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* Rate the Rochford campaign’s first TV ad…
Today, the Judge Rochford for Supreme Court campaign released its first television ad in the race for the Second District. The ad highlights Judge Rochford’s 35 years of experience as a lawyer and judge, which has earned her the rating of “highly recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association, as well as her support from leading women’s groups including Planned Parenthood. In contrast, her opponent, Mark Curran, who has never served as a judge, was rated “not recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association, and was called “the most pro-life candidate” by Illinois Right to Life.
“We cannot risk having an unqualified, dangerous candidate on the Illinois Supreme Court for a ten year term, and that’s why we will be engaging voters on air and digital every day about Judge Elizabeth Rochford’s decades of experience and qualifications in this race in contrast with her opponent’s extremist record on choice and lack of experience in the courts,” said Stephen Campbell, senior advisor to the Rochford campaign. “While Judge Rochford has been a judge for the last decade and is rated ‘highly recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association, her opponent has never served as a judge, was rated ‘not recommended’ by the Illinois State Bar Association, and holds dangerous and extreme views on issues important to Illinois voters. The contrast is clear, and we will continue to make that case every day to voters in the second district ahead of Election Day.”
The spot is clever…
* DPI…
Mark Curran, Republican candidate for the State Supreme Court’s 2nd District seat, is dodging voters and attempting to hide his far-right extremist record by refusing to participate in a series of forums and debates.
In his latest duck-and-dodge, Curran is refusing to participate in League of Women Voters candidate forums for both Lake and Kane counties, with his spokesperson casting aspersions on a reputable, nonpartisan legacy civic organization.
But here’s the kicker: Curran has participated in League of Women Voters forums before, both during his primary campaign and when he was the Lake County sheriff.
What’s different this time around? Voters know about Curran’s ‘not recommended’ rating from the Illinois State Bar Association and far-right extremist record — which he’s desperately trying to dodge.
That record includes a long history of extremist anti-choice rhetoric and behavior, from participating in anti-abortion rallies, donating campaign funds to Illinois Citizens for Life, and praising Donald Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who later went on to overturn Roe v. Wade. Curran has also perpetuated dangerous claims of voter fraud in presidential elections, has made comments in support of January 6th insurrectionists, and has stood up for “those opposed to same-sex marriage.”
Mark Curran can run, but he can’t hide. From his extreme views on abortion to his ‘not recommended’ rating from the State Bar Association, voters know Curran is wholly unfit to serve on the State Supreme Court — and they’ll remember at the ballot box.
* Treasurer Frerichs held a press conference yesterday at the Hope Vocational Academy to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month and to talk about this program…
IL ABLE accounts make it possible for people with disabilities and their families to save and invest for expenses related to living with a disability without losing, or losing access to, federal means-tested benefits such as SSI, SSDI and Medicaid. Earnings and withdrawals are tax-free if they are spent on a broad range of qualified disability expenses including housing, health and wellness, education and training, therapy, basic living expenses and more.
And then this tweet suddenly popped up…
— Michael Frerichs (@MikeForIllinois) October 3, 2022
So, I reached out and Frerichs told me this over the phone…
This month is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. We’re trying to let people know people with disabilities can work. And we held a press conference to remind people ‘you can hire these people. And people with disabilities can have a job now and they can save their money in an ABLE savings account without losing their benefits. So it’s a program that doesn’t get a lot of attention. We don’t have a lot of money for it. It’s really important. We went to a school where they’re training people vocational school, people with disabilities, and the Demmer campaign saw I had a press conference, and they flooded reporters to ask questions about political competence. And I just lost it. Look, it’s a statewide event. I’m a big boy. I know you can ask questions there. But for a guy who for three weeks, three weeks has been silent about Tom DeVore calling people window lickers. A guy who wants to run a program for people with disabilities to sit silently while his friend lockstep is just a bit too much for me. That’s why I called him out. And then I told my staff, I said, ‘hit him for this sh*t.’ Three weeks he’s been silent. How easy is it to say Tom DeVore’s comments are reprehensible? Simple. Won’t do it. So we called him out. That’s what the tweet is.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
The gist is that Frerichs had an exchange with a Downstate TV reporter after the press conference because the reporter arrived late and asked a political question that he claims came from the Demmer campaign.
ILGOP release…
When State Treasurer Mike Frerichs claims to stand tall, he never mentions that he will go to any length to avoid answering the tough questions. Yesterday, he used a question from a reporter as an opportunity to lob baseless allegations at his opponent, Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer.
“Today the Demmer Campaign tried to interrupt a press conference I had highlighting how we help people with disabilities have meaningful work.”
The Demmer campaign quickly refuted the baseless allegations by Frerichs, “‘Earlier today, Mike Frerichs accused my campaign of attempting to interrupt a press conference he called to discuss the ABLE Program. That accusation is absolutely false. In reality, he yelled at a news reporter after the press conference when he received a question he didn’t like,” said Demmer in a statement.
The statement continued “To make the unfounded accusation that I would disrupt a press conference dealing with this important issue is despicable but is a consistent pattern of Treasurer Frerichs. He abruptly canceled his own press conference after his comments in support of the retirement tax and then called the Daily Herald and Todd Maisch liars for confirming those comments.”
“Frerichs has spent months dodging tough questions when pressed on his past statements. To make up baseless allegations of this sort is a new low. With early voting underway, Frerichs should spend less time hiding from voters and blaming others, and start answering tough questions on his record,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
* Illinois midterms predictions…
* DPI release…
With less than 40 days until the November general election, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) this weekend contacted 188,778 voters during a statewide Weekend of Action. […]
The successful Weekend of Action follows a number of recent announcements from the DPI team including new senior hires and the launch of a new ad campaign featuring DPI’s first-ever Spanish-language ads and targeting Black and downstate voters in over 230 zip codes.
* The local county Republican Party is run by people who promote election results denial, so this is apparently an attempt to address it…
What: PRESS CONFERENCE DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
When: 2:00 PM Saturday, October 8, 2022
Where: The McLean County Historical Society Building (Old County Courthouse)- Main Street (East) side
Who:
State Senator Dave Koehler
McLean County Clerk, Kathy Michael
Tazewell County Clerk, John C. Ackerman
Illinois People’s Action Members (sponsor) and AlliesDetails: Participants will talk about the trustworthiness of our election systems including: safeguards in place to ensure accuracy of voter rolls; safeguards in place to assure that voting machines can’t be tampered with and all the votes will be accurately tallied and reported; and that all forms of potential voter intimidation at polling places will not be allowed.
Visuals: Clergy, Elected Officials, Election Officials, Grassroots leaders and everyday people will speak about defending democracy and honoring every vote cast. Signs. Opportunities to engage in Get Out the Vote activities through Illinois People’s Action.
* Compiled by Isabel…
* Comptroller’s Race: Mendoza touts state’s fiscal progress; Teresi focuses on recent corruption: Mendoza cites paying down that backlog as her biggest accomplishment in office. Today, she said, vendors are being paid usually within 10 days and the state is operating on a regular “accounts payable” cycle… Teresi, however, counters that the credit upgrades and paying down past-due bills was more the result of federal pandemic relief money that was pumped into Illinois.
* Illinois political leaders urge civility heading into November elections: Illinois political leaders are assessing the tone this election cycle and encouraging civility. “You can’t compromise with somebody that’s just called you a crook,” Edgar said. “It’s very hard if this person has attacked you, that you’re going to trust them, that you’re going to deal with them. So civility is key in a democracy.” Welch said the way forward is not by “spreading lies, misinformation and fear mongering.”
* Taxpayers should hope to avoid frivolous election challenges: The questions do reach a salient point: will candidates accept the results of their own elections in November? Challenging clearly settled results can engender significant expenses for election and judicial officials – and ultimately taxpayers – so signaling a predetermined belief election fraud is inevitable doesn’t portend fiscal accountability.
* Pritzker makes major push for Workers’ Rights Amendment: Termed by several speakers as “the most union-friendly governor we’ve ever had,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spoke at a recent pro-union rally in East Alton as part of a Working Families Tour and made a major push for the Workers’ Rights Amendment … Pritzker revealed that he has signed more than 800 Project Labor Agreements, which is more than all other 49 states combined.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:11 pm
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I give it an A. It draws a pretty clear contrast between Rochford’s positives and Curran’s negatives. This guy…
Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:23 pm
Sounds like Frerichs is way too deep in his own head. The “disruption” he’s talking about here certainly doesn’t exist anywhere else. Statewide downballot races are hard on candidates because they’re pretty powerless to affect results, but he’s gotta pull himself together. Pick a random precinct and go knock on doors or something.
Comment by vern Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:27 pm
Jim Edgar is a political leader now?
Comment by Curious citizen Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:27 pm
Dan Proft’s fake newspaper (this one the Kendall County Times) returned to my mailbox this afternoon. No indication of who is printing it now after the Daily Herald dropped the job. There’s a new postal permit (No. 410) paid out of Palatine. Scare headlines are prominent highlighting how criminals will return to the streets under the SAFE-T Act. Plus there’s a promise that next week’s paper will investigate “The Pritzker campaign to normalize child sex change surgery.”
Comment by jackmac Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:30 pm
Call it by what the goal is.
The local county Republican Party is run by people who promote election results nullification.
Comment by Save Ferris Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:31 pm
With the obvious contrast between the two candidates in the Second District, it’s no surprise Curran is refusing to appear at forums with Rochford.
Comment by coop Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:33 pm
Few things I don’t agree with in that video, like the 6th being Solid D. Also they list Budzinski as an incumbent and that district a tossup.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:41 pm
The only good news with Frerichs and Demmer is one will be off the stage in 5 weeks, the other might be stuck as Treasurer for the foreseeable future.
Frerichs is so thin skinned, even bad form things that happen make Frerichs look weak.
Demmer has 5 weeks with early voting. Tough watching a career fade
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:43 pm
A+ on that Rochford ad. it’s so nice to have humor as the distinct difference between candidates is highlighted. easy way to distance her from the negatives on Curran, especially useful in a judicial campaign.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:43 pm
And Curran wants to be our latex salesman?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqnTcQJn-is
I rate her ad an A, mostly because it reminded me of that^^^, but also because I’d been pronouncing her name like Rockford and now I won’t embarrass myself anymore.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:53 pm
The Rochford ad is excellent. A+ (I never give out As let alone A+’s).
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:57 pm
Ad rate A
Mark Curran is the hair-on-fire candidate. Judge Rockford represents the Fire Department.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 1:58 pm
Judge Rochford’s ad delivers the opponent’s negatives in a novel* and humorous way, and then contrasts them with her own qualifications.
So far this campaign season, it’s best ad to date.
– MrJM
*I hope that we will soon see an end to the era of distorted black and white closeups of the opponent coupled with scary superimposed headlines and a voice-of-doom narrator — but I fear that those ads will outlive us all.
Comment by MisterJayEm Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 2:06 pm
==civility is key in a democracy==
Yeah, tell it to the GOP. We have Republicans calling the League of Women Voters hags. And they are proud of it. Anyone in that party that actually values a political process that is focused on accomplishing shared goals, compromise, and decency just needs to start a new party.
Comment by Lulu in Lake Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 3:17 pm
To the ad?
Solid A
Goodness that’s someone just showing off how good they are by hitting the target over and over… with real good comedy selling it.
Wow.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 3:19 pm
===Termed by several speakers as “the most union-friendly governor we’ve ever had,”===
There’s a real dichotomy between the experience between the private sector union employees and the public sector union employees that work for the Governor’s administration.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 3:49 pm
The Rauner/Demmer team is an embarrassment to Republicans. Let’s hope the final Purge of these Z yes men is complete in a month or so. If not, they will attempt to take over the party if Bailey loses. From what I gather, chatter is neutral on Frerichs but trending negative on Demmer/Rauner. BTW, it has now popped up a couple times that this Dream Team is courting Lame Duck Davis to run for US Senate should Durbin opt out. The thought alone is comical. Nonetheless, their top secret conversations are now being leaked from the inside. Probably a good move to save face later.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 5:25 pm
Last post was me…
Comment by Primate Tuesday, Oct 4, 22 @ 5:28 pm