Hello everyone. Thank you to DeKalb Stands and Northern Illinois University for hosting this great event. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be with you tonight. My running mate Juliana Stratton was looking forward to joining, but unfortunately my opponents didn’t want to share a stage with her. I can’t say I blame them. Juliana is an incredible woman and a powerful fighter for Illinois and together we’re going to put Springfield back on the side of working families.
* After reading his statement, the moderator quickly corrected Pritzker. The other candidates did not object to Stratton’s presence. It was the organizers, she said, who set those rules…
That video came in over the transom from someone who was most definitely not with the Pritzker campaign.
But I think somebody in the Pritzker campaign has subscribed to my YouTube page, so they got a notification and watched the video after I uploaded it and then asked for time to comment. After that, things got a bit testy.
This is from a September 21 e-mail sent by the organizers…
Also, the lineup of candidates has changed slightly. Chris Kennedy is joining the group. J.B. Pritzker can no longer come, but Juliana Stratton will appear in his place.
So, as of a couple of weeks ago, the organizers were obviously OK with Stratton appearing.
* Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign maintains that Kennedy threatened not to attend if Stratton was allowed on the stage…
“It’s unfortunate that after Chris Kennedy skipped at least 10 forums and sent surrogates like Emil Jones to represent him, that he refused to be on the same stage with Juliana Stratton and threatened not to attend if JB wasn’t there. To be clear, the forum organizers had originally accepted having Juliana attend until Chris Kennedy’s campaign complained. JB has attended over 25 multi-candidate appearances and looks forward to continuing to share his message with voters across the state.”
* Rebecca Evans at the Kennedy campaign called Slayen’s statement “petty and insulting to voters”…
It was a unanimous decision by the organizing board to keep yesterday’s Democratic gubernatorial candidates forum to just candidates for governor. For the Pritzker campaign to spend their time citing a tally of forum attendance that doesn’t accurately reflect all of the events and meetings Chris has with people throughout Illinois is petty and insulting to voters who want a substantive leader to unite our state. It’s also a signal that, despite paying millions of dollars for TV ads, Pritzker’s campaign must be feeling very insecure about their candidate’s status in this race.
After waiting hours on both campaigns to provide their responses, I reached out to the person who sent that e-mail about Stratton at around 2 o’clock. So far, I’ve heard nothing back. I’ll let you know.
But, hey, if nothing else, I did inadvertently manage to get both spokespersons to go after each other on the record.
Progress! /s
I often host a party the weekend before the primary and invite top staffers from every campaign to attend. I’ve never once seen a fight or even an argument. Next March’s could be different.
*** UPDATE *** From the organizer…
Hi,
We had a great forum last night. We certainly missed Mr. Pritzker and Mr. Pawar, but the five candidates who attended did an excellent job and had a really appreciative audience.
In answer to your question, both are correct. It was a unanimous decision of our group, made after a call from Kennedy’s campaign objecting to Stratton’s being substituted for Pritzker. However, it was only Kennedy who objected, not the other candidates (the reason for our correction to Pritzker’s statement). Kennedy did not threaten “not to attend if JB wasn’t there,” as stated in your email. What Kennedy’s staffer said was that he wasn’t prepared to go onstage with a lieutenant governor candidate and would send his own lieutenant governor candidate as his surrogate in the event that Stratton was involved.
Cities across North America are pulling out the stops to become the home of Amazon’s second headquarters. […]
In an effort to bring HQ2 to Tucson and Southern Arizona, economic development group Sun Corridor loaded a 21-foot Saguaro cactus onto a truck to deliver to Amazon. […]
Birmingham, Alabama has installed three massive Amazon delivery boxes around the city to coincide with the launch of Mayor William Bell’s formal bid for the second headquarters. The city plans to add more boxes, too. […]
Amazon, Georgia? Earlier this week, the Stonecrest City Council in Georgia voted to de-annex 345 acres of its land if selected for Amazon’s second home. The new area would be called the city of Amazon.
No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.
* The Question: What “futile and stupid gesture” would you recommend for Chicago in this Amazon HQ2 sweepstakes?
* Chris Kennedy was asked last night during a candidate forum about his position on legalizing marijuana…
KENNEDY: I’ve seen the crowd’s reaction on this, I’d like to take a pass on this one. [LAUGHTER]
MODERATOR: Are you sure?
KENNEDY: No but I think we are all struggling with the same issue, and I’m not going to take a shot at anybody and I certainly don’t mean to. I think it is dangerous to embrace a public health hazard simply because you want revenue.
That’s what I think. And that’s what makes, and I’m not aiming that at anybody. I’m cautious because we haven’t studied this issue thoroughly because the Republicans in the Congress in the House and the Senate have prevented the federal government from doing so. We have great research institutions in Illinois, nothing is going to happen under Gov. Rauner. We should challenge a place like Northern or U of I, UIC to study the effects, make an informed decision, defer to the scientists and the doctors and don’t let politicians make scientific decisions.
Now, in fairness, Sen. Daniel Biss said a few minutes earlier that he believed marijuana was a “public health problem” But, he said, “Let’s find a public health solution, not a criminal solution.”
Daiber said he supports it because it is now socially acceptable.
“If you wanna buy some pot, you probably can on this campus,” he said to laughter. But he wanted Illinois to legalize marijuana by referendum and not legislation.
The only boos from the crowd on the night came when Hardiman said marijuana was a gateway to other drugs.
“Yes, it’s been proven in addiction studies,” he said in response. “I do support it, but we need to take a good look.”
Biss said he supports the legalization of cannabis because the laws are enforced unequally, because he wants to address it as a public health issue and because taxing it could be used for revenue.
Veteran political commentators agreed. “Governor Rauner said from the time he was a candidate that he was a fiscal conservative with no social agenda. His wife, Diana, a major Planned Parenthood donor, said they were both ‘social-justice warriors.’ One of them turned out to be a liar — and it wasn’t Diana,” says Dan Proft, a conservative Chicago-area talk-show host and former Republican gubernatorial candidate. “Rauner’s fiscal conservatism never materialized, but the radical-left social agenda did, which is why his poll numbers read like a Chicago thermometer in February.”
Maybe the state party will finally have a comment on Proft now that he’s opening up on Rauner. I’ve asked the party for a response yet again, but haven’t heard anything back.
…Adding… The governor was asked about stuff like this today and here’s his response…
Asked about unity of IL GOP, Gov. Rauner repeats "Reasonable people can reasonably disagree." Says "no group is defined by any one issue.”
Speaking of Personal PAC, the group is using Rauner’s signature and threats of a repeal of the abortion-expansion bill to promote its fundraising luncheon later this month.
“The ink had not yet dried on HB 40 becoming law before anti-choice state representatives and senators held a press conference announcing their plans to file legislation immediately repealing HB 40,” says an email from Personal PAC President and CEO Terry Cosgrove.
“We cannot let this happen! The 2018 elections will determine the future of HB 40 and reproductive rights going into the next decade. Your support is now more important than ever,” says the email, which then urges supporters to “buy your tickets now” for the group’s Oct. 30 awards luncheon.
In a case that could reshape American politics, the Supreme Court appeared split Tuesday on whether Wisconsin Republicans gave themselves an unfair advantage when they drew political maps to last a decade.
If Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote almost certainly controls the outcome, is prepared to join his liberal colleagues, the court could rule for the first time that districting plans that entrench one party’s control of a legislature or congressional delegation can violate the constitutional rights of the other party’s voters. That could lead to changes in political maps across the country.
* As we’ve already discussed, this case revolves around the “efficiency gap,” which, the SCOTUS blog explains, “looks at the number of votes ‘wasted’ in each election, either because they are cast for the losing candidate or because the victorious candidate did not need them to win”…
(M)uch of [the court’s time] was spent in the weeds, on what Justice Stephen Breyer described as another “hard issue” in the case: If courts are going to get involved with partisan-gerrymandering cases, what are manageable standards that they can apply to evaluate the claims? Breyer offered Tseytlin a five-part test that looked at, among other things, whether one party controls the legislature and the redistricting process; whether the redistricting maps create “partisan asymmetry” – that is, they do not treat the different political parties equally; and whether that asymmetry is “persistent” and extreme. “I suspect,” Breyer told Tseytlin, that the test is manageable. […]
[Erin Murphy, arguing for the Wisconsin State Senate] picked up this theme, reminding the justices that the kinds of standards that the plaintiffs have proposed have identified “false positives” – districts that appear to be the result of gerrymandering but are not – 50% of the time. What, she asked rhetorically, are legislatures supposed to do when confronted with problems like these? […]
[Justice Elena Kagan] seemed to be on board with Breyer’s standard, but looked for reassurance that the courts would not be inundated with challenges to other redistricting maps in the future. Smith suggested a variety of measures that seemed to placate Kagan, but not Roberts, who complained that the kind of statistics-based predictions that Smith’s measures would call for had “been a very hazardous exercise” for the court in the past. Alito also complained about the “dozens of uncertainties” in the process that Smith was proposing.
* The potential for a large number of cases disputing whether a state’s map is in compliance is real. For example, there are strongly differing opinions on whether Illinois would be ruled out of compliance…
(A)ccording to Nick Stephanopolous, a law professor and lawyer for Wisconsin Democrats, it would leave Madigan’s partisan cartography undisturbed.
“At this point, no, (the Wisconsin case would not affect Illinois), simply because the ‘efficiency gap’ isn’t big enough for Illinois,” he said.
In 2012, [Illinois] Democratic House candidates got 52 percent of the vote statewide but captured 60 percent of the seats, report political scientist Kent Redfield of the University of Illinois at Springfield and policy consultant Cynthia Canary. In 2014, Democrats got 50.5 percent of the vote and 60 percent of the seats. This year, Madigan’s party again won 60 percent of the races.
That’s why Illinois Republicans may side with Wisconsin Democrats on one issue: partisan gerrymandering.
* From a Change Illinois fundraising e-mail…
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark case that could change America’s political landscape and establish constitutional limits to partisan gerrymandering. If the Court establishes a new constitutional standard prohibiting partisan gerrymandering, this will apply nationwide and could be used to finally change Illinois seriously flawed redistricting process before new legislative maps are drawn after the 2020 census.
“Could” is the operative word there. Maybe, maybe not.
* I’ve asked the candidates for a response and will post if they ever arrive…
“The silence from the Democrat candidates for governor speaks volumes about their respect for taxpayers. Rather than offer relief after backing Madigan’s 32% tax hike, Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss are keeping quiet on the unpopular soda tax in a desperate attempt to curry favor with Chicago Democrat insiders. Taxpayers won’t let the Democrats’ deafening silence drown out their cries for help.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Days before the October 10th hearing of a plan to repeal the hugely unpopular soda tax, the Democrat candidates for governor - Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss - are maintaining their silence in a desperate attempt to curry favor with Chicago Democrat insiders like soda tax-loving Toni Preckwinkle.
Poll after poll after poll has revealed that support for the soda tax will quickly sour relations with voters, but that hasn’t stopped the Democrat governor candidates who are eager to push their tax hike agenda.
Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss will do anything for support from the Chicago Machine, even if it means keeping quiet as beleaguered Cook County taxpayers cry for help after being whacked with massive income, sales, and property tax hikes.
Even as Madigan and vulnerable House Democrats join Republicans in opening up a new front in the war against the soda tax, Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss are staying the course and staying mum.
The silence from the Democrat candidates for governor speaks volumes about their respect for taxpayers; in that, they have none left.
* The Illinois Policy Institute has tended to avoid openly opining on “social issues” and has concentrated instead on its economic and government reform agendas.
Gov. Bruce Rauner suffered new fallout Friday from his shocking decision to sign a controversial abortion bill — scratched as the featured speaker at a suburban Republican picnic to avoid creating a “distraction.”
The backlash even hit a personal note from one of Rauner’s closest political allies, John Tillman, the CEO of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute.
The think tank leader labeled the governor “Benedict Rauner” for disregarding his previous claims that he wouldn’t sign the controversial House Bill 40, which expands public funding of abortion and protects it in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade.
No federal money for abortion, but Illinois can and will pay
There is a law that bans the federal government from using tax dollars to pay for most abortions. Illinois’ new law that will have taxpayers pay for abortions gets around that by leaving federal money out of it.
Taxpayers in Illinois will pay for 100 percent of the costs of a new law that allows women on Medicaid to get an abortion because of the federal Hyde Amendment, which bans federal dollars from paying for most abortions. […]
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which oversees Medicaid, said they estimate the cost at almost $2 million a year.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said the cost could be ten times that.
Ives said Illinois can barely afford the 3 million people enrolled in state Medicaid right now.
Yes, because Rep. Ives would know the potential costs better than the state agency which administers the program.
Also, DHFS filed a fiscal note estimating the cost at $1.8 million before Rauner said he’d veto the bill and long before he signed it.
But, hey, just quote someone who has been talking about running against Gov. Rauner in the primary or at least how she will work to ensure his defeat without once mentioning her political intentions…
The news service does some good work. I use their stuff often. This article gives me pause.
* The Illinois Policy Institute not only damaged Gov. Rauner’s brand when several of their employees went to work for him, it damaged its own brand by associating too closely with an unpopular governor. And then again damaged its brand when their people failed to right the ship. And then again when Rauner signed several “liberal” bills into law while some of those same staffers were on the payroll (including his chief of staff and his chief policy advisor).
Jumping into social issues will only cause more damage.
Illinois’ current budget needs either more taxes or less spending to balance. After Gov. Bruce Rauner flip-flopped on a controversial abortion bill, will GOP members upset with the betrayal break with the party and support more taxes or fees to balance a budget?
Republicans are doubtful, but it happened with budget and tax hike votes in July and could happen again.
In signing House Bill 40, Rauner went back on his promise to conservative lawmakers that he would veto the measure that allows taxpayer money to fund elective abortions in the state. With the ensuing backlash, the governor and other GOP leaders will have to keep an unhappy party in line come time to address the state’s budget, which Rauner has in tax hikes.
On what planet is a veto session tax hike to balance the budget being considered? That’s just plain goofy, but it’s another way they can work their HB40 rage into their “fiscal” stories.
Attorney General candidate Erika Harold proudly announced the endorsements from the following Illinois Republican Congressmen:
Congressman Mike Bost
Congressman Rodney Davis
Congressman Randy Hultgren
Congressman Adam Kinzinger
Congressman Darin LaHood
Congressman John Shimkus
“It is an honor to have the support from the members of our congressional delegation,” said Erika Harold. “As leaders from across our state, our congressmen know how important real reforms are to our state. I look forward to continuing the fight for reforms that will put the people’s interests ahead of the interests of the powerful political class.”
“Erika Harold is exactly who we need to take on the political machine. A Harvard educated lawyer and a national leader combatting school violence, Erika Harold tells the hard truths and always stands up for those in need. I know she’ll take on the corruption in state government.”– Congressman Rodney Davis
* The Tribune claims the endorsement could “potentially clear the field” for Harold, but notes the one absent voice…
Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton said Tuesday evening that Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon has an interest in seeking the GOP attorney general nomination and is waiting to see what transpires. Kane County is part of Roskam’s 6th District
Among those backing Harold: Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, who was challenged by Harold in the 2014 Republican Party primary in the 13th Congressional District. Davis won districtwide, 55 percent to 41 percent, but Harold beat Davis in Champaign County, 70 percent to 28 percent.
The two ran polite campaigns in that race, never getting personal and agreeing on most major issues, such as opposition to abortion, support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one woman and one man, elimination of the estate tax and giving federal judges more leeway in sentencing. They debated only once, at a Bloomington radio station eight days before the primary.
* I’m hearing that Mike McRaith is considering a bid for attorney general. McRaith ran the Department of Insurance for Gov. Pat Quinn, and then served as President Obama’s first director of the Federal Insurance Office.
McRaith is also very active in Illinois‘ LGBQT community. So, that could add a significant twist to the campaign, partly because it sets him apart in an ever-growing field of candidates and partly because he would have a reliable fundraising base.
* From the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform…
Illinois’ most expensive attorney general race on record was the 2002 showdown between Lisa Madigan and Joe Birkett. 2002 saw an interesting mix of political circumstances: a first-term Republican president, scandals in the Governor’s office, and an open attorney general seat. The Primary and General Election candidates spent a total of $18 million in the race for the open seat. Since then, the most expensive AG race cost candidates $4 million.
Since 2002, only 5 races for attorney general across the US have cost more than the $18 million Illinois contest. The most expensive race took place in California in 2010, when $34 million was spent between Democrat Kamala Harris, who won the race, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, and their seven combined primary opponents. That same year, California also saw the most expensive gubernatorial race in US history, which cost an estimated $280 million.
Current trends in the gubernatorial race and state legislative races indicate 2018 could witness unprecedented spending by candidates and super PACs, and the same could happen in the race for AG. National trends also point to an increased significance for the AG post as states continue to battle with the Trump administration.
* Speaking of outside money, here’s a RAGA press release…
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) released the following statement regarding Democrat Nancy Rotering announcing her candidacy for Illinois Attorney General.
“Nancy Rotering is too extreme for Illinois,” said RAGA Executive Director Scott Will. “In one breath, Rotering claims the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is ‘…one of the greatest things that has happened in the last 10 years…’ and in the next admits that costs continue to rise. What a typical politician, trying to have it both ways. Real leaders identify a problem and offer a solution. The rest of Illinois is sick of Chicago liberals telling the rest of the state what is best for them. Rotering is the Bernie Sanders in this race and just like voters in the 10th Congressional District rejected her, so too will the entire Land of Lincoln.”
Sharon Fairley, the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, is moving forward as a possible candidate for Illinois attorney general.
A spokeswoman for the new police oversight agency known as COPA said in September that Fairley “is definitely considering a run for Attorney General,” but declined to offer more details.
Since then, Fairley has taken the step of creating a political committee to support her run, filing to create “Friends for Fairley” on Monday, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Fairley’s committee will support her run for the office that will soon be vacated by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and sources told NBC 5 she has begun asking supporters for campaign donations.
* COGFA looks at the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers…
(C)onstruction jobs (seasonally adjusted) in Illinois grew 0.6% between June 2015 and June 2017. This rate of growth ranks Illinois 46th in the nation for this rate of improvement in this subsector for this time period. Even more disappointing are the results when comparing the number of construction jobs in Illinois today compared to 15 years ago. Construction jobs are down 22.0% in Illinois over this time period, ranking Illinois 50th for this rate of change.
Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan — the Chicago Democrats who control the Illinois General Assembly — are mapping plans for the state to help pay for infrastructure improvements in and around Jackson Park related to the Obama Presidential Center.
The two leaders “are looking for a commitment from the governor to support road projects that would support the Obama Presidential Center,” Cullerton told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday. […]
A source told the Sun-Times that over time, the state could be asked for more than $100 million for transportation improvement projects triggered by construction of the Center.
At that Sept. 19 meeting, “The Speaker reminded the others of the estimate that the city has developed about infrastructure needs, the road networks that might serve that property,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Tuesday.
Patty Schuh, a spokeswoman for Brady, said the conversation also included a discussion of legislation to provide capital for state infrastructure projects. “We are certainly interested in a capital bill moving forward and are reviewing any necessary components,” she said on Tuesday.
* At the time of the meeting, however, she and others denied that capital was even discussed…
.@SenBillBrady spox denies he introduced capital bill of any kind, claims it wasn't even discussed. Several sources say otherwise. https://t.co/1bu2JUrWPx
Illinois’ [overall unemployment] rate of 5.0% ranks them 41st in the nation. Midwest states with better unemployment rates than Illinois include Iowa (3.3%, ranked 8th); Wisconsin (3.4%, ranked 11th); Indiana (3.5%, ranked 12th); Minnesota (3.8%, ranked 15th); Michigan (3.9%, ranked 18th); and Missouri (4.0%, ranked 22nd). The only neighboring state with a higher unemployment rate than Illinois was Kentucky at 5.4%.
Citizens for Rauner today released a new tv ad highlighting the historic school funding bill signed by Governor Rauner that results in record funding for Illinois public education, a first ever tax credit scholarship program for low income students, and historic changes to the public school funding formula to provide more funding for those children who need it most.
Improving education was a major reason why Bruce ran for governor. He believes education is the most important thing we do as a community and that every child in Illinois deserves an opportunity to attend high quality schools regardless of zip code or family background. Before running for governor, Bruce and his wife, Diana, committed their personal resources to improving education in Illinois schools by supporting early childhood development, charter and choice schools, better teacher training and merit pay.
After taking office, Bruce established the bipartisan Illinois School Funding Reform Commission and tasked it with reforming the way our state funds schools, ensuring our neediest communities receive the school funding necessary to provide a
great education. The result: after decades of other governors and legislatures falling short, Bruce signed historic education reform this fall.
It’s been called ‘nothing short of a miracle.’ Against all odds, the highest level of funding for Illinois public education ever. Common sense tax credits for donations to scholarship programs And historic changes to the public school funding formula to help provide more funding for those children who need it most.
There’s a long way to go. And it won’t be easy. But Illinois is worth fighting for.”
* Maybe this will stop all the questions about whether he’s running again…
Gov. Bruce Rauner can probably expect reporters to keep asking whether he’s running for re-election every time he’s out in public until he offers a definitive answer.
While his campaign team repeatedly has said the governor will seek a second term next year and nominating petitions are being circulated, Rauner has yet to formally kick off his re-election bid either through a video or rally.
That the question is even being asked is indicative of the unorthodox political moves Rauner has made in recent weeks. He signed into law an abortion bill and immigration bill opposed by conservative Republicans, who are part of the base he’ll need to keep to avoid a significant challenge in the March primary and to turn out in the November general election. And after opposing a school funding bill as a Chicago bailout all summer, Rauner switched course and signed the measure into law, declaring victory in the process.
And now he’s running a TV ad about that school bill.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The bill actually hasn’t been called “nothing short of a miracle,” as the ad claims. Those words were used about Sen. Andy Manar’s efforts to pass the bill…
“He basically picked a fight that no one else wanted to touch. The fact that he got it done in this political environment is nothing short of a miracle,” says Amy Ballinger-Cole, former director of government relations for Advance Illinois (a nonpartisan education advocacy group that worked closely with Manar).
*** UPDATE 2*** DGA…
“Apparently Bruce Rauner has decided to run his reelection campaign in an alternate universe,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “For months, Rauner opposed Illinois’ new historic education bill and used the bill to sow divisions within the state. Then, Rauner pushed the state into crisis by vetoing the legislation, threatening schools with closure all for political gain. Now, Rauner is misleading the public to distract from his record of failed leadership.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner pitted Illinois communities against each other, manufactured a school funding crisis, and then forced others to clean up his mess. It’s shameful that this failed governor would now try to take credit for a school funding formula he opposed,” said Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Rauner needs to stop peddling sham narratives while using our students as pawns in his political games.”
Over the past fiscal year, the lack of an enacted budget has resulted in the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) building up a large backlog of unpaid claims. With the passage of a state budget, money has been made available to pay bills in a timelier manner. However, there has not been sufficient funding provided to fully pay down the backlog of invoices accumulated over the course of the budget stalemate. Accordingly, the total of claims held by the State has risen from the last update provided by the Commission. As of the end of September, approximately $5 billion in SEGIP claims were being held by the state from various insurers, organizations, and companies. […]
Concurrently, the estimated time for claims to be held was 523-889 days for Managed Care/Medicare Advantage, 587-643 days for Open Access Plans, and 693-770 days for CIGNA.
According to COGFA, the state owes $600 million in interest on those unpaid bills.
At a flu shot event Tuesday, Rauner was asked about gun control measures and called the shooting “so horrible, it’s beyond description.”
“Mental illness and behavior like that is just, it’s such a terrible challenge in our society. I hope we as a society can talk further about things we can do to help keep people safe, safer,” the governor said. “No easy answers, but I look forward to having the ongoing dialogue and see what we can come together as a society to deal with mental illness, deal with behaviors that are so outrageous like to try and prevent it.”
Asked if he favors an assault weapons ban, Rauner said he was “not going to get into specific policies. I think all of us should take a moment to remember and to keep the victims and their families in our in thoughts and prayers and I hope we can have an ongoing, constructive dialogue about what we can do to keep all Americans safer.”
Either side of the gun debate can have a tough time changing state laws because of the differing regional attitudes toward firearms across Illinois. Previous efforts to ban assault weapons haven’t succeeded in Springfield, and it took a federal court decision to compel lawmakers to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons. Another challenge is that it’s difficult to define an assault weapon, as gun makers can make minor tweaks and fall outside the criteria.
*** UPDATE *** Today…
.@GovRauner was asked specifically about banning bump stocks in Illinois, a device used in the Las Vegas shooting. Here’s his response ???? pic.twitter.com/sUDWRgRYI7
Calling Springfield a place where “you’re not supposed to think for yourself,” David Harris, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Illinois House, said Tuesday evening he won’t seek re-election in 2018.
“It has to do with the ability to be effective,” Harris, of Arlington Heights, told the Daily Herald. That ability, he said, is “somewhat diminished” by a deep partisan divide in state government that led to a multiyear budget standoff. The impasse was resolved in July only after a number of Republicans, including Harris, broke ranks with GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner to approve a 32 percent income tax increase. […]
That vote made Harris a target by several conservative groups opposed to the tax increase, including the Taxpayers United of America, which distributed “wanted” fliers for “crimes against taxpayers” with Harris’ picture on them at locations across the 53rd District, including Randhurst Village mall in Mount Prospect and Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights. Since then, Republican Katie Miller of Mount Prospect has emerged as a primary opponent backed by radio host and former candidate for governor Dan Proft, who runs a conservative political action committee.
“The Illinois Republican Party, we’re fighting an internal battle,” Harris said Tuesday, adding he is personally opposed to “spending $400,000 or $500,000 to get through a divisive primary.”
* And here’s his press release…
State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) announced today that he will not be a candidate for re-election next year as State Representative from District 53.
“My service in the Illinois House of Representatives has been one of the highlights of my life.” said Harris, “I will always value having worked with my distinguished colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But it is now time to look forward to the next fulfilling chapter in life.
“During my service in the House, I have served as the Republican Spokesman on the House Revenue & Finance Committee and the House General Services Appropriations Committee. I have developed a deserved reputation as one who knows the revenue and spending numbers well and understands the details of our State’s budget.”
Recognizing that the tenor of discussion in politics has become more personal and partisan, Harris stated, “I believe my constituents have been well served by my ability to work in a bi-partisan manner with my Democratic colleagues. I never forsake the Republican principles that I have held all my life. At the same time good governance requires reasonableness and cooperation in order to achieve public policies that are in the best interests of all the citizens of our great State. It is becoming harder and harder to be effective in Springfield because of the political bitterness, and that is frustrating for me.”
“My colleagues know me as a conservative legislator,” said Harris. “My voting record reflects that, and that is helpful when negotiating on issues. My conservatism can mix with doses of realistic practicality to fashion legislation that reigns in liberal policies and helps make the wheels of government turn. The Founding Fathers of our country understood the need for compromise when necessary.”
Harris’s service in the House has been recognized by groups as diverse as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce that recognized him with its 2015-2016 “Champion of Free Enterprise” Award and the Community Renewal Society that recently gave him its “Public Servant Lighthouse Award.”
Harris added, “Politics at both the state and federal levels has become extremely divisive, and that does not serve citizens well. We should strive to lessen the partisanship that is so evident and strive to raise the level of public debate. In Illinois there are important issues to address and simply engaging in personal attacks on our political opponents does not engender positive engagement on issues. We can debate public policies without ad hominem attacks.”
“Within the Republican Party, there are sharp divisions which I think will hurt the Party in the long run,” Harris continued. “There seems to be no willingness to consider various points of view. It seems that one has to adhere to some set of dictates coming from on high or one does not belong in the Party. Our Republican Party should be one of inclusion, not one of exclusion. If we hope to build our electoral chances for success in the future, we need to broaden the base, not make it more narrow. That does not mean forsaking principles, it means listening and responding to citizens in a principled way.”
“I have been extremely fortunate in my career,” said Harris. “I have had the great opportunity to give public service in several ways. My military service is a source of much pride, since I share the family tradition of wearing the uniform of our country with my father, brother and son, all of whom served. And it has been a genuine honor to serve the citizens of this area in the Illinois House of Representatives.”
Harris had served in the Illinois House in the 1980s and early 1990s. When he left the House in 1993, he took the position as Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the Illinois Hospital Association. He was called back to State government by the Governor in 1999 and appointed as The Adjutant General (Commanding General) of the Illinois National Guard. Harris initially entered military service in 1970; he had served for 20 years in the Illinois Army National Guard and risen to the rank of Colonel when he was selected to be The Adjutant General. He retired from military service after 33 years with the rank of Major General.
Harris has been involved with Republican politics at many levels all his life. He cut his political teeth with the Reagan campaign in 1976; he then became a member of the White House Advance Team during the Reagan Presidency, during which time he traveled nationally and internationally with the President and his staff.
Harris has deep roots in the district he represents. He was raised in Mount Prospect, attending Lincoln School and then Saint Viator High School. He and his wife have been residents of Arlington Heights for nearly 40 years; their two grown sons attended Saint Viator, too. The family is a member of Our Lady of the Wayside parish.
Harris says that he will look for opportunities to continue to give public service that take advantage of his years of experience.
* Dan Proft had recruited a candidate to run against Harris in the primary. His react…
Good riddance.
And that makes 9 of the 15 that have walked rather than face a primary challenge. Shouldn’t go unnoticed since Durkin’s philosophy is to protect incumbents regardless of behavior. The existence of our team is an accountability mechanism–and the only one in the ILGOP.
