* My tech guys are shutting down this site for about 30 minutes around 8 o’clock tonight to get things ready for tomorrow. I apologize in advance for any convenience this may cause you.
Early youth voting in Illinois is up 144 percent over the 2014 midterms. More than 70 percent of the 6,200 undergraduates at the University of Chicago registered to vote through the TurboVote app. At the university’s early voting site, students waited up to an hour to cast their ballots.
Keep in mind that early voting has become far more common in recent years. But it still does probably show voter intensity.
* From UIUC today…
It is taking 2 hrs to vote at the Illini Union! The line is running from the 4th floor all the way down to the 1st floor. @ChampCtyClerk refused to open more than one early voting location on campus. Please encourage UIUC student voters to STAY IN LINE and VOTE! #twillpic.twitter.com/VxTNBpq2gG
““The big question: Is all this surge in early voting, is it just just to get it out of the way? Or has it more to do with a bigger turnout?” Orr said during a news conference with city officials Monday. “The buzz clearly is we’re going to have a bigger turnout. We see so many signs, but they’re not necessarily provable at this point. We’ll see that tomorrow.
“It’s hard for us to say, but we clearly, I believe, will break the normal 49 to 52 (percent turnout),” he said.
Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the election board that supervises Chicago voting, was a bit more cautious in her turnout estimate.
“I don’t know if you can have an educated guess, but we definitely will see over 50 percent, but as far as anything more specific than that, I’m hesitant to say,” Hernandez said. “We think that this election has generated a lot of interest, so we’re hoping for a good turnout.”
Ugh. What a horrible thing to do. Not to mention that there’s no statute of limitations on arson.
* From a longtime Peoria-area subscriber…
Hey an odd FYI, I received a robocall last night at my home in Peoria County, on behalf of the GOP candidate against John D’Amico. Obviously an error somehow, but errors like this always make me wonder how many other wasted contacts they made.
D’Amico is a Chicago Democrat.
* Mike Bost and the ILGOP go with Hillary, Madigan, Pelosi and Trump…
That piece has a very retro feel to it, and I don’t just mean the inclusion of Hillary Clinton.
* Roskam’s opponent, Sean Casten, tweeted out a video of Daniel Biss juggling fire…
We're all juggling a lot before Election Day, but we need to make time to Get Out The Vote and #FlipThe6th for @SeanCasten. Thank you @DanielBiss for lending your voice to remind everyone in #IL06 to vote early and on Election Day, November 6th! pic.twitter.com/QwOh1JhYVR
* Constable: Democrat or Republican, these election judges work together for voters: Chatting politely and chuckling at times, these two longtime election judges figure out they probably have been to the same political rallies. Dianna Rushing, 67, a passionate Democrat from Palatine, was on one side holding her sign. Richard Townsend, 40, a fervent Republican from Arlington Heights, was on the other side holding his sign.
but passing a budget with the largest permanent income tax hike in state history didn’t improve Illinois’ economic climate.
* Jake breaks it down…
IPI claims the 2017 tax change “appears to be hurting the state’s economy” because the average private sector job growth from July 2010 to July 2017 was 1.4%, while that same growth number dropped to 0.97% from July 17-18.
Personal PAC, the powerful abortion rights/pro-choice organization which is a major force on the the political scene, seems scared to death that it’s chosen candidate for Illinois attorney general — Democrat Kwame Raoul — might be in trouble.
In a confidential letter dispatched late last week to board members by PAC leader Terry Cosgrove, the fear of Raoul losing the state race is palpable.
In the letter, which was obtained by Sneed, Cosgrove states:
“Putting aside the closeness of many legislative races, I am most concerned about Kwame Raoul defeating [Republican] Erika Harold.”
When Obama approached Kwame Raoul for a similar embrace, the state senator in a tough battle for attorney general gave the former president a giant bear hug.
One race that’s expected to be close is the race for attorney general, in which Democratic state Sen. Kwame Raoul – who took Obama’s seat when Obama left Springfield for the U.S. Senate – is facing off against Urbana attorney and former Miss America Erika Harold.
At the same time, Harold, an Urbana attorney, bought limited broadcast TV advertising time in the Chicago market for the race’s final weekend. Her campaign late Friday also purchased cable advertising time in the Chicago market.
She’s basically dark on Chicago broadcast.
* The Question: What’s your over/under prediction for the percentage margin between Harold and Raoul? Explain.
Former President Barack Obama returned to Chicago to rally voters while supporting gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats on the ballot in the coming election. […]
Just looking at the latest polls, Democratic gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker may not need the help from the former president to defeat Gov. Rauner, but it didn’t stop him from taking the podium.
“Republicans are just plain wrong. Democrats are about being fair and decent we can be to one another,” Pritzker said.
While former presidents often stay in the political background for a few years after leaving office, the Trump-led attacks on Obama’s legacy drew him back onto the campaign trail. Republicans, said Obama, are “blatantly, repeatedly, baldly, shamelessly lying.” And the Trump administration, which promised to “clean the swamp,” instead, Obama said, “racked up enough indictments to field a football team.” […]
Gubernatorial candidate Pritzker took the stage before Obama spoke to say “hatred and misogyny should have no place in America.” He told the crowd, “This election is about what Illinois can be.”
Raoul told the crowd, “I’m a proud son of Haitian immigrants who did not come from [a] s-hole,” referencing reports of President Donald Trump’s disparaging remarks about immigration from several countries earlier this year. “I am a birthright baby,” Raoul said.
Comptroller and likely Chicago mayoral contender Susana Mendoza called herself at the rally “your truth-telling fiscal watchdog who is not afraid to stand up to Bruce Rauner.”
I’m assuming we’ll hear some “truth-telling” from Mendoza in the coming days about her mayoral bid.
Pritzker accused Rauner and the state Republican Party of adopting Trump’s “retrograde views,” including viewing people as a threat “because of the way they look or worship or identify.”
“Illinois, my faith in you has never been greater,” Pritzker said, saying residents have shown “you prove progress is always possible.”
At Honest Abe’s Tap & Grill in Morris, the governor spoke of an uphill battle back to a second term, while warning a victory by Democrat J.B. Pritzker will turn the state into a “nightmare.”
“People are counting us out now. They’re saying, ‘Oh the polls are showing this or that,’” Rauner said. “You know what? The polls are baloney. These polls don’t mean anything. The only poll that matters is on Election Day,” Rauner said. […]
“We had a supermajority against us and it was brutal,” Rauner said of the Democratic majority in both the Illinois House and Senate. “But you know what? Two years ago, thanks to your hard work, we picked up six seats in the General Assembly to knock Mike Madigan out of the supermajority. And you know what? what we’re going to do this time … we’re going to pick up nine seats in the House and knock Mike Madigan out. He’s not going to be the speaker of the House anymore.
“That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get him out,” Rauner said.
Discussing his opponent, Pritzker, Rauner said Pritzker could be indicted in the next few months because of a a tax scheme. The audience jeered at the mention of Pritzker, with one woman in the crowd shouting “Screw him,” and a man called him the Pillsbury Dough boy. Rauner said Pritzker could join his predecessors as an Illinois governor going to jail.
“And you know what ‘J.B.’ stands for then: Jail Bird,” Rauner said.
From the man who has repeatedly bemoaned the rhetoric in politics today.
“I was trailing in most polls four years ago … and I don’t think they are really accurate,” said the 62-year-old incumbent. “Everywhere I travel people say ‘Governor, you are on the right track.’” […]
“People say ‘Governor, stay strong, don’t give in. Madigan is the problem, he’s the one that has gotta go,’ ” Rauner said. “And a lot of times they will go on and say, ‘I am a Democrat, and I don’t normally support Republicans, but I love what you are trying to do.’ ” […]
In Decatur, Rauner already had convinced Shirley and Jim Cairns from Mount Zion, diehard fans who came to the cafe to see him and definitely plan on voting for him. They don’t believe in the polls, either.
“He’s going to get it, he’s going to win,” said Shirley Cairns as her husband nodded in agreement. “He deserves it because of all the changes he’s made and the fact he’s made Illinois a better state.”
During his visit, many tailgaters introduced themselves to Rauner and asked him to pose for a picture with them. Parents brought their children to meet the governor. One gentleman said the last governor he had seen up close was Dan Walker. […]
A few people declined offers to have their pictures taken with the governor, but they were polite about it. Some tailgaters ignored the governor as he walked by their tables and tents. Most partiers seemed pleasantly surprised by his visit.
“Everywhere we go, people will come up to us and say, ‘Governor, stay strong. Don’t back down. You’re on the right track. Madigan has got to go.’ And, a lot of times, they will go on and say, ‘I’m a Democrat. I don’t normally support Republicans, but I support you because we have got to stop that corruption and the tax hikes coming out of Chicago.’ So, it’s very exciting,” Rauner said.
* Gov. Bruce Rauner has a campaign stop scheduled in Spring Grove and an evening rally at Benedictine University in Lisle.
* J.B. Pritzker has campaign stops scheduled in Rockford, Moline, Belleville, Marion, Springfield and Peoria with other candidates on the Democratic ticket, including attorney general hopeful Kwame Raoul and Treasurer Mike Frerichs.
* The governor also did a round of morning show appearances…
Rauner appeared heartened by the ovation he got from the lunchtime crowd at the Country Kettle Restaurant on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Four years ago, Rauner got 76 percent of the vote in heavily Republican Ford County and 50.3 percent statewide as he upended Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. […]
“Don’t believe those polls,” he told diners at the crowded restaurant Sunday in an impromptu campaign rally. “We need to get out the votes downstate to cancel those votes in Chicago.
“They’re trying to bring in the big guns,” Rauner said in reference to a late Sunday afternoon rally in Chicago featuring former President Barack Obama and the statewide Democratic ticket.
“All the trends are with us. We’ve got to fight these guys,” Rauner said.
State and local public health authorities have looked high and low for the sources of fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the Quincy veterans’ home. Now, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is offering a new theory.
“Massive floods and tornadoes” and “a lot of dirt.”
But Rauner offered no proof, and experts who spoke to WBEZ were skeptical.
…Adding… The Pritzker campaign compiled a long list of the governor’s excuses. Click here.
* WBEZ now reports that the Rauner administration released 132,700 pages of documents related to the Quincy veterans’ home on Friday. Here’s one bit…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration knew the Quincy veterans’ home had bungled a water-system repair in violation of state health codes but chose not to cite the facility for a mistake that likely contributed to a fatal Legionnaires’ outbreak in 2015, state records show. […]
One email has Rauner’s public health director explaining how a bacteria-laden “broth of legionella” was mistakenly released into the Illinois Veterans Home water system before a 2015 outbreak killed 12 residents.
That discharge had been previously highlighted in state and federal reports. But until now, it had not been known the release was serious enough to be a “citable offense” under state rules — an important detail that could weaken the state’s position in a dozen negligence lawsuits brought by victims’ families. […]
Shah outlined how a malfunctioning tank used to supply the home with hot water sat dormant for more than a month, filled with water that had cooled to 80 or 90 degrees — a level he described as the “optimal growing temperature” for Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’.
When the tank was repaired on Aug. 6, 2015 and put back online, the facility failed to empty out the stagnant water, which wound up being warmed to a temperature in which Legionella can still flourish. Gallons upon gallons of that water were then distributed “for normal use throughout the facility,” Shah wrote.
He likened it all to a “broth of legionella” and said it likely contaminated shower heads in the home within a week of the repair.
A top Illinois public health official delivered a searing indictment of how Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office handled fallout from the Legionnaires’ disease crisis at the Quincy veterans’ home, alleging that secrecy, indecision and “never-ending conference calls” created a “mess,” state records show.
Emails sent earlier this year by state Public Health Director Nirav Shah’s chief of staff offer some of the most damaging evidence yet that Rauner’s office itself was responsible for withholding key information from state lawmakers and the media about successive Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the facility.
“The [governor’s office] should have followed our advice and just release [sic] the documents with no redactions. Now we have another mess created by them to deal with,” Shah’s underling, Erik Rayman, wrote on April 4.
Rayman’s note to Shah and others within their agency came in response to a WBEZ story about how Rauner administration lawyers were aggressively censoring public documents related to Legionnaires’ outbreaks at the home, which are now linked to 14 deaths.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today called for Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah to resign following reports that the Rauner Administration botched a water-system repair at Illinois Veterans Home (IVH) Quincy, which was in violation of state health codes, and then chose to deliberately withhold that information from the public and not cite the facility for a mistake. In newly released documents, Shah detailed the dangers present at the facility, noted that the violations warranted a citation, yet chose not to issue one. Additional reports indicate that Shah and other staff at the Illinois Department of Public Health found Governor Rauner’s office to be an obstacle in ensuring a prompt and comprehensive response to the deadly outbreaks and more focused on public perception.
“There was definitive evidence that a serious public health crisis was underway at the veterans’ home in Quincy in 2015, and the Rauner Administration and Director Shah chose to sit on their hands as veterans and staff at the home fell victim to these deadly bacteria. It’s an outrage that time after time the Governor and his team prioritized public relations over protecting vulnerable veterans, their spouses, and staff at IVH Quincy. Director Shah’s response to this tragedy reflects the height of irresponsibility and negligence, and it’s time for him to go,” said Durbin and Duckworth.
* The Democrats are focusing intently on their vote by mail program. These numbers are from last Thursday, so they’re way outdated, but here’s Greg Hinz…
As of [November 1], Orr’s office had received 110,868 applications for mail ballots, with 54,304 already returned. Only 51,237 voted by mail in all of 2014, and Orr’s office says the final mail total this year is likely to exceed the final 2016 figure of 87,987.
According to Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen, 118,544 persons had cast early ballots as of yesterday, compared to 73,127 at this point in 2014, and 191,808 with six days to go in 2016. But mail voting is soaring even compared to 2016, with 116,124 applications for mail ballots so far, compared to final figures of 40,869 in 2014 and 102,896 in 2016. So far, 48,174 of those ballots of been returned.
According to [Chicago] Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen, 118,544 persons had cast early ballots as of yesterday, compared to 73,127 at this point in 2014, and 191,808 with six days to go in 2016. But mail voting is soaring even compared to 2016, with 116,124 applications for mail ballots so far, compared to final figures of 40,869 in 2014 and 102,896 in 2016. So far, 48,174 of those ballots of been returned. […]
As for [DuPage County] mail ballots, 19,922 have been returned so far. There were only about 7,000 four years ago, and 25,000 in 2016.
* From the DuPage Democrats…
There are reports that many more than usual mail in ballots are being rejected this year. To see if your mail in vote may have been rejected use the following link to look up the status of your vote: www.dupageco.org/VoterLookup If your vote has been rejected, call the election commission to see why and what you can do about it. (630) 407-5600
* From the 10th District Democrats…
Lake County Clerk Carla Wyckoff’s office is rejecting Vote-By-Mail ballots from voters across Lake County but the office is refusing to confirm how many voters are affected or release the names of which voters’ ballots were thrown out. As a result, many voters may not find out until after Election Day that they were disenfranchised and their votes were not counted. Wyckoff, a Republican, is up for re-election on Tuesday.
“Voters across Lake County may think they’ve already voted but the County Clerk’s office won’t say whether or not their vote has been cast. That’s unacceptable,” said Lauren Beth Gash. “The County Clerk’s refusal to be transparent is an affront to democracy and we urge them to reverse course immediately.”
County clerks are required to notify voters by letter in the mail letting them know they need to take action by filling out an affidavit to affirm that ballot was properly cast or directing them to vote in person on Election Day. However, many voters may not receive that letter until after Election Day has passed, especially if election judges reject their ballot within a few days of Election Day.
In other counties around Chicagoland, the County Clerk’s offices have been transparent when they reject ballots, regularly responding to requests to determine how many ballots are being rejected and the identity of the voters who have been affected. This allows voting rights advocates to follow up with voters to let them know they need to return an affidavit, come to the Election Commission in person, or show up at the polls in order to make their ballot count. To make matters worse, unlike other neighboring counties, Lake County does not operate a website allowing voters to verify online if their votes have been cast.
The last column I write before an election day is always the toughest because some papers will publish this before election day and others will publish it after. So, today you get a yard sign story.
Let’s start with Congressman Peter Roskam’s campaign, which sent out two press releases during the fall campaign complaining about stolen yard signs.
It wasn’t a stolen sign that prompted a proposed temporary restraining order by an apparent supporter. Instead the fear of unwanted yard signs wound up in Lake County court.
A group called Illinois Citizens Ignited formed after one of Roskam’s constituents had two yard signs made to protest Roskam’s NRA support. She placed the signs, which read “Roskam accepted $20,450 from the NRA,” next to Roskam yard signs. The signs were updated after Roskam received more NRA money. Ignited has reported raising $4,420.
Ignited asks residents on its website to help the group find Roskam signs “in the public right of way,” or on a street corner or “along a busy road.” The group has an online form to fill out to report sign locations and it uses a Facebook page to spread the word.
Congressman Roskam was once a law partner in the personal injury firm Salvi, Roskam & Maher. That firm is now called Salvi & Maher and includes the husband and wife duo of former state Rep. Al Salvi and Kathy Salvi.
Kathy Salvi filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against the group on Oct. 23 because, as she claimed through another attorney at her firm, she “fears that her property will be trespassed upon … and that her freedom of speech and political expression, especially as it relates to the free exclusion of the same on her own private property, will be violated by Ignited.”
Ignited’s response claimed that Salvi doesn’t live in Roskam’s district, so she shouldn’t be worried that her yard would be tagged. The judge dismissed the case.
But another TRO demand was filed a few days later against Ignited by a company that owns a shopping center in Lake Zurich. The motion was also filed by that same former Roskam firm.
The new filing claims that since Ignited has “incited, encouraged and/or instructed” incidents of trespass, and has already placed one of the anti-Roskam signs on the plaintiff’s property next to a pro-Roskam sign, it has reason to fear it could happen again.
Congressman Roskam appeared at an event in August with the owner of the shopping center and called the owner and his spouse “dear friends,” according to the Daily Herald. The Roskam campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The plaintiffs have a point. Don’t put something on my property without my consent. I get that. But a lawsuit seems like a bit much.
Meanwhile, if you think that court action is a little excessive, how does a lawsuit seeking $1 million per removed yard sign sound? That’s the case filed in the 59th House District, where Dan Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) is running against Karen Feldman (R-Lincolnshire) in an open seat race to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Carol Sente.
Feldman and two other local Republican candidates are suing Didech in his official capacity as Vernon Township Supervisor and the township itself because they believe Didech ordered their yard signs removed.
They claim they “placed, or caused to be placed” yard signs in a park, which turns out to be near a polling place.
They allege that Didech had their Republican signs removed, but not Democratic signs. The suit also claims Didech had no legal authority to remove anything. They’re asking $1 million for each sign “to punish them and to deter others from similar wrongful conduct.”
Feldman’s attorney told me that police reports have been filed and said the matter has been referred to the state’s attorney.
Now, if this is true and Didech abused his authority, he should face consequences. But I thought the GOP was for lawsuit reform.
* From Brendan Murray on Sunday morning…
Hello Mr. Miller,
My name is Brendan Murray, and I am the attorney who represented Mrs. Salvi and now represents The Fidelity Group, LP as to their claims against IL Citizens Ignited.
I had the pleasure of reading your 11/2/18 article Saturday evening – wow $1 million per sign? I hope to see a follow-up to that one!
I didn’t want to bother you too late in the night, so I waited until this morning.
After reading your article, I thought that it was very well put, which is why I ask that you give credence to what I am about to say. I know you stated it was your last article pre-election, but in case you ever follow-up with this story, or are reporting another similar matter, that you take the opportunity to clarify something that was put to question in your 11/2/18 article.
You are correct in stating that bringing action into court for an emergency injunctive relief (a.k.a. temporary restraining order, “TRO”) may be a bit much. The granting of a TRO is to maintain the status quo to prevent further harm, but is only applied in exceptional and emergency circumstances because it is considered a drastic remedy.
You are also correct when you say not everything needs to be brought into court. However, the court system is exactly the proper place to bring conflicts such as these, especially in the passionate political climate of the day. It is not just me arguing this, it has been the public policy of Illinois since 1992 when the Illinois Supreme Court held in People v. DiGuida, 152 Ill. 2d 104, 126 (1992), that without the ability of a plaintiff to request relief from court system in a conflict between a private property owner’s rights and the freedom of expression right of another, the only recourse is to resort to self-help. This is not adequate according to the Supreme Court of Illinois, and therefore the public policy is to give individuals an opportunity to resolve the conflict through the court system.
Especially in this passionate climate as it comes to politics and elections, I think reducing incidents of these conflicts is paramount to maintaining respect for the rights of all individuals involved.
In People v. DiGuida, the Supreme Court also found that the private property owner’s right to use and exclude from their property as they wish is a right that is superior to the right of any entrant onto that private property to engage in unconsented to free speech.
These conflicts are unwarranted in a society that believes that open dialogue is the key to success, but as you well know there is activity claimed by all sides as to sign theft, property trespass, etc. Importantly, and to your worry of overkill, an analysis of the details between the first TRO suit from 10/26/18, in which our petition was denied, and that of the second suit from 11/2/18, which granted my client temporary relief, reveals the standards to satisfy in a TRO are difficult to obtain, and the clear capability of the court to apply this rigorous standard. This, again, is due to the remedy being one of a drastic nature.
I only ask that you consider clarifying this issue whenever you get a chance, as you are clearly an author whose writings communicate clear and critical analysis, and thus, your influence to society’s understanding of their rights is great.
IL Citizens Ignited made a press release dated October 30, 2018, stating the Court Order from the Salvi lawsuit gave the right to post signs throughout the 6th district. This was a complete mischaracterization of the Order from 10/26/18, and the Judge made sure it was so stated in the Order from 11/2/18 that nothing in that Order is to be considered as giving IL Citizens Ignited the right to trespass onto private property or post signs on the same. The Judge was not happy at the misrepresentation in the media as to the law and the rights of the citizens.
I appreciate any consideration you have to my input, and please do not take this as any criticism to your work – thank you for your efforts!
Take care,
Brendan M. Murray
That was the most polite letter I’ve ever received from an attorney in my life, including my own.
All the real action in the 2018 governor’s race happened in the primary. Since then, it’s been little more than a series of sideshows while we wait for what looks to be a very predictable outcome.
Democrat J.B. Pritzker unveiled all but one of his policy proposals before the March 20 vote and spent much of that race debating the direction of Illinois with his two main opponents, who produced their own plans and then graciously endorsed him shortly after they lost.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner started his primary race by ignoring his opponent, but then had to kick it into high gear in the closing days to narrowly avoid defeat. Polls have shown since then that he has failed to unify Republican voters after that bitter battle. And his rival, state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, has refused to endorse him to this day.
The governor has since had to scramble to pull his base together while also trying to appeal to moderate suburban women, who have long held the key to the Governor’s Mansion in this state. That’s been complicated by a union-funded “Conservative Party” candidate who regularly slashes him from the right. So Rauner’s been forced to do things like stage an endorsement from the Illinois State Rifle Association in southern Illinois to try to hold things together.
Pritzker, for his part, has spent the general election campaign shelling out massive amounts of money to make extra-special sure that every single sentient creature in this state has received and understood his ubiquitous message on all available news and social media platforms that the governor is a lying failure.
The biggest news since the primary about the Democratic front-runner is not what he wants to do, but what he has been accused of doing. A Cook County inspector general’s report alleged that people near him participated in a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers when they ripped toilets out of Pritzker’s vacant mansion to lower its property taxes. Ten current and former staffers sued his campaign for racial discrimination and retaliation. And then two of his staffers were fired after one took a video of another staffer putting on what resembled blackface (it was supposedly a charcoal facial treatment) and then posted it online.
But Pritzker’s double-digit lead in every public poll has contributed to a lack of enthusiasm by reporters, their editors or both to thoroughly cover his candidacy. During the last few months he’s held publicized Chicago-area events and no reporters turned up to ask him questions. Half the city running for mayor probably doesn’t help, either.
* Doug Finke quotes a Teachers Retirement System press release…
TRS made sure to emphasize the financial issues facing the system in a news release about the trustees’ action. It noted that TRS’ unfunded liability grew to $75.8 billion in the last budget year “due to the 80th consecutive year of underfunding from state government.”
“Since its founding in 1939, state government has never once appropriated an annual contribution to TRS that equaled full funding in any year,” the news release said.
* I held my quadrennial pre-election party in Chicago over the weekend. I always invite a couple of dozen or so campaign types to have drinks and break bread the Saturday before election day. I’ve been doing this since 2002 and have never seen one argument.
This year was, I think, the best one. I even convinced the campaign managers for the Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker campaigns to pose together for a photo. On the left is Betsy Ankney with the Rauner campaign. On the right is Anne Caprara with the Pritzker campaign…
What some of these folks discover at my party is how much alike they all are. It takes a special type of person to run campaigns or flak for them, so most are cut from the same cloth. They may be on opposite sides, but they have lots of things in common.
* The Siena College/New York Times poll of 428 likely voters has Democratic challenger Lauren Underwood leading incumbent Republican Congressman Randy Hultgren by 6 points, 49-43. MoE of +/-5 percent.
*** UPDATE 1 *** He should’ve dropped this oppo at least a month ago and followed it up with TV ads. Instead, he let Dan Proft release the information and is holding an election eve press conference. Political malpractice on Hultgren’s part…
Last minute news conference this afternoon from @RepHultgren as questions are raised about @LUnderwood630 experience as a nurse, #IL14 polling shows Underwood ahead #November6
“We have fewer than 24 hours before Election Day and I’m traveling across the seven counties of the 14th District, visiting with voters and my team’s dedicated volunteers. Randy Hultgren clearly saw polling numbers that made him nervous, so he is staging a last minute press conference to discredit my professional work. Our voters deserve better than desperate political stunts from a career politician. They deserve honesty and responsiveness from their representative in Congress; Randy Hultgren has failed on both counts.
“The facts are simple: I’m proud to be a licensed registered nurse in the state of Illinois and two other jurisdictions. I specialize in public health nursing. I have spent my career fighting for affordable, quality healthcare. Throughout my clinical training and decade of nursing experience, I have spent thousands of hours working with patients. I look forward to carrying the values of the 14th District with me to Washington to make real progress on issues like health care that are important to the families of this community.”
* Tribune Editorial: This election is a showdown between Rauner and Madigan
* Down to the wire: Counting the days, pennies, patches, problems in gov race
* Far out! Illinois Dems think they’ve dropped in on the big one
* Rauner’s conservative predicament: “If Bruce Rauner ends up losing we need to realize that we need to go back to our grassroots. We need to be inclusive. We need to be a positive party. We’ve got to stop calling people names and focus on a agenda that makes sense,” McSweeney said.
* It’s probably too late for Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold campaign to run an ad about this, but it will likely dominate her fly-around on Monday…
If you click the link you’ll see Speaker Madigan made the contribution to Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign fund on Halloween. Kinda fitting. Not everyone is happy about this behind the scenes, I’m told, with one calling it “Clearly a power move.” Madigan could’ve washed that cash through the Democratic Party of Illinois, but for whatever reason chose to give directly to Raoul. Since Raoul could really use the money for late TV, he took it.
Harold, an Urbana attorney, bought limited broadcast TV advertising time in the Chicago market for the race’s final weekend. Her campaign late Friday also purchased cable advertising time in the Chicago market. […]
From Oct. 23 through Friday, Raoul has taken in more than $1.3 million in cash and assistance for his campaign. Oct. 23 marked two weeks out from the Nov. 6 election. The donations to Raoul included nearly $445,000 worth of phone banking assistance plus another $55,400 in cash from the Democratic Party of Illinois, $103,867 worth of mailings from the abortion-rights advocacy group Personal PAC, $200,000 from the Laborers’ union and $50,000 from the Teamsters union.
Over that same home stretch of the campaign, Harold reported taking in $166,850. Of Harold’s overall haul of $5.4 million, $3.5 million — or 64 percent — has come from Rauner and Rauner ally Ken Griffin, the founder of Citadel. Rauner has contributed $1.8 million while Griffin has given $1.7 million. […]
Raoul allies acknowledged privately that the contest would likely be among the closest of statewide races on the ballot, though they dismissed concerns that their candidate could be in danger. Internal polling, though, has shown that Raoul has consistently trailed behind the larger leads held by other Democrats seeking statewide office, particularly Pritzker, party operatives said.
…Adding… Harold campaign spokesperson…
Mike Madigan wants an Attorney General he can control. That’s why he’s attempting to bail out @KwameRaoul’s failing campaign with a last-minute $1M personal check. Unlike Raoul, @ErikaHarold will hold Madigan accountable and will be the independent voice #IL needs. #twill#ILAGhttps://t.co/82WiF5aHzq
Congressional candidate Lauren Underwood lives in a $750,000 Naperville home with a three-car garage, one block from an exclusive, private golf course.
Upwardly-mobile suburban voters typically admire the trappings of success— when they are one’s own.
Underwood, however, still sleeps in her childhood bedroom, down the hall from her mother and father in the home where she grew up.
There was once a time when a 32 year-old might be embarrassed, perhaps even mortified to rely on their parents to pay their credit card bills.
But no longer.
These days, “failure to launch” doesn’t make one reluctant to offer their leadership and wisdom to others, to run for the statehouse or even U.S. Congress. Enter Underwood, who was recruited by Democrats to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Plano) this year in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District. It includes Naperville, Plainfield, Shorewood and Aurora in Will County, as well as parts of DuPage Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and DeKalb Counties.
In her defense, Underwood is hardly the only candidate on the Illinois ballot this year still living with their parents.
Democrat Bridget Fitzgerald, 30, is running for state Senate in a district that includes parts of Lockport, Homer Glen, Orland Park and Naperville. She lives with her parents in nearby Western Springs, also in the house in which she grew up.
Near the Wisconsin border, Jake Castanza, 28, still lives with his dad in Rockford. He graduated from Purdue in May, then kicked off a campaign for state representative against a three-term incumbent.
The candidacy of a still dependent like Underwood, Fitzgerald or Castanza would ordinarily be seen as quixotic. But state and national Democrat leaders are backing the trio with millions of dollars, betting voters driven by their animus to President Donald Trump won’t dig deep into their resumes.
So far, polling numbers show the three as competitive, suggesting they haven’t.
Just days before Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is slated to be on the ballot for a second term, a new campaign ad surfaced Friday showing her announcing a run for Chicago mayor, but her team insisted the ad was only made in preparation for a potential run.
“I’m Susana Mendoza and I’m running for mayor of Chicago,” Mendoza says in the seconds-long clip obtained by NBC 5, adding, “and I ask you to join me on this journey together.”
The ad, which Mendoza claimed was stolen from her campaign, surfaced four days before she is slated to be on the ballot in the midterm elections, running against Republican Darlene Senger for a second term as Illinois comptroller.
Mendoza’s campaign said the ad was simply made in preparation for a possible run, as she is still considering her options.
Worst. Kept. Secret. Ever.
Either this was stolen or leaked from within. Either way, somebody needs to upgrade their security before making a formal announcement for mayor.
…Adding… If you click here and go to the 18-second mark of a Mendoza comptroller campaign ad, you’ll see that she’s wearing that same gray sweater and appears to be in the same room as in the above ad. It seems possible that she cut these at the same time.
Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) hedged her bets, filing for both re-election to her aldermanic seat and for city clerk. She’ll have to drop one or the other by Monday, she said. She and her husband will talk about it over Thanksgiving dinner, she said.
State Rep. Susana Mendoza poked fun at Jackson’s double-filing as she filed her own candidacy for clerk.
“I filed for one office I’m really passionate about and that’s city clerk,” she said.
…Adding… ILGOP…
“Susana Mendoza is a liar. She said she would respect voters by focusing on the Comptroller’s race, but it’s clear that she only cares about her own ambition and climbing up the ladder. Mendoza has been misleading the people of Illinois, asking for their vote with no intention of serving her term. She should immediately drop off the ballot for Comptroller” - Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling
Eric Adelstein, Mendoza’s political consultant, stepped up to take the blame for the mayoral video.
“We were filming her comptroller ads and I suggested that, while she hasn’t made up her mind on the mayor’s race, she should record some lines so we had them and could move quickly if she decides ultimately to run. It’s a tight time-frame,” Adelstein said, noting the Nov. 28 mayoral filing deadline.
“She hasn’t made up her mind. One-hundred percent. l hope she runs … because the city could really use her energy, her drive and her vision. … But, maybe I jumped the gun by urging her to go out. … People should be focused on Tuesday.”
Asked if he had a mole in his firm, Adelstein said he didn’t know.
“There are a lot of people involved in these campaigns. Hopefully we get to the bottom of how that leaked out. It shouldn’t have,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s any surprise she’s been thinking about running, and said she’d make that decision after Tuesday, and a prudent candidate gets ready for any eventuality given how close the next one would be coming up … I know she has not made up her mind, but I had suggested she get prepared and get ready.”
Communities facing abnormally high cancer risks from toxic air pollution stand out on a color-coded map created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Only a few dozen residential areas nationwide are shaded dark blue like neighborhoods surrounding the Sterigenics facility in west suburban Willowbrook, where potent ethylene oxide gas escapes from fumigation chambers used to sterilize medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food.
Pull back from a tight focus on Willowbrook and another dark blue cluster comes into view about 40 miles northeast in Lake County.
More than 19,000 people live within areas at risk from ethylene oxide emitted by a Medline Industries facility near Interstate 94 in the southwest corner of Waukegan, the interactive map shows.
Another facility in Lake County could pose even greater risks than Sterigenics or Medline. Federal and state officials confirmed the only reason it isn’t on the map is that someone at the state level failed to provide the facility’s ethylene oxide emissions for the U.S. EPA’s latest estimate of cancer risks, known as the National Air Toxics Assessment. […]
None of the findings about Medline and Vantage has been shared with the public until now.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Chicago Tribune published a story that details how two facilities in Lake County, Illinois – Medline Industries, Inc. in Waukegan and Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc. in Gurnee – appear to emit cancer-causing emissions, yet the Rauner Administration, along with the Trump Administration, have delayed giving this pertinent information to Lake County residents:
This is simply outrageous. Day after day, the Rauner and Trump Administrations continue to prioritize public relations over serious public health hazards. The U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA must immediately begin conducting ambient air monitoring and stack tests to identify all emissions from the Medline and Vantage facilities and determine whether these facilities are releasing harmful levels of ethylene oxide – cancer causing emissions. They must also guarantee that both companies are taking the necessary steps to limit ethylene oxide emissions using any available pollution control technologies. Most importantly, the Rauner and Trump Administrations must be fully transparent with the public about the information they have on these two facilities, and set a public meeting for Lake County residents. Additionally, I will be calling on the EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate whether or not EPA complied with all statutory, regulatory, and policy requirements and protocols when it intentionally withheld critical health information from the public on these two facilities. The health and safety of Illinoisans is at stake.
After pouring a record-breaking $161.5 million into his own candidacy, Illinois Democrat J.B. Pritzker will close out his 18-month gubernatorial campaign with an ad that never even mentions his name.
In the final spot, first obtained by POLITICO, Pritzker doesn’t ask Illinois voters to go to the polls for him specifically. Instead, the ad urges “on Tuesday, vote Democratic.” […]
In a statement about the ad, Pritzker said he’s focusing on boosting Democrats up and down the ticket. Pritzker has already financed a massive statewide GOTV operation that is coordinating with Democrats across the state. While polls have consistently shown Pritzker holding a comfortable lead against Rauner, four Republican-held Illinois congressional districts remain toss-ups. The Democratic nominee for governor has also invested in the contest for attorney general, which pits Democrat Kwame Raoul against Republican Erika Harold.
The fact that Pritzker can take an unusual step of not including his name in his closing spot is a testament to the onslaught of ads that have carpeted every media platform available for 18 months. Viewers will likely recognize the narrator’s voice: it’s Pritzker himself. He also makes an appearance in the spot.
* The spot, per state law, does say briefly on-screen that it’s paid for by JB for Governor…
Hard work, decency, looking out for our children’s future, creating opportunity. That’s what’s on the ballot on Tuesday. When you vote for Democrats, you can make clear health care is a right and pre-existing conditions should be protected. You can make sure that all kids get a quality education no matter where they live. You can send a message that it’s time for a change in Springfield and in Washington. On Tuesday, vote Democratic.
With Rauner at the helm, we believe the state stands a better chance of navigating the difficult financial straits ahead.
We understand Pritzker holds what appears to be an insurmountable lead in polls leading into the election and that if elected, Rauner would face the challenge of working with a Legislature he largely has alienated.
We take the governor at his word, though, with his mea culpa and think he would be an important, much-needed check on single-party rule in the General Assembly.
With that in mind, we endorse Gov. Bruce Rauner for a second term.
A campaign ad put out by Rauner’s campaign for governor this week showed his childhood home in suburban Deerfield, prompting CBS 2 to look into his past as a child growing up in the Chicago suburbs.
A Chicago Tribune article that ran in 1963 shows an 8-year-old Rauner with his family.
A check of Rauner’s birth certificate shows his birth year was actually 1956, a year earlier than the year widely-published.
Rauner’s campaign staff on Thursday acknowledged the mistake, and his Facebook page had been changed to the correct year on Thursday.
But it may take the rest of the internet some time to catch up, however. His Wikipedia page still cites his birth year as 1957.
* I think Rick Pearson and Mike Riopell have written the best story about how DuPage County politics are changing that I have ever read. One small excerpt…
But there are other factors at play — such as the demographic shift DuPage County has been experiencing. DuPage is becoming less white, and its white population is growing older, according to statistics compiled by the county’s public health department. At the same time, its racial and ethnic minority population is growing, and it’s trending younger. […]
Between 1990 and 2013, the county’s Latino population increased by 275.4 percent and the African-American population increased by 175 percent, the DuPage health department report said. During that time period, there was a 124.3 percent increase in the 55 to 59 age group and a 162.4 percent increase in the 85 and over age group. […]
A critical subset of suburban voters are women — fiscally conservative but socially moderate who are true swing voters who can hold strong sway over the outcome of Illinois elections.
“I’ve got a picture of her on a PowerPoint,” said Mooney, the UIC political scientist, explaining one of his class exhibits.
“She’s about 34, she’s got a kid in the backseat that she’s taking to daycare or to soccer, she’s driving an SUV and she’s driving around in Schaumburg or Lisle or something like that,” he said. “She’s socially, fairly liberal. She has no problem with gay people. Immigrants maybe make her a little nervous but not that much. But she doesn’t like her taxes, and she doesn’t like Donald Trump and all these nasty things about people. That’s one of the problems some of these suburban Republicans have at the moment and the governor.”
* I haven’t received anything yet from the Republicans in these two races, but here’s Lauren Underwood…
* Script…
This is our community. We work every day to make it better for our children.
Our representative in Washington pledged to protect our health care, then voted to sabotage it. He told us he would stand up for our families, then he championed a tax break for the rich.
We were disappointed and we were emboldened. This is our community and our representative is not working for us.
Casten: “I’m Sean Casten, and I’ve spent my career building businesses that will leave a safer, cleaner planet to our children. But when Donald Trump was elected, I knew I had to do more.”
Narrator: “After 25 years, Peter Roskam can’t run on his record. He’s lost touch with the people who sent him to Washington.”
Casten: “In Congress, I’ll make decisions based on facts, not partisan politics. I’ll work with Republicans and Democrats to tackle our problems and I’ll be an independent check on Donald Trump.”
* In past years, the Democratic Party of Illinois opened a hotline on election day to take calls about voting issues. The effort was expanded to a month this year. From DPI…
(T)he Voter Protection Program has received more than 700 calls and helped resolve dozens of voting-related issues. While a majority of the calls relate to vote-by-mail or general election questions, the staff intervened and helped resolve dozens of issues often with the assistance of the State Board of Elections. These include:
Successfully intervening at a Will County early voting location, with the help of local officials, that was plagued by long wait times and even turned potential voters away;
Intervening on the first day of voting when a local election authority incorrectly advised voters that a Drivers’ License was required to vote, which is not the case;
Working with DuPage County election officials to ensure that ballots for disabled voters were made available at an early vote location.
* That Will County instance was interesting. I first heard of it from a legislator’s tweet…
Voters are having problems at the Crete Twp. early voting facility; 1367 Wood St. in Crete. They're being told they have to sign a list and to expect long waits. This is nonsense. Many people there feel as though this is an instance of voter suppression.
* This e-mail was sent by the Will County Clerk’s chief deputy that afternoon..
To: Kathie Holubek, Crete Township Clerk
Michael Liccar, Crete Township Supervisor
Today was the first day for Early Voting at Crete Township Office Building. Our office has received numerous calls complaining about the long lines and inappropriate procedures taking place at this location. The clerk is making up her own policies for voting that are unlawful and unacceptable and must cease immediately.
I personally trained the Clerk (and staff) and it was never communicated that you can do any of the following:
· No voters should ever be turned away if they have entered your building during the hours you have agreed to for Early Voting
· All voters in line must be allowed to vote
· No phone numbers or lists are to be written down for a call back when they can vote
· No signs should be posted that voting is closed, especially if it is still within the hours you agreed to
As elected officials it is your duty to provide this service to your residents per the guidelines of the agreement you signed (copy attached). The Will County Clerk is asking for you to provide us with a phone number so we can call you after all voting is finished today in Crete to further discuss this matter. We await your response.
*** UPDATE *** That sign requiring a driver’s license to vote was in Cumberland County…
IMHO, under no circumstances should a governor - whoever it is - hire a chief of staff with no state government experience in Illinois. We do not need a Rauner repeat.
That was intended as a response to a suggestion elsewhere that a tech/business guy with no political or government experience might be in line to be JB Pritzker’s chief of staff should he be elected governor.
I’ve since re-thought that blanket assertion after discussing it over with some old hands in both parties. Gov. Rauner’s first chief of staff, for instance, had no state government experience. He and his team had their flubs, but the worst mistakes were made by the governor when he wouldn’t listen to his team’s advice, whether that was over doing a budget deal or whatever.
His third chief of staff also had no significant state government experience and that person was out after only a few chaotic months at the helm.
So, it can go either way. It really depends on the person and the top dog, not really the chief’s specific background. I let my Statehouse chauvinism show through too much. It happens on occasion.
* What the next governor (whoever it is) needs in a chief is someone he can totally trust to always look out for his and the state’s best interests. People are going to be coming at him from all directions with their own agendas, and with their hands or their swords (or both) out. So that chief will have to remind him that Illinoisans put him in that job for a reason and sometimes that means saying “No” to an ally and also means finding a way to get to “Yes” with others.
I think Gov. Rauner had that sort of chief when he was inaugurated, except the governor didn’t listen nearly enough. The governor wanted everything done right away and then got almost nothing done after the FY15 budget deal because that’s what happens when you demand too much, too fast in a divided government (or even in a one-party government).
* The bottom line here is that prior state government experience isn’t as all-important as I insisted the other day. I still think it would be helpful, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. What matters most is a range of abilities and a bond of trust.
WHO / WHAT State Representative Jeanne Ives, former conservative reform Republican for Governor, has some availability for interviews related to the Midterm election.
WHEN Monday, November 5, all day; Tuesday, November 6, 6:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m.; Wednesday, November 7, all day
WHERE Representative Ives will be in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but is available via phone and satellite.
WHY Ives can discuss a number of issues, including her election predictions, election results, and next steps for the ILGOP
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is threatening to haul the state’s child welfare agency into court next week if it doesn’t take immediate action to ensure kids are safe inside an Uptown psychiatric hospital that has seen a rise in complaints alleging youths were sexually and physically abused due to lax supervision and improper staff conduct.
The group wants the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to put an immediate hold on future admissions of the agency’s young patients into Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, as well as allow for an independent investigation of recent problems there. Four state lawmakers also called on DCFS to seek an outside review of the hospital.
In addition, the ACLU is asking DCFS to transfer the agency’s youths out of the private hospital if a more suitable facility can be found. And the organization urged DCFS staff to conduct daily unannounced visits. […]
The ACLU, which has a long-running federal class-action lawsuit against DCFS on behalf of children in the state’s foster system, gave the agency until the end of Friday to respond or it plans to ask U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso to intervene, said Heidi Dalenberg, the civil rights group’s general counsel.
State lawmakers Thursday called for an independent investigation of a Chicago psychiatric hospital, citing a ProPublica Illinois report that found allegations of sexual assault and abuse of children, as well as safety violations related to suicidal patients.
In a letter to the head of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, three state lawmakers said they support the recommendation of DCFS’ acting inspector general, Meryl Paniak, to appoint an independent reviewer to go into Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital and examine the agency’s response to incidents there. […]
State Reps. Sara Feigenholtz and Greg Harris and state Sen. Heather Steans, all Chicago Democrats, expressed in the letter their “serious concern” about reported incidents involving “harm to youth” at the hospital. They urged Beverly “B.J.” Walker, DCFS’ acting director, to “move swiftly” in naming an independent reviewer.
That person, they wrote, should be appointed to “evaluate not only the cases at Chicago Lakeshore and the response by DCFS, but also to conduct a thorough review of quality of care and adherence to all relevant laws, policies, and procedures.” In addition, the review should include recommendations on how to “guarantee the safety and best possible outcomes” for children at the hospital now or in the future.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, a Democrat from Deerfield, said separately on Thursday that she is drafting a second letter to DCFS reiterating the need for an independent investigation and asking DCFS to ensure the process takes no longer than 60 days.
UPDATE: Signs I referenced earlier. Looks like wind blew them flat. "Bought and Paid for by Mike Madigan" signs next to Jackson Co. Dem. Clerk candidate. @WSILNews@capitolfaxpic.twitter.com/85yTP2Irxl
* Earlier this week, the Field Museum announced free admission on election day for anyone who could show proof that they voted. Oopsie…
“The intention is golden. But under the law, you can’t offer anything of value in connection with registering to vote or voting,” said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
The good news? Now the free admission offer will be extended to all Illinois residents, regardless of whether or not they’ve got an “I Voted” sticker.
“Oh, what the heck,” the museum announced after a nitpicking Chicago Sun-Times reporter inquired about the potential felony. “Field Museum free to all IL residents Nov. 6, even if you don’t vote.”
Field Museum spokeswoman Kate Golembiewski called it a mistake, saying they “still hope people research the issues that matter to them and make their voices heard.”
* Gov. Rauner is on the final bus tour of the campaign. Peoria…
If re-elected, Rauner said his first priorities would be to work with the Legislature on a pension reform package as well as putting together “one of the biggest capital bills in Illinois history.”
The latter, he said, can be done without raising taxes on residents by leveraging more federal money, using more public-private partnerships and getting revenue from expanded sports betting and gambling.
After a first term that frequently faced gridlock with the Legislature, Rauner said a second term would reflect lessons learned.
“What we’ve learned is by focusing on moderate wins, getting small steps, we can build up a lot of steps to get change over time,” he said, adding that he hoped that more reform-minded legislators of both parties would be taking office.
“Change takes time, especially in a system that’s as broken as ours,” he said. “We got into this mess over 40 years, we can’t change it in four.”
“Every vote we get here, we don’t have to get up in Cook County,” said Rauner, highlighting the fact that his victory in 2014 was close, even though he won every county in the state except Cook.
“A lot of people might say ‘I’m too busy to vote,’ or My vote does not matter.’ Every Vote Matters! This race is going to be closer than people think.” […]
“[Pritzker] is outspending us by $100-million,” said Rauner. “Good grief, he is trying to buy the election. [He is] covering the airwaves with false advertising, but the truth is breaking through. That’s why it’s so great to have some members of the media here. The truth gets known, we are going to win.” […]
“Corruption, insider dealing, this guy has used the language of racists, he’s been caught on FBI wiretaps trying to buy office from [former Illinois Governor Rod] Blagojevich, his own staff is suing him for racial discrimination, and Cook County Democrats investigated him for his property tax shenanigans and they decided property tax fraud, mail fraud and perjury for falsely manipulating, taking toilets out, saying ‘No one can live here so it’s worthless, I should not have to pay $330,000 in property taxes.’ This guy is corrupt at his core.”
A Paul Simon Public Policy poll earlier this month showed Rauner trailing Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker by 22 points. But Rauner said he wasn’t concerned with poll results.
“We were trailing by similar amounts four years ago,” he said. “I don’t pay that much attention to polls; they’ve been shown to be wrong so many times over recent election cycles. All that really matters is the turnout and the vote results on Nov. 6. […]
“Pritzker has been part of that corrupt machine — (Gov.) Blagojevich, Madigan — they’ve all been together in that Chicago nest of malfeasance,” Rauner said. “When you cut through everything, this election is really about taxes and corruption. As that truth gets known, I really believe we are going to prevail in this election.” […]
“The critical thing out of the gate will be a capital bill,” he said. “We need to invest in our infrastructure and invest in our state. We are the transportation hub of America. We’ll get it done right after the election.”
* Chicago Magazine’s Edward McClelland couldn’t get away from JB Pritzker’s constant ads on Spotify, so he wrote about it…
Pritzker isn’t just advertising on Spotify and YouTube, but on Pandora, Hulu, and Facebook, according to his communications director, Galia Slayen. She called the campaign’s digital program “honestly one of the best in the nation. We’re reaching voters in ways voters have never been reached before, and we’re doing it on a scale it’s never been done [before].”
Digital platforms, she explained, allow politicians to reach various demographic groups more precisely than TV or radio. For instance, the Pritzker campaign targeted Facebook and YouTube ads at voters who favored marijuana legalization by using data from an online survey by Civis Analytics. The survey asked voters’ opinions on a wide variety of issues; Civis then used that data to model voters likely to be pro-legalization.
“You have so much data about who you’re reaching,” Meininger said. “In digital, I know X, Y, and Z about people who listen to Coffee Table Jazz. Even if they’re not picking out you, they’ll do a profile about people who listen to this type of music.”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton won voters under 45, while Donald Trump won voters over 45. Younger people are more likely to use streaming services, which makes digital advertising more important for Democrats.
“Democrats, especially, need to invest more in digital,” said Pritzker’s digital director, Megan Clasen. “Digital reaches young people and TV reaches older people.”
There’s a good feeling of balance emanating from the Executive Office and on Beacon Hill these days, a far cry from what is transpiring in Washington.
People’s concerns are getting a fair hearing, no matter what side of the political aisle they are aligned.
It’s a tribute to the collaborative spirit fostered by Baker’s team with Democrat leaders controlling both branches of the state Legislature. While nothing is perfect — and differences of opinion crop up all the time — there is an attitude of respect and collegiality among lawmakers that says adults are at work and we’ll get this done.
The end result is that Massachusetts and its 6.6 million residents are better off today than they were four years ago.
Under the Baker administration, 215,000 people have found jobs who didn’t have them two years ago. New businesses are moving into the state and some existing ones are expanding. Our state public colleges are winning accolades for quality and value by national rating services and magazines, and lawmakers are pumping record dollars into the K-12 school system.
But there’s a lesson in the divergence so far, one that tells us that even in these angry and polarized times, there’s a market for decorum, pragmatism and political centrism.
Rauner chose to go down — and I do mean down — a confrontational path. His strategy was to try to browbeat and insult “corrupt” Democratic legislative leaders into passing items on his highly ideological 44-point pro-business agenda, and, when that failed, to wait until they blinked during a 736-day budget stalemate.
Rauner congratulated himself on his stubbornness, impatience and resolve as the state’s fiscal condition continued to deteriorate and his poll numbers plummeted. […]
The contrasting results achieved so far by these outwardly very similar men shows that, while the public may thrill to invective and rage, what most constituents want are adult politicians who know how to work together without rancor, split their differences and get things done.
“Mike Madigan’s power, his tentacles, are everywhere, in all the branches of government. But I’ve figured out how to get around him,” the governor said, citing passage of a balanced budget.
All of Rauner’s talk about Madigan’s power prompted the show’s host, Tom Miller, to ask the Republican governor: “Bruce, are you saying that there’s a deep state in Illinois when it comes to Madigan?”
“Well, I can tell you there absolutely is, and it is corrupt. It’s corrosive, and it’s very powerful,” Rauner said.
“Madigan is the head of it, but he’s got his cronies, his minions all buried in the judiciary in the judicial branch, all through the General Assembly and unfortunately in most of the departments over in the administration, the executive branch of government,” he said.
And since the governor was speaking to a Downstate audience, Rauner added that his Democratic challenger Pritzker was a “super-liberal gun-grabber” who was “bad news for southern Illinois.”
* The Democratic Attorneys General Association has put $864,500 behind this TV ad…
* Script…
Announcer: Republican Erika Harold wants to be attorney general, and she says…
Harold: It’s no secret that I’m pro-life.
Announcer: But did you know this?
WCIA TV’s Mark Maxwell: You mentioned that even in cases of rape and incest, most Republicans carve those out, but that you were still opposed to abortion. Have your views at all evolved or changed on that?
Harold: My views are clear.
Announcer: That’s right. Erika Harold is for outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. Erika Harold, she’s too extreme for Illinois.
Thursday, Nov 1, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Direct Energy is a proud supporter of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH). Since Direct Energy’s relationship with CMNH began in 2015, the company has donated $116,300 to Lurie Children’s Hospital. In addition to funds, employees from Direct Energy’s Buffalo Grove and Oak Brook offices have volunteered at the Hospital and its outpatient centers.
In January, the Chicago-area offices help Lurie celebrate National Reading Day with a book donation. In the past two years, Direct Energy has donated more than 200 books.
Lurie Children’s is just one of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Direct Energy supports across North America. For the company’s support, CMNH inducted Direct Energy into the Miracle Millions Club, the international recognition program for corporate partners that raise more than $1 million annually.
* The Senate Democrats have dumped about $170,000 into Steve Webb’s race in deep southern Illinois over the past five or so days. Webb is up against Freshman Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg). Check out Webb’s new TV ad that began airing last night…
Trump won the district with 68 percent of the vote.
* Script…
Dale Fowler says he’s a conservative voice for Southern Illinois. His record tells us something else.
Tax increases? He voted for them. Money for our schools? Fowler voted to send the money to Chicago.
Steve Webb, a real conservative. Pro-life, pro-gun, pro-coal.
Webb voted for President Trump because he was the only one who would stand up for law enforcement officials like Webb.
Vote Steve Webb, a real conservative voice for Southern Illinois.
* This is good advice. The Republican congressman from the 14th District Randy Hultgren shoulda probably taken it…
Ftr, spending in each competitive IL seat is: IL6: D-$9.8 mil R-$9.3 mil IL12: D-$5.4 mil R-$5.5 mil IL13: D-$5.9 mil R-$4.6 mil IL14: D-$7.6 mil R-$2.1 mil
Word of advice: If a seat is Tilts/Leans R to start and you get outspent by $5 mil, don't be surprised when it's close
* Naperville nurse gets support of former VP against incumbent Randy Hultgren: “I’m not a politician, I’m a nurse,” Underwood said, to thunderous applause from the 1,400 people attending the rally. “But even the politicians tell us that this is the most important election of our lifetime. But I honestly believe that this year, it’s true, because our health care is on the ballot.
* Ex-Vice President Joe Biden stumps for Democrat Lauren Underwood: Hultgren, of Plano, was on stage with President Donald Trump in southern Illinois over the weekend. Hultgren said just a few words at the rally, telling the crowd hundreds of miles from his district to get out and vote early. “We’ve got a tough battle,” he said from the podium with Trump by his side, adding that Underwood is “absolutely dying to support Nancy Pelosi for speaker.”
* Letter: Vote for values, not leftist, pricey campaigns: Randy Hultgren doesn’t have $2 million from George Soros to stop Lauren Underwood’s lies about his record with TV ads. All Randy Hultgren can hope for is that his exemplary record in Congress will stop his constituents from believing the lies.
Thursday, Nov 1, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Today, the Pritzker campaign released a new TV ad, “One Illinois,” highlighting how JB has spent the campaign listening to and sharing his vision with Illinoisans across the state.
The ad features JB on one of his three statewide bus tours talking about his priorities for Illinois and how he’ll fight for working families as governor. Footage from campaign stops in 10 cities and towns across the state are represented throughout the one-minute ad.
Pritzker: I think the only way you can represent a state as diverse as this is to spend real time with people in every region.
Bloomington resident: It’s good to see you again here!
Pritzker: Thank you.
Peoria resident: It is so good to see you!
Pritzker: Governor Rauner wants to pit one area of the state against another. I think we’re one Illinois.
Belleville resident: I’m so glad to meet you!
Pritzker: The values that people have are the same. People are decent. They’re dedicated. They’re hardworking.
Pritzker, to Rockford Veteran: Thanks again for your service.
Pritzker: They want to get past all of the challenges and actually get something done.
Belvidere resident: I can’t tell you how much help we need.
* Raoul campaign…
Today, Democratic candidate Kwame Raoul released a new Chicago radio ad - “Every Voice Matters” - in which President Barack Obama explains why electing Raoul to be Illinois’ next attorney general is so important. When Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Raoul was appointed to fill his seat in the Illinois Senate, where he has served for the past 14 years. Obama has endorsed Raoul for attorney general.
“This is Barack Obama. When I was elected to the U.S. Senate, I was proud to see Kwame Raoul chosen to fill my seat in the state Senate. I couldn’t be more impressed with the work he’s done since, fighting for the issues we care about and the values we share.
“That’s why I support Kwame Raoul to be Illinois’ next attorney general. Kwame knows that healthcare isn’t a privilege; it’s a right. While I was in Washington fighting for the Affordable Care Act, he led the effort to expand healthcare coverage to every Illinoisan. He stood up for working families, for criminal justice reform, and for common-sense gun laws.
“Now that our progress is at stake, Kwame Raoul is precisely the attorney general we need. He’ll protect our healthcare, protect a woman’s right to choose, protect our environment, and protect our right to vote, because he believes that every voice matters.
“So let’s prove that our voices matter. This is Barack Obama, and I’m asking you to vote for Kwame Raoul for attorney general, November 6.”
…Adding… Rauner campaign…
This week, Governor Rauner has been travelling around the state on his “Our Home Our Fight” bus tour. Media has covered the tour as the governor has been “pushing hard for votes” and “focusing on his accomplishments” like record school funding and expanding the U of I.
“Women” in the context of this movement does not include all women. Its leaders and participants should at least be upfront about it.
The environment in Illinois politics is telling. Among the least-represented voices in Springfield is that of conservative women. The House and Senate, made up of 177 members, include 61 women of both parties. That number should be higher, but it’s not abysmal. Of those women, the majority are Democrats and mostly lean left. The House right now has only 13 Republican women. The Senate has two.
Let me repeat that data point for emphasis: Of the House’s 118 members, 13 are GOP women. Of the Senate’s 59 members, only two are Republican women. If the movement is truly about lifting women, shouldn’t it be focused on raising those numbers? Bringing more capable, opinion-diverse women into the pink-hat pavilion?
As I reminded subscribers earlier today, three Republicans have resigned from the Illinois Senate since the summer of 2017. All three were women and all three women were replaced by men. One of the women who stepped down was Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno. The Senate Republicans elected a man, Sen. Bill Brady, to replace her.
The #MeToo movement is not some top-down political action committee. The Republican Party, particularly in the Illinois Senate, is the entity truly in need of a dressing-down here. After all, they’re the ones who recruit the candidates and they’re the ones who exert influence on local retiree replacement decisions.
…Adding… I was reminded that women in the SGOP caucus, including Sen. Radogno, supported Brady’s election.
It’s officially November and we are 5 DAYS OUT FROM ELECTION DAY!
Some news I didn’t want you to miss…
Barack Obama has been campaigning in close races all over the country to help Democrats deliver the “blue wave,” and now news broke that Obama is coming to Chicago to help JB Pritzker!
Pritzker’s been talking a big game about bringing the “blue wave” to Illinois, but we are closing strong and have the momentum and it’s clear he needs some BIG help.
We know that no one fires up Democrats like Obama, so I need your help to beef up our efforts in the final stretch to make sure every single one of our supporters gets to the polls!
Can you chip in $10, $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to help us in this final stretch?
Let’s send a strong message to Pritzker — we don’t want a “blue wave,” we want LOWER TAXES, MORE JOBS, AND AN END TO CORRUPTION.
On to victory!
Anthony Sarros
Political Director
Obama was already planning a rally in nearby Gary, Indiana, so I just don’t see this as “ZOMG! Barack is flying in to bail out the tanking JB=jailbird!” He does these rallies in the city every four years, sometimes more.
The largest state-funded pension system said Wednesday it will need a 10 percent increase in its state contribution in next year’s budget.
The Teachers’ Retirement System said the state will have to kick in more than $4.8 billion for the next budget that will start July 1, 2019. That’s an increase of about $400 million from the current budget.
“TRS investments had a good year, but we cannot invest our way out of this problem,” TRS executive director Dick Ingram said in a statement. “The unfunded liability is too large and grows every year.”
Years of underfunding of all five state-funded systems have left the state pension systems in debt to the tune of at least $130 billion. More than $73 billion of that is from TRS. Ingram said paying off that debt accounts for 76 percent of the state’s annual contribution to the teacher retirement fund. Without those costs, the state would only have to pay $1.2 billion in the next budget.
* Could the Chicago Tribune wind up being owned by a rich Democrat? Here’s Robert Feder…
Michael Sacks, a prominent Chicago businessman and top donor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, could emerge today as the frontrunner to take control of the Chicago Tribune’s parent company. Sources said Sacks, CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management, is poised to make a bid for the shares of former chairman Michael Ferro, who owns a controlling 26 percent stake in the company formerly known as tronc.
Tribune Publishing confirmed a New York Post report that initial bids are due today. Also in the running may be McClatchy Co., Sacramento, California-based publisher of 30 daily newspapers. But McClatchy’s bid reportedly depends on the uncertain participation of biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing’s second-largest shareholder. In addition to the Chicago Tribune, the company owns the New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and papers in six other cities.
I’m out here canvassing door to door talking to voters directly about their biggest concerns. And one of their concerns is how partisan this campaign is and how partisan politics is overall. My opponent recently sent out a piece of mail that compared me to a piece of meat, and being the candidate that’s in this for positive reasons and trying to set a good example for young girls and children everywhere, I want to go on the record and say I don’t think it was right to compare me to a piece of meat, photoshop my head on somebody else’s body, and I can only hope that this will be the end of this type of communication the more we speak out about it. Please don’t compare people to meat. Thank you.
