Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Ouch (Updated)

Posted in:

Illinois
Updated Posts

* Tribune op-ed by Dave Nayak…

The results of the presidential election were shocking, not just because of Donald Trump’s landslide victory, but also because of the seismic shift in the electorate. Almost every demographic moved to the right; most strikingly, the working class and minority voters abandoned the status quo in masses.

This should have been a neon warning sign for Gov. JB Pritzker. Yet, he continues to use divisive rhetoric instead of tackling the real issues Illinoisans face daily.

It goes on and on. Nayak, who ran for the open 20th state Senate District in the Democratic primary last spring, asked me to post his op-ed here, but I said it seemed bereft of any actual ideas.

The Tribune identified Nayak as a Democrat, but since the primary he has contributed to the Chicago Republican Party and Republican candidate for the Illinois House Gabbie Shanahan.

* The governor’s chief of staff noted how just a few short months ago, Nayak was touting his connections to JB Pritzker, which apparently didn’t actually exist…

* In what may be related, Nayak just recently loaned his campaign committee $30,000.

…Adding… Nayak recently changed his campaign committee’s party affiliation to Republican. Maybe the Trib could run an addendum.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:04 pm

Comments

Well, bless his heart…Caprara is correct and responded well, however, if Dave represents the start of a trend of men leaving the Dem Party (and doing it loudly), the issue may require more than a Twitter/X smack down of a goofy, perennial candidate trying to score free press. I just don’t know Dr. Dave all that well…

Comment by Rachel Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:22 pm
He ran in the 20th district, and now lives in Gardner? The op ed piece is trash.

Comment by Eberflus Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:39 pm
Talk about delusions. Illinois’ “seismic shift” in the electorate actually saw Donald Trump receive fewer votes in 2024 than he did in 2020 while many Biden supporters from four years ago stayed home. Meanwhile, state Republicans, already a super minority in the Illinois General Assembly, apparently saw fit to celebrate “major strides” against Democrats who still somehow maintained their veto-proof majorities against that GOP onslaught.

Comment by jackmac Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:43 pm
Nayak is a total do gooder who runs a free asthma clinic for kids in addition to his other medical endeavors. He hit a nerve and Think Big feels like they need to flog him. Sad.

Comment by Tuttle Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 3:55 pm
The margin of victory is down to 1.6% and Trump is under 50%. At what point does the word “landslide” stop being thrown around? I won’t hold my breath.

Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:20 pm
I had no real opinion of Nayak before I attended a candidate forum for the 20th District Senate race over the summer. After hearing what he had to say, I was thoroughly convinced that he is a dishonest huckster who is not to be trusted.

Comment by charles in charge Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:21 pm
Trump says that immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country, that the “radical left” is a worse enemy (”the enemy within”) than China or Iran, and last time he was in office demanded that soldiers be used to quell protests, but sure, JB is the problem. Makes total sense, I’m sure this guy isn’t just a grifter trying to cash in.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:32 pm
As of this moment, Trump is ahead of Harris by slightly under two points in the popular vote (50.0% vs 48.3).

That’s a win, but calling that a “landslide” is laughable hyperbole

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 4:52 pm
@ Tuttle and Anonymous at 4:21,

If a candidate ran in the Republican primary this year while claiming to have Trump’s support, but was now writing op-ed trashing Republicans and Trump and donating to Democrats while claiming to be still be a Republican, what do you think you might call him? A RINO?

Comment by Roman Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:10 pm
==He hit a nerve and Think Big feels like they need to flog him. Sad.==

LOL. You come here often?

Comment by low level Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:22 pm
“… not just because of Donald Trump’s landslide victory …”

I think I can skip this op-ed right there.

I know the electoral college warps our brain, but the popular vote victory is currently 49.93 - 48.26, and it’s probably gonna shrink more after all the ballots are counted.

I mean, it’s a win. But, let’s be real.

Comment by ZC Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:37 pm
there’s already been lots of things like this. criticism, laughing at results. hard to ignore the ones who are out there. wait. take it all in. and do some shifting. once again the biggest problem is with the new take that is coming from DC. spend energy figuring out how to address that.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:46 pm
Dr. Dave Nayak was not even close in the primary election. Maybe he switched parties because a similar move was such as resounding success for Bob Fioretti.

Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 5:52 pm
I guess it doesn’t matter to anyone that he’s right. Somebody give the Governor a tissue.

Comment by Tim Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 6:18 pm
Cracks. Me. Up.

Pick a lane, Republicans.

Are you for DEI or are you against it?

Because three weeks ago, I swear you were against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. You even said Kamala was the “DEI candidate.”

This week though you are complaining about the lack of Diversity of oninion on BlueSky.

And how Democrats should make MAGA conservatives feel Included during the Holidays.

And now apparently you are for racial Equity as well?

Not falling for it.

As for the Chicago Tribune, I am so old I remember when the editor of the opinion pages would require you to support any factual claim with actual evidence.

Illinois ranks high in racial disparity largely because there are so many very rich White people living here.

If you want to make a better apples-to-apples comparison, Illinois has a poverty rate 22.7% for Black Americans, slightly above the National average of 20% , but better than Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan.

The best performer in the Midwest is Missouri at 18.9%, headscratcher, probably lack of affordable housing pushing people into Kansas and Illinois.

Source: https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Black%22,%22sort%22:%22desc%22%7D

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 6:56 pm
Trump only won the national vote by 1.5%, and won without a majority of voters. A landslide that is not.

Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 7:35 pm
The entire world can give me a break. Yes, Illinois and America swung “right” in the 2024 election. That means absolutely nothing in 2026 or 2028. To think that we should all bend a knee and abandon our principles and sense of reality to what we believe to be ignorance, immorality… or worse… for the benefit of who exactly? Y’all can bite me.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Nov 19, 24 @ 9:21 pm
Nayak was a joke when he was running. He made some consultants a good dime.
Moving to the new party is very Fiorreti. Been done before with no success.

Comment by Frida’s boss Wednesday, Nov 20, 24 @ 1:04 am