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* I’ve been telling you about this phenomenon since June. Here’s today’s Tribune…
In the closing weeks of his re-election bid, Republican U.S. Rep Peter Roskam is trying to connect his opponent Sean Casten to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, calling his Democratic challenger a tax-happy “Madigan puppet.”
Casten wants to unseat Roskam from Congress, in Washington, D.C., not the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, where Madigan is widely considered the most powerful figure. Nevertheless, Roskam is invoking Madigan in speeches and TV ads, a tactic that aligns with Gov. Bruce Rauner and state-level Republicans as they attempt to position themselves as a counterweight to the Southwest Side Democrat and “the Chicago machine.”
“Do we really want Mike Madigan and his team to do a clean sweep in the suburbs?” Roskam asked the crowd Sunday at a rally for Kane County Republicans in Geneva. “And the answer is, of course, ‘No.’ And so we’ve got an opportunity between now and Election Day to over-perform and to bring through this great economic truth: that is we want things that grow. We want an economy where people can participate actively. And it is those things that are at stake.” […]
The anti-Madigan strategy is so pervasive in Illinois Republican politics that it is being carried out in another hot congressional race more than 300 miles away in the state’s most southern district. There, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost just started airing a TV ad in his race against Democratic challenger Brendan Kelly, tying him to both Madigan and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi using just one sentence.
* But Congressman Bost’s opponent Brendan Kelly has a new ad that ties the incumbent to Gov. Bruce Rauner…
* Script…
When I served in the Navy, I learned it’s not just about service – it’s about who you serve. My opponent, Mike Bost, has been an Illinois politician for almost 35 years, he even voted to raise his own pay. He’s taken thousands of campaign contributions from Big Banks, Big Pharma, and Bruce Rauner. Then he handed them a corrupt tax giveaway — threatening Medicare and Social Security. I’m Brendan Kelly, and I approve this message, because I will only serve Southern Illinois. Not party leaders and not Big Pharma.
You don’t see this a lot, even with Rauner’s low poll numbers.
*** UPDATE *** Check out this Paul Ryan super PAC ad…
Ouch.
The Kelly campaign responded via press release: “The ad uses a misleading cut from a 2015 video filmed by the Belleville News-Democrat, where Brendan Kelly says ‘our goal first and foremost is justice.’” Full response is here.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 12:58 pm
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“You don’t see this a lot, even with Rauner’s low poll numbers.”
Unlike with Trump, there’s no foreseeable backlash/downside from tying a Republican candidate to the wildly unpopular Rauner.
I wonder if we won’t be seeing more of this sort of thing real soon.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 1:11 pm
“Boss Rauner” has a nice ring to it.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 1:23 pm
Of course we will…Running down your opponent is a whole lot easier than telling your clients that they need to pay higher taxes or expect fewer free services. The only other approach is I’m for Mom and apple pie.
Comment by Matt Vernau Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 2:10 pm
on the Ryan PAC video, the statewide average for plea bargains is 96%, as compared to his paltry 50%. If true, seems like his office is trying a whole lot more cases than usual. But this is politics, so facts and context are optional.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 2:12 pm
The CLF would be shocked at the numbers from Republican prosecutors lol. Also notice which comments for which they not provide a citation. Why? Their most damning claim is made up.
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 3:26 pm
Sorry Brendan. It’s not effective.
Comment by BlueDogDem Tuesday, Sep 18, 18 @ 3:27 pm
Just received my second 8 1/2 x 11″ postcard from the Illinois Republican Party in the past week, attacking Brendan Kelly. The messages strike me as sophomoric and vague, using hot-button phrases out of context. One bullet point is attributed to The Washington Free Beacon which Wikipedia describes as “an American conservative political journalism website” and The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf called the Free Beacon’s mission “decadent and unethical.” It appears to me that the IRC hopes to derail Mr. Kelly’s chances by connecting him to Pelosi and Madigan. But I’m not buying it. I was born at night, but not LAST night.
Comment by Jimbo Wednesday, Sep 26, 18 @ 4:56 pm