Is the Irvin Campaign Playing Out the Stretch?
Former Rep. Mary Edly-Allen and Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) are battling for the open 31st Senate seat in Lake County.
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OPINION
Richard Irvin’s campaign may not have actually turned the lights out at their Aurora or downtown Chicago campaign offices, but it sure looks like folks are headed for the doors.
Irvin’s campaign is still running cable ads this week, though the amount being spent is far less than in previous weeks, according to Comcast. Irvin’s campaign has been off of downstate broadcast stations since June 6. No ad buys for this week have been posted yet by Chicago TV stations, we’ve checked with them to confirm.
It’s a stunning fall for a campaign that once seemed to be a shoe-in for the GOP nomination for Governor. The Aurora Mayor held a 12-point lead over the field in early May and was boosted by $50 million from Illinois’ richest person, billionaire Ken Griffin.
But after a string of bad press conference performances, embarrassing news stories, and millions in attack ads, Griffin’s campaign seems all but dead with less than a week to go before primary day.
“They’re toast and they know it,” said one longtime GOP operative familiar with the Irvin campaign. “Staffers are looking for new jobs and they’re all just playing out the stretch.”
Irvin toured a manufacturing facility in Wauconda yesterday, and WGN-TV’s Tahman Bradley had the only TV camera at the event. Not a sign of what you’re expecting for a front-runner. At the event, Irvin blasted Governor JB Pritzker for “meddling” in a Republican primary. Irvin has voted in five of the past six Democratic primaries in the state.
There are rumors flying of Griffin choosing to renege on a promise of up to $5 million per week to get Irvin across the finish line over the last month of the campaign, but Griffin hasn’t contributed since May 27, when he gave the Irvin campaign $5 million.
Sources tell us there are serious frustrations among Griffin’s camp that consultant Mike Zolnerowicz, known as “Mike Z” in Republican circles, has overcharged Griffin for mail pieces or ad buys. The Irvin campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
It could be a spectacular failure if the Irvin campaign fails to win the nomination, considering the money, staff, and organization the campaign had behind it. If they are turning out the lights, historians will start a post-mortem on the failed campaign sooner than later.
