into McCarthyism with that one.
* Also, too…
* From a Democratic pal in response…
While they send out tweets, I am early voting pluses
* But…
* From a reader…
Hi Rich,
Hope you’re enduring the last weekend before the ads go silent (briefly.) Two years ago, I e-mailed all the mailers I’ve gotten:
https://capitolfax.com/2014/11/03/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-um-mailers/
Here’s 2016’s haul– they started coming in August and now go past my couches. I’m still in Carol Stream in the middle of two races, Seth Lewis vs. Tom Cullerton and Heidi Holan vs. Deb Conroy (Christine Winger vs. Cynthia Borbas rages on literally a few streets over.) Included a few door hangers in here as well.
Thanks,
Lunchbox
Last year’s pic…
This year’s…
Whew.
* From a Republican Senate candidate…
Rich,
The other day you had a post questioning the relationship of Personal PAC and the Republican candidates. This is how Terry Cosgrove treats pro-choice Republicans these days.
A female friend in the district just got this text. . .
‘Please vote for pro-choice Laura Murphy for State Senate. Her opponent, Mel Thiliens, wants to make abortion illegal & will vote to end access to birth control. Laura needs your vote to win! Personal PAC thanks you.’
Phone # was xxx-xxx-xxxx
The text is simply not true, and he knows it.
Mel Thillens
* From a reader in that very same district…
Republican Party Mailer against Laura Murphy says “we need a State Representative who will fight for us,” also very, very over the top and misleading.
Murphy is an appointed Senator…
* Dan Proft’s newspaper writes about a Dan Proft ad. It’d be perfectly “meta” if a quote from the Proft newspaper was actually used in the Proft ad…
A campaign ad put out by a political action committee against one of the relative few incumbent state House Democrats running opposed this election season seems, at first glance, to show the state’s House speaker in drag with Trump hair.
The image in the ad appears to be the face of state House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) superimposed onto the shoulders and head of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, complete with pearl earrings. The image is topped with what probably is the tussled hair of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
* From a reader…
Rich,
This has been a fascinating race to watch. Here’s what came yesterday in our Park Ridge mailbox (2 blocks from Hillary’s childhood home). Not sure how effective the Hillary letter will be. Not too personable. Interested to see what comes tomorrow.
Best regards,
Mark
The letter from Sen. Durbin is here.
* Other stuff…
* Trump and Madigan: How will they affect local races in Will County?
* Bernard Schoenburg election predictions
* Meet the multi-millionaire GOP governor using his fortune to push his agenda — and punish his foes
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