National Democrats Launch TV Ads Attacking GOP Candidate Irvin
The Democratic Governor’s Association launched television ads Thursday meddling in the Republican primary, attacking Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
The national Democratic Governor’s Association ad has launched a new ad campaign targeting a Republican most likely seen as incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker’s toughest challenger in November.
It’s an attack on Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s work as a defense attorney, but, in the end, the ad is designed to help conservative Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia).
The Irvin campaign, of course, was angry about Democratic efforts to “hijack” the GOP primary.
“For months, I’ve told voters that Pritzker was desperate and would do anything to win,” Irvin said in a statement. “Now, Pritzker is trying to hijack the Republican primary because he can’t run from the facts: crime is out of control, tax hikes continue, and corruption lives on in state government under Pritzker’s reign.”
The ad appears to be running in the Chicago market on broadcast stations, though their full purchases have not been released. In the Champaign-Decatur-Springfield market, the DGA is spending around $100,000. About $90,000 is being spent on cable around the state, mostly on FOX News, but also on TBS this weekend during the NCAA Final Four.
In a news conference in Springfield Thursday, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), an Irvin supporter, criticized Pritzker for allowing the DGA to “meddle” in a Republican primary and said Republicans would never do the same in a Democratic primary. The DGA also ran ads helping then-Rep. Jeanne Ives in her challenge to incumbent Bruce Rauner in 2018.
Durkin, an attorney, said Pritzker should stop the ads from running and from criticizing Irvin for serving as a criminal defense attorney. He said the Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel and Pritzker’s campaign shouldn’t criticize Irvin for doing his job.
The Pritzker campaign did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The largest beneficiary of the ad buy could be Bailey, though, his campaign spokesman denied the idea. The spokesman did not respond to a request for further comment.
There has been little public polling in the GOP race for Governor so far, but a poll we reported on last month showed Bailey with a lead of more than ten points.
