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The news media is missing a great story

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“It’s not Madigan’s fault that they lost the two seats in southern Illinois because just what’s been happening. There’s no Democratic Party down there anymore,” Redfield said. “What the Democrats have been successfully doing is trading suburban seats for downstate seats.”

The problem for Madigan, Redfield said, is that the Democrats were expected to do a lot better in the suburbs than they did.

“It’s the expectations game and the money game,” Redfield said. “They spent an ungodly amount of money to not win seats.”

It looks like the House Democrats are going to come out of the suburbs with a wash. The HDems appear to have lost two seats. With some counting to go, Rep. Mary Edly-Allen of Libertyville is trailing by almost 1,600 votes (down from more than 4,000) and Rep. Diane Pappas of Itasca is losing badly. But they’re also picking up two seats. GOP Reps. Grant Wehrli and Allen Skillicorn both lost.

And, of course, the HDems lost two southern Illinois seats when Reps. Monica Bristow and Nathan Reitz both were defeated by Republicans. Reitz was expected. Bristow was given a shot at winning.

* The Downstate race that isn’t getting much, if any media attention is in the Rockford area, where Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) is currently ahead of Democrat Dave Vella by just 315 votes with a lot of votes yet to count (including “disinformation” about the tallying).

Rep. Cabello was the first Illinois elected official to endorse Donald Trump for president in the 2016 campaign and now it’s possible that he may not be reelected even though Trump was on the ballot.

Unions were once a Cabello ally, but they went all-out to defeat him in 2018 and again this year because he flipped on organized labor over an important prevailing wage bill. Their candidate this year is the grandson of the father of Rockford Democratic politics, the late Rep. Zeke Giorgi, a mentor to embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan. The state even has a Rockford building named after Zeke. And Madigan was a huge issue in the campaign.

At one point, a video of Cabello went semi-viral. The video showed him saying to Vella during a televised debate: “I call bullsh*t. I cannot believe that you sit here and tell the people of the 68th District that you will not vote for Mike Madigan.” The video (click here to watch it) then played a clip of a Snoop Dogg song as “Thug Life” flashed on the screen and a white ballcap bearing that phrase was superimposed on Cabello’s head along with sunglasses on his face and a gold chain around his neck.

How are y’all missing this?

Cabello was also an early and outspoken opponent of the Democratic governor’s stay at home order, even filing his own lawsuit (which he eventually withdrew). He has been the most vocal critic of the governor’s decision to release inmates early to avoid prison virus outbreaks. Heck, he even held an in-person campaign event right before election day. As mentioned elsewhere on the blog today, Winnebago County’s 7-day average positivity rate is 18.4 percent and its overwhelmed local public health department has requested hospital bed sets from the state.

And to wrap it all up in a nice bow, Rockford has been the scene of several Black Lives Matter protests and Cabello is a city cop who lives in a blue-collar suburb that is less than three percent Black.

It really could be a great news story, perhaps even nationally, but it’s mostly being ignored. Ballot counting will end next Tuesday, so maybe they’ll pay attention then.

* In the meantime, check out what one of Cabello’s supporters made…

I rest my case.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 1:59 am

Comments

Congressman? Another informed voter

Comment by very old soil Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 4:52 am
Cabello is a microcosm of why the former GOP, now Raunerites, are no where near becoming a statewide party that can win… everywhere.

Cabello (if Cabello does officially go down here shortly), you will have a story of such a lacking of forgetfulness.

I dunno if Cabello of before… could vote for Cabello of today… that’s how crazy the change is.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 6:09 am
Republican candidates for Illinois House and Senate have lost DuPage County, seats in the other collar counties, and long-time Republican seats on the Lake County Brd.

Democrats retain their super-majorities in the House and Senate. Probably two U.S. House seats in the W. Suburbs.

The long-term trend is positive for Democrats in Illinois. Two House seats lost this cycle, but how many won - and how many other wins for Illinois Democrats - in the last 15 years?

Comment by Ashland Adam Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 7:09 am
Someone who *likes* this guy put that together?

Comment by Cheryl44 Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 8:02 am
” There’s no Democratic Party down there anymore,”
The small county I live in 30 years ago was reliably Democratic. It just now went more than 2-1 for trump.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 8:40 am
Real “Downstaters” don’t consider Rockford downstate.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 8:45 am
Downstate is looking more like South of 74. Only 2 counties. But the largest I think.
Btw this is a good and nationwide trend for dems. The do need to look at why no further suburban gains and the weird Hispanic vote in Texas. I suspect covid.

Comment by Not a Billionaire Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 9:03 am
I missed this story too and will have to follow it, as there are many votes left to count and the lead is so small. Been following the data nerds online, watching votes come in for key states in the presidential election.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 9:34 am
Great point. This is a big race.

Comment by Dan Johnson Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 9:57 am
we thought the “missed story” was IL media taking as credible the Trump DOJ smoke and mirrors in Chicago — not guilty pleas, unpaid fines, deportation language, executive shuffles, on and on — getting snookered again and again. Maybe it will be the next missed story.

Comment by Annonin' Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 10:02 am
It seems Downstate media is going downhill as well as my metro Chicago media; kinda odd they’d miss such a golden opportunity for an actual story on a close election.

Comment by thisjustinagain Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:42 pm
Worth noting that Cabello thought the dinosaur picture was so great, he shared it on his own Facebook page. You all probably could have guessed that tho.

Comment by btw Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 1:09 pm
=== In the meantime, check out what one of Cabello’s supporters made.===
Cabello doesn’t look when he shoots?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Friday, Nov 13, 20 @ 6:21 am