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Monday morning campaign roundup

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Illinois

* So, you wanna be a poll watcher? Well, don’t just show up on election day…

[Jim Tenuto with the State Board of Elections] adds that state poll watchers have to be affiliated with a political party, candidate or civic organization. The State Board of Elections or a local election authority also must sign off on them.

“Somebody just can’t show up at the polling place (and say) ‘I want to be a poll watcher, I want to watch,’” Tenuto explained. “You can’t do that; you have to have credentials.”

Even so, he says it may not be too late for those who want to serve as poll watchers on election day.

* Raising expectations a bit? We’ll see tomorrow…

Pat Brady, a former state Republican chairman who supports Rauner, acknowledged the Democrats “have always killed us on ground game, but not this year.”

“We have some legislative districts where we have 30 paid staffers actually working the ground game. We’ve never had that before,” he said. “We are now doing door knocks, going door-to-door. In a state representative race, you can win that race just on door knocks.”

* Background on the lockbox proposal…

The “Safe Roads” amendment was the brainchild, sources told the Sun-Times, of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, who then brought in the trade unions to create a powerful alliance.

This alliance needed to win the approval of the General Assembly in order to get their amendment on the November ballot.

State Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, the chief Senate sponsor of the amendment legislation, told the Sun-Times it came to him on behalf of that alliance through Illinois Chamber President Todd Maisch.

The “Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding” political committee was created with money from that construction industry and trade union alliance to drum up votes to pass the amendment.

However, the “citizens” committee name is misleading – every contribution is from a union or a business-related group.

* From DNAInfo Chicago…

Invoking Donald Trump has become a go-to tactic for down-ballot Democrats all over the country, as candidates of all stripes have tried to tie their opponents to the controversial top of their ticket.

A political action committee aligned with local Democrats is putting an underhanded twist on that tactic, with an ad campaign posing as a tacit Trump endorsement from Chicago’s only Republican state representative.

A mailer has circulated with the Republican presidential nominee’s face alongside Rep. Michael McAuliffe, who represents Edison Park and parts of Norwood Park along with several suburbs.

One page has “The Trump-McAuliffe team working for us!” printed in Trump’s iconic hotel-sign font, below unsubtle declarations like “Donald Trump knows what’s best for our families.” […]

The Trump-focused ad campaign was paid for by a PAC called Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP, which lists City Council finance committee chair Ald. Ed Burke (14th) and the Service Employees International Union as top donors, according to the transparency site Illinois Sunshine. The PAC has spent money to aid to a broad range of Democratic leaders at the state and local level.

More info about the PAC’s funders is here.

* Meanwhile, WGN Radio’s Steve Cochran has posted this on his audio page today…

If you want to see change…The Mike Madigan Era needs to end. Here are the list of people that you need to vote against to stop Madigan. Each has voted for unbalanced budgets. All are opposed to term limits and redistricting reform.

Comptroller canditate Susan Mendoza
State Rep candidate Mary Marweg
State Rep Michelle Mussman
State Rep Mike Smiddy
Sate Rep Sam Yingling
State Rep Kate Cloonen
State Rep John Bradley
State Rep Carol Sente

The Tribune editorial board posted a similar list a few days ago.

* From a subscriber who lives in Lincoln…

Not to pick on Tony because I assume this was a package sticker deal with the SJ-R. But probably not the best expense given none of Logan County is in the 99th District.

Oops…

* Other stuff…

* Spending in suburban races shattering records

* Longer early voting period leads to record-setting numbers

* Sangamon County seeing record numbers for early voting

* Signs vandalized: Cook Co Board of Review race next to turn nasty

* Vote rigging, democracy and an accidental precinct captain

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 10:49 am

Comments

I live in Tim Butler’s district and it is hilarious to see how many people in my area who have Tony D’s signs. I know people in the 99th visit the area but still.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:00 am
I’ve stated before that I am an Independent. It’s views like Pat Brady’s that reinforce this year after year:

“We have some legislative districts where we have 30 paid staffers actually working the ground game. We’ve never had that before,” he said. “We are now doing door knocks, going door-to-door. In a state representative race, you can win that race just on door knocks.”
****
WHY do you need PAID staffers to knock on doors? Why can’t you turn out your base in those locals areas to knock on doors? If people won’t knock on doors unless you have to pay them to do it, then your party has deeper problems than just financing. I realize that time is valuable and gas can be expensive, but I would think that BELIEF in your party should be able to turn out volunteers not paid staffers.

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:02 am
Good on Cochran!! Add Conroy to that list of “vote againsts” & you’re getting somewhere!

Comment by Deft Wing Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:12 am
Be careful what you wish for; you might just get it.

Meanwhile, “Deliver DelGiorno” is awfully close to “It’s not delivery. It’s DiGiorno.” I wonder, have Nestle’s lawyers been in touch yet?

Comment by Northsider Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:16 am
Being it was the SJR, I’m surprised there weren’t 2 stickers on the the page. Like they do with so many of their inserts. /s

Comment by WhoKnew Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:20 am
Early voted this morning in Carpentersville in Kane County. Poll opened at 9 so I go there at 855, and was shocked to see 200 people already in line. I’d guess that a majority were women (about 55-45), and I mean women of all types. Moms with toddlers, sisters, mothers and daughters, grandmothers, women dressed for the office, women on their way to the grocery store, women on their way to work out…

I didn’t conduct any exit polling so I do not know for whom they voted. But I have only ever seen a line like that when Barack Obama first was elected.

Comment by Mongo Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:31 am
I early voted last week. Had to wait in line, it was a heavier turnout then I have seen in previous elections. An elderly Hispanic lady at the voting stand next to mine kept leaning over sideways to try to see how I was voting. Not WHO I was voting for, but HOW to use the touch screen computer. I pointed to the judges and told her to wave at them until they saw her. She did and someone came over to help her.

Comment by DuPage Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 11:58 am
Lots of early voters on Saturday in my corner of DuPage. Poll worker told me they had 1,300 on Friday and twice that on Saturday. All ages ethnicities etc. YEAH democracy!!

Comment by Joe Biden Was Here Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 12:09 pm
Lots of newbies running for County Board seats in Eastern Madison County that do not appear to know where their districts are based on sign locations.

Comment by Highland IL Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 12:10 pm
My door hasn’t been knocked by Republicans, but the Democrats have stopped by several times.

Comment by burbanite Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 1:12 pm
Probably the wrong thread on which to raise this, but the lockbox proposal seems to make the same assumptions as the term limits argument; i.e. legislators/voters are, for whatever reason, incapable of acting prudently, so we need to put a process in place to bypass them to achieve a desirable result. Both propositions imply an inability to act appropriately instead of an unwillingness to act appropriately. If we accept the premise, then let’s just legislate by referenda, and have a constitutional legislature that exists mostly for photo ops and resolutions.

Comment by Johnny Tractor Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 1:13 pm
And knocking should really start before early voting.

Comment by burbanite Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 1:13 pm
@Johnny Tractor 1:13

Term limits would take away the voters choice to re-elect or not re-elect.

The safe roads takes away the politicians choice of sweeping the road funds.

Comment by DuPage Monday, Nov 7, 16 @ 3:57 pm