* From comments a few days ago…
=== I’ve got family in FL. The amount of other costs they have to endure- fees, regulations, or simply going through the private sector for services I get covered by the state- almost entirely offset whatever they save on taxes.===
Someone made the point the other day that people don’t want to live in Deerfield because of the taxes, which, no, that is literally exactly why they move to Deerfield. Sending your kids to a top college-prep high school for free because you pay high property taxes is a bargain compared to having to pay for a private college prep school. People move to Chicago’s North Shore because of the schools, which are funded by the high property taxes.
When I lived in the south, I was continually amazed how people would work so hard to dismantle local laws and services — there was basically no code enforcement where I lived — and then move into HOAs with outrageously high fees and send their kids to super-expensive private schools, because they didn’t want to live next to somebody with the car up on blocks in the yard and didn’t want to send their kids to underresourced schools, but somehow paying more to acquire those services privately was morally superior to just paying taxes?
This, of course, doesn’t apply to the impoverished areas of the south suburbs which have crushing property taxes, subpar schools and lousy services. That’s a whole other problem that absolutely must be addressed.
54 Comments  
|
Question of the day
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Washington Post…
The DNC has signaled that it’s committed to keeping at least one of the early nominating contests in the Midwest, and Michigan’s video takes implicit shots against rivals Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. (The committee has said it could also add a fifth early state, so two Midwestern states could be make it through the process.) […]
“Unlike other states, there’s no singularly dominant, hyper-expensive media market that holds back campaigns with fewer resources,” [former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas] says in the ad.
That’s not true of Illinois, which is dominated by the expensive Chicago media market. […]
Unlike Michigan and Minnesota, Illinois isn’t a battleground state in the general election. But in addition to its racial diversity, Illinois can tout something its Midwestern rivals can’t: the ability to change to its primary date with relative ease.
My favorite part…
Thomas also boasts that Michigan is “the most diverse battleground state in America” … Michigan isn’t the most diverse presidential battleground state based on racial diversity. But Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who’s been leading Michigan’s push to move up the primary calendar, said she takes a broader view of diversity.
Dingell cited Michigan’s agricultural diversity — “We are the most diverse state in the country when it comes to crops,” she said in an interview
* Also from the Michigan ad …
Doctors, nurses, researchers in our medical centers, heroically saving lives and innovating healthcare
So, they’re promoting their cheap TV ads while lying about their diversity and touting the fact that they have… doctors.
* The Question: What should Illinois’ response be to this?
39 Comments
|
Campaign notebook
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve been over this topic several times before, but this is a good read from Emily Hoerner at the Tribune…
The state’s wealthiest man, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, is again exerting influence in a race for an Illinois Supreme Court seat during an election cycle that could give Republicans a high court edge.
Griffin has funneled $6.25 million to an independent expenditure committee that two years ago spent millions in a successful effort to unseat a Democratic high court justice by linking him unfavorably to former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The committee this time around already has spent more than $200,000 in the Republican primary, and Griffin said in a statement that Illinois residents “deserve fair and objective judges rather than the hand-picked candidates of Mike Madigan.”
I didn’t realize Madigan was still picking candidates. Who knew?
* Daily Herald…
As the primary races for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District seat approach the finish line, incumbent U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove has been raising and spending far more than either of the other Democratic challengers for his job, federal documents show.
The latest finance reports were filed before Casten’s 17-year-old daughter, Gwen, died unexpectedly last week.
After that tragedy, Casten temporarily put his TV advertising on hold and withdrew from the public eye to mourn with his family. Casten’s campaign advertising has since resumed, spokesman Jacob Vurpillat said Monday, but he’s not yet making public appearances.
“(We’re) just taking it one day at a time right now,” Vurpillat said.
* Same district…
LCV Victory Fund and NRDC Action Votes announced a new digital ad buy backing Rep. Sean Casten in the IL-06 primary. Two new ads highlight NRDC Action Fund and LCV Action Fund’s endorsements of Rep. Casten in the closely watched primary and the Congressman’s support for clean energy solutions.
WATCH: “Real Solutions”
WATCH: “Front Lines”
“Representative Casten is the definition of a Congressional climate champion,” said Joann Saridakis, LCV Victory Fund Campaigns Director. “The last year has made it clearer than ever that we need proven pro-environment leadership in Congress in order to pass the cost saving climate and clean energy legislation our country needs – and it’s imperative that Rep. Casten wins his primary and heads back to Washington for another term to do just that.”
“Representative Sean Casten understands the climate crisis – and understands what it will take to address it,” said Jocelyn Steinberg, director of NRDC Action Votes. “We need Representative Casten’s proven leadership in Congress to address this crucial issue and build a clean-energy future.”
The new ads will run on digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, pre-roll video, and connected TV, in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District through the June 28 primary.
* I mean, if state legislator endorsements of statewide candidates worked really well, Richard Irvin would be cruising to victory right now. This appears to be an attempt to try and slow down Darren Bailey’s momentum…
Jesse Sullivan, the venture capitalist who’s come in third in most polls behind Darren Bailey and Richard Irvin, is seeing a surge in endorsements — including from a lawmaker who has outright switched from Irvin’s campaign to Sullivan.
The thinking is that Republicans who don’t see a path for Irvin also don’t see Bailey being able to defeat Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in the general election. So they’re working their way down the list. […]
Does Sullivan, who also sits far right on the political spectrum, have enough time to surpass frontrunners Bailey and Irvin among primary voters? Or, does the surge in his support only take away from Bailey and give Irvin a boost? We’ll see in a week.
As I told subscribers this morning, there is zero hard evidence of a “surge” outside of a handful of new endorsements from legislators. But, hey, maybe they can move the needle a bit. We’ll see. There are people in the party who would like to hold Bailey under 50 percent.
* Getting really mean in the 43rd…
Rachel Ventura, State Senate candidate for the 43rd District has been actively and unapologetically campaigning with multiple known abusers. Counted among her campaign staff and endorsers, are admitted groper Joel Brown; DuPage Township Supervisor Gary Marschke, who resigned from the Illinois State Treasurer’s office after allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct; and Joliet Township Supervisor Angel Contreras, who was arrested this past weekend for an aggravated DUI and faced a criminal trial for domestic battery.
“Rachel Ventura only says what she thinks the person in front of her wants to hear,” said Eric Mattson. “But her real morals and values have never been more clear than when you see who she surrounds herself with: a cadre of abusers. The 43rd district doesn’t need a panderer, and we certainly don’t need someone who will lift up and support multiple men who have been accused and in some cases admitted to violating women.”
“Eric’s opponent started out her election aggressively attacking and then makes excuses for her actions when the facts are pointed out,” said Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County Executive. “Eric Mattson is the firefighter who spent his days off providing vaccines for seniors, he’s a community leader who volunteers with local service organizations to make his community better, and he’s the neighbor and friend who is always there when you need a helping hand. If voters truly want change in Springfield, the choice is crystal clear. Eric Mattson has chosen a career in which he puts others people first, that is leadership.”
“I am disturbed and offended that a fellow woman seeking office in Springfield would publicly and unapologetically stand by men who have abused women in the workplace and who’ve been accused of domestic battery,” said Meg Loughran Cappel. “There is a new generation of leaders in Springfield that are passing ethics reforms and rehabilitating a longstanding culture of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. Rachel Ventura has clearly demonstrated that women can’t count on her to be that kind of leader.”
Rachel Ventura has posted several photos (see attached) campaigning alongside Joel Brown on her Facebook page. He was also the lead petitioner on her failed attempt to challenge Eric Mattson’s petition signatures in the State Senate race.
Both Marschke and Contreras have endorsed Ventura.
* Press release…
Today, Kendall County Board Chairman, Scott R. Gryder, frontrunner for nomination of the Republican Party to challenge Lauren Underwood for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District released his closing message to voters as they prepare to head to the polls on June 28.
Gryder’s ad, titled, “We’ve Paid Enough,” is an encapsulation of the hardships working families face daily while in the grip of the Biden-Underwood economy.
The ad is here.
* WBEZ…
As Cook County GOP chairman and one of only two Republicans on the 17-member county board, Sean Morrison is a frequent and vocal critic of the ruling Democrats.
He often points to violent crime in Chicago and has questioned the costs of providing security details to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and county board President Toni Preckwinkle.
But Morrison also has benefited for years -– starting soon after he became a county commissioner — from “special attention” given to his home by police in south suburban Palos Park.
Records obtained by WBEZ show police in Morrison’s hometown have patrolled his house 415 times since he took office less than seven years ago.
* Lynn Sweet…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot pitched top Democratic National Committee officials on Friday about Chicago’s bid to host the 2024 Democratic convention, bringing boxes of Chicago goodies and - in a show of how serious this bid is - themselves.
In separate presentations, the DNC officials - including DNC Chair Jamie Harrison, who attended via video, and new DNC senior adviser Cedric Richmond, a former top official in the Biden White House - Chicago, New York, Houston and Atlanta representatives made their cases to host the 2024 convention.
* More…
* Secretary of state hopefuls on jaywalking, rolling stops for cyclists and driver exams: “Provided there is no other traffic present, I support the ability of cyclists to roll stop signs,” Giannoulias said. “However, when traffic is present, that practice can result in more accidents, and I would only support the rule when no other traffic is present.” And because “enforcement often falls on the backs of the people that can least afford to be penalized for violating these ordinances … I would support changes to this law to significantly reduce or eliminate the fines.”
* After Pritzker endorsement, Edly-Allen surges past Yingling in campaign money
* Democratic candidates focusing on health care in race for 77th state House seat
* Irvin visits manufacturing business in Central Illinois
* Darren Bailey stops through Tazewell County on campaign tour
* Calumet City elected officials face off in Democratic primary in 29th House District: In early April, the Chicago Tribune reported that Jones is under federal criminal investigation for tax issues involving his campaign funds.
* Hackler says he’s always opposed mask and vaccine mandates; Korte says as a mom she fought Pritzker lockdowns, mandates
* State Rep candidate campaign signs vandalized in Normal: “Probably the motive would have been somebody saying they view me as a threat, so they go out there and put an X on my name on all my signs, trying to tell people in a way don’t for Jim, don’t vote for Mr. Fisher,” Fisher said.
24 Comments
|
* Press release…
Should the courts side with the state and force gas stations to post signs about the temporary gas tax relief approved in April, Josh Sharp, CEO of the IL Fuel and Retail Association, says the industry will make sure drivers know the whole truth about gas taxes in Illinois.
“We will follow the law and post the signs if the courts require us to do so,” Sharp said. “But we are going to make sure our customers understand the whole story about our state’s gas tax not just the part some of the lawmakers in Springfield want to talk about.”
The Legislature is mandating fuel retailers to post signs at their own expense to tell people about the six-month suspension of the CPI tax increase scheduled for July 1st of this year. The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association is challenging the posting requirement in court.
IFRA’s lawsuit complaint reads in part: “This specific amendment to the Motor Fuel Tax Law requires Plaintiffs and other retailers to choose between making a political statement they do not wish to make to their customers or the general public on behalf of the State of Illinois or facing criminal penalties. SB 157 violates Plaintiffs’ Free Speech rights as protected by Article 1, Section 4 of the Illinois Constitution, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution by compelling political speech.”
If the courts ultimately rule in favor of the state, IFRA will provide member gas stations with signs to post. The proposed sign the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association will display reminds motorists that “Illinois politicians have more than doubled the gas tax since 2019.” It also states lawmakers “have decided to delay their tax hike until after the election,” and informs the public the signs have to be posted to avoid a $500 per day fine. The signage tells drivers the truth about Illinois gas taxes – and directs them to use the Illinois Policy Institute’s gas tax calculator to see the true cost of taxes at the pump.
“Lawmakers want us to tell the public an edited version of the history of the gas tax in Illinois,” Sharp said. “If they insist on us posting signs and the courts agree requiring private businesses to post these notices at their expense is Constitutional, we will comply, but we are going to tell the whole truth about gas taxes in Illinois. Here is the truth; delaying a tax increase does not equal a tax cut, and there are now TWO gas tax increases scheduled for 2023.”
A copy of the proposed signage is below:
Here it is…
Thoughts?
48 Comments
|
* Jon Seidel…
A federal judge has sentenced former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton to a year in prison in the $248,000 embezzlement case involving the Teamsters labor union that ended Cullerton’s career in Springfield.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said, “It gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cullerton, to take you away from your family.” But prosecutors argued Tuesday that Cullerton thought his elected office entitled him to a do-nothing Teamsters job, and the judge said he took that breach of trust seriously.
He told Cullerton that, “We’ve had far too many public officials appear in this court as felons.”
“Every time you took that paycheck from the Teamsters without working for it, you knew that you were doing something wrong,” Gettleman said while handing down the sentence. […]
In making their recommendation, [prosecutors] revealed that former Chicago Teamsters boss John T. Coli told them Cullerton was hired for his Teamsters job as a favor to a senator only identified in court records as “Senator A.”
* Jason Meisner at the Tribune…
Before the sentence was handed down, Cullerton apologized to the court, his family, his constituents and his former colleagues at the Teamsters.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t take advantage of the situation, I did,” Cullerton said, reading from written remarks and pausing at times to clear his throat and sniff back tears. “I can’t take back what I did, nor can I apologize enough.”
Cullerton, 52, a Democrat from Villa Park, pleaded guilty to embezzlement in March, two weeks after abruptly resigning from office. Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of up to 18 months in prison, while his attorneys requested a period of probation. […]
In asking Gettleman to sentence Cullerton to up to a year and a half in prison, prosecutors said in a court filing earlier this month that former Teamsters boss John Coli Sr. told investigators he’d hired Cullerton to his do-nothing position “as a favor to Senator A, at Senator A’s request.”
“Senator A” has not yet been publicly identified.
10 Comments
|
Countdown to repeal
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Elyssa Cherney at Crain’s…
If the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade is struck down this summer, Illinois won’t only become a so-called “oasis” for women across the Midwest looking to terminate pregnancies. It’s also likely to serve as a massive training ground for early-career OB-GYNs who must learn to perform abortions.
Hospitals or clinics that offer residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology are required to provide physicians with direct procedural training in abortion—or “access” to abortion training if the institution itself has moral or religious objections. That standard, established by the national accrediting agency for graduate medical education, isn’t expected to change, even as the U.S. Supreme Court moves closer to overturning the federal right to abortion.
But with as many as 26 states poised to ban or severely limit abortion after Roe falls, scores of OB-GYN residency programs around the country will have to secure training elsewhere. As a result, programs in states like Illinois, where abortion access remains protected, are already seeing a surge in training requests from outside institutions. Programs here will be especially burdened because Illinois is the only state in the region that guarantees the right to elective abortions, making it a logical choice for neighboring programs to send their residents. […]
A recent analysis published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology medical journal estimates that 43.9% of all OB-GYN residents train in states where abortion access will change—about 2,300 in states that have trigger laws or bans that predate Roe and 332 in states expected to enact new restrictions.
* Meanwhile, up north…
Anticipating a U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade within the next week, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin isn’t scheduling abortions after June 25.
Overturning Roe could activate Wisconsin’s near-complete abortion ban, first passed in 1849, although Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s legal advocacy director in May said the organization doesn’t think the statute would spring back to life. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called for the Republican Legislature to convene Wednesday to repeal that ban — a demand the Legislature will almost certainly reject. […]
Dan Lennington, deputy counsel at the conservative legal group Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said he thinks the law would activate immediately. He also pointed out Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s decision to shut down ahead of the ruling shows “they understand the risk of prosecution.”
* To our west…
Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the state’s constitution does not include a “fundamental right” to abortion. The court’s decision came in a challenge to a 2020 law requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion. Though it’s unclear if Friday’s decision means the law signed by Governor Kim Reynolds will take effect.
Also…
Providers like Planned Parenthood implemented a 24-hour waiting period for abortions following an Iowa Supreme Court decision on the law Friday, despite no confirmation of the law’s immediate enforcement.
* To our south…
Kentucky’s Republican attorney general went to court Tuesday claiming the Democratic governor’s administration missed a deadline to set up a regulatory process for a sweeping new abortion law currently blocked by a federal court order. In a maneuver loaded with political and legal implications, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in his lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration that state officials are still obligated to craft regulations and create forms associated with the new law’s restrictions, even though a federal judge temporarily halted its enforcement while the case is litigated. Cameron, who has filed paperwork to run for governor himself next year, said that order didn’t relieve the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services from fulfilling its “statutory responsibilities
* To our east…
There are seven state-approved abortion centers, most of which are in the northern half of the state. And state law requires two separate visits for an abortion – one for paperwork, and one for the actual procedure.
“So that’s twice that people have to line up childcare for the children, they have time off work, (find) transportation,” Marchbank said. “A lot of things that I think a lot of people with privilege just take for granted.”
Furthering restrictions or outright banning abortion would achieve a longtime goal for the Indiana GOP, which has been steadily increasing abortion regulations in the past decade. In 2011, Senate Republicans introduced SB 290, which would have outlawed abortion except to protect the life of the mother. The bill never got off the ground.
Even before the Supreme Court draft leaked in May, 110 Republican legislators sent a letter to fellow Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, asking him to call the General Assembly into a special session if Roe were to be overturned.
* To our southwest…
Although Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land, women can no longer get a legal abortion in two states, Oklahoma and South Dakota. In at least one other, Missouri, the only clinic is booked and not accepting new appointments.
And…
ROLLA, Mo. — For more than half a century, Tri-Rivers Family Planning has operated on a shoestring budget, providing contraceptives, pregnancy testing, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and other reproductive health care to a mostly low-income and female clientele in the Ozark Mountains.
The clinic has never performed abortions. But with the Supreme Court widely expected to revoke the constitutional right to abortion that it established in Roe v. Wade, its work has never been more essential — and its nurse practitioners and patients have never felt more threatened.
Last year, the Republican-led Missouri Senate voted to ban taxpayer funding for two common methods of preventing pregnancy: intrauterine devices and emergency contraception — the so-called morning-after pill, also known as Plan B — which many abortion opponents regard as “abortifacients” because they can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s uterus. Lawmakers later abandoned the effort, but some have indicated that if Roe falls, they may try again.
“The attacks are relentless — any little angle they can chip away at what we do, they are doing it,” said Lisa Ecsi Davis, the clinic’s director of operations, who has worked at Tri-Rivers for 30 years. “It’s exhausting.”
The demise of Roe would make the need for effective birth control more urgent than ever. Yet nearly six decades after the Supreme Court guaranteed the right to use contraception, and more than 10 years after the Affordable Care Act mandated that private insurers cover it, many American women still have a hard time getting access.
And…
The potential overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court could have ramifications wider than just banning abortion in much of the United States. In a post-Roe world, in vitro fertilization (IVF)—the fertility treatment used by millions of Americans every year—could be in danger. […]
Would this be considered homicide in a state that has banned abortions under any circumstances? The answer to this question is unclear.
There’s uncertainty around how IVF is legally defined, and whether each state considers a fertilized egg as a human being with rights or not. Many of the 13 states with trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion rights once Roe is overturned—Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming and Texas—define life as beginning at “the moment of fertilization.”
* Meanwhile, it’s too late to do this in Illinois for November…
Fearing the U.S. Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, California Democrats on Tuesday moved quickly to ensure the state’s progressive voters have a chance this fall to make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state.
A proposed amendment to the California Constitution that would explicitly ban the state from denying or interfering with abortions or contraceptives cleared two legislative committees in a single day on Tuesday, an unusually fast pace for a Legislature that many times takes two years to move a bill through its arduous process.
26 Comments
|
* From Mary Miller’s pollster…
Miller Surging in IL-15; Davis’ Image Tumbles
DATE: Tuesday, June 21, 2022
TO: Interested parties
FROM: Brent Buchanan, President/Founder & Wil Lemon, Research Analyst
RE: Miller has the momentum and surges to lead over Davis in Illinois-15
“Mary Miller has the clear advantage in this race. Her surge – despite being outspent and having outrageous attacks thrown at her – shows her strength. Davis’ attempts to smear Miller have backfired as she’s not only created a ballot lead but also leads Davis in image intensity and intensity on the ballot.
– Brent Buchanan, Pollster/Founder
• Miller now leads Davis 45% to 40% with 15% undecided.
• The race was tied at 41% apiece in the first week of June. The race has gone from even to +5 for Miller in less than two weeks.
• Miller leads Davis +31 with Trump Republicans, and high-propensity voters are shifting to Miller.
• Conclusion: Miller’s ballot momentum is likely growing and will be capped off when President
Trump holds a Save America rally in the district to remind voters of the stakes next Tuesday.
The Cygnal n420 poll in Illinois Congressional District 15 was conducted June 18-19, 2022, with a margin of error of ±4.77%.
Cygnal is an award-winning national public opinion and predictive analytics firm that pioneered multi-mode polling, peer-to-peer text collection, and Political Emotive Analysis. Cygnal is named the #1 Republican private pollster by Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight two cycles running, as well as the #1 most accurate polling and research firm in the country for 2018 by The New York Times. Its team members have worked in 48 states and 17 countries on more than 2,100 corporate, public affairs, and political campaigns. Cygnal conducted all of Donald J. Trump’s polling from Labor Day through Election Day in 2020. The firm is working in nearly every one of the nation’s most competitive races.
Graphs are here.
* Meanwhile, this advisory is from Sunday evening…
Good evening –
Tomorrow morning in Springfield, Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL) will be announcing a major endorsement of his campaign. As the only candidate in this race willing to answer questions, Congressman Davis will make the announcement during a media availability after a roundtable event with local leaders. Due to the House being in session this week, this may likely be Congressman Davis’ last media availability in the Springfield-area before June 28. Media are invited to attend, and details can be found below.
WHO: Congressman Rodney Davis, local leaders
WHAT: Congressman Davis announces endorsement, holds media availability
WHERE: Mel-O-Cream, 5456 International Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62711
WHEN: 11:00am CT (media may arrive earlier to set up)
The big reveal…
Davis this week won the endorsements of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Chamber of Commerce. On Monday, Davis huddled with business leaders at the Mel-O-Cream Donuts International in Springfield, the state capital. Davis fielded questions on his record and the economy before meeting with heads of businesses and chamber officials at Knapheide Manufacturing Company, where he was endorsed by both entities and given an Advocate for American Business Award.
Davis touted his work on policies related to incentivizing employers to pay off employees’ student debt, his role in helping craft the 2017 tax law House and Senate Republicans enacted with then-President Donald Trump, and campaign efforts to get fellow GOP lawmakers elected. Davis added that his focus isn’t on doing TV hits and feels his record of finding bipartisan solutions is an asset to the district, dismissing his opponent’s attacks that he is a “RINO” (Republican in name only).
“That’s not going to be me,” he said regarding the TV hits. “You’ll see me fight, I enjoy the fight, I don’t have to tell you that. But in the end, that’s not my job, and Washington, D.C., should not be the only level of government that we don’t expect to function.”
Illinois Chamber CEO Todd Maisch told the Washington Examiner that while he agrees with much of Miller’s voting record, he believes Davis’s legislative accomplishments warranted the endorsement.
I was kinda expecting more.
Check out the jargon…
“Another huge win for the business community was the USMCA deal in the last administration and another key architected key champion on that legislation,” Eidshaug said. “We’ve also needed key champions to stop bad things from happening in Washington too. Stopping bad tax and spending policies on the Pelosi Schumer Build Back Better bill. Congressman Davis was there with us then too.”
* KSDK…
[Rodney Davis] took questions from the press for half an hour, and at one point said he could go half an hour longer to defend his colleague Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-TX) from accusations that he led Capitol rioters on a “reconnaissance tour” through the halls and security checkpoints on the Capitol grounds the day before January 6th.
“That accusation needed to be proven false,” Davis said, explaining why he wrote a letter to U.S. Capitol Police. “I sent my team over to view Capitol Police footage and we showed no member of the Republican conference took anyone on a so-called ‘reconnaissance tour’ into the Capitol.”
Davis contends Loudermilk’s group only toured an office building, and never entered the U.S. Capitol on January 5 or on the 6th.
* Related…
* Mary Miller and Rodney Davis square off in heated GOP primary to return to Congress
* The Illinois primary between Davis and Miller will test Trump’s sway with GOP voters: St. Louis Public Radio contacted both Miller and Davis, but Miller did not return multiple requests for comment. She has dodged reporters at public events and avoided interviews with most news outlets.
35 Comments
|
* Press release…
Organize Illinois 2022, the coordinated campaign for Illinois Democrats, announced the Democratic Party of Illinois filed a motion late Friday night to intervene in a lawsuit brought by a right-wing organization attempting to disenfranchise Illinois voters. The suit, filed by Judicial Watch along with U.S. Congressman Mike Bost and others, would prohibit counting any mail ballots received after Election Day, even if those ballots were postmarked and received in accordance with state law.
“The right to vote is sacred and must be protected,” said Organize Illinois 2022 Chair and Secretary of State Jesse White. “This lawsuit is a frivolous attempt to restrict access to the ballot box. Illinois state law is clear: as long as mail ballots are postmarked by Election Day and received up to 14 days after Election Day, they should be counted. This long standing practice is shared by many other states in accordance with federal law. Our hope is that this lawsuit is dismissed promptly and Illinois can continue as a leader in ballot access.”
The suit (Rep. Michael J. Bost, Laura Pollastrini, and Susan Sweeney v. The Illinois State Board of Elections and Bernadette Matthews (No. 1:22-cv-02754)) was filed by the dark money organization Judicial Watch, which has filed numerous similar lawsuits around the country to restrict electoral access and aid Republican candidates and causes. The motion to intervene, filed by the Democratic Party of Illinois, argues the extended ballot receipt deadline is in accordance with federal law and without it, the millions of Illinois voters who cast timely ballots by mail risk disenfranchisement.
Illinois state law allows election authorities to count mail ballots as long as those ballots are postmarked by Election Day and received up to 14 days after Election Day. Currently, 17 other states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have extended ballot receipt deadlines. This is not the first time that litigants have attempted this type of claim. In 2020, several courts considered nearly identical challenges to post-election day ballot receipt deadlines around the country, and all failed.
The lawsuit will not impact vote-by-mail for the June 28 primary. To read to motion to intervene, click HERE.
I think you’re going to see the coordinated committee taking a much more active role in state party functions.
The Bost lawsuit is here, by the way.
5 Comments
|
Crypto billionaire spending big in CD1
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
What the Washington media has dubbed “a secret PAC backed by a crypto billionaire” has suddenly swooped into Illinois, dropping half a million dollars into what has been a wild and unpredictable race to succeed the retiring Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, in Congress.
Spending the money on TV ads promoting candidate Jonathan Jackson is the Protect Our Future Political Action Fund, a little-known Arizona-based group that also has heavily spent in other Democratic races around the country. […]
The website says Jackson wants to improve regulation of the emerging industry and believes steps must be taken to ensure minorities get a chance to participate. It adds that he supports a pending bill that would do that, sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has endorsed Jackson. […]
Among unanswered questions about the flap is who made the connection between Jackson and Protect Our Future. One possible link is Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Chicago. He failed to respond to requests for comment, but the PAC reportedly has spent $150,000 on mail pieces promoting him this election year, even though he’s unopposed in the Democratic primary.
* Lynn Sweet…
The Protect Our Future’s cash play comes as Jackson took an interest in the federal-regulated digital asset industry. He is closely connected to the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
[Samuel Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX] is the main donor to Protect Our Future. He seems to have flouted federal rules about independent expenditure efforts having no contacts with campaigns they are trying to help. […]
Jackson also has not, as of Sunday, filed a required personal finance disclosure, so voters have no idea about Jackson’s income sources.
Ironically, as Jackson’s candidacy is getting a billionaire’s boost, Sen. Bernie Sanders — who is endorsing Jackson — deplored the power of billionaires at a Saturday rally at the Humboldt Park Boathouse on the Northwest Side. Sanders was on a stage with Jackson and Garcia, who he is close to, and state Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, who Sanders is also backing.
* Gee, I wonder what he might be hiding by not filing his disclosure forms?…
Democratic House primary candidate Jonathan Jackson was blasted by his leading 1st Congressional District rivals on Monday for not filing his legally required personal financial disclosures as they deplored the $500,065 being spent by a crypto billionaire’s PAC to elect him. […]
Polling shared with the Chicago Sun-Times shows that voters have no particular interest in a rather unknown generically named “Jonathan Jackson.” Once they learn who his father is, Jackson’s numbers jump. […]
After being blasted by his rivals Monday, Jackson told the Sun-Times, “I apologize that filing my personal financial disclosure statement has taken this long. It will be filed tomorrow.”
Jackson is close to House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who has known him since he was a kid. Bankman-Fried’s PAC also paid $151,420 for direct mail pieces to boost Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., who does not have a Democratic primary opponent — but is a member of the Financial Services Committee.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg completely upended the 2013 special congressional primary by spending heavily on behalf of Robin Kelly, the eventual winner. Jackson may be hoping to follow suit here.
Bankman-Fried’s PAC is also spending about a quarter mil on behalf of Democrat Nikki Budzinski in CD13. His company, FTX, made a Super Bowl ad with Larry David.
5 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
* This is a really good story by Jerry Nowicki at Capitol News Illinois…
In a 4-3 decision with a blistering dissent from the Republican minority, the Illinois Supreme Court declined to rule on a question of whether Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Act is unconstitutional.
It was the second time the case of the People v. Vivian Brown came before the court and the second time the court declined to rule on the constitutionality of the state statute requiring Illinoisans to receive a permit to legally own a gun.
The majority opinion released Thursday was written by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and was procedural in nature. It contended that the White County Circuit Court failed to adhere to the Supreme Court’s previous 2020 ruling in the case, so it once again vacated the lower court’s ruling that the FOID Act was unconstitutional.
Burke was joined in the majority by Democrats Mary Jane Theis, P. Scott Neville Jr. and Robert Carter.
Justice Michael Burke – who is not related to the chief justice – wrote the dissent, making up 11 of the 21 pages in the Thursday order.
Go read the rest.
23 Comments
|
* The governor’s trip to New Hampshire generated almost no national and barely any New Hampshire regional coverage. It did get a bunch of local coverage, though. For example, here’s the Sun-Times…
Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker on Saturday did nothing to quell speculation over a possible run for president as he delivered a self-effacing speech before New Hampshire Democrats — making light of his weight and wealth — and worked to introduce himself as a leader with his “heart on his sleeve” who is willing to fight for the party.
With rampant buzz about Pritzker’s political ambitions — coupled with the fundraising power he brings as a billionaire — the Democratic governor’s latest push for Chicago to host the Democratic National Convention is another sign there’s a trial balloon out there to see if Democrats view the governor of Illinois as a presidential contender. […]
“My friends thought I was crazy to run for governor. They told me state government couldn’t be repaired. And anyway, who would vote for someone like me? Look, I’m a Ukrainian American,” Pritzker said to applause. “I haven’t finished the list yet, and it gets worse from here. A Ukrainian American Jewish Democratic billionaire businessman. That’s not exactly the archetype that the party was looking for to run for governor. That’s okay with me. I know who I am and where I come from.” […]
He painted the national GOP as the party of fear, afraid of everything from workers’ rights, student debt forgiveness — and making high income earners, like himself, pay the highest tax rates.
Pritzker also made his feelings about former President Donald Trump known, reminding the audience that he has loudly called him a “racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic president” since his stump speeches in 2018.
* Check this out…
The 150 delegates at the Manchester Memorial High School auditorium ate it up, offering a standing ovation.
By the end of his speech, Pritzker had won over a cadre of Belknap County delegates who enthusiastically told a POLITICO reporter that they’d like to see him run for higher office.
“I think he should be our next president,” Johnna Davis, co-chair of the Belknap County Democrats, said as a couple other delegates seated in her row nodded along. “He’s got great energy. He’s perfect.”
Whew. Piling it on thick.
Belknap County’s population is 63,705, a bit larger than a Chicago ward.
* And the schtick continued with Mike Pence’s Chicago visit…
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday offered President Joe Biden and Democrats warning shots during a Chicago speech widely seen as part of a test of the waters for a 2024 presidential run. […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker did not exactly roll out the welcome mat for the former Midwestern governor.
“Mike Pence is a dangerous, homophobic extremist,” the Democratic governor tweeted.
“He represents a party that for decades has sought to take us backward and strip fundamental rights from millions of Americans,” Pritzker tweeted, just two days after giving a speech in New Hampshire that many saw as a trial balloon for his own presidential ambitions. “Today’s GOP has no vision for the future — their only goal is to divide us.”
Folks…
46 Comments
|
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
“We’re not the party of Trump,” Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie told an interviewer a couple of months ago. “I’m in the Republican Party and the party of Lincoln. And at the end of the day, the important thing is that we’re standing up for ideas and ideals and not a personality. And that is what the Republican Party has been about for decades, and what I believe we’re going to be going forward.”
At least as far as the Illinois governor’s race goes, that now seems less likely.
As you undoubtedly know by now, state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) did not appear to be gaining traction until the GOP primary battlefield was reshaped as a referendum on former President Donald Trump by big money pumped in from billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Republican billionaire Dick Uihlein.
The question now is whether that Trump referendum will move down the ballot. Two polls showed a very tight Republican attorney general primary with huge numbers of people who can’t decide between Ken Griffin-backed Steve Kim and outlandish, far-right COVID attorney Tom DeVore, who has been endorsed by Bailey. And Trump and Bailey have both endorsed U.S. Rep. Mary Miller over fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis.
And what about the state legislature?
While the House Republican Organization is formally staying out of the race in the open 87th District primary, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin has contributed $5,000 to candidate Mary Burress.
And a committee controlled by Durkin ally Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) has maxed out to Burress with a $59,900 contribution. Burress, the Tazewell County treasurer, is running against Tazewell County Board member and physician William Hauter.
The reason I mention this is that Burress is one of the only House Republican candidates I can find who is openly touting her support for former President Trump. “Mary Burress is the pro-Trump Republican working to make Illinois great again,” declares a headline on one mailer, which also features a photo of her next to the former POTUS.
With Bailey surging and a recent Chicago Sun-Times poll showing Trump still very popular with party members, it would seem to be a no-brainer for conservative Republican candidates to publicly attach themselves to one or the other or both in their advertising and social media posts.
Bailey has decided to take the initiative. And there are some unifying threads here: Durkin and the 2019 gas tax hike that Durkin eventually supported.
“We’ve got a whole list of anti-establishment reformers who we’re going to be endorsing in the next 24 hours,” a top Bailey official told me late last week.
Included on the list is Sen. Win Stoller (R-East Peoria). Stoller is up against Brett Nicklaus, who is backed by Durkin and others close to him.
There’s no love at all between Bailey and Durkin. The two clashed often when Bailey was in the House, and Durkin fully backed Richard Irvin. Both Durkin and Irvin’s running mate Rep. Avery Bourne voted to double the motor fuel tax in 2019, something Bailey often pounds home on the campaign trail as the price of gas has skyrocketed.
Bailey doesn’t seem to have any ideas about how to repair and upgrade our woefully dilapidated infrastructure without that money, but nobody seems to care.
Bailey also endorsed Republican Don Debolt over Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield), who voted for the gas tax increase as well. And Bailey’s backing former GOP Rep. John Cabello in his race against a candidate backed by a trade union that pushed hard to raise the gas tax. Cabello voted “no.”
Kent Gray is running against Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), who voted with his party leadership on the gas tax. Gray has not raised a lot of money, has a thick opposition research file, and Butler hasn’t taken any chances by spending big and campaigning hard. If Bailey’s coattails can drag Gray across the line … whew.
Bailey’s also supporting Travis Weaver against Rep. Mark Luft (R-Pekin), who wasn’t around for the gas tax vote but is backed heavily by Durkin and some unions. And he’s supporting Rep. Dave Welter’s opponent Jed Davis. Welter (R-Morris) is in House Republican leadership, so you already know where he was in 2019.
That was one tough vote in 2019. It took guts to take it, and I still think, despite the prices, it was the right thing to do for the state’s future. We’ll see if Bailey tries to connect those tax dots in voters’ minds or whether, as time expires, he’ll just try to win these races with his personality alone.
Subscribers know more.
* Press release…
State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey says Don Debolt is the only candidate for Senate in the 54th District Republican voters can trust to represent their values in Springfield.
“I fully support and endorse Don Debolt for State Senator,” Bailey said. “Don’s a true conservative, a businessman, and someone who will help reform Springfield and restore Illinois. Unfortunately, Don’s opponent betrayed taxpayers and voted to double the gas tax. We need to send principled reformers to Springfield who won’t join Democrats to raise taxes, and I hope voters will join me in supporting conservative Don Debolt for State Senate.”
The current average fuel price in Illinois is $5.53 per gallon nearly $1 higher than the prices in Missouri which are $4.67 per gallon.
“The reality is working families are paying far more in gas prices in Illinois than motorists in surrounding states because of the state’s high taxes,” Debolt said. “My opponent helped make that happen by surrendering his conservative values to help Democrats make Illinois’ gas taxes the second highest in the country. Voters can count on me to consistently represent the values we share as their voice in Springfield.”
Don Debolt’s life is centered around faith and family. He is a proud conservative Republican, a small business owner, and a C.P.A. for over 45 years. Don is running for State Senate because he is concerned with the future of southern Illinois. Springfield is broken, and high taxes and extreme policies push our children and grandchildren out of state. Don and his wife Linda live in Stewardson; they have been blessed with two sons and five grandchildren. The primary election is June 28th.
26 Comments
|
Kellogg’s moving HQ to Chicago
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You gotta wonder if Gov. Pritzker will also downplay this as just “office personnel.” /s…
Battle Creek-based Kellogg Co. plans to split itself into three separate companies, with the headquarters of the largest company in Chicago. […]
The cereal and plant-based businesses would remain headquartered in Battle Creek, the company said. The global snacks business would maintain campuses in Battle Creek and Chicago, with Chicago being its corporate headquarters.
Kellogg Chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane will remain chairman and CEO of Global Snacking Co. Names and management teams for the other new companies will be announced later, the company said. […]
Kellogg executives have made some recent high-profile home purchases in the Chicago area, including the $5.62 million purchase of a five-bedroom mansion by Cahillane in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Chief Growth Officer Monica McGurk bought a house in suburban Winnetka for $2.05 million.
Anyway, your thoughts?
…Adding… Wondering what the departing Cat execs think of this…
President Biden is the “acting” president because he didn’t win legally; Texans should vote on seceding; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be repealed; any gun control is a rights violation: this is the world as seen by the Republican Party of Texas, according to its newly adopted party platform.
“We can’t compromise with Democrats who have a different and incompatible vision for our future,” Matt Rinaldi, the state GOP chairman, said, according to The Texas Newsroom. “We need to be a bold and unapologetic conservative party, ready to go on offense and win the fight for our country.”
The Republicans’ 2022 platform is outlined in a 40-page document that addresses state issues but also much broader priorities — such as calling for the U.S. to leave the United Nations. Delegates approved it over the weekend, at the party’s convention in Houston.
55 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
