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Pritzker on Johnson, Vallas and school board races

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* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about his react to yesterday’s mayoral race. Brandon Johnson, the reporter said, “barely won” the race (which is an odd thing to say because Johnson’s currently ahead by three percentage points and that lead is expected to grow as more mail-in ballots are received). Anyway, to the response…

Well, let’s start by saying congratulations to Brandon Johnson on his big win. I think there were a lot of people who were surprised and in fact, when you say it was a small margin, actually, I think there were people who thought he would lose by a larger margin than he ended up winning by, but he won. And he overcame, I think, suggestions that he couldn’t. And so anybody that’s ever run for public office knows that when you can overcome expectations, and eke out or succeed in winning, especially in an important city like Chicago, they deserve enormous kudos. I look forward to working with Mayor-elect Johnson. I spoke with him last night, he was still celebrating and had had a very long day. But we’ll be meeting no doubt over the next couple of weeks as he moves in, his transition, to make sure that the state of Illinois is doing whatever we can to be supportive of him as mayor as we are of mayors all across the state.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* Asked if the election signified a “sea change” for the city, Pritzker said…

Look, he’s younger than most of the mayors that have gotten elected. He’s somebody who comes out of an activist background. I think there’s a lot to admire about him. He’s a teacher, and I believe that he will bring a certain vibrancy to the city. So I’m excited about that. And I want to make sure that all of the very important things that Chicago needs to work on, whether it’s balancing its budget, paying its pensions, all the stuff that sounds boring to everybody, and doesn’t get brought up sometimes in the midst of an election campaign, but are very important for the future of the city. That those are just baseline things. And I want the state to be helpful in that endeavor as we are trying to be for municipalities across the state. So I do believe that this is a change for the city, something new. But you know what? It’s a new generation of voters that came to the polls. There is a change that’s gone on across the Midwest, I might add, that people who believe in investing in workers, investing in families, investing in young people have come to leadership positions as governor, as mayor in states think about Wisconsin and Michigan and Minnesota and how those legislatures turned Democratic in Michigan and Minnesota. And so I think he’s part of a kind of a sea change that’s going on, in what I guess politically we’d all call the Blue Wall.

* Later, in talking about gun violence, Pritzker returned to the topic of the mayor’s race, without mentioning Paul Vallas by name…

There was one candidate who made out crime as if it’s a single issue. You know, that it has one facet to it, and that is putting more law enforcement on the street. Now, I happen to think that we do need more law enforcement on the street, but that doesn’t mean that that’s the only thing that you should do. That doesn’t solve the problem by itself. You also have to make sure that, again, that we’re providing resources for mental health and substance use treatment. And many of the young people who are getting ahold of guns are in need of mental health and substance use treatment. And if we can address those issues, we take a huge burden off the police and, I believe, reduce violent crime significantly, because we’re addressing some of the underlying causes.

Subscribers were shown a Chicago poll this morning which dug into many of those very issues.

* Pritzker was also asked if he had any reaction to the school board races across the state…

Yes, my reaction is that fortunately, the voters saw through the hidden extremists who were running for school board across … the Chicago suburbs and the surrounding counties. Just to be clear, Cook County suburbs and surrounding counties. I mean, really, you know, the extremists got trounced yesterday, and it’s been acknowledged by some of the more extreme politicians in the state overnight and this morning on Facebook and elsewhere. And I’m glad that those folks were shown up, and, frankly, tossed out.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:51 pm

Comments

====There was one candidate who made out crime as if it’s a single issue.====

I also believe this was Vallas’s downfall. Also, besides crime he never did a good job of getting his message out about any other issues that are also important to voters. It was basically my opponent wants to defund the police and I don’t.

Comment by Been There Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 12:58 pm
=== I mean, really, you know, the extremists got trounced yesterday ===

Not everywhere Governor Pritzker, at least “extremists” defined by Democratic Party of Illinois website — Algonquin-based Huntley Community Unit School District 158 (D158).

The slate, backed by McHenry County Citizens for Lower Taxes PAC, bankrolled by former congressional candidate Catalina Lauf and led in the field by Grafton Township (McHenry County) Republican Chairman Orville Brettman SWEPT the 4 seats for the D158 school board.

D158 few and far between, and the grassroots beginning with the D158 Parent Union flipped the 158 school board and now control the board.

One thing the D158 candidate slate did do: They asked Awake IL to remove their endorsement.

Comment by John Lopez Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:00 pm
The defund the police attack did not work well in Con. Ramirez’s race against Ald. Villegas for those that were paying attention.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:01 pm
===It was basically my opponent wants to defund the police===

And that’s seen by many liberals as a standard Republican talking point, which can backfire on whoever uses it.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:02 pm
- John Lopez -

Your instance to tout and celebrate Lauf, a conspiracy theorist who amplifies such folks is odd

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:04 pm
You know, I tried to see the full list of Awake-endorsed candidates this morning and it seems to have been deleted from the organization’s site. Replaced with a ‘congratulations to our endorsed candidates who won’ boilerplate.

Comment by Concerned Observer Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:10 pm
==And that’s seen by many liberals as a standard Republican talking point, which can backfire on whoever uses it.==

And just in general, TUFF ON CRIME politics aren’t working as well as they used to. When it didn’t touch Pritzker, I thought it was just because we was so strong and Bailey so weak. But if it doesn’t sink a relative uknown like Johnson, you gotta wonder about it.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:11 pm
===Not everywhere Governor Pritzker, at least “extremists” defined by Democratic Party of Illinois website===

If you’re not saying Lauf is an extremist then maybe you’re not grasping why Lauf’s conspiracy thinking is bad for Illinois.

The more you try to rehabilitate her, the more Lauf is seen as the extremist she has always been

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:12 pm
“(V)oters saw through the hidden extremists who were running for school board”

It wasn’t hard to see through them. Afraid it’s going to be much more sub rosa in two years. A lot more vigilance and community engagement will be needed to keep the focus on oversight of educating children and not legislating indoctrination.

Comment by Save Ferris Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:15 pm
=== Your instance to tout and celebrate Lauf, a conspiracy theorist who amplifies such folks is odd ===

Nothing odd, just stating the fact, the D158 self-described “Common Sense Candidates” had everything going for them, including funding from Catalina Lauf (and we’ll see who else when McHenry County Citizens for Lower Taxes PAC publishes its D2) and it worked, under the field direction of Orville Brettman, a township Republican chairman in McHenry County, and a long time ago, the mayor of Carpentersville.

I understand you being alarmed a 29-year-old woman successfully won an election by not being on the ballot, but giving generously to a slate of mainstream conservative candidates proof one day, she’ll win a major election in her own name, when she’s ready to serve (I think at least 4-6 years away), somewhere, and her part in D158 school board being flipped helps prepare her for the future.

Comment by John Lopez Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:17 pm
“One thing the D158 candidate slate did do: They asked Awake IL to remove their endorsement.”

Sorry for the double post.

This is exactly what is going to happen going forward. It’s all going to be nameless and behind the scenes. Really terrible that local journalism has been decimated. Not sure who is going to rip the masks off of these people in the future and tell local communities who the candidates really are.

Comment by Save Ferris Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:18 pm
====I understand you being alarmed===

… at your insistence to tout a conspiracy theorists as anyone that should be celebrated as any future of Illinois.

Man, woman, old, young, white or not…

… Catalina Lauf is dangerous to American Democracy by her own projections of, at minimum, embracing conspiracy theorists, and now the idea of putting at risk… education

I mean, you worry about me and my “alarming”, I wonder aloud why you feel a need to push conspiracy theorists?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:28 pm
Love to see JBP take a stance against Vallas the day after the election.

I actually mean this as a compliment. He is not a brave politician, but he does deserve credit for not doubling down.

Comment by SWSider Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:29 pm
=I understand you being alarmed a 29-year-old woman successfully won an election by not being on the ballot, but giving generously to a slate of mainstream conservative candidates proof one day, she’ll win a major election in her own name, when she’s ready to serve (I think at least 4-6 years away), somewhere, and her part in D158 school board being flipped helps prepare her for the future.=

Not sure of your age, but these Board “flips” are not new or unusual. And it usually changes during the next election.

Also, this is hardly the kind of power play that will vault Lauf into stardom. She was trounced when her name was on the ballot and that is what really matters.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:32 pm
Police do not want to be social workers to the world. And good police (which is virtually all of them) hate bad cops more than anyone else does. Period.

Comment by Chicago Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:36 pm
==he does deserve credit for not doubling down==

Not doubling down on what? His campaign made it clear that he did not prefer Vallas.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:39 pm
==Police do not want to be social workers to the world.==

Certainly not, which augers toward creating/funding/empowering another entity to handle that function.

==And good police (which is virtually all of them) hate bad cops more than anyone else does. Period.==

But they don’t really do much about them, so it’s about the same as how I hate the Cubs.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:41 pm
==Not doubling down on what? His campaign made it clear that he did not prefer Vallas.==

If his campaign wanted to make it clear, not endorsing was an odd way to do that.

Comment by SWSider Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:50 pm
===If his campaign wanted to make it clear, not endorsing was an odd way to do that.===

The non-endorsement of Lori Lightfoot was the loud.

The rest is not giving Vallas any oxygen, by either endorsing Vallas, or by endorsing Johnson and engaging the worst of the Proft/Ives/Bailey folks.

When you think on it that way…

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 1:58 pm
Arsenal +1

I don’t recall a single officer publicly denouncing Jason Van Dyke or having Proud Boy members in their ranks.

Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:05 pm
==proof one day, [Lauf] will win a major election in her own name, when she’s ready to serve==

Is this really your first encounter with repeat jobber Catalina Lauf?

Comment by 48th Ward Heel Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:09 pm
== It was basically my opponent wants to defund the police and I don’t. ==

This argument didn’t work in the statewide elections. Republican arguments that Democrats want to defund the police are at best, political rhetoric that didn’t sell well.

But in today’s news, Donald Trump is now calling for defunding police at the federal level. Should his followers agree, we will soon be able to say, “The Republicans were opposed to defunding the police, before they were in favor of defunding the police.”

Crazy times.

Comment by H-W Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:10 pm
“And good police (which is virtually all of them) hate bad cops more than anyone else does. Period.”

I don’t care about what police feel, I only care about what they do.

Using that metric, there is vanishingly little evidence for your claim.

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:11 pm
==she’ll win a major election in her own name==

only if she’s sponsored by Fresh Step or Tidy Cat, bud

Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:17 pm
It seems that the issue of crime was not enough to overcome the issues that voters had with Paul Vallas.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:31 pm
Laufe is a Big Government Nanny State Socialist. The guv’mint will tell you what books you can or can’t read. That’s NOT “conservative”.

Comment by Jerry Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:33 pm
=And good police (which is virtually all of them) hate bad cops more than anyone else does. Period=

Have you met John Catanzara?

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:49 pm
One thing I’ve learned about being deemed a good leader, do better than the previous person. Johnson has a simple assignment.

Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:51 pm
@Concerned Observer, clearly the Gov has the receipts for use if necessary. I’ve talked with some Vallas supporter whom I thought were smart. they too had address crime as an answer for almost everything. I’m surprised they didn’t connect it to climate change.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 2:59 pm
==If his campaign wanted to make it clear, not endorsing was an odd way to do that.==

I can’t help but notice that you didn’t answer my question. What was it, exactly, that he might’ve double downed on?

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:29 pm
==The rest is not giving Vallas any oxygen, by either endorsing Vallas, or by endorsing Johnson and engaging the worst of the Proft/Ives/Bailey folks.==

And with all that, there was only one candidate that the Gov’s team took a shot at, and that was Vallas, when it came out that he’d whined about COVID mitigation.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:32 pm
===And with all that, there was only one candidate that the Gov’s team took a shot at, and that was Vallas, when it came out that he’d whined about COVID mitigation.===

That was, arguably, the most savvy politics to that entire race.

In actuality, it let Vallas disqualify Pritzker from speaking to any good of Vallas… and it was savvy enough of a retort that it left Vallas’ Crew without a chance to respond to the response.

Some might call it textbook.

Some.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:41 pm
I would actually argue that JB *did* double down on criticizing Vallas without outright supporting his opponent.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 3:42 pm
Perhaps many get that “tough on crime” means exploit Black and Brown weaknesses to scare and rile up certain voters and load up on cops to lock up more people. Many want crime reduction that includes community investment. Obviously, the prison industrial complex or whatever it’s called is not working.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 4:24 pm
My friend who is a first year special ed teacher in D158 was leaving anyway. This just confirmed that he made the right decision. He already has two colleagues who plan to look elsewhere for a job.
Reap what you sow.

Comment by Proud Papa Bear Wednesday, Apr 5, 23 @ 5:33 pm
As the old saying goes - “Easy to campaign, hard to govern.” Numerous challenges ahead for Johnson - be interesting to see where things stack up by August.

Comment by Wisdom on Iinterste 80 Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 1:58 am