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* Um, she’s accepted contributions from Ty Fahner, Sam Zell, Craig Duchossois, Lester Crown, among others…
Paul Vallas has a long history of:
✔️Republican affiliation
✔️Republican donations
✔️Republican-backed endorsementsA man is judged by the company he keeps — find out who his real friends are: https://t.co/I1kI71jFZI pic.twitter.com/CIsAtpL4J4
— Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) February 6, 2023
* Oh, and there was that time when she was the attorney of record on behalf of Illinois congressional Republicans…
“The map as a whole and several individual districts in particular represent a flexing of Democratic political muscle in Springfield aimed at creating a Democratic majority in the Illinois congressional’ delegation,” the original filing in the case asserts. “(It) effectively reverses the results of the 2010 congressional elections by redrawing districts so that the citizens of Illinois that gave Republicans an 11 to 8 advantage . . . (would be) transformed to one with 12 Democrats and only six Republicans,” after the state’s loss of one seat was included. The filing called the Democratic-drawn map “an outrageous partisan gerrymander.”
In fact, after elections under the new map, it turned out to be 11-7 Democratic, with Duckworth (now a U.S. senator) defeating Walsh, Foster succeeding Biggert and Schneider ousting Dold.
* Yet…
The Lightfoot for Chicago campaign released a new digital ad, “Just Ask Him,” Tuesday, featuring Paul Vallas self-identifying as a Republican and admitting that he would run right-of-center in future races.
Vallas’ conservative comments are from a 2009 interview with Jeff Berkowitz on “Public Affairs,” where Vallas explains that he would be registering for the Republican primary ballot in the next election – cementing his support for the GOP. The interview predates Vallas’ decade worth of ties to the Republican Party and recent alliance with Trump acolyte and FOP President John Catanzara, making it clear just how wrong he is to represent Chicagoans as mayor.
“Just Ask Him” will be released across multiple digital platforms.
* The YouTube video…
Like Garcia’s video, this is not on cable or broadcast TV.
…Adding… Lightfoot was on Rauner’s side on this 2016 fight…
A Cook County judge on Wednesday tossed from the fall ballot a constitutional amendment to take away the General Assembly’s power to draw legislative district boundaries, dealing a loss to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and a win to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:40 am
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==Like Garcia’s video, this is not on cable or broadcast TV.==
I don’t get it. At least with Chuy, guy’s campaign has been so low key you can wonder how much he actually wants the job. But MLL has been fighting tooth and nail already, why go wobbly now?
Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:44 am
The problem with this ad for the Mayor: this could solidify a good 20-25% of the vote FOR Vallas. A great runoff ad, sure. Not a good idea for this style of primary where she’s not already in first place.
Comment by The Truth Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:47 am
“Like Garcia’s video, this is not on cable or broadcast TV.”
The best ads in the world are useless until voters can see them.
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:49 am
I get why Lori might not be blitzing attack ads vs. Vallas just yet; a Lightfoot-Vallas runoff is one of the few scenarios she has a chance to survive. No excuse for Chuy to limit his (effective!) ads to the internet. You’re reaching low-propensity voters who already lean left. Chuy needs to make up ground with moderate north side voters ASAP to have a chance.
Comment by LC Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:51 am
I’m shocked by the full Vallas, but I’m a hardcore D. perhaps the play is that he’s a shape shifter, you can’t trust him, which is per Joan P. and I agree.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:52 am
She’s a grifter. Maybe this would hurt Vallas, but it is not going to help the Mayor.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:55 am
==I get why Lori might not be blitzing attack ads vs. Vallas just yet; a Lightfoot-Vallas runoff is one of the few scenarios she has a chance to survive.==
Absolutely, but then why release this ad at all?
Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 9:58 am
===Um, she’s accepted contributions from Ty Fahner, Sam Zell, Craig Duchossois, Lester Crown, among others…===
To paraphrase Molly Ivins, if you can’t take their money, drink their whiskey and vote against them anyway, you don’t belong in office.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:05 am
=== The problem with this ad for the Mayor: this could solidify a good 20-25% of the vote FOR Vallas. A great runoff ad, sure. Not a good idea for this style of primary where she’s not already in first place. ===
Bingo. Republicans make up about 20% of the Chicago electorate. 20% of the vote would likely get a candidate into the runoff, although this would certainly hurt in the runoff election.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:08 am
C’mon, Rich. It’s a campaign ad. We all know campaign ads can be ridiculous. How many Illinois House Democrats have won campaigns based on their pledges to protect social security or Medicare over the years?
Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:08 am
===C’mon, Rich. It’s a campaign ad===
And this blog often takes them apart. Sorry to put you in your feels, but it can’t be helped.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:10 am
Both Lightfoot and Vallas are hypocrites, phonies and liars. Really wish Chuy could slam a couple of 5-Hour Energies and kick it into gear.
Comment by Moe Berg Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:15 am
” a 2009 interview with Jeff Berkowitz”
Jeff Berkowitz, the gift that keeps on giving. Well that guy has always dreamed of being relevant. This is as close as he’ll ever get - a font of oppo research for Democrats.
Comment by New Day Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:20 am
Meh.
Vallas has run for governor and lieutenant governor as a Democrat.
Since 1995 Chicago has not held partisan municipal elections for citywide offices. Party labels will not appear on the ballot.
Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:22 am
and now its 14-3, I wonder what da mare thinks about that
Comment by sewer thoughts Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:34 am
It is a very fair retort about her, though Fahner was her law partner and lawyers gonna lawyer. When people run for Mayor all sorts of connects pop up as it is a non partisan election. But what they do before, what they run for before, what they profess before is more telling. Still think she has a fair and big hit on Vallas. Don’t know what Chicago voters think but I never thought the campaign would make me think that if given a choice, Lightfoot would be a possible vote.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:38 am
== could solidify a good 20-25% of the vote FOR Vallas.==
If you think there are that many Republicans in Chicago you obviously don’t live here.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:40 am
Hate to say it, but this race is looking like a Vallas - Lightfoot run-off. That could go either way and neither one is good for Chicago.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:44 am
==Vallas has run for governor and lieutenant governor as a Democrat.==
And in both of those elections (2002 Gov and 2014 LG) our state would have been much better off if he and/or his ticket had won.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:44 am
I hadn’t processed until now that this could be a Pritzker-backing-Bailey scenario. As others have said, a run-off with Vallas is her best bet.
I think there is a good chance that Lightfoot’s blind spot is Johnson. She is so confident he has no chance that she won’t spend effort attacking him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the ground game to beat her and keep her out of the run off.
Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:45 am
Lincoln Lad - LL vs. Vallas is also a “risk-mitigation” election for those to the left or right of LL. Imagine if the race was Vallas vs. Johnston or Garcia: now many voters are either going to get a candidate closer to their views than ever before or someone far more different from their views than Lightfoot.
Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:48 am
Yeah, it’s true that partisanship has reached the point that identifying an opponent as a member of the “dreaded” party is like calling them a devil-worshipper (maybe worse).
This may seem like the kiss of death for Vallas in Chicago, but I wonder if Democrats are so enthralled with Lightfoot that they’d hold their nose and vote for her rather than one of those “evil” Republicans.
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:51 am
==If you think there are that many Republicans in Chicago you obviously don’t live here.==
If he’s positioned as the furthest-to-the-right candidate among a large field, he will pick up more than simply party-identified Republicans.
I visited Chicago one time! Or maybe lived and worked there for years, I can’t remember anymore.
Comment by The Truth Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:54 am
Why would Lori put this on TV? She needs Vallas in the runoff to win. Chuy is the one who needs to put it up on the air. tik tok…
Comment by Hahaha Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:55 am
=== If you think there are that many Republicans in Chicago you obviously don’t live here. ===
Maybe you need to get out of Logan Square every now and then.
If you look at the 2020 and 2022 elections, the Republicans have had on average 15% of the vote in every race. Some races they had slightly more and some races slightly less (Kim Foxx was an aberration).
If Vallas gets most of that 15% plus gets some of the more moderate Dems to go his way, then it is realistic that he gets to 20%. That means he will make the runoff. Unfortunately for Lightfoot, where Vallas seems to be making gains is on the Lakefront, which is her base. Without this group, Lightfoot will have to overwhelmingly win the black vote - which will be difficult with so many other African American candidates in the race. Also, watch out for the hard charging Brandon Johnson. As more people get to know him, the more people will like him.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:55 am
Desperation always reeks…
Comment by ;) Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:57 am
Agreed Montrose. She can’t sleep on Johnson and his ability to work precincts.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 10:57 am
==Why would Lori put this on TV? She needs Vallas in the runoff to win.==
Elevate Paul Vallas to ensure he gets into the runoff while getting “Paul Vallas Conservative Republican” into people’s heads. At this point, as a staunch Democrat, I fear that Lori Lightfoot campaigning as the Democrat against Paul Vallas the Republican will simply serve to make Republicans more popular.
Comment by Nuke The Whales Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:07 am
Montrose and 47th ward… your very correct
Comment by Austinman Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:13 am
—And in both of those elections (2002 Gov and 2014 LG) our state would have been much better off if he and/or his ticket had won.
This is the feint-est praise possible as his 2002 opposition was Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris. Anyone outside of Bruce Rauner would have been better.
Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:19 am
I also agree with Montrose. Johnson is surging and eating into both Lori and Chuy’s bases.(Look at the poll that Rich posted yesterday). CTU’s support will also help for both turnout and progressive street cred. A Vallas/ Johnson runoff would offer starkly different choices in a runoff.
Comment by Boone's is Back Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:21 am
Isn’t it amazing how people lie?
Comment by Frumpy White Guy Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:21 am
Hannibal, I didn’t say he couldn’t get votes from some Democrats. I said that 20-25% of people are not Republican and thus would not be more likely to vote for him merely because he self-identified as a Republican. You are twisting the point.
Also, give the corny neighborhood residency assumptions a rest. I live in one of the wards with a far-right alderman and tons of first responders who support Wilson and Vallas.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:27 am
Lori is probably my 4th from last choice in this election, but she is definitely above Vallas, who is in a last place tie with Willie Wilson.
Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:35 am
The Johnson commercials are very good now…earlier were meh. He’s positive and forward looking. but even better, his crime plan seems quite specific and comprehensive. He’s sharp.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:39 am
big dipper: there are ~113,651 republicans in the chicago electorate. vallas got 30,236 votes in the last mayoral primary, out of 556,758 votes cast. lightfoot got 97,667. i wouldn’t want to base my chances on that, but your record is your record. you could certainly run for the runoff by mobilizing those 113,651 voters…
Comment by bored now Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:44 am
==I also agree with Montrose. Johnson is surging and eating into both Lori and Chuy’s bases.==
I *think* this is right, but am not completely sure.
I will say that of all the candidates, I trust Johnson to vote his pluses the most.
Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:45 am
==big dipper: there are ~113,651 republicans in the chicago electorate==
But as pointed out, Republican candidates get approximately 15% of the vote. And that is the number that matters.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:57 am
As Russ Stewart pointed out some weeks ago 181000 people voted for Trump in 2020. Who else are they going to vote for? Going to be Vallas.
Comment by Regular democrat Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 11:59 am
== But as pointed out, Republican candidates get approximately 15% of the vote. And that is the number that matters. ==
that was the reasoning used behind hillary clinton’s big primary win in iowa in 2008. nobody counted the new (young) voters we registered until barack won. assuming that prior electorates predict future ones can bring surprising results…
Comment by bored now Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:06 pm
Hannibal and Truth — not sure where you’re seeing 20-25 percent GOP in the city. In November, Republicans got about 17-18 percent of the vote citywide.
Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:27 pm
had to look, but the debate tonight is streamed at 7 pm at wttw.com and shown at 10 pm on the tv channel. confusing. focused on SOTU.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:29 pm
Don’t count out Johnson over Lightfoot.
Please offer up 3 constituencies that are totally in
Lori’s pocket.
Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:44 pm
==Hannibal and Truth — not sure where you’re seeing 20-25 percent GOP in the city. In November, Republicans got about 17-18 percent of the vote citywide.==
Hi! I’m not sure where you saw me say 20-25% of the city of Chicago is Republican.
Comment by The Truth Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:50 pm
Note to crowd: conservative Democrats do exist.
Comment by bob Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 12:54 pm
When Vallas was put on the Quinn ticket as Lt Gov - the election was lost to Rauner. If it had been Raoul - Quinn would have won. Worst decision PQ ever made.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 1:31 pm
==Hi! I’m not sure where you saw me say 20-25% of the city of Chicago is Republican.==
Lol nice backpedal. The ad is Vallas saying nothing but that he is a Republican over and over. You said that ad would actually cause 20-25% to vote “FOR” him (all caps yours). Explain how a non-Republican’s vote would be guaranteed by the sole fact that a candidate is a Republican.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 1:33 pm
This is getting fun. Seeing the mayoral ads, signs, polls, etc. The fun is just getting started in the GOP presidential primary, where the leader has taken shots at his possible top challenger.
“Note to crowd: conservative Democrats do exist.”
People on the right in a party are okay, just as good as people on the left, as long as everyone is honest about it and willing to work toward consensus. That’s what makes any political organization work well. If it’s only one kind of person, it doesn’t work. The GOP, including ILGOP, is bent to the will of only one person. Not good (see MAGA election results), and hopefully Cheney or Illinois’ own Kinzinger runs.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 1:35 pm
==Explain how a non-Republican’s vote would be guaranteed by the sole fact that a candidate is a Republican.==
Because they’re centrists, and the rest of the field is to his left? This isn’t a difficult concept.
Comment by The Truth Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 1:44 pm
To Montrose:
Totally agree. Brandon has quietly worked his way up for twenty years doing what he had to do to grow a constituency that will be very loyal to him
I’d love to see a Vallas Johnson runoff.
I’ll walk for Brandon and I don’t live in Chicago, anymore.
Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 1:51 pm
== Who else are they going to vote for?==
Well a ton of them just aren’t going to vote.
Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 2:01 pm
==Because they’re centrists, and the rest of the field is to his left? This isn’t a difficult concept.==
Centrists don’t vote for those aligned with Awake Illinois and Catanzara.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 2:32 pm
==the rest of the field is to his left==
Actually,Willie Wilson is to his right, unless Vallas also wants to hunt people like animals.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 2:34 pm
I don’t know if it is the best strategy for Lori to go against Vallas. All I know is that as a person who loves Illinois, Vallas in a runoff in warmer weather, with the San Antonio Gus Vallas involved in a deadly police shooting, all three officers shot the guy, and one yelled “Get down, boy.” Could get very heated and Illinois does not need that. So hoping Vallas does not get in the runoff. Illinois does not need that.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 3:36 pm
Solid D here. And yet I took the Suntimes quiz and I agree with Vallas 83% of the time and the Mayor the least out of all of them. When voting consider policy and also who can handle a $14B+ budget. And not a business man. It’s not about making money but spending it wisely and providing effective government. Let’s not do the Rauner experiment again.
Comment by DMC Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 3:48 pm
In an hour on the treadmill at the gym today, there were 3 Lightfoot ads and 2 Garcia ads on the main local Chicago channels (2, 5, 7, 9, 32.
In contrast last week it was pretty much all Vallas ads on the same TVs.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 4:02 pm
===And yet I took the Suntimes quiz and I agree with Vallas 83% of the time and the Mayor the least out of all of them.===
If you look at that quiz, CST/WBEZ labeled a lot of Lightfoot’s answers as “Other.” So it is really hard to get Lightfoot by answering Yes/No to the questions. I don’t understand why her campaign does not ask CST/WBEZ to re-label her answers as either Yes or No, but just another campaign fail among many campaign fails.
https://elections.suntimes.com/questionnaire/
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Feb 7, 23 @ 6:30 pm
Mayer Brown also represents Friends of Michael J. Madigan.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Feb 8, 23 @ 8:37 pm