State legislators on Wednesday overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 444, a trailer bill to the state’s new evidence-based funding formula that passed last year. But school districts awaiting new state equity funding will still have to wait to get those dollars, according to one bill sponsor. […]
SB 444 included a couple tweaks to the funding formula, like modifications to school districts’ equalized assessed value and property tax levies. But the Illinois State Board of Education has since identified about two dozen other technical discrepancies that need fixing in the funding formula bill, according to spokeswoman Jackie Matthews. She said SB 444 becoming law will address some of the larger issues, but another trailer bill will likely still be necessary to iron out the rest.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said he sees the list of discrepancies as a delay tactic by the governor.
“To produce a list that is as substantial as this is stunning to me,” he said. “So we are no closer to starting the march toward equity then we were five months ago when Gov. Rauner signed the bill into law.”
“For the near future, what appears to be several weeks, if not months, schools should expect continued delay,” he added.
In an email, ISBE communications director Jackie Matthews characterized the 23 items as “discrepancies between legislative intent and the language codified in” the bill. She said the items were identified by staff and by stakeholders who participated in community meetings and webinars hosted by ISBE over the past several months. Matthews wrote that ISBE is on schedule to submit vouchers for this new money to the comptroller in April.
Manar — chief sponsor of the reform legislation — is skeptical.
“I have no belief today that that’s going to be their final list of what they refer to as ‘tweaks,’” he says. “I want to know when they’re going to be done.”
Asked if he’s suggesting some sort of malfeasance, Manar said “not quite, but close.”
Businessman Chris Kennedy said Wednesday that if Democratic nemesis J.B. Pritzker beats him in the March primary, he would support Pritzker over Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner — but Kennedy dubbed it a choice between the “unethical” and the “immoral.”
“It’s a pretty tough choice,” Kennedy said. […]
Kennedy also clarified the promise he made in a Tuesday debate to support whichever candidate wins the Democratic nomination.
“I think he [Pritzker] does represent the poster child for the pay-to-play political system in the state. Do I think ultimately he is a better candidate? Do I think it is better to have him in charge rather than Bruce Rauner? Yes, I think Bruce Rauner, based on his speech today, where he’s accomplished nothing in his years in office, has attacked the poor, relentlessly pushed those who have no resources out of our state, I think he’s immoral. That’s different than being unethical. If you have a choice between the immoral and the unethical, I guess I’d go with the unethical,” Kennedy said.
“I don’t think that the pandering that Biss has been doing and the plundering that Pritzker is doing is of great interest to anybody,” said Kennedy.
He said Pritzker, particularly, “can’t win a general election.”
“When you buy $40 million of a campaign and 40 percent of (likely primary voters) are undecided,” said Kennedy, referring to a WeAskAmerica poll released Wednesday, “it’s because they don’t want you.”
In a scathing report being released this morning, the Civic Federation, a Chicago watchdog group largely funded with corporate cash, says the new governor’s $31.5 billion operating budget does not add up and asserts that it could leave the state in worse shape than it was under former Gov. Pat Quinn.
After nearly a year and a half of all-out budget war in Springfield, the state’s fiscal situation has hit “a new low”—and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed 2017 spending plan is making it worse, the nonpartisan Civic Federation says.
In a beyond-blistering report being issued today, the Chicago watchdog says the budget’s reported $3.5 billion deficit—a shortfall Rauner has suggested might be filled with spending cuts and perhaps some tax hikes—in fact is “more like $4.5 billion to $5 billion,” federation President Laurence Msall told me in a phone interview last evening.
“Today we present you with a balanced budget that shows what is possible if we all come together on a comprehensive approach to state finances and job creation” the governor told lawmakers.
Yet, the budget book produced by the governor’s office of management and budget suggests the budget is balanced by [$4.57 billion in] “working together on a grand bargain.” A so-called grand bargain budget compromise, though, has not been achieved or enacted.
Illinois government finance experts agree Rauner’s proposal is not balanced [anywhere from $4.6 billion to $7 billion].
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx claims in a new book that her predecessor Anita Alvarez looked the other way despite multiple complaints of sexual harassment against a former division chief in her office.
Foxx is among 17 women from across the Illinois political sphere — including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia — who detail their experiences of sexual harassment in former Daily Herald reporter Kerry Lester’s book “No, My Place,” which was released Wednesday.
In the book, Foxx tells of “a chief in our division who was known for everything from literally looking up women’s skirts to saying he wanted his own pretty, female intern, to asking a young woman” about performing oral sex.
Foxx says she “lobbied to get this guy fired. Problem was, he was very good friends with the former state’s attorney.”
Another woman in Illinois politics, now a state representative, recalled a lobbyist at a fundraiser commenting about her chest, and then shouting the remarks to men at the other end of a table at a bar in the 1990s.
And a commissioner for a government agency said a committeeman at a party in 2013 told her, “I’ve never tasted Chinese p—- before,” according to the book.
Written and self-published by former Daily Herald journalist Kerry Lester as a response to the #MeToo movement, the book contains dozens of stories in the women’s own voices of inappropriate behavior they said they encountered.
“In the more than two dozen interviews I conducted for this book, not a single woman who experienced harassment felt that there were appropriate mechanisms in place to report and address a problem,” Lester said in the book. “Often, she just put up with it, hoping with time the dynamics would change.”
Two candidates trying to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton were emerging Wednesday as leaders in the chase for campaign cash in the crowded Democratic primary field.
Though some candidates had yet to file their federal campaign finance reports in the hours before a midnight deadline, Kelly Mazeski of Barrington Hills, had more than $513,000 in her treasury as the year opened, and Sean Casten of Downers Grove had about $409,000. Neither Mazeski nor Casten has held elective office. She sits on the Barrington Hills Plan Commission. He is a scientist and clean-energy entrepreneur. […]
Mazeski has loaned her campaign $295,000 and Casten has loaned his effort $430,000, reports show. Including their own money, she led him in total campaign receipts so far, reporting about $688,000 to his $617,000. Casten started airing a TV ad after Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
Congressional candidates filed their fourth quarter fundraising and spending reports today, giving us a first look at their financial status at the start of 2018.
The 3rd, 4th, and 6th Congressional Districts have raised particular interest from reporters and engaged voters across the country. In these top races, three Democratic challengers, Marie Newman, Sean Casten, and Kelly Mazeski, have contributed significant amounts to their own campaigns.
With this funding, Marie Newman was able to raise more than incumbent Congressman Dan Lipinski, with $262,092 to his $228,318. This was a major departure from the 3rd quarter of 2017, when Lipinski raised $1.5 million.
Lipinski had $1.6 million in the bank, however, compared to $237K for Newman.
The 4th District race hinges on a three-way primary between Democrats seeking to replace twelve-term Congressman Luis Gutierrez. Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia took a considerable fundraising lead, raising more than twice that of activist Sol Flores. The candidates raised $190,487 and $79,407 respectively in the 4th quarter of 2017. Garcia raised 140% more than Flores during that time period.
Garcia received just over 25% of his contributions from political committees, and was poised with $162,811 in cash on hand heading into 2018, compared to Flores’ $77,988. Alderman Ray Lopez and Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno recently dropped out of this race ahead of a candidate forum, after polling showed Garcia with a significant lead.
* From Democrat Brendan Kelly’s campaign manager in the 12th District race against Republican Mike Bost…
Hey Rich -
I know you’re probably getting swamped with digital ads AND I know we sent over our new ad earlier today - but I also wanted to highlight for you that we out-raised Bost again this quarter.
From my quick research - this is the first time in IL-12 that a challenger has had two back-to-back quarters over $300,000. Last quarter (Q3 - 2017) we raised over $355,000 and out-raised Bost by about $95,000.
Thanks,
Sam
* In the 13th District, Republican Rodney Davis raised $277K and had $1.1 million cash on hand. Among Democrats, Erik Jones raised $132K and had $238K in the bank. Betsy Londrigan raised $163K and ended with $238K. [These are updated totals.]
I’m Bob Daiber. I’m a progressive Democrat in the race for governor. I am the only candidate who has laid out a progressive income tax model. I’m not afraid to take a bold stance on issues.
I’m for a minimum wage that’s a living wage. I’m pro-union, I’m for restoring funding for state universities. I care about the environment.
You don’t have to vote for a billionaire! I know you don’t want to. You have a choice, and I’m the progressive choice – Bob Daiber, Democrat for governor.
I’m Bob Daiber and I approved this message.
Bob reported having $11,329.31 in the bank at the end of 2017 and has reported no large contributions since then.
* I don’t think I’d ever heard of Bill Whittle until today, when a certain helpful somebody sent me the invite and a link to this backgrounder…
While discussing “black America” during a December 2015 appearance on Molyneux’s program, Whittle described African Americans who support the Democratic Party as literal slaves who prefer to remain in captivity. He said that that the party has “30 million” slaves and the “terms of their slavery are very simple — there’s a word for somebody who is fed, and clothed, and housed, and whose health care is taken care of by another person, and that word is slave.” Whittle then suggested that African Americans commit voter fraud on behalf of Democrats as a condition of their slavery, claiming, “On the voting plantation that the Democratic Party has set up in America, we demand two hours of work from you every two years. Every two years we demand that you go down to the voting places and vote, once, twice, three, four times, however [many] times as you can imagine, or manage, and that’s the work we expect for you in exchange for keeping you in bondage.”
During another 2015 appearance on Molyneux’s show, Whittle compared the “Islamic invasion of Europe” to “inner cities” in America “that are absolutely toxic, violent, enraged, bitter, [and] racist.” He went on to claim Black Lives Matter is “the street muscle” of the Democratic Party and that the group will make sure “everything’s gonna burn” if welfare is reduced. Again drawing a comparison between Europe and the United States, Whittle said, “We have the exact same problem here with these same kind of communities. They’re unemployable — unemployed and unemployable — they’ve been on assistance their entire lives, they’ve never had to work before,” and he said that these people should get jobs because a job “beats the laziness” out of people and “disciplines” them into “civility.”
Whittle called President Obama an “unqualified, unknown individual” who was elected “specifically and only because he is black” and said that electing Obama was “atoning for our slavery” during a January 2016 appearance on Molyneux’s show. Moments later he said, “I didn’t own any slaves, and therefore I’m not responsible for slavery. I’m not benefiting from slavery because I never owned any slaves,” and he said, “There’s nothing in this country that survived the Civil War that was the result of slavery.” Continuing to discuss the Civil War, Whittle said the “greatest tragedy in American history” is “not slavery, it’s not the Civil War, it’s what happened after,” before complaining about the philosophy of W.E.B. DuBois.
In 2013, Whittle published a video for PJ Media with the title “The Lynching” that discussed the February 2012 shooting of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Whittle suggested that George Zimmerman, who killed Martin, had an experience tantamount to a lynching. Whittle said that text messages found on Martin’s phone, which he said were “not ‘airable’ here for extreme graphic content,” showed that Martin was “violent and highly sexualized.” What was “airable” on Whittle’s video, however, was an image (warning: disturbing image) of Martin’s body after he had been shot, which Whittle left on the screen for several minutes.
Whittle bizarrely labeled CNN anchor Don Lemon “racist” against white people because Lemon pointed out that President Donald Trump sounds different when he is using a teleprompter, as compared to when he speaks without one, during a March NRATV appearance.
Yesterday on Fox News’ “Dayside,” conservative radio host Mike Gallagher proposed that airports institute a “Muslims only” line for airport travelers during a segment Tuesday on racial profiling.
*** UPDATE 1 *** GOP state Rep. Grant Wehrli…
“Bill Whittle has a history of espousing racist ideas. That type of shameful rhetoric has no place in the Republican Party and Representative Ives should cancel her fundraiser with him.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Rep. Bourne…
Exactly. Civility and respect in our public discourse are more important than campaign contributions. Whittle's racially-charged comments are embarrassing and reprehensible. Rep. Ives should do the right thing - cancel her fundraiser. #twillhttps://t.co/dw7UN4jSax
Bill Whittle’s racially infused rhetoric shouldn’t be tolerated in the Land and Party of Lincoln. Representative Ives should disinvite him from her event. #twillhttps://t.co/Wzyrc1RTkh
The Ives for Illinois campaign was unaware of the remarks made by Bill Whittle, reported in Capitol Fax. Whittle was a guest of the event organizer. His comments are obviously offensive and objectionable. Whittle has been disinvited from the event. Representative Ives, additionally, disavows any endorsement from Mr. Whittle. A video of Whittle speaking in support of Ives has been pulled from the campaign’s social media pages.
Rauner campaign weighs in on @JeanneIves having to disinvite controversial radio host with history of racist remarks to her fundraiser: “This just shows how unelectable Representative Ives really is.” #ILGov@GovRauner
Chancellor Carlo Montemagno’s daughter and son-in-law were hired for university jobs created for them, that they never formally applied for and that were never advertised, documents show.
While the chancellor proposes campus-wide cuts, his daughter, Melissa Germain, and her husband, Jeffrey Germain, began working in newly created positions.
“It’s not unusual because that’s part of what you do to negotiate to get the people you want here,” Communications and Marketing Director Rae Goldsmith said of a verbal agreement between Montemagno and SIU President Randy Dunn to bring aboard family.
Faculty Association President Dave Johnson said spousal hires are not uncommon in academia. However, he said, this is the first time he has heard of an administrator bringing a child and her spouse on board.
“I’m not a lawyer and I don’t understand all the legalities involved, but I do take the ethics test on a yearly basis and it says you can’t hire people just because they’re family members,” Johnson said. “They have to be the best people for the position. It would be surprising if the new chancellor’s daughter and son-in-law suddenly became the best people for positions in the weeks and months after he was hired.”
Montemagno’s appointment was approved by the Board of Trustees on July 13. On July 24, Montemagno sent his daughter’s resume to Goldsmith, according to documents obtained by the Daily Egyptian. Two weeks later Melissa Germain signed her new contract, making her assistant director of university communications.
It’s difficult enough to advocate for the interests of higher education without stuff like this happening. They create two new jobs for the dude’s kid and son-in-law as part of his hiring package?
SIU’s Office of Internal Audit, Compliance and Ethics on Thursday opened two inquiries related to the hirings of Chancellor Carlo Montemagno’s daughter and son-in-law, as well as searches involving previous coworkers.
But the decision to allow for this agreement was not easily reached, said Dunn, who added he was given a directive by the Board of Trustees that “I needed to do whatever I could to make this [hire] happen.”
After wrestling with this directive and coming to a consensus with the board that the decision was not illegal, unethical or immoral, Montemagno’s request was supported, he said.
“Legally, it looked like we were probably OK with a broad reading of nepotism law,” Dunn said. “Then I went ahead and moved forward.” […]
“We’ve had a campus that’s come through the worst two years fiscally speaking that it’s ever seen since its founding days,” Dunn said, referring to the budget impasse that left hundreds of positions at SIU unfilled. “In some cases, departments were barely hanging on, so to think that the irony that we’re going to bring in two new people for jobs that may or may not exist at that point was a tough one for me.”
Cochran: So, when you get into a second term, how’s it going to be different if Mike Madigan is still the Speaker? What can you move that you couldn’t move in the first four?
Rauner: Well, you know, our first focus is to try to elect as many reform-minded, Democrats as well as Republicans, and, again, I don’t believe this election’s about party politics. I don’t think it’s about Democrats and Republicans fighting. I think it’s about getting reformers in, in both parties. Because there are good people in both parties who know our system’s broken, who want to change it. And we are going to advocate, we are going to push to have every candidate for the General Assembly make a promise to the people of Illinois, make a promise to their constituents. Promise to vote to put term limits on the ballot so people of Illinois can vote up or down. Just put it on the ballot, please. The other is to sign a pledge to vote for anybody else. It doesn’t really matter who, because there are great Democrats and great Republicans who would love to be Speaker and could do a great job. Vote for anyone else other than Mike Madigan to be Speaker. You know, 30 years is too long. Even if you’re a loyal, hardcore Democrat. Terrific. Select one of your own, another one who could be a Speaker who will do the right things and change the system. That’s what we’re going to be advocating for.
* From an NCSL interview of Senate President John Cullerton…
How would you describe your leadership philosophy?
I like to be liked rather than feared. We have a supermajority. In Illinois, that is 36 votes; we have 37. My goal is to bring everybody together. We need 36 votes to override the governor, so we don’t have a lot of votes to spare. […]
How did being the eldest in a large family prepare you for leading the Senate?
I have five sisters and three brothers and so does my wife. I look upon my caucus as a family. I’m sort of like the oldest sibling. You learn how to negotiate.
We helped launch the Illinois Innovation Network and the Discovery Partners Institute, a U of I-led effort to link the power of great research with entrepreneurship and new business formation. What Stanford and Berkeley and Harvard and MIT are to the coasts, partnerships of the U of I, U of C and Northwestern can even surpass for Illinois.
[Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Crest Hill], a member of the Higher Education Committee, was asked about the state of higher education in Illinois.
“It was a one percenter’s view of higher education,” McGuire said. “I’m really disappointed that the governor continues to be fixated on highly selective, elite institutions at the expense of Illinois’ community colleges and public universities.” […]
McGuire said he didn’t hear anything about the other 80 percent of Illinois college students who don’t attend elite schools.
He wanted Rauner to address why so many Illinois high school graduates were leaving the state to attend college. He called on Rauner to commit to investing in higher education and reverse that trend by ensuring funding for programs like MAP grants, which financially help low-income students attend college.
“What we’re hearing from our public universities is that the reason for the record exodus of Illinois high school graduates to schools out of state is because of the uncertainty,” McGuire said.
I agree with Rauner’s goal of strengthening the state’s elite higher ed institutions. But not everybody can attend those schools, so McGuire is also right.
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he’d like to be encouraged by the governor’s address delivered Wednesday, but he doesn’t know what to say.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care if he’s a lone wolf or a head cheerleader, what the state needs is a governor to take charge, engage, and do the job, and that just hasn’t happened,” Cullerton said.
Cullerton said Rauner hasn’t convened a leaders’ meeting in over a year.
Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said in a statement the governor has reached out to both sides of the aisle for things like education funding reform, and said more bipartisan work is needed to pass a balanced budget as well as meaningful property tax relief.
State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, didn’t hear how that would happen.
“I’m just really frustrated,” Bush said. “I just … there’s just been no substance.”
* Related…
* Democrats, Republicans react to Rauner’s State of the State: Wheaton Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton, Republican candidate for governor: “I don’t know if we’re reading from the same headlines or newspapers or articles about the state of the state. So it was a little bit mystifying that he didn’t hone in a little bit about specific directives that he is going to take control of.”
* Yeah, it’s Morning Consult, and their methodology is more than a bit opaque, but they’ve got Gov. Rauner’s job approval numbers, so let’s take a look…
So, he was still underwater back then, but he was doing significantly better than he is now.
What changed? Well, do you remember what happened on July 10th, the last day of the poll? The governor began a purge of his administration by firing his chief of staff Richard Goldberg and bringing in people from the Illinois Policy Institute.
By the time the next results were released in October, Rauner’s approval rating fell to 30 percent and his disapproval had risen to 55 percent. Pretty much exactly where they are today.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
New national polling by Morning Consult shows that Bruce Rauner is the least popular Republican governor running for reelection, with a net approval rating of -24.
The new polling comes as Bruce Rauner is facing a strong challenge from his own party, with primary opponent Jeanne Ives holding him accountable while he dodges responsibility. As Rauner flails in his re-election bid, he has desperately attempted to defend his nonexistent record, earning him the title of the Worst Republican Governor in America.
“Bruce Rauner can’t defend his own record, can’t name a single real accomplishment, and has mismanaged the state government with fatal consequences,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “The most vulnerable incumbent in the country is under water as Illinoisans prepare to end his reign of crisis and devastation across Illinois.”
Raoul’s AG Bid Takes Message to the Airwaves, touts latest congressional endorsement
First Raoul ad states he’s just getting started
CHICAGO – IL Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign for Illinois Attorney General debuted its first television ad of the campaign season today.
In the ad, entitled “Call on me,” Sen. Raoul chronicles what’s at stake in the race to replace Attorney General Lisa Madigan and why he’s ready and able to get the job done. The ad cites varying problems facing Illinoisans, how Sen. Raoul has stepped up to confront them during his career in public service and his desire to continue his advocacy as the people’s attorney. […]
Raoul also announced the endorsement of Congressman Danny Davis today.
“This ad is a testament to Kwame’s ability to win on behalf of victims and our communities,” Congressman Danny Davis said. “With so much on the line for families and neighborhoods across the state, we need an attorney general who is ready, willing and able to get the job done,” Congressman Danny Davis said.
The Raoul campaign also enjoys the support of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
“Since filling President Obama’s seat in the state senate, Kwame has fought tirelessly to pass laws to keep us safe and reform our criminal justice system. Kwame’s work has led to laws which modernize our juvenile justice system, place tougher accountability measures on police, strengthen the state’s gun laws and prioritize prosecuting violent criminals instead of locking up low-level non-violent offenders,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly about the ad.
The ad will air on broadcast and digital platforms.
Kwame Raoul was born on the South Side of Chicago to Haitian-born immigrants. As a lifelong resident of Illinois, Kwame is committed to safe neighborhoods. In 2004, Kwame was appointed to fill the vacancy left in the 13th Legislative District by former State Senator Barack Obama’s election to the U.S. Senate. Kwame quickly gained the confidence of leaders to handle difficult negotiations and landmark legislation including the abolition of the death penalty, expanding access to healthcare and the strongest voting rights protections in the country.
To date, his attorney general bid has been endorsed by organized labor organizations including Illinois AFL-CIO and the Chicago Teachers Union. His campaign has also received the support of local Democratic activists across the state representing Cook, Kankakee, Madison and St. Clair counties.
Crime.
Gun violence.
Whole communities left behind.
As a prosecutor, I saw the pain it causes.
When Barack Obama was called up to the U.S. Senate, I was called upon to fill his seat.
So I did what I knew: protect people and their rights, reform the criminal justice system to keep people safe and crack down on online predators who prey on our children.
This is the work of my life…and I’m just getting started.
* As I told subscribers last night, JB Pritzker is airing a new 15-second TV ad whacking Sen. Daniel Biss on the pension issue. The spot was running in heavy rotation this morning on Chicago broadcast. Here it is…
There’s more info at a new website the Pritzker campaign created. Click here.
* From Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign…
Our campaign is energized by the incredible support JB is receiving as he travels across the state and from our recent polling, we are confident that JB’s message of beating Bruce Rauner and bringing real change to Illinois is resonating with voters.
Last week, Dan Biss began running ads attacking both JB and Chris Kennedy, becoming the first Democrat to attack in the Democratic primary. Simply put, Biss’ rhetoric in this campaign and record in Springfield don’t match up. Voters deserve to know the facts as we get closer to Election Day.
* From the Biss campaign…
Today, JB Pritzker released his first attack ad against Daniel Biss. The ad comes just a day after the latest We Ask America poll showed Pritzker plummeting 9 points since October—despite spending $21 million on his campaign in the same time frame— while Biss moved to second place in the poll, gaining 11 points.
“The more voters see that Daniel Biss can relate to the challenges and hopes of a middle class family, the more our poll numbers surge. The more they learn about JB Pritzker’s billionaire tax scams, the more his plummet,” said Biss campaign manager Abby Witt.
“So, it’s not surprising that JB, scared of a middle class candidate, is pulling a page out of the billionaire playbook with an attack ad that distracts from his own history. As a legislator, Daniel has passed laws to support middle-class and working families, and he’s been honest about his record on pensions. Here’s what JB Pritzker is not telling you: he lobbied for the exact same bill he’s attacking Daniel for, even cutting a check for tens of thousands to fund a PAC created just to pass the bill. He’s trying to hide that—just as he’s done with his tax returns and offshore accounts.
“But no matter how much money he throws on TV, what JB Pritzker can’t hide from is that the choice in this election is between another billionaire and middle class progressive that will make billionaires pay their fair share.”
Pritzker did indeed help fund that PAC, and Sen. Biss received two contributions from it.
* Also, if you actually watch this video, Pritzker didn’t make any “pledge” to stay positive. He said he had run a positive campaign and urged all the candidates to talk about issues and not attack each other. But, whatevs…
Well let me begin by saying to all of you that I have run a positive- I think many of you have seen the ads that I have run, or have heard me speak. I have not spoken ill of my opponents. They have attacked me on occasion and I’ve had to defend myself, but I must say that I think that we should be talking about the issues that are important to the people of Illinois, not attacking each other as Democrats. We should be pulling together to beat Bruce Rauner.
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Global Strategy Group
DATE: February 1, 2018
RE: JB Pritzker maintains strong lead over opponents
Key findings from Global Strategy Group’s survey conducted this week among of 801 likely Democratic primary voters in Illinois are as follows:
* JB Pritzker maintains his large lead in the Democratic Primary – nearly twenty points ahead of his nearest competitor. JB currently leads with 41% of the vote, ahead of Daniel Biss at 22%, Chris Kennedy at 16%, and 20% of voters undecided.
* Despite weeks of attacks from Governor Bruce Rauner and Daniel Biss, JB Pritzker is very popular and well regarded among Democratic primary voters. JB’s favorability rating is very strong with 65% of voters having a favorable opinion of him, while just 18% of voters have an unfavorable opinion of him.
* In a hypothetical two-way match-up, JB Pritzker maintains his strong lead over Daniel Biss, taking in over 50% of the vote. In a simulated head-to-head match-up against Daniel Biss, JB leads with 52% of the vote to Daniel Biss at 32%.
ABOUT THIS POLL: Global Strategy Group conducted a live telephone survey of 801 likely Democratic primary voters from January 29-31, 2018. The results of this survey have a margin of error of +/-3.5%. Care has been taken to ensure that the survey is weighted to reflect the expected makeup of the 2018 Democratic primary electorate.
The Pritzker campaign has adamantly refused to publicly release or even comment on their polling data since Day One. So, this is an interesting development.
Republican State Rep. John Cabello tells 13 WREX he believes Gov. Bruce Rauner should resign during an interview following Wednesday’s State of the State address in Springfield.
Cabello points to the governor’s credibility as the main reason for his comments, saying the governor has broken his word, specifically on House Bill 40. Cabello says in meetings with the governor, Rauner told lawmakers he would not sign the bill related to abortion funding. House Bill 40 was eventually signed into law in late September.
“When you tell someone you are not going to do something, you should stick to your word,” Cabello said. “I can’t trust any words that he says from here on out.”
When asked about Rauner’s State of the State speech Wednesday, Cabello only responded by saying “I was raised that if you have nothing nice to say you shouldn’t say it at all.”
Cabello is one of a tiny number of legislative Republicans who supported President Trump in the 2016 GOP nomination battle.
Of the 136 words Rauner spoke from the podium that ended with the “-ing” syllable, he dropped the final “g” on 76 of those, (“We convened bipartisan workin’ groups, doin’ our best to find a way forward together,” for example) for a 56 percent score on the Folksy-Meter.
* This year’s address was very different. The speech seemed written to specifically avoid so many words that end with “-ing.” A legislator marked up her copy of the address and we went through it together after the speech. She found just 25 of those “-ing” words written into the speech and Rauner added one more. By her count, he dropped his “g” eight times while pronouncing the hard “g” 17 times.
I found 29 “-ing” words, but whatever. You get the idea. He said those “-ing” words much less often than before (undoubtedly by design), and massively improved his pronunciation rate.
I can’t say for sure, but I’m betting we can probably thank Patty Schuh for this small listening favor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner Wednesday called for bipartisan cooperation among lawmakers to improve the state’s financial standing through economic growth.
In a 30-minute State of the State speech to a joint session of the General Assembly, Rauner said the place to start that effort is by restoring public trust.
“Where once we joined to address our problems, we now divide to conquer the other side, or worse, we legislate for expediency rather than effect,” Rauner said.
Rauner did not, however, lay out specific proposals for achieving that economic development.
Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to roll back income taxes but did not identify how in his State of the State address.
The Republican has previously said he wants to reverse the income tax increase the Legislature approved last summer. It went from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. He said Wednesday that “we cannot tax and borrow our way into prosperity” and urged lawmakers to “curb spending” and boost job growth.
But he gave no specifics.
The budget address is in two weeks. No specifics on that were required today.
With the March primary just six weeks away, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday spoke calmly and optimistically about some of the state’s most dire faults, vowing once again to fight the state’s property tax system, while saying he’ll fight to make Illinois “the powerhouse job creator it should be.” […]
Of his accomplishments, which Democrats are quick to criticize, Rauner spoke of a school funding formula which passed last year: “We achieved historic parity in per-pupil funding for charter schools, and we created Invest in Kids, the state’s first-ever tuition tax credit scholarship program.” […]
He also spoke of criminal justice reforms, and his goal to reduce the prison population. Rauner, too, said, he’s helped to battle the state’s opioid epidemic by enacting a 24/7 helpline.
Rauner brought two residents of the Quincy veterans’ home, which came under fire after several deadly Legionnaires’ outbreaks. That issue had put the governor in the hot seat over how the state handled a 2016 outbreak. Rauner last month spent a week at the home, saying he wanted to get to know the residents and to learn best practices to ensure they were as safe as possible.
Rauner used the word “veterans” seven times today. He didn’t mention them in 2015 or 2017, but they did get a shoutout in 2016.
The speech was designed to set the stage for a re-election battle in which Rauner is defending his first three years in office while he asks voters to give him another four. To that aim, the address attempted to weave an optimistic tone while also speaking to voters’ frustrations about the state’s economic and political climate. […]
“To that end, I will submit a balanced budget proposal next month. It will offer a path to reduced spending, and it will show the way to surpluses going forward so we can reduce taxes and start to push back against the assault on middle-class bank accounts,” the governor said.
Democrats stood and offered mock applause, including one of his biggest critics, Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Democrats and some experts have long said Rauner has yet to submit a balanced budget, although Democrats have repeatedly advanced out-of-balanced budgets themselves.
Replied Rauner: “And I hope this year you guys will pass it instead of ignoring it.” He drew jeers from within the chamber.
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton, who appeared on public television following the speech, said Rauner’s promise of a balanced spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 was met with laughter.
“The reason why people couldn’t keep a straight face when he said he was going to introduce a balanced budget is because (Rauner) has never been even close to a balanced budget,” Cullerton said.
Rauner has said he wants to roll back the $5 billion income tax hike even as the state’s payment to its five pension systems is projected to grow to $8.5 billion in fiscal 2019 from $7.94 billion this year. Illinois also has a lingering $8.5 billion unpaid bill backlog that had ballooned to more than $16 billion during the impasse.
Governor Bruce Rauner delivered his annual State of the State Address to a joint session of the General Assembly.
Rauner said the State of the State is one of readiness and he was hoping out loud that the Democrats in control would give him what they have refused to give him before, such as term limits.
“80% of Illinois’ voters want term limits. The other 20% it seems are seated in this chamber.”
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Wednesday:
“As he has done throughout his administration, Governor Rauner chooses to blame others for the challenges facing our state on his watch instead of being the leader he was elected to be. If the governor were as serious about addressing property taxes as he is about scoring cheap political points, he would have come to the table and worked with Democrats to support any of the multiple bills we have advanced to provide property tax relief for middle class families.
“For the good of our state, maybe it’s better the governor continue sitting on the sidelines and pretend he is ‘not in charge.’ That way, serious leaders can continue working to move our state forward, while the governor can continue to ignore his utterly dismal record without accomplishments, and avoid the real discussion about the damage he has inflicted on our state. While he remains on the sidelines, those of us in the Legislature will continue working together in a bipartisan way to ensure our state moves forward.”
We just heard Governor Rauner’s re-election speech. Now he has 14 days to deliver a balanced budget that doesn’t involve pixie dust and magic beans.
I don’t know about ‘turning yesterday into tomorrow,’ but Governor Rauner turned the $5 billion backlog of bills he inherited into a $16.7 billion backlog. He deficit-spent more than any other governor in the history of Illinois - $5 billion a year.
You heard all the applause for his empty promise to propose a balanced budget. The Governor has had three chances to propose a balanced budget. All the objective fact-checkers, Politifact, the Better Government Association, all agree his budgets have been billions of dollars out of balance and his claims to the contrary flat-out lies.
I welcome his call for bipartisan governing. The good news is we do have bi-partisanship. Republican and Democratic legislators came together last year to override the governor’s vetoes on the budget and my Debt Transparency Act. Just before Governor Rauner entered the chamber to deliver his State of the State address, Legislators of both parties came together to override the Governor’s veto of education funding.
Our Debt Transparency Report we released last week showed he ran up $1 billion dollars in late payment interest penalties over the last 2 ½ years. That’s money that will never be spent on educating our children; rebuilding our state; or fixing the pipes at the Quincy Veterans Home where 13 people have died from Legionnaire’s Disease on his watch.
We need to see a balanced budget from him. We need for him to answer these five questions:
1) How are you going to cover the cost of the $1 billion in late interest penalties you racked up by not paying the state’s bills on time?
2) What is your plan to pay down the State’s $8.37 billion bill backlog?
3) How will you account for the $2.3 billion in unappropriated spending by your agencies last year?
4) How will you account for the $1.7 billion in unrealized revenues and savings from failed initiatives like the sale of the Thompson Center and the Tier III retirement plan?
5) Can you, for the first time, introduce a balanced gimmick-free budget that doesn’t call for pixie dust and magic beans?
Mendoza’s Republican opponent Darlene Senger…
“I applaud the Governor’s call for common-sense, bipartisan solutions that can deliver real property tax relief for Illinois families starting with reforming the broken and corrupt property tax assessment system. For too long, this system has benefited the insiders and connected while punishing hard-working families who only lack clout.
“The time is now for those, like Speaker Madigan and Comptroller Mendoza, who continue to defend and benefit from this broken system to either support reform — or get out of the way.”
* I’ll be on Public Television and Public Radio before and after today’s State of the State. Check your local listings. Use this as an open thread on the address.
Nearly 100 years ago now, the legendary gadfly H.L. Mencken, in his capacity as editor of the American Mercury, teamed with co-editor Charles Angoff to produce a wholly unscientific—but anecdotally recognizable—ranking of the 50 states. They used census data, primarily, to produce an index that ordered the states by their achievements (or lack thereof) in wealth, health and public safety. In that spirit, POLITICO Magazine is continuing our tradition of combining 14 metrics, based on data from the Census Bureau, other government agencies and nonprofits, to produce our own power rankings of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Illinois ranked 31st, ahead of Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky. Wisconsin was 10th. Minnesota ranked 2nd.
* Meanwhile, Eric Zorn asked Gov. Rauner a blunt question this week “Are you an even more miserable failure on jobs than Pat Quinn?” Here’s his column…
During a televised debate in October 2014, then-candidate Bruce Rauner said that his opponent, incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, was “a miserable failure on jobs. Illinois is one of the lowest job-creating states in America. He’s a failure, I’ll get results.”
Ah, but he did not get results. […]
Job growth in Illinois, which in the last three years of the Quinn administration was 3.57 percent — compared with a 5.31 percent national job-growth rate over the same time — has fallen in the first three years of the Rauner administration to 2.29 percent, about half the 4.82 percent national job-growth rate.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show job growth in Illinois under Rauner has been lower than job growth in the neighboring states of Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Illinois Working Together, a pro-labor coalition partial to Democrats, points out that if employment growth under Rauner had just continued at Quinn’s rate, we’d have 75,000 more jobs now in Illinois. And if we’d simply continued creating jobs at two-thirds the national rate, we’d have nearly 56,000 more jobs than we do now.
* Also…
As a result of under-appropriation of public universities and community colleges, Illinois lost an estimated $948.7 million in generated economic output—$461.7 million of which was felt outside the Chicagoland area. #ILFinancialFacts#StateoftheStatepic.twitter.com/46bGEdkjoP
In another indication that the world’s most powerful politician has few qualms about battling local public officials, President Donald Trump again has sued the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser over the valuation of his Trump National Golf Club.
The suit marks the fifth year in a row that Trump has disputed the property tax bill for the 131-acre course along Donald Ross Road. Even as he fights the county’s $19.7 million estimate, Trump’s financial disclosures in 2016 and 2017 list the value of Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter as “over $50 million.”
Based on the property appraiser’s valuation, the Palm Beach County Tax Collector sent Trump a bill for $398,315. Trump responded with a lawsuit — and a wire transfer for $296,595.01, which his Tampa-based attorney described as “a good faith estimate” of the sum Trump really owes.
While Trump’s three-page suit doesn’t say how much he thinks the course should be worth, Jupiter Golf Club pays property taxes at a rate of 2 percent. So by claiming he was overcharged by $101,720, Trump asserts that the property is worth $15 million, and that the appraiser overvalued the course by more than $5 million.
Indignant joint Rauner/Kennedy press release and Tribune editorial in 3… 2… Oh, nevermind.
From his jail cell in Englewood, Colorado, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich cast a huge shadow over Democratic front-runner J.B. Pritzker in the only primary debate to feature all six of the Democrats running for governor in 2018.
Pritzker says there was nothing sinister or illegal about the wiretapped phone call he made to Blagojevich about a job nine years ago.
The long-forgotten phone call, one of many recorded in late 2008 as federal agents closed in on Blagojevich, resurfaced with a sinister spin earlier this month as an attack ad aired by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign.
Pritzker argued, during a debate in Carbondale featuring all six of the Democratic candidates for governor, that he was just offering his financial expertise as a public service. But perennial candidate Robert Marshall argued that it makes Pritzker un-electable. Two other candidates, businessman Christopher Kennedy and State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), voiced agreement.
Given the chance to respond, Pritzker said Rauner has done nothing to improve schools or the state’s finances, and said if he wins the nomination, he will “take him out.”
Kennedy, an heir to the iconic Massachusetts political family, declared Pritzker “unelectable in the general election.”
“The truth is, just because you don’t break a law doesn’t mean you’re innocent, and we need to hold our elected officials to a higher standard,” the Kenilworth businessman said. Kennedy contended that Pritzker’s actions made him “the poster child, the data point” of a “Republican strategy” of voter suppression to dissuade general election voters from casting a ballot for a Democrat.
Biss, an Evanston state senator, warned that a potential “blue wave building across the country” in October would occur “except in Illinois” because Democrats would have to “play defense about Rod Blagojevich and FBI recordings.”
“Bruce Rauner is on the ropes. Bruce Rauner is in trouble. Bruce Rauner is a failure. The only way he can win is if he is able to make that kind of attack, of unpopular politicians like Rod Blagojevich and (House Speaker) Mike Madigan,” Biss said. “If J.B. Pritzker didn’t exist, Bruce Rauner would have to invent him. It’s too dangerous. We can’t afford to nominate J.B. Pritzker.”
“If we don’t restore the American Dream. If we don’t restore upward economic mobility, we’ll elect somebody worse than Donald Trump,” Kennedy said.
Rival candidate Daniel Biss was quick to defend Trump supporters, while saying there must be an end to the politics of division: “Donald Trump is a racist and a bigot,” Biss said. “That doesn’t mean that his supporters are.” […]
Pritzker didn’t back down from his earlier take on the president: “I don’t care what part of the state I’m in. Donald Trump is still a racist, and a xenophobe, and a misogynist and a homophobe. And I’m going to call him that. I don’t care,” he said to applause.
But he also blamed the Democratic Party for not focusing on issues that affect the middle class during the 2016 presidential race — despite being a strong backer of Hillary Clinton.
“They voted for him [Trump] because we Democrats in 2016 didn’t demonstrate that we were standing up for the kitchen table issues, the things that really matter to middle class families and those striving to get to the middle class,” Pritzker said.
Meant to forward you this when I sent it around to LAs and legislators. It’s not really a statement but is our purpose for [Wednesday]. Also if you care to say anything more about it, you can tell your readers that myself, Stephanie Vojas Taylor, and Kim Janas will have black ribbons to distribute throughout the morning that people can pin on if they don’t have black.
Thanks!
* The forwarded message…
On Wednesday, January 31st, we ask that you join us in solidarity by wearing black at the Capitol.
The issues of sexism and harassment are rampant across our country, and the statehouse is no stranger to these stories. Women still remain the minority in leadership positions in the General Assembly, across lobbying firms, agencies, and a variety of associations. Times up on working in an environment that fails to provide women with the opportunity to let their voices be heard equally. Times up on harassment, assault, inappropriate behaviors, and being told to work around this.
Certainly, there is more that needs to be done to address systemic challenges to general inequality. Those participating in the taskforces and womens’ caucus are among those leading the charge for change. We must continue to work towards greater equality by tearing down barriers and addressing the challenges that women, and especially women of color, face.
I hope that you will join us.
Thank you,
Colleen Smith
Some commenters saw this the other day as some sort of protest against Gov. Rauner or his State of the State. It’s nothing of the kind.
The chairman of the Illinois Lottery Control Board used a disparaging term to describe East St. Louis following the recent controversy over allegations that President Donald Trump used profanity when talking about African nations.
Blair Garber of Evanston, who is also a member of the Republican State Central Committee, tweeted on Jan. 17 about the issue that arose from a White House meeting on Jan. 11. […]
The Lottery Control Board advises the lottery superintendent regarding operations, conducts hearings concerning complaints or violations and establishes advertising policy. Garber was appointed to the board in May 2016 by Gov. Bruce Rauner, and the Senate confirmed the appointment unanimously that month. The appointment letter said the post pays expenses, but comptroller’s records don’t show any payments to Garber for his service.
Garber represents the 9th Congressional District on the GOP State Central Committee. That district includes Rauner’s Winnetka home.
* The tweet in question, edited slightly by me…
* The governor’s office gave Bernie and me the same response…
There is no place for this kind of language in our political discourse.
* Ah, but there’s more, and I shared it with the Rauner administration as well. This one has since been deleted…
* And from his Facebook page, with a slight edit by me…
* Garber was also bragging about how well he knows the governor on Facebook this week during an online spat…
* Indeed, Garber’s Evanston Township GOP recently endorsed Rauner in the Republican primary and sent out this press release…
In advance of the March 20th Republican Primary, the Evanston Township Republican Organization announced its endorsements across the ticket. “We’re proud to support such an outstanding slate of Republican candidates who will push hard for conservative principles on behalf of Illinoisans,” said Evanston Township GOP Committeeman Blair Garber.
Committeeman Garber added, “Illinoisans agree that Mike Madigan’s reign of terror must come to an end. We need candidates who will stand up to the Madigan Machine and politics as usual. These men and women will be effective and tough citizen legislators. It’s high time we had some leaders with a backbone in Springfield.”
Rauner passed HB40, which ensured access to legal and safe abortions in Illinois should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its ruling in Roe v. Wade. It also repealed provisions that limit health care options for women who receive coverage under Medicaid and in-state worker health plans. […]
Garber said he feels the bill created a lot of turmoil because Madigan designed it to do so. He added that Madigan chose to put forth the bill at a time that would “manipulate pro-life voters in Illinois.” […]
“If Bruce is not (reelected), then the state will be in complete Democratic control,” he said. “We will lose all the donors. We will lose all the financing. … That’ll be the end of it. Illinois will be a one-party state run by Democrats.”
Garber is a staunch ally of Governor Bruce Rauner of Winnetka. He is one of a handful of township committeemen who has endorsed Rauner in the March 20 GOP primary, in which he is squaring off with State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton).
Rauner appointed Garber to the Illinois Lottery Control Board in May 2016.
Garber also serves as the representative from the 9th U.S. Congressional District to the Illinois Republican State Central Committee. Rauner lives in the 9th Congressional District.
Durbin graduated from East St. Louis Assumption High School in 1962.
East St. Louis then had more than 80,000 population and was 55 percent white and 45 percent black. In 2016, the U.S. Census reported it had just under 27,000 population, 98 percent black currently.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Dave McSweeney, who is supporting Rep. Jeanne Ives’ candidacy…
Governor Rauner should immediately fire Blair Garber, his handpicked Chairman of the Lottery Control Board. Garber is also a top Rauner political operative. In addition to firing Garber, the Governor should immediately apologize to the citizens of East St. Louis and all Illinois citizens for the disgusting comments made by his political appointee.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Sen. Clayborne…
The Chair of the Illinois Lottery Control Board is under fire for comments he made about East St. Louis earlier this month. Evanston resident Blair Garber used the same disgusting remarks used by President Trump to describe third world countries to describe East St. Louis in a tweet.
Garber was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner to the board that oversees the state lottery in May of 2016.
State Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr. (D-Belleville) represents East St. Louis in the Illinois Senate and is calling on the governor to ask for Garber’s resignation from the board.
“For someone who claims to love the entire state, Governor Rauner seems to surround himself with people who care little for communities besides their own,” the Senate’s Majority Leader said. “If the governor does not ask for Mr. Garber’s resignation then I think it is obvious how the governor feels about places like East St. Louis.”
Clayborne says the comments made by Garber are insulting to the many East St. Louisans who have made great contributions to Illinois and the United States.
“When you make comments like that, you disparage the legacies and accomplishments of people like jazz legend Miles Davis, Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Jerry Costello, Poet Laureate Eugene Redmond, Major General Marcia Anderson, Olympic gold medalists Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Al Joyner, United Nations Ambassador Donald McHenry, United States Ambassador to Morocco Dwight L. Bush and the thousands of unsung heroes who have called East St. Louis home.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Rep. Jeanne Ives…
“It’s a disgusting remark. Those kinds of statements from a person in a position of service to the State of Illinois cannot be tolerated. There are a lot of families and a lot of communities struggling in Illinois because of terrible public policy choices made by ruling class politicians in both parties, including Gov. Rauner. The people suffering under the rule of craven, career politicians don’t deserve to be ridiculed, the craven, career politicians do.
“Rauner will have to decide if his loyalties lie with people supporting him politically or the people he was elected to serve.
“Rauner should immediately remove Blair Garber from the Lottery Control Board.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign…
Sen. Raoul is calling for the resignation of the chairman of the Illinois Lottery Control Board after he called the city of East St. Louis “the sh*thole of the universe.”
“Today, I’m calling on Blair Garber to resign since Gov. Rauner refuses to publicly do so. Whether hateful comments come from President Trump or Gov. Rauner’s handpicked lottery chief, Governor Rauner continues to describe the tone of hateful rhetoric instead of declaring that these individuals are unfit to serve.
Last night, I was in Washington D.C. for the State of the Union Address to stand up on behalf of those who often don’t have a voice. As Attorney General, I’ll be right here in the trenches and will be the voice of the voiceless. To the people of East St. Louis: I’ve got your back,” Raoul said.
Democrats from across the Metro East are formally endorsing State Senator Kwame Raoul’s candidacy for Attorney General.
“We’re pleased to offer our support for Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign to be this state’s next Attorney General. Kwame has taken the time to listen to voters from across the Metro East and downstate Illinois. He knows we need a fighter and we know we can depend on him,” said St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chair Bob Sprague.
“I’ve been in the trenches with Kwame and I can tell you that he’s tough and has what it takes to be the people’s attorney. He’s the only candidate in this race who has stood toe to toe with Bruce Rauner and won. He’s been my partner in protecting Illinois workers from Bruce Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda and now I want him to be the Metro East’s partner in the attorney general’s office,” Rep. Jay Hoffman added.
Raoul has previously been endorsed by Sen. Bill Haine of Alton and Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill along with the Madison County Democrats.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Comptroller Mendoza…
East St. Louis struggles with many challenges, including neglect from the Governor’s office. Governor Rauner should stand up for the people of East St. Louis by immediately rescinding the appointment of his Lottery Control Board Chairman, Republican State Committeeman Blair Garber. Governor Rauner and his hand-picked appointee should both apologize to the people of East St. Louis and the victims of Garber’s other racist and bigoted statements. How about a plan from the Governor to jump-start East St. Louis’ economy?
*** UPDATE 6 *** From the governor’s press office…
Mr. Garber has apologized for his comments and is resigning from the Illinois Lottery Control Board effective immediately.
* And speaking of the Tribune forum, Pritzker has a new digital ad…
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new, statewide digital ad slamming Bruce Rauner in the words of his primary opponent, Jeanne Ives.
Ives “crushed” Rauner’s failed record at a meeting with the Chicago Tribune editorial board, demonstrating exactly why this failed governor refuses to take responsibility for his mismanagement of the state. The significant digital buy will target voters who need to hear about Rauner’s real record and make sure they see a member of Rauner’s own party calling out his failures.
“Bruce Rauner’s disastrous performance in front of the Chicago Tribune demonstrates exactly why this failed governor is running scared: even by his own metrics he has failed this state,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “Rauner can’t defend his record, can’t present any accomplishments, and is getting taken to task by his own party for refusing to take charge as Illinois families pay the price.”
A new We Ask America poll shows Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Daniel Biss climbing into second place past Chris Kennedy in a crowded field of governor hopefuls. At the same time, frontrunner J.B. Pritzker’s lead has diminished to a level where this may soon turn into a much more interesting race.
Here are the latest results from our poll conducted Jan. 29-30, 2018 (811 responses; Margin of Error ±3.44%
I’ve already gone over this poll with subscribers today, so we’ll stick mainly to WAA’s release…
* Back to the pollster…
Biss’ improvement puts him within striking distance in the Democrat-rich environments of Chicago and Suburban Cook. He falters elsewhere–especially downstate:
Click the pics for larger images…
* Pollster…
Kennedy’s inherent name recognition is keeping him in the game, but Biss’ rise seems to put the State Senator from Evanston into a solid second position. Pritkzer’s superior resources still make him the favorite, but the race is tightening up and may prove to ultimately be closer than once believed.
Fastest response yet in this campaign from @KennedyforIL on New Democrat We Ask America Poll, showing @danielbiss surging: "voters are very much undecided and they're looking for another option besides JB Pritzker." #ILGOV
“The We Ask America poll confirms what we already knew,” said Abby Witt, Campaign Manager, Biss for Illinois. “Voters understand the choice in this primary: a middle-class candidate with a progressive record and bold vision for Illinois’ future, or a billionaire businessman who’s now promising to fix the same broken systems he’s benefited from. We’re excited to continue growing Team Biss, and to build a state that works for the rest of us.”
Today, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District released her first television message to voters. Focusing on her family’s experience of nearly losing her son to a rare illness, the spot, titled “Jack,” highlights the importance of fighting to protect health care from President Trump’s and Rep. [Rodney] Davis’ misguided plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“The contrast between my priorities and the Trump/Davis agenda could not be more stark. I believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. No family should risk losing a loved one, or everything they’ve worked towards because of one medical emergency. I know firsthand how critical it is to have access to quality, affordable health care. I look forward to being a representative that stands up to President Trump and for the middle class here in central Illinois,” stated Dirksen Londrigan.
Betsy and her family have been a part of the fabric of the community for generations and her candidacy has been endorsed by Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, EMILY’s List amongst others.
When our son Jack was 12, a rare infection almost took his life. After intensive care for 21 days and receiving last rites twice, Jack pulled through. Donald Trump’s health care plan would’ve bankrupted us, because it allows insurance companies to cut off families with sick kids. That’s not right. Donald Trump is dangerous. And it’s time we had a Congress that will stand up to him. I’m Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and I approve this message, because middle class families can’t afford Donald Trump.
Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to talk of “bringing Illinois back” by focusing on economic development — while also chiding “partisan sniping” Wednesday in his State of the State address.
The governor’s final speech of what he hopes to be a first of two terms will center on reforming the state, which the Republican governor believes can be done with bipartisan effort, according to a source familiar with the speech.
Rauner will ask legislators to “roll up their sleeves” and work together to focus on economic development, while cutting the regulatory red tape and improving the job climate in Illinois. He’ll also talk of the need to cut state spending and roll back taxes. With less spending, the state’s capital can grow and produce more jobs, he’s expected to say.
He’ll also likely focus on an issue he’s blasted for some time, corruption in the state’s property tax assessment system. That issue has come to the forefront of his re-election campaign, as he seeks to target Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and continue his efforts against Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday plans to issue a bipartisan call to lawmakers to work together to cut spending, roll back a tax hike and bring in more jobs, two days after calling Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan “a crook” during a campaign forum.
The theme of the governor’s noon State of the State speech is “Bringing Illinois Back,” a source familiar with his remarks said. It’s a recycled concept he’s long championed on the campaign trail and is resurrecting as he asks voters for four more years in office.
Rauner will advocate for “rolling up our sleeves and working together” to spur economic development, the source said. The governor also will argue that cutting regulations, spending and taxes will help businesses grow and lead to an “in-migration of talented people into our economy.” […]
While he will call for bipartisanship, Rauner also will take aim at Madigan, his chief nemesis at the Capitol who is chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
According to a source familiar with the speech, which will be delivered at noon tomorrow in Springfield, the biggest news will be a call to pass legislation to prevent lawmakers from working on the side as property tax appeals lawyers. That’s aimed both at Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, who are principals in law firms that do such work.
Rauner’s call will echo that of one of the Democrats running against him, Chris Kennedy. Rauner previously has strongly criticized the side work, saying it leads to a “corrupt” system in which top lawmakers are more interested in taking care of their business than helping the public by reducing property taxes.
The governor also reportedly again will call for legislative term limits, a concept he frequently has pushed over the past four years but one which has made no progress, with Democrats saying Republicans are just trying to win seats they can’t capture at the ballot box.
The Kennedy-Joy campaign will begin airing a new ad tomorrow on broadcast TV in the Chicago market and the ad will be released digitally statewide.
The ad highlights the broken property tax system that our state relies on to fund education. It’s consistent with Chris’s message about the need for property tax reform and the need to fully and fairly fund education at the state level. Chris was the first candidate to bring voice to this issue and just last week he released a comprehensive statewide property tax reform plan.
No word yet on how much the buy is for, but Kennedy ended December with about $737K in the bank and raised $428K since then ($250K from himself). However, the guy has a horrible burn rate. He spent $1.6 million in three months last quarter - mainly on his own operations - so if that rate continued into January he has about $632K cash on hand.
…Adding... From comments…
wasn’t 500k of the 1.6 million to adelstein for an ad buy? and 90k was to P2 which included a lot of quarter 3 backpay. so maybe his burn rate was *only 1 million- he should have 200k more on hand than 632k
OK, so it’s $800K. That’s a somewhat decent week of Chicago TV. And then he’s flat busted.
Content in the extent of his wealth and the power of his incumbency, Gov. Bruce Rauner this winter has effectively ignored his primary election foe, conservative state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton. Instead, he’s been acting like Republicans already have re-crowned him as their champion, concentrating all his fire and energy on Democratic frontrunner J.B. Pritzker
The events of the past 24 hours show the limits of that strategy.
First, in the only debate they’re likely to have, before the Chicago Tribune editorial board, Ives gobbled him right up, seemingly scoring points at will. The Tribune’s coverage echoed that, and its editorial today broadly hinted that an Ives endorsement may well be on the way.
Then, news emerged that Ives finally has found the moneybags she’s needed, as ex-Rauner backer Dick Uihlein sent her a check for $500,000 that may be the first of a series.
Those twin developments have changed things. If nothing else, Ives’ name recognition probably has doubled. Rauner remains the favorite. But he could well just stagger across the finish line in March. And given the volatility of the electorate in the age of Donald Trump, an Ives win is not out of reach.
You want to avoid that fate, governor? Then quit whining about Mike Madigan and start acting like you would against any Democratic foe: Attack. Engage. Contrast your views and record with hers.
I can definitely see the reasons for firing back.
The other side of this coin is that Rauner has a huge lead; Ives is almost totally unknown and still doesn’t have the cash to make this a real race; attacking someone on his right flank could further alienate his party’s “base” voters; and she’s a woman, which makes things trickier (remember my admonition that just because Donald Trump got away with doing something doesn’t mean others can do the same).
* The Question: Should Rauner retaliate against Ives? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments with your own suggestions, please.
Update on @SenSilverstein petition challenge: He's now actually 1 petition short, City Board of Elections hearing officer acknowledges mistake in first reporting Silverstein cleared challenge, now hearing officer has 13 affidavits he must explain #notoveryet#ILMarchPrimary
* Former Florida governor and vanquished presidential hopeful Jeb Bush writing in National Review…
Something revolutionary is happening right now in education. Illinois, one of the most union-dominated states in the country, is ushering in a new era of educational freedom. Governor Bruce Rauner has pulled off the seemingly impossible: He led a bipartisan effort to bring educational choice to Illinois, and it begins this week.
Through a historic new program signed into law by Governor Rauner last year, taxpayers can now receive tax credits for helping fund a $100 million scholarship program. In the first year, children from families with incomes less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line will be eligible to receive a scholarship on a first-come, first-served basis.
Beginning this week, students and their families may apply for scholarships through the Invest in Kids Scholarship Tax Program’s designated scholarship-granting organizations.
The scholarship program has received influential backing from across the political spectrum, including from religious leaders such as Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Just as encouragingly, the support from individuals and businesses wishing to participate in the tax-credit program has been overwhelming. In just the first 48 hours of opening the window for participation, the Illinois Department of Revenue reported that half of the needed donations for the first year of the program had been pledged.
That’s the same publication which claimed Rauner was the worst Republican governor in the country, by the way.
* So, how’s the program going? Notice that Gov. Bush only talks about the the first 48 hours of the new program’s rollout.
Since then, pledges to Invest in Kids seem to have slowed way down. As of today, they’re at $45 million in contributions out of $100 million in available tax credits. And most of that, 36.5 million, is from Cook County (which is still short of that county’s $51.2 million contribution limit).
But Cook is closer to its limit than any other region. The southern Illinois region has seen just $983K in contributions even though the region’s contribution limit is $8.2 million. You can click here for a pdf file of a search I ran at about 12:30 this afternoon.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Today, failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush endorsed failed governor Bruce Rauner’s twice vetoed “accomplishment” on school funding reform.
First, Rauner used his veto to hold school funding hostage to force through a back-door school voucher program. Rauner then issued another amendatory veto of a fix to the new funding formula. After throwing school funding into crisis, Rauner finally struck a deal with his own political appointees to avert the crisis he originally caused, implementing the school funding formula he vetoed.
“Bruce Rauner vetoed school funding reform, touted the reform as an accomplishment, vetoed a fix to that ‘accomplishment,’ struck a deal with his own appointees, and now wants the General Assembly to re-pass the same fix he vetoed,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Jeb may be asking Illinoisans to ‘please clap’ for this failed governor, but students and families are tired of being subjected to the whims of Bruce Rauner’s incompetence.”
President Donald Trump’s job approval rating averaged 38% throughout the U.S. in 2017, but at the state level it ranged from a high of 61% in West Virginia to a low of 26% in Vermont. […]
Trump averaged the lowest first-year approval rating of any president in Gallup history, and lagged Barack Obama’s 57% first-year rating by nearly 20 points. Naturally, this is reflected in Trump’s state-level ratings, with only 12 states giving him 50% or higher approval, compared with 41 for Obama in 2009.
The 50% mark is an important threshold in presidential election years for presidents seeking a second term, as it correlates strongly with reelection. Popular presidents also tend to weather midterm election years with fewer party losses in Congress.
Trump’s latest weekly approval rating is 38%, matching his 2017 average. Not only is the overall number not encouraging for his party heading into the 2018 midterms, but the latest state-level averages suggest Trump will be a liability for Republican candidates in far more states than he will be an asset. […]
These results are based on 171,469 Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted nationally throughout 2017. Gallup interviewed more than 1,000 respondents in 39 states in 2017, and no fewer than 471 in any other state. Each state’s sample is weighted to match U.S. Census Bureau demographic parameters for that state’s adult population. The full results by state appear at the end of this article.
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted January 20-December 30, 2017, on the Gallup Daily survey, with a random sample of 171,469 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Margins of error for individual states are no greater than ±8 percentage points and are ±4 percentage points in most states. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
* That’s right, narrow the property tax base even further. Great idea…
Democratic state Senator Laura Murphy of Des Plaines said the cost of owning a home in her suburban district is getting too pricey for older people.
“It’s a very common concern of seniors anxious about how they’re gonna remain in their homes,” she said.
She wants more seniors to be able to claim a homestead exemption on their property taxes — raising the maximum annual income from $65,000 to $75,000. Another proposal would allow seniors in downstate communities to cut their tax by $7,000, up from the current $5,000.
But Carol Portman, president of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois, calls that problematic.
“By reducing the taxes of those folks a little bit, then you’re raising it for the next door neighbors and the people across the street. Where you draw the line of who gets the benefit and who has to pay the taxes for them, it gets really tough to draw.”
Portman is right. Let’s jack up everyone else’s taxes to give one group of people a break.
Stop this.
* Press release…
Parents who choose to send their children to K-12 private or parochial schools in Illinois may soon be able to use their Illinois Bright Start program funds to help offset those costs rather than only using those funds for college, due to a new bill filed today by State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard).
The new Republican federal tax law clears the way for states to allow residents to use 529 plan accounts for K-12 education expenses, in addition to their current allowed use for college expenses. In Illinois, the 529 plan (Bright Start) specifically only allows funds to be used for higher education or post-secondary training.
“Today’s Bright Start Program does not provide for the recent changes in federal tax law that allow families to use their 529 plan account for K-12 educational expenses,” said Breen. “My bill expands the Illinois Bright Start Program’s definition of ‘qualifying expenses’ so that families may enjoy the full tax benefits newly available through the Republican federal tax law. Expanding the use of these tax-free funds will be help hard-working Illinois families save for their kids’ education.”
Breen’s legislation also provides for a rollover of 529 plan funds into an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account for an individual living with a significant disability. Whereas 529 plans may only be used for education, ABLE accounts may also be used for housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology, personal support services and health care expenses. “These types of accounts really help folks living with disabilities to maintain their independence and quality of life,” Breen said. “Individuals with disabilities and their families often rely on public benefits for income, health care, housing and other assistance, and eligibility is largely based on meeting an income threshold. ABLE accounts allow families to create a long-term plan with defined tax benefits for covering the significant costs associated to living with a disability.”
Breen hopes to garner wide bipartisan support for his bill and is pressing for its immediate consideration in the appropriate House committee in the coming weeks.
An effort is underway in Illinois that would let the terminally ill choose to end their life.
Oregon approved the option back in the mid 90’s. A few more states and Canada have followed with similar laws. They allow a terminally ill and mentally sound individual to choose to end their life.
“We all die and unfortunately as we approach death, as we get sicker and sicker, often a lot of pain and suffering comes with it. And when death is imminent, when suffering is intolerable, it should be your choice,” said Ed Gogol of Final Options Illinois. […]
Gogol wants an Illinois law that would have the patient being prescribed medication they would self-administer. It’s not “physician-assisted suicide” or “euthanasia” because the doctor would only make sure the person qualified.
Gogol calls it compassion. “The ability to say, when suffering has truly gotten intolerable, that I don’t want to go through these final agonies. I am approaching death anyway. That should be a human right.”
Rick Bruno was in another room last fall when his wife Jean shrieked “Oh, my God, no” in a way that led him to think there must have been a death in the family.
Instead, Jean had just opened a letter from Easterseals informing them that the agency would soon be closing the program that for the past decade has been a lifeline for their autistic 32-year-old son Danny.
“It was like getting punched in the gut,” said Bruno, 62, a retired Tinley Park police officer who now works stadium security part-time.
The closing becomes final on Wednesday, when Easterseals finishes winding down two adult day programs that previously served 44 individuals with developmental disabilities.
The day programs — one in Chicago and the other in Tinley Park — have provided an intimate, structured environment in a school-like setting for adults 22 and over who face a variety of intellectual challenges.
Easterseals says it could no longer afford to operate the programs because of the low reimbursement rate paid by the state of Illinois, which has resulted in a statewide shortage of frontline caregivers to staff such facilities.
For the Brunos, the closing of the Tinley Park program set off a desperate search for another that can fill the special needs of their son. So far, they haven’t found anything.
Tuesday, Jan 30, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
TrackBill CEO, Steven Marciniak, and his team will be in Springfield next week to show off the latest features of their legislative tracking platform.
Together with Rich Miller, we’ll be hosting a happy hour reception at the Sangamo Club, 227 E Adams St, on Tuesday, February 13th from 3:30 to 6:30pm. They’ll have a computer set up, so you can see first-hand how TrackBill can work for you.
Stop by for cocktails and light appetizers, and feel free to bring a friend!
A former candidate who is suing Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and some of his supporters for allegedly using political tricks to sabotage his campaign, is now locked in a fight in Chicago federal court to secure the release of a 2014 inspector general’s report his lawyer says is needed to shed light on how the longest serving state house speaker in U.S. history and his political organization work, to help substantiate the candidate’s claims.
On Jan. 21, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly ordered Julie Porter, who serves as the state’s Special Legislative Inspector General, to turn over to him for his review a selection of documents subpoenaed by counsel for Jason Gonzales, a Chicago Democrat who unsuccessfully campaigned against Madigan in the 2016 Democratic Party primary. Among those documents, according to court filings, was a copy of the so-called “Homer Report,” a report prepared nearly four years ago by former Legislative Inspector General Thomas Homer, purportedly focusing on Madigan’s alleged influence over hiring decisions at the Metra commuter rail agency. […]
Porter responded to the subpoena by asking the judge to allow her to keep the report away from public view. In a motion to quash the subpoena, filed by Assistant Illinois Attorney General Sunil Bhave, who serves under Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the Speaker’s daughter, Porter asserts Illinois state law mandates such reports remain confidential, primarily to protect those who may have testified or cooperated with the LIG’s office.
Porter’s motion also asserts Gonzales wouldn’t be able to demonstrate how the Homer Report and his lawsuit are connected. […]
As a compromise, Porter offered to turn over the documents to the judge for his review before he ruled on the subpoena, an offer Kennelly accepted on Jan. 21.
In response to Porter’s motion to quash, Peraica and Gonzales argued the subpoenaed documents would allow them to buttress their claims asserting “Madigan’s personal actions are inseparable from his political actions” and “Madigan intertwines his political office and campaign.”
“Each of these matters is likely addressed in the Homer Report, the investigation led by Homer and in complaints filed against Michael Madigan,” Gonzales and Peraica said in their reply, filed Jan. 5.
…Adding… From Rep. Scott Drury…
Patronage is a corrupt practice that puts political self-interest ahead of the public interest. Politicians who benefit from or promote patronage cannot be trusted to change the status quo.
As Attorney General, I will root out corruption - including patronage - wherever it exists. We have to transform Illinois into a State that works for people, not politicians.
The woman who accused a Senator of sexual harassment is speaking out after the charges were cleared.
Denise Rotheimer accused Sen. Ira Silverstein of sexual harassment in October. Just last week Inspector General Julie Porter ruled that Silverstein didn’t harass Rotheimer but said he acted with “conduct unbecoming of a legislator”.
Rotheimer said during a press conference on Monday, she believes Porter omitted critical information thus slanting the case for Sen. Silverstein.
Rotheimer said earlier during a news conference the LIG report from Julie Porter was incomplete, contradictory and full of errors. She said people should be outraged.
“But if this is how the legislators want to behave at the taxpayer expense while not wanting to provide us representation and incurring higher taxes because of all this misconduct and corruption, then it will be high time for the people to be outraged,” Rotheimer said.
In a written statement, Porter responded, “I fully considered all of the information Ms. Rotheimer chose to provide to me, as well as extensive additional information supplied by 19 other witnesses. I stand by my report (which is a summary, not intended to convey every detail I examined) and its conclusions.”
Jeanne Ives crushed it so hard, way up into the upper deck, Rauner’s re-election dreams bouncing up there all alone, echoing desperately, and all the governor seemed to be able to say was “Mike Madigan” again and again. How many times did he say Mike Madigan? You couldn’t keep count.
We said at the top of this editorial that the governor is eager to run against a Democrat, not another Republican. He made clear Monday he thinks his greatest adversary is Madigan, whom the governor attacked for being a property tax attorney in a state where many property owners challenge their assessments. “We need to focus on Speaker Madigan and his corruption,” Rauner told us. He then connected dots from Madigan to J.B. Pritzker, one of the Democrats running for governor. “Pritzker is Madigan’s handpicked candidate for governor. He’s in effect Madigan’s bagman for funding that whole corrupt culture.”
One comment about such incendiary talk: We don’t see how it convinces employers such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who values a stable culture of governance, to invest money and hire in Illinois.
Can Illinois improve its reputation in time to snag all those jobs? House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, we’ve suggested that you step down from leadership and, like former Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, make way for fresh leadership. Gentlemen, your combined 86 years in the legislature have left Chicago and Illinois weakened for this competition. Show Amazon and others in the most convincing way possible that this state’s future holds more promise.
* One of the arguments made by JB Pritzker and his defenders is that Democrats attacking Democrats only helps Bruce Rauner. The governor made the same sort of argument in reverse yesterday…
[Rep. Ives] went on to contend that Rauner broke a “strong tenet” of the GOP after promising during his initial campaign that he had no social agenda.
“He sure did have an agenda, it happened to be his wife’s agenda, socially progressive agenda from his wife in a state that is broke,” she said, referring to Illinois first lady Diana Rauner.
Rauner replied, “This is more false, vicious attacks.”
“It’s not false. It’s not vicious,” Ives said. “I said it nicely. It’s the truth.”
Rauner responded, “And Madigan loves everything that you’re saying, everything that you’re doing. Social issues are divisive. We need to be united.”
“And the bottom line is Speaker Madigan would like nothing more than Rep. Ives to be the primary victor and to have a run against Pritzker,” Rauner said.
“He would love nothing more because I am on the only person at this table that can beat Pritzker in November. And we will beat Pritzker in November because we are fighting for everyone. This is not about Republicans versus Democrats. This is about taking power away from Madigan, giving it back to the people of Illinois, and we will win.”
Rauner says he’s been blocked by Madigan — speaker for more than three decades. […]
Ives says there are ways to work around Madigan to accomplish goals. She says Republicans don’t trust Rauner because he signed a law providing for publicly funded abortions and one friendly to immigrants.
Rauner called the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history a “crook” who has enriched himself through politics. […]
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said he wouldn’t “dignify” Rauner’s “crook” remark with a statement and said it appears the governor is running a campaign against Madigan because he has alienated his Republican base.
* From Joel B. Pollak, Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News…
Conservative State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) received a massive donation last week from Lake Forest businessman Richard Uihlein, who formerly backed incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner.
Crain’s Chicago Business reports that Uihlein wrote Ives’s insurgent campaign a $500,000 check Jan. 24, giving it a boost even as Rauner attempts to look past the March 20 primary and towards likely Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker.
Massive?
Um, dude. This is 2018 Illinois A Democratic candidate has already put $42.2 million into his own race and the Republican governor has self-funded to the tune of $50 million so far and raised another $23 million.
Hey, Rich- We just spotted this on TV. I don’t think the Pritzker campaign has formally “launched” it yet. Pritzker must be nervous if he’s spending money to defend his conversations with Blagojevich.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign manager…
Odd strategy from the Rauner camp to be bragging about "finding" a negative ad against their candidate…I mean we're putting it on TV, guys. But hey, it's been a rough few days for the best political team in America. Appreciate you doing the press on the ad for us! https://t.co/Lxf9uWqwJs
TV News Anchor: A new court filing suggests Bruce Rauner isn’t telling the truth about…
Announcer: A new scandal in Springfield. Serious corruption in the governor’s office. Not only has Bruce Rauner continued to do private business, he’s been doing it at the governor’s mansion. So, what does Bruce Rauner do? He tries to distract with attacks in the Democratic primary. But the truth is, JB Pritzker did not say anything improper. And he was accused of no wrongdoing. Bruce Rauner, attacking JB Pritzker because he can’t defend his own record.
Rauner said, “No private business was conducted on public property. That issue is a contract dispute.”
At its core, the question raised by the lawsuit against Rauner is simple to address. He has claimed from his first days as governor that he would have no involvement in managing an investment portfolio worth hundreds of millions of dollars to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
Kirkpatrick’s lawsuit contends Rauner violated that pledge. In defending himself, Rauner has appeared evasive and is now attempting to parse the difference between personal involvement with an investment and personal involvement with a contract dispute stemming from an investment.
It is a distinction without a difference. Rauner is being disingenuous and obtuse, and we rate his statement as False.
* Pritzker campaign…
“Despite repeated vows to the contrary, Bruce Rauner was caught conducting business while governor, and he continues to lie to cover it up,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor broke the trust of the people, exposed himself to conflicts of interest, and refuses to come clean to Illinois families.”
* From a self described leader of “The Resistance”…
Congressman Quigley just made it clear that the Russians successfully hacked into different Boards of Elections across America. Then he eluded to the fact that the Russians may have successfully changed the presidential vote tally in multiple states from Hillary to Trump.
* And now Mariotti has jumped on yet another false report. Congressman Quigley countered the Dworkin tweet last night…
Here is exactly what I said about the motivation behind #Russia's election hacking & why it should matter to both Democrats & Republicans alike: pic.twitter.com/6Ks0vl2T8Q
I just — we are not talking about the — we are not talking about the investigation; we are talking about the distraction that they have created. And that’s sad and unfortunate, because if you’re a Democrat or Republican, you should care just as much about this. They attacked the Democratic process. They hacked into boards of elections. And one can imagine a scenario in which they were just as likely to attack a Republican candidate as a Democrat.
Today, the Rauner Campaign launched a new digital ad titled “JB Pritzker, Champion of the Status Quo.”
Pritzker has made it clear throughout his campaign that he is unable and unwilling to stand up to Mike Madigan and his cronies like Joe Berrios. This ad highlights how Pritzker tossed aside middle class homeowners by refusing to criticize Madigan and Berrios’ property tax racket and how he stated he doesn’t support term limits that would have ended Madigan’s career years ago. No wonder fellow Democrats laughed at his claim that he’s “an independent.”
Pritzker is unwilling to stand up to the system, because he is just another cog in the Madigan Machine.
