THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All
Appellate Justice Mary K. O’Brien (Campaign Photo)
NOTE: This newsletter was originally sent via our daily The Illinoize newsletter. To receive free newsletters and content, click here.
September 29, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
A quick note for subscribers. There will not be a subscriber only edition Friday. We’ll be back Monday.
If you missed our Livestream and Podcast with Rep. Patrick Windhorst and Dan Mihalopoulos of WBEZ Radio, you can watch here or listen to the podcast version here.
Just a quick note. I’ve gotten a lot of pushback and dismissive BS from Democrats for my story yesterday pointing out a pretty blatant lie in an ad from Appellate Court Justice and Supreme Court candidate Mary Kay O’Brien. One hater even claimed I’m “working” for Supreme Court Justice Mike Burke, O’Brien’s opponent.
Let me get a few things straight with you all: I don’t have a party affiliation anymore. I mostly worked Republican campaigns from 2012-2020, though I did work for a few Democrats, an independent, and some nonpartisan races.
When I started this newsletter, it was about cutting through the BS and the lies of politicians on both sides, and we’ve been quick to beat up Republicans and Democrats when they lie. This appears to be a blatant lie from O’Brien, and the public should know that.
If you don’t like it, go find an echo chamber elsewhere.
Here’s your Free for All.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets)
Supreme Court Candidate O'Brien Ad Makes Baseless Claim About Opponent's Abortion Position (The Illinoize)
Appellate Court Justice and Democratic Illinois Supreme Court candidate Mary K. O’Brien released a new ad Tuesday that makes a baseless claim about the political positions of her Republican opponent, incumbent Justice Michael Burke.
The :30 ad claims Burke, who has served on the Supreme Court since his appointment in 2020, “says he agreed with the decision to overturn Roe” while superimposing “Supports overturning Roe” on the screen.
The claim does not come with a citation, so we asked the O’Brien campaign Tuesday to cite their source. A spokesperson provided the link to a public access TV interview with Burke from July.
In the interview, Burke never claims he supports or agrees with the decision to overturn Roe.
“Running for judicial office…I have to be very circumspect about what I say in a public forum like this as far as my personal beliefs as they relate to issues that may appear before us on the Court,” Burke says in the interview, specifically avoiding stating his personal feelings. “Whether I would have voted for it, or whether I would have signed it as a Governor doesn’t matter.”
In the interview, Burke does accurately say abortion is not an enumerated right in the U.S. Constitution, but does not offer an opinion on whether it should or shouldn’t be.
I’m told some Burke-friendly attorneys are considering filing a complaint with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC), which is the disciplinary arm for judges in the state. They could also file a complaint with the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, which investigates complaints against active Illinois state court judges.
I hope traditional media gets off their gourds and starts covering these Supreme Court races. I met O’Brien for the first time in 2002 and have always thought highly of her. This is truly disappointing.
Poll: Pritzker holds double-digit lead over Bailey (WGN TV)
With early voting starting in some parts of Illinois this week, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker holds a commanding 15-point lead over GOP challenger, State Sen. Darren Bailey, according to a new WGN-TV/The Hill/Emerson College Polling survey of likely voters.
A majority of voters (51%) support Pritzker’s re-election while 36% support Bailey. Just 5% of those polled say they plan to vote for someone else and 8% remain undecided, with just under six weeks left until Election Day.
Trying to make up ground against Pritzker, Bailey’s campaign has been driving home a tough-on-crime message. The downstate farmer turned politician announced earlier this month that he was renting an apartment in downtown Chicago, where he would keep close tabs on the issue. Bailey, who has repeatedly referred to the city as a “hellhole,” has held campaign events at locations where highly publicized crimes occurred.
But despite Bailey’s efforts, and an onslaught of political ads paid for by Dan Proft’s “People Who Play By the Rules” PAC, Illinois likely voters say the economy is still the No. 1 issue (35%) driving their vote in November, followed by threats to democracy (17%) and abortion access (14%).
In the contest for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Tammy Duckworth is in strong position to win another term with half of Illinois voters (50%) backing her over Republican challenger Kathy Salvi, who has 31% support. About 1 in 6 votes, or 16%, say they’re undecided and 4% percent plan to vote for someone else.
Among Illinoisans, President Joe Biden approval rating stands at 49% with 44% of likely voters disapproving of the job he’s doing.
A Republican operative told me tongue-in-cheek last night that if Bailey “only” loses by 15, it would benefit down ticket Republicans.
Highland Park shooting victims sue Smith & Wesson, gun shops, alleged shooter and his father over July 4 parade mass shooting (Chicago Tribune)
Victims of the Highland Park shooting have filed multiple lawsuits naming the alleged shooter, Robert Crimo III, Smith & Wesson, two firearms dealers and Crimo’s father as the parties who bear responsibility for an eruption of gun violence that killed seven and wounded dozens of others during the northern suburb’s Independence Day parade.
The lawsuits, announced Wednesday in Northbrook, are the latest in the ongoing debate in U.S. courts over who bears responsibility for deaths and injuries caused by firearms in this country.
Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, one of eight firms involved in the suits, said attorneys are “focused directly on gun makers Smith & Wesson.”
“After every mass shooting, Smith & Wesson has a bump in sales,” Romanucci said. “A bump in sales brings a bump in profits. A bump in profits brings bonuses to that C suite. We say no more. We say it’s over. We all say we’re done.”
Related: Highland Park Fourth of July parade victims who are suing: ‘This time it was our family, next time it could be yours’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Highland Park to relocate temporary memorial to parade shooting victims, planning permanent tribute (Daily Herald)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
The nation's debate shortage doesn't cause much of a fuss in Illinois (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Republican congressional candidate Regan Deering sits down with IPM ahead of the November election (Illinois Public Media)
Chung and Preston outline differences in criminal justice and taxes in 91st House debate (WGLT)
Raoul takes Equal Rights Amendment to appeals court (Capitol News Illinois)
Sen. Jason Barickman sounds off on ethics, prisons and immigration (WGLT)
State to reduce $1.8 billion federal unemployment debt by $450 million (Capitol News Illinois)
As Pritzker proclaims 'Illinois EV Week,' feds approve plan to develop state's charging infrastructure (Bloomington Pantagraph)
CPS drops to fourth-largest school district in nation (Chicago Sun-Times)
SOME TOP LINKS FROM LAST WEEK