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5th CD roundup - Quigley goes up

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* Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley has a new TV ad which blasts Todd Stroger and touts his endorsements…

The ad buy is said to be slightly smaller than Rep. John Fritchey’s purchase, which was around $120,000.

* SEIU weighed in over the weekend with about $24K in phone calls for Rep. Sara Feigenholtz’s campaign. The union has a predictive dialer that it uses a whole lot in campaigns.

* Recent endorsements via press releases…

* Dan Hynes for Feigenholtz
* Dick Devine, Ed Kelly for O’Connor
* Marty Oberman, Abner Mikva, Dr. Quentin Young, and Leon Despres for Geoghegan

*** UPDATE *** From a Feigenholtz press release…

The United Auto Workers (UAW) Illinois State Community Action Program today endorsed State Representative Sara Feigenholtz in the special election to fill the seat vacated by former Congressman and Chief of Staff to President Obama, Rahm Emanuel. […]

The UAW Illinois State Community Action Program Council is the political organization of the United Auto Workers. It represents almost 70,000 members in Illinois.

That’s her third big labor endorsement, after SEIU and UNITE/HERE.

[ *** End of Update *** ]

* Ah, the beauty and splendor of special elections…

Nineteen of the candidates addressed about 40 voters at a Northwest Side VFW hall Sunday afternoon.

* Really?

Voters in the 5th Congressional District probably can thank federal prosecutors for the unusually large field of candidates in the March 3 special primary for a vacant seat in Congress.

The last time the district had to pick a new lawmaker seven years ago, political workers came from across Chicago to help Rahm Emanuel win the Democratic nomination.

The 2002 Democratic primary that Emanuel won featured 8 candidates. There are 12 Democrats this time. A big jump, for sure, but not exponential.

Since then, U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald’s City Hall hiring fraud probe effectively neutered the patronage armies directed by Daley’s top aides.

Daley supported Rahm all the way and openly, which was pretty much a rarity at the time and still is today. He usually plays his cards close to his vest.

Now the mayor says he’s unlikely to endorse any of the candidates who want to replace Emanuel, President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff.

Yeah, but Daley’s city council floor leader Ald. Pat O’Connor is running. That’s most likely a message from Daley that he’d prefer it if Rep. John Fritchey didn’t win.

Seeking to fill this post-patronage power vacuum are…

Um, did they forget the ward organizations which are involved in this race? They still have captains. Not as many as before, but those remaining captains will be a factor.

Voters probably won’t vote in this special election unless they are dragged to the polls. They’ll be far more likely to succumb to the pleas of captains they’ve known for years than to volunteers they just met on election day. So, having even a few captains is a very distinct advantage.

That above linked piece was a essentially a concept in search of a story, and neither worked.

* By the way, Sorich’s appeal was denied today by the US Supreme Court. No surprise there.

* Related…

* Friday’s late afternoon roundup

* Washington: Geoghegan may turn 5th Dist. race on its ear

* IL-05: The (Victor) Forys Interview

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:50 am

Comments

I don’t get Lisa Washington’s column — if Sarah F. is such a Mike Madigan toady, which I consistently read that she is — then why would the left belove her so? At least Fritchey shows an independent streak at times (e.g., somebody with ambitions for higher office doesn’t make repeated statements criticizing a moment-of-silence-for-prayer law, he kept supporting a special election for senator after Madigan/Quinn ran away from their initial proposal). From Washington’s column you’d think he’s a closet Heath Shulter!

Comment by lake county democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:05 am
Laura, not Lisa.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:08 am
It would be interesting to know exactly how Quigley defines “fighting Todd Stroger”. “Fighting” and “Fighting AND Winning” are two distinctly different things. Anybody can make a lot of noise. It’s the rare leader that actually beats baddies like Stroger.

It’s hard to take any of the three so-called “reformers” on the Cook County Board seriously when all of Todd Stroger’s proposals keep passing! Is that “fighting”? Last I checked, we have a 10.25% sales tax which is the highest in the country and disproportionately affects middle and lower income people. Is that “progressive”?

No.

Comment by Undercover Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:14 am
Quigley apparently believes if you tell a lie loudly enough, often enough, nobody will remember the truth. And the truth is Quigley endorsed Stroger, Quigley lent his chief of staff to work for Stroger, and Quigley cut a backroom deal to vote for Stroger’s first budget that coddled county patronage hacks while slashing health care and law enforcement.

As for Feigenholtz, there are no UAW members in the 5th CD, so that endorsement is worthless. Also on labor, Rich, you should clarify what this supposed Unite Here endorsement is all about. Unite Here Local 1, which is the big Unite Here local in Chicago, has endorsed Fritchey and is working hard for him. The endorsement section of Feigenholtz’s Web site does not list or link to Unite Here.

On a lighter note, the best thing I’ve heard about Quigley so far is in that ad: As Chicago meat aficionados will note, apparently he has the endorsement of the Paulina Market.

Comment by Invisibility Cloak Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:15 am
Did anyone hear about Fritchey’s little mishap at the forum last night? He apparently was in a big hurry and backed into another car. The woman driving the car that was hit by Mr. Fritchey, jumped out and asked him if he was retarded. Unfortunate use of words but a funny moment nonetheless.

Comment by chipolcon Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:19 am
Quigley’s commercial does not address his crucial support of toddler in 2006. Nor does it address the very real issue that if elected, Toddler and his allies on the Cook County Board would have 20 months (thanks to the certain appointment of a Daley/Stroger loyalist to Quigley’s County Board seat) to undo what little Quigley has been able to prevent on the County Board.

Comment by fedup dem Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:29 am
Given the number of people who are going to vote in this election, TV is a dubious expenditure.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:30 am
Here is an interesting note on the AFL-CIO’s endorsement of John Fritchey and what that organization is doing for its endorsed candidate. I ran into some AFL-CIO “volunteers” this weekend who kindly showed me their walklists. Guess who they are talking to in a low turnout special election? They are only knocking on labor members doors. That means they only have 3 or 4 names per block on their list. That means they spend a lot of time walking right past the homes of likely voters to try and find the occassional labor member that may or may not vote in this race, a highly ineffecient activity that usually yields very few results.

SEIU, on the other hand, is recruitinig genuine volunteers that work directly for Sara Fiegernholtz’s campaign and therefore can talk to any and all voters. So, it is most likely the the one union supporting Sarah is producing far more measurable results than the 30 or 40 unions suppporting John Fritchey. This should be interesting to watch. I think it is a two-person race now between Mike Quigley and Sarah Fiegenholtz. It is probably too close to call at the moment though.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:31 am
wordslinger, the TV ads will make the canvassers’ jobs easier. If voters have at least heard of the candidates, they’ll be more apt to consent to being dragged down the street to vote for them.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:31 am
Still, Rich it’s casting an awfully wide, expensive net.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:35 am
Labordude, do you have any idea how a labor to labor program works? Each union uses its members to contact their own members in the district - a highly effective tactic. At the same time, Fritchey’s volunteers and supporting organizations are likely hitting the rest of the universe. In a race like this, I’d bet on them over the strangers in purple wandering into a strange neighborhood in a heartbeat. But you just keep spouting away.

Comment by Reality check Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:36 am
I like Fritchey a lot and everyone knows that he would be the best Congressman but putting ketchup on a hot dog is one of the most revolting north side habits he could possibly admit to. In Flubs park if you ask for ketchup from a hot dog vendor he gives you a packet. At the Cell he would kick your bleep. This ketchup thing almost makes me want to support Quigley, the second best candidate, or, Donnatelli, the third best, or O’connor, the fourth best,or, oh well, you get the idea. Did anyone notice the putrid early voter totals from Sara Country?

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:41 am
Few people talk about the republican candidates. In 1994, when a Democrat ran for re-election, a Republican won. This year, since it’s an open race, a Republican is as likely to win as in 1994. The winner of the republican primary will be Rosanna Pulido, the only conservative, in that race.

Comment by ConservativeVeteran Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:42 am
Rich - to clarify, I believe UNITE/HERE endorsed Fritchey, or at the very least, HERE did.

Comment by Dog the Bounty Hunter Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:45 am
First of all I have run lab-to-labor programs, and probably much more effectively than you have. I also know what their limitations are and walking past dozens of likely voters to try and find a labor person to talk to is an incredible waste of manpower, especially in a special election. Second, all of SEIU’s volunteers this weekend were from the 5th CD. So much for your busing theory buddy, but nice try. They are certainly better that all the paid aprentices that you sent into the district this weekend. Don’t think we don’t know what you are doing out there.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:46 am
People, try to calm down, or I’ll just delete you.

Thanks.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:49 am
“That means they only have 3 or 4 names per block on their list.”
I know that you are making this up, but if there really were 4 union members on every block the GOTV effort on Fritchey’s behalf would win the seat for him. Member to member is the most effective strategy for this type of race and it abides by the letter and spirit of the law, unlike the SEIU “effort”.

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:50 am
Go check the tv stations Reality Check. I believe that SEIU just made a very substantial ad buy in support of Sarah Feigenholtz. And, SEIU has dozens of staff and members working their home precincts for Sarah in the Fifth, not 21 year old, paid apprentices that are three sheets to the wind like the AFL canvassers I met this weekend. You should really tell your guys to drink AFTER the canvass not BEFORE.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:52 am
And “labordude” you really shouldn’t claim to be “labor”. That is reserved for the working men and women of the AFL-CIO.

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:53 am
Shows what you know Bill. It is perfectly legal to inform staff and members of volunteer opportunities on a campaign. It is in no way a violation of the law. Perhaps you should read up on the law so you understand it better. Just some friendly advice brother.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:55 am
Undercover, there is an International Truck (Navistar) facility which employs UAW workers in Melrose Park, which is in the 5th CD.

Comment by JonShibleyFan Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:55 am
Quigley looked alittle stiff at the VFW hall. Kinda shaken not stirred.

Comment by ElectMike Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:55 am
My union is the largest dues paying member if the Illinois AFL-CIO…..by far.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:56 am
what I mean is he was very uptight.

Comment by ElectMike Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:56 am
dude,
I understand it pretty well. You can claim to be merely informing about opportunities but we all know the truth. I said spirit and letter.

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:57 am
but O’Connor was really drinking a beer at the front table. Many thought that was tasteless. He even joked about it.

Comment by ElectMike Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:58 am
Comrade,
They shoulda kicked you out when that goofball Stern took his ball and went home.

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:59 am
Hey Bill, please do kick us out and then the AFL-CIO will have to layoff half of its completely useless staff. How you boys gonna pay the bills without us?

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:01 pm
“O’Connor was really drinking a beer at the front table. Many thought that was tasteless”

Must have been a Miller…

Comment by Anon3126 Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:02 pm
Anon 3126 is that your address in Old Irving Park?

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:04 pm
I have a long established handle on this blog as Reality Check. To be clear, I did not make the post at 11:36 under my name.

To 11:36 poster, find your own name please.

Comment by Reality Check Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:04 pm
1. I’m almost embarassed that I’m even responding to ConservativeVeteran’s post. But, ConservativeVeteran: the GOP candidate has ZERO chance of winning the general election, short of the Dem. nominee caught killing puppies. The only reason a GOP candidate won that seat was because of Rostenkowski’s legal issues — the seat was promptly recaptured by the Dems two years later.

2. Quigley’s mail is so full of lies and half-truths it is offensive. Over the weekend I got a mailing saying Fritchey and Feigenholtz are responsible for Cook County’s highest in the nation sales tax because they voted for a higher state sales tax, then Stroger proposed a higher County sales tax later, so the two combined make it the nation’s highest. Wow.. what a stretch. If you want to attack them on voting for a state sales tax increase, fine, but to concoct a convoluted storyline like that is an insult to the voters. Not to mention all his lies about being Stroger’s biggest critic — kinda hard to say that when you endorsed the guy.

Comment by Just Observing Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:11 pm
Comrade Dude,
After you blow this one you’ll be lucky to have a job selling the Daily Worker out in front of Plumbers Hall on Tuesday nights.
Power to the people, right on.

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:15 pm
labordude, something tells me you’re heading for the same fate as the O’Doyles in Billy Madison. Figuratively speaking of course.

Comment by Just saying Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:15 pm
Final warning.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:16 pm
” … Daley’s city council floor leader Ald. Pat O’Connor … ”

O’Connor is “floor leader” mainly in his own mind. There is no floor leader in the Chicago City Council like a speaker or majority/minority leader or whip like your readers might be familiar with from functioning legislatures. Daley’s IGA office handles relations with Club Fifty. It’s not like Daley needs an accurate head count most days.

If O’Connor wants to run for Congress as Daley’s guy, good luck to him, but spinning floor leader as some kind of leadership post is way over the top.

Comment by BannedForLife Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:17 pm
===but spinning floor leader as some kind of leadership post is way over the top.===

It’s unofficial, but it’s widely used in news stories.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:20 pm
==spinning floor leader as some kind of leadership post is way over the top.==

You mean that they were lying to Tom Keane all of those years?

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:28 pm
Ed Burke, Pat Huels?

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:32 pm
Tim Evans?

Comment by Bill Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:34 pm
I don’t get the O’Doyle reference. I guess I am not as versed in the particulars of Billy Madison as you are.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:41 pm
During the Vrodlyak 29 Era, they used to vote in order, so the 29 would follow the lead of Fred Roti of the old First Ward. If he screwed up, Burke would hustle over to get him to change his vote.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:46 pm
It’s funny that O’Connor touts his position as Daley’s floor leader as an attribute. Being in lock step with Daley is not an endearing quality from a member of the legislative branch of city government that’s supposed to provide checks and balances to the mayor’s power.

On a related note, I was surprised to see that O’Connor had agreed to introduce a bill allowing the Chicago IG to investigate the city council members. Especially considering the fact that the feds have been sniffing around both he and his wife’s real estate dealings. I think it’s likely just stumping for votes, and nothing more.

Comment by The Doc Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:58 pm
Between her own ad buy and the SEIU independent expedniture, Sarah Feigenholtz will outspend Fritchey and Quigley on tv this week 7 to 1. That is a massive advantage in communication. I think it will be a close race between Sarah and Mike but Fritchey is done.

Comment by labordude Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:00 pm
You seem awfully preoccupied with a guy that’s ‘done’.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:14 pm
” … O’Connor had agreed to introduce a bill allowing the Chicago IG to investigate the city council members.”

Election day is 3/3 and the next City Council meeting, O’Connor’s 1st opportunity to deliver on his pledge to the Editorial board of the Tribune: 3/18

Comment by BannedForLife Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:20 pm
Laugh aloud funny! The Illinois AFL-CIO has sent out a mail piece on behalf of John Fritchey. Apparently, the data lists compiled for the union organization must have dated back to the days of Roger “The Hog” Stanley. The union member that the mailer was addressed to, in this instance has been dead for sixteen years and has not voted since 1992. This being Illinois, of course, anything can happen, but c’mon John, get with the program!

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:31 pm
===c’mon John, get with the program! ===

Try to stay focused in your thoughts. If it’s an AFL-CIO piece, how is Fritchey to blame?

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:32 pm
Rostenkowski had legal problems in 1994, but another factor was that key Democratic committeemen were not pushing his candidacy too hard. One wonders if Machiavelli Mell had considered using Fluky Flanagan as a tool to remove Rosty with a view to promoting Rod Blagojevich too years hence. Mell could not file Rodman in a primary against Rosty, but if the seat was open in 1996.

Bear in mind that Rosty moved into the district after the loss of a Congressional seat and a remap forced Frank Annunzio into retirement. Many voters in the old 11th had no love for Rosty, whose tenure in the new 5th District was dominated by scandal tinged headlines, and were than more happy to dump on him. In the remap, the most controllable, Machine precincts in the former 8th Congressional District were delivered to Luis Guitterez. Rosty entered a new district where he had no real ties and that contained some conservative precincts and white collar voters. He did not fit in and struggled with the voters (drawing opposition in both elections) until he was ousted.

Comment by Honest Abe Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:42 pm
Typo: “two years hence” — sorry.

Comment by Honest Abe Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:43 pm
Yesterday brought another door knocker from Feigenholtz; that makes three from her and two from Fritchey. I didn’t answer this one since I had already early voted at North Park on Saturday; late on Saturday afternoon I got to vote right away, but in 5 minutes, 3 other people voted too. Lots of mailers from Quigley, Feigenholtz, Fritchey, one from Geoghagen. Lots of Fritchey signs in the neighborhood, some in businesses.

Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 2:08 pm
Interesting piece up by Jesse Greenberg regarding Quigley entitled On Transparency and Ethics, is Quigley Practicing what He Preaches?

http://publicaffairs2point0.wordpress.
com/2009/02/23/quigley-healthcare/

Comment by Windy Cityzen Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 3:03 pm
someone posted a link in your comments

I’m sure you’ll want to chop that in 1/2 as is your policy

Comment by BannedForLife Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 3:33 pm
===As for Feigenholtz, there are no UAW members in the 5th CD,====
Invisibility Cloak, you must be from the lakefront area of the district. There are plenty of UAW members in the Melrose Park area who work, or use to work, at the Navistar plant.

Comment by Been There Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 3:55 pm
Anyone who claims to know the outcome of this race - that so-and-so WILL win or so-and-so CAN’T WIN - should put up recent poll numbers or stop typing.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 5:25 pm
===should put up recent poll numbers===

I lean towards the conclusion that it’s exceedingly difficult to accurately poll Chicago primaries, let alone a special election primary.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 5:28 pm
Fritchey’s hotdog ad was goofy. Just plain goofy.

1. Candidates cannot vouch for their own honesty, only third parties can do that. Defending your own honesty only makes people question it.

2. Given the serious problems facing our country, joking about hotdogs is horribly out-of-touch.

3. I can almost SWEAR I’ve seen that mail piece before.

4. It doesn’t get much more phallic.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 5:29 pm
True, Rich.

Voters lie, especially if they are public employees. Reilly’s polling was dead-on, but Fako is the best pollster in the state, and there are not many public employees in 42.

I think plus/zero/minus counts from canvassing are much better indicators for campaigns of which way the momentum is heading.

The one thing I WILL say about the polling is that I would expect that the 20% Quigley started out at is NOT good news, especially since other candidates have said that their internals show Quigley STILL at 20% and Quigley hasn’t said anything to the contrary.

All of the press coverage Quigley’s gotten over the last five years is much more substantial than his advertising buy, and I think it will take 28% to win this race.

And I don’t think many public employees are “secretly” supporting Quigley. Those rank-and-file members I’ve met hate the Daley Machine (if they aren’t working for them), but they Hate guys like Quigley and Claypool more. Frankly, I don’t understand WHY they hate the “reformers” so much, but they do.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 5:39 pm
YDD, from a wide variety of anecdotal evidence over the years — cops, firemen, blue-collar city workers, white-collar city workers, vendors, business owners, city residents, etc. — I can count on one hand the number of people who would cop to LIKING the Daley Regime.

Generally, I would say most fear it, but fear the unknown even more. You would think at some point, a regime based on the wobbly base of fear could get knocked over by a heavy blow. Or two. Fitz and someone acceptable, whoever that is.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 6:09 pm
Quentin Young, Marty Oberman, Len Depres, Abner Mikva are supporting Tom Geoghegan. Seems like a pretty good crowd to me. I’ll vote for hime too.

Comment by Voteforsmartpeople Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 6:41 pm
YDD,

Are you suggesting that voters lie…unless they know it’s Dave Fako on the other end of the line?

That is outstanding! I’d heard his was a good firm, but to hear he can extract the truth out of habitual liars…well, step aside Jack Bauer!

;)

Comment by JonShibleyFan Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:12 pm
I guess Comsr quigley will now loose like the other folks who did the “i fought todd stroger” ads. Just like Comsr Sufferdin, the guy that ran against Berrios, and those suburban folks that ran on the I fought todd stroger banner. Rich has anyone yet won who was not an incumbent and did the I fought todd stroger ads/mailers/yard sign?

Comment by westsider Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 9:53 am
Yes. Rep. Mark Walker.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 10:05 am
“Candidates cannot vouch for their own honesty, only third parties can do that.”

The self/3rd party distinction is further blurred once you notice that the original “Fritchey puts ketchup on his hotdogs!” puff piece was planted on Gapers Block by Fritchey campaign contributors from The Saint Consulting Group, a consultancy that advocates against local control in development issues, who have apparently decide the kind of guy they want to send to Congress is a lobbyist with a proven track record of going up against communities in Chicago zoning wars and winning.

Comment by BannedForLife Tuesday, Feb 24, 09 @ 11:05 am