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* JB Pritzker in the New York Times…
We tried to fill as many of the races as we could. In many counties, where there were all Republicans on the county board, now they’ve got a couple of Democrats because we ran people.
I asked the Pritzker campaign for a list of those types of winners. They didn’t have one, but said they were working on building one.
* So, I turned to the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association, which handled the Blue Wave effort for Pritzker in Downstate counties. I was told it would take at least another week before they could pull together a full list…
There are obviously places where our successes mirror the successes of higher-level Democrats. In the west suburban regions, of course, we had strong victories.
In other areas, Champaign and Lake Counties for example, the results included significant takeovers of offices by the Democrats.
Obviously though, there are wide regions where Democrats continued to struggle, as they have for many election cycles.
The Pritzker campaign effort was instrumental in helping to boost a County Democratic Party presence all over the state - especially in areas where visibility and activity has needed support. Through the Pritzker campaign and allies, such as organized labor, many downstate county parties were able to push against Republicans. For example, the Pritzker support ensured that many counties had the first legitimate and organized GOTV effort in decades. It was critical.
So, 2018 was largely a benchmark and a testing ground for the IDCCA and our partners. You already understand all the dynamics the further south you get - a very unpopular GOP Governor, a President with a solid, vocal following, and all the other factors combined.
We’re still trying determine all the lessons we should learn. What we’re excited about is knowing that Governor-elect Pritzker and his team also want to learn from the campaign so he can govern to improve life for every Illinoisan, regardless of where they live.
* OK, but what about Pritzker’s contention to the NYT that the Democrats were able to pick up a seat or two on some previously all-GOP county boards?
I was directed to McHenry County, where five Democrats won this year. But there was one Democrat already on that board aside from its chairman Jack Franks. I was also pointed to the GOP bastion of Ogle County, where a Democrat won. But there was already one Democrat on that board as well.
I mean, that’s all close to what he said, but it’s not what he said. And “many” counties? Hmm.
If they ever do manage to find a way to show Pritzker wasn’t just pulling stuff out of thin air, I’ll let you know.
* Related…
* Bernie: Zahorik seeks to continue building blue wave: The new president of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association, hopes to extend her party’s gains, evidenced in the Nov. 6 election, to more parts of the state
* With Senate heavyweights Clayborne, Haine leaving, who fills their shoes in Springfield?
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:13 pm
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Kudos for keeping scrutiny on what politicians say, and calling them on it when it seems to be flatulently untrue.
Comment by Matts Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:28 pm
I’ve already told Rich this. The reason the DeWitt County Board has now gone nearly all Republican, and may after 2020 for the County Board, is because the three Dems that were recently voted out of office completely refused to listen to safety and health concerns as well as property rights concerns related to an industrial wind complex being planned for the county. One of the Dems who was voted out, also gave long Bible lectures as an invocation at the start of the County Board meetings in order to chastise residents of the County who were simply looking for ordinances to be developed/strengthened that would ensure proper and safe siting of turbines that might be close to 600 feet in height- some of the tallest land based turbine towers in the US to date.
https://tinyurl.com/y73jpsnz
If Pritzker wants to try and return some “blue” to that county, his team might want to have a heart-to-heart with the Dem Committee in that county, most of whom seem more red that blue in nature. There are Dems and Independents in that county that want to see progress, but not at the costs of health, safety, and the environment.
Comment by Anon221 Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:32 pm
==wasn’t just pulling stuff out of thin air==
This is a much prettier description of where he was really pulling it from.
Comment by Slugger O'Toole Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:32 pm
There’s a case to be made that Pritzker underperformed this cycle given the national climate. Specifically, J.B.s 16pt win depended on McCann spliting counties with Rauner that JB would have lost without McCann in the race. Without McCann, JB would have been in the 9-11 pt range which isn’t impressive at all with Rauners shortcomings and the anti GOP sentiment. The team at 538 has J.B. underwater considering the state lean and the national dem tilt this year. Did that effect some of the tighter races in the burbs? Who knows.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-does-it-mean-that-abrams-and-gillum-are-both-likely-to-lose/
Comment by oVo Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:33 pm
County Board in McLean County. Dems lost an open seat they had in a republican leaning district. Took out two republican incumbents and a republican that had been appointed. The dems added 3 women to the county (one of them the first Korean American ever in the county) as well as the second 19 year old ever elected to the county board.
Comment by The Real Captain Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:35 pm
===Without McCann===
There is no “Without McCann.”
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:42 pm
You spend $171 mil of your own dough, you wanna say it was for something bigger, broader, and had greater impact.
California is 2 1/2 times the “size” of Illinois, but Pritzker broke the spending record here, not in CA.
So… “we did lots”
Ok.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:44 pm
Sigh
Rauner wasn’t elected four years ago - instead Quinn was fired. So Rauner didn’t have a mandate, but could have earned one during his first months. Rauner failed to do that and was underwater electorally ever since.
Naturally JB was elected. So in my opinion, it is foolish to read much more into his win. It is silly to see his election in any other way. Illinois is a Democratic state that went with the felon Blagojevich twice, then Quinn. Then we fired Quinn.
Rauner was an outlier. JB restores Illinois to what it has been since 2002.
The rest of this stuff is nonsense.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:47 pm
The important thing is that it COULD be true. And it sounds good too, especially in the New York Times.
Lol.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:47 pm
Coles County picked up one D seat.
Comment by Morningstar Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:56 pm
The lesson here, for me is… again… back to “Rauner”…
Many, Always, Never, Every, All…
You’re the Governor. I want you to succeed. I want Illinois to recover from the past.
Do not use…
Many, Always, Never, Every, All…
… when you speak.
Please stop. Be precise to the measure of things… that can be measured.
Be well. Happy Friday. Thanks.
OW
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:02 pm
==There’s a case to be made that Pritzker underperformed this cycle==
There’s a better case that Rauner underperformed. You have to go back to 1960 to find another incumbent Governor who lost by double-digits. And that guy still broke 40%.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:11 pm
oVo - Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 3:33 pm:
Give Rauner every non-Pritzker vote and he lost 54-46, and that’s without votes counted since Election Day. Rauner got thumped.
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/live-illinois-election-results/ef758f02-39ae-4474-9be4-1eab951bc449
Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:11 pm
- OW -
“Rauner was an outlier. JB restores Illinois to what it has been since 2002.”
I don’t know if that is supposed to be a positive or a negative…the next two years will be very telling here for a lot of people on the fence as whether to stay or leave.
Comment by Hmmmm Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:11 pm
===I don’t know if that is supposed to be a positive or a negative…the next two years will be very telling here for a lot of people on the fence as whether to stay or leave.===
I dunno either, since I didn’t type it.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:14 pm
===Give Rauner every non-Pritzker vote===
Why not give Pritzker every non-Rauner vote? lol
It’s a stupid thing to do, that’s why. And that works both ways.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:20 pm
538 does neither and still has Pritzker underwater when adjusted for state partisanship and national partisanship in 2018. The point is those examples may not be readily available bc the rhetoric doesn’t match what the stats are saying.
Comment by oVo Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:26 pm
===Pritzker underperformed===
To begin where you began.
When did the last sitting governor lose his (there has never been a woman governor) re-elect by double digits?
When you’re done looking at that… Pritzker outperformed every challenger that beat an incumbent… since that last incumbent who won by 15 points. How long ago was that?
Capiche?
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:31 pm
It’s still a dream — Rauner on his way to Italy, Pritzker on his way to Springfield — but what I want to know (and what I haven’t yet read) is when, exactly, Rauner gave up.
He seems like he gave up early. Maybe not long after “As a white man” thing — that seems to be when he sorta inwardly shrugged his shoulders and admitted to himself, “I ain’t gonna win this.”
But what was Rauner’s deal? Why did he — at some point TBD — did he give up? Did he stop funding the down-ballot races?
And, more importantly, why? What’s his deal? What happened?
Comment by Bobby T Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:34 pm
@Vanillaman-
Rauner had a mandate. Create jobs. Stop handing cash and jobs to cronies. And work with the Democratic controlled General Assmebly to get it done.
But then he decided to pursue another course.
Pritzker now has a mandate. Pass a budget. Legalize pot. Make the tax system fairer. Don’t kill any more veterans. And work with the Democratic controlled legislature to get it done.
It is the only fair read of the election results.
Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Nov 16, 18 @ 4:42 pm
You would have to check, but I believe the Kendall County board now has a couple of Democrats, something almost unheard of in past years.
Comment by Jerry Monday, Nov 19, 18 @ 3:06 pm