Yesterday, ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy joined suburban Republican leaders to speak out against the behavior of State Representative Jonathan Carroll in the wake of continued allegations:
“We would hope the Democratic leadership at the state, Congressional District, Township and Precinct level would share the belief with us that these allegations — which by the way were revealed far too late to be of political advantage to Republican candidate Rory Welch — need to be addressed expeditiously so that voters who have not yet gone to the polls can hear them, hear both sides and make their judgments in the voting booth. The time is now to demand this from Carroll; waiting until after the election would show callous disregard to the electorate we are supposed to serve,” said the 17 GOP leaders in their statement.
Most recently a former staffer of Carroll’s, Elly Fawcett-Neal filed a complaint with the Inspector General last month claiming that Carroll’s chief of staff pressured her to get an abortion. She was later fired.
Springfield Lobbyist Tiffany Elking claims that Carroll called her and threatened to thwart the legislative agenda of the PAC she represented unless her client Jay Edelson dropped an objection to a class action settlement where Carrol’s ex-wife served as co-counsel.
Further, he has been accused by his ex-wife in a sworn court filing of “refus[ing] to meaningfully financially contribute toward the support of his two minor children since the parties’ separation in October 2021.”
“These allegations detail potentially illegal behavior and reprehensible treatment of women. State Rep Carroll must immediately answer in detail each allegation publicly. If he fails to do that, he should immediately resign his seat and suspend his campaign.”
Today, President Joe Biden visits Illinois for a series of rallies to bail out sputtering Congressional Democrats in the Chicago suburbs. ILGOP Chairman Don Tracyissued the following statement:
“As the Biden economy sputters, races for suburban Congressional Democrats once thought safe are trending in the wrong direction. Now President Biden is making a last-ditch effort to dig them out of the hole they dug together. Senator Duckworth, Congressmen Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood have all spent two years supporting the inflation-fueling Biden-Pelosi spending binge every step of the way. Now with historic inflation fueling skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, they can follow their spending binge to its final destination – out of office on the morning of November 9th.”
A recent New York Times poll indicated that 44% of likely voters cite the economy and inflation as their most important issues. The U.S. economy is facing its highest inflation rate in 40 years as a direct result of runaway spending by President Biden and Congressional Democrats that even respected Democrat economists warned could fuel the historic inflation we are now experiencing. Reps. Casten, Krishnamoorthi, Foster, and Underwood supported this spending agenda at every turn.
RealClearPolitics recently moved Casten (IL-6) and Underwood’s (IL-14) races from Lean D to toss-up as the Congressional Leadership Fund announced a massive seven-figure investment in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District race.
Safe-T Act’s future could be decided by two judges whose campaigns received millions from elected officials of two coequal branches of government with a vested interest in the failed law’s future
Billionaire Governor J.B. Pritzker is using a trust to skirt campaign contribution limits, that he signed into law, in an effort to influence two tight Supreme Court races. From the Chicago Tribune yesterday:
“Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker is using his personal trust fund to circumvent contribution limits in two races that will determine whether his party maintains its 4-3 majority on the Illinois Supreme Court.
Pritzker earlier this year signed into law a measure that limits contributions to a judicial candidate campaign from “any single person” to $500,000.
In September, Pritzker’s campaign fund, JB for Governor, contributed $500,000 each to the campaigns of Democrats Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien, who are running for two open seats on the high court.
Last week, the billionaire entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotels heir dipped into a trust fund called the Jay Robert Pritzker Revocable Trust, to give the Democrat Supreme Court candidate’s campaigns another $500,000 each, state campaign finance records show.
The Illinois State Board of Elections historically has treated trusts as separate entities for the purpose of enforcing contribution limits, spokesperson Matt Dietrich said.”
Meanwhile, the ILGOP held a press conference yesterday in Chicago at which two former prosecutors and a former appellate justice criticized the unprecedented judicial campaign contributions by Governor Pritzker, House Speaker Welch, Senate President Harmon, and other Democrat legislators.
Especially troubling is that Pritzker, Welch, and Harmon’s money could ultimately influence future Supreme Court rulings on the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act – Pritzker, Harmon, and Welch’s signature legislation that will end cash bail across Illinois on January 1st.
“Our three branches of government are designed to serve as checks and balances on each other,” said former Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon. “Unfortunately, the multi-million dollar bankroll from the governor and the leaders of the General Assembly serve to skew that balance and are a disservice to the people of Illinois in the Second and Third Districts especially.”
58 Democratic and Republican State’s Attorneys have filed suit against Governor Pritzker and others over the constitutionality of the legislation. The plaintiffs were granted a motion to consolidate into one suit – Rowe v Raoul – which could make its way to the Illinois Supreme Court to ultimately decide its fate.
The outcome of the case, and the law’s future, could very well be decided by two judges whose campaigns accepted millions from elected officials of two coequal branches of government with a vested interest in the decision.
Pritzker, Harmon, and Welch have contributed millions to affect the outcome of two Illinois Supreme Court races, which may potentially impact possible future Court rulings on the SAFE-T Act, legislative redistricting
Chicago, IL – Earlier today, two former prosecutors and a former Appellate Court Justice held a press conference to highlight the unprecedented level of spending from Democratic leaders on the two contested Illinois Supreme Court races in the Chicago suburbs.
Former Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon, former Appellate Court Justice Bob Spence, and State Sen. John Curran, who served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, all spoke out against the millions of dollars Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, President Harmon, and other Democratic lawmakers have spent to elect Justice Mary K. O’Brien and Judge Elizabeth Rochford.
(Click link here to view the full press conference)
“I and all of us are here today because the future of good government; reforms like independent map and fair maps, public safety, bipartisanship in the State of Illinois are on the ballot in this election for the Illinois Supreme Court in the 2nd and 3rd district. The independence of all three coequal branches of government is critical to restoring Illinois as a leader in job creation, public safety where people want to work and live,” said former Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph “Joe” McMahon. “An independent and impartial jury is critical to good government and is the only remaining check on the absolute political power of the Democrat Party in Cook County. Public confidence in judicial independence and impartiality is eroding when leaders of the other two branches of government try to control and dictate the outcome of judicial elections.”
“The Supreme Court is supposed to be a check on the General Assembly and on the Governor, we learned that in eighth grade – it’s not difficult, said Former Appellate Court Justice Robert Spence. “Other issues that could be decided by the court are “gerrymandering and fair maps.”
The sheer scale of spending by Democratic lawmakers in these races has major implications for the independence of Illinois’ judiciary. The outcome of these two Court races could decide the future of legislative redistricting, the so-called “SAFE-T Act,” and other issues that Pritzker, Harmon, and Welch have a major stake in. This unusual level of involvement from lawmakers in a Supreme Court race hasn’t been seen since Speaker Mike Madigan bankrolled the failed retention campaign of former Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride.
As of yesterday, October 31st, Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, President Harmon, and other Democratic lawmakers have spent over $3.5 million to elect Justice O’Brien and Judge Rochford:
President Don Harmon and other Democratic lawmakers have poured in $850,000 to an outside political action group – “All for Justice” – that backs O’Brien and Rochford.
Provisions of the “SAFE-T Act,” including the controversial elimination of cash bail, go into effect across Illinois on January 1, 2023. 58 Democratic and Republican State’s Attorneys have filed suit against Governor Pritzker and others over the constitutionality of the legislation. The plaintiffs were granted a motion to consolidate into one suit – Rowe v Raoul – which could make its way to the Illinois Supreme Court to decide its fate. The decision as to the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act could ultimately hinge on the decisions of two justices who have received millions of dollars from SAFE-T Act champions – Pritzker, Welch, Harmon, and others – as part of their pathway to the Supreme Court.
Given the amount of turnover in the Illinois Supreme Court, it’s possible that civic organizations and good government-oriented citizens may try another attempt at a citizen-led referendum to reform Illinois’ legislative redistricting process. Another “Fair Maps” or “Independent Maps” referendum initiative would likely end up before the Court before the referendum would be placed on the ballot. Pritzker, Welch, and Harmon are all supporters of gerrymandering, and Mary K. O’Brien herself supported Speaker Madigan’s gerrymandered maps in the General Assembly. O’Brien even had her district redrawn to include family members who lived outside her old district so they could vote for her (Kurt Erickson, “AFL-CIO endorsement big news for Kelleher,” The Pantagraph, 12/16/01).
Pritzker contributed $500,000 each from one of his many financial trusts to O’Brien’s and Rochford’s campaigns. Doing so was a convenient way to skirt campaign contribution limits for judicial races that Pritzker himself signed into law just five months ago.
Earlier today, ILGOP Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy renewed his calls for State Senator Michael Hastings to resign after new details came out regarding domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife. Further, he called on Senate President Don Harmon to join Governor Pritzker in issuing the same call, for Hastings to resign. Harmon responded:
“There have been a series of troubling elements brought light by Senator Hastings’ ongoing personal divorce case.
Accusations of domestic violence are to be taken seriously. I took immediate action to remove him from Senate leadership given the circumstances. The situation remains under review.
This week, I asked my staff to reach out to Senator Hastings regarding his ethical disclosure filings and to recommend he update them if needed. At first glance, it appears this situation may very well highlight how ineffective the previous forms were and why Illinois Senate Democrats led efforts to update them and make them relevant.
Good government practices built around meaningful ethical disclosure and a safe workplace are necessary steps toward rebuilding public trust in state government.”
ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy blasted Harmon’s weak response and the culture it fosters:
“Since 2019, four members of the Illinois State Senate have been indicted or convicted on corruption charges, with others under investigation. Meanwhile, the Senate President dithers and dodges to avoid upsetting his caucus,” said ILGOPChairman Don Tracy. “TheHastings’ saga is yet another case of silence for the sake of political expediency. Mike Madigan might be gone from the General Assembly however, his spirit remains alive and well in the State Senate.”
Harmonsaid of Hastings in July of 2021 after Hastings dropped out of the race for Secretary of State, “Though I am saddened the people of Illinois won’t benefit from the leadership and dedication to working families Senator Mike Hastings would bring to the office of Secretary of State, I’m happy that the people of the 19th District and our colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus will continue to have him fighting for Democratic values in the General Assembly.”
New allegations surfaced this morning against State Senator Michael Hastings, in what seems to be a never-ending assembly line of reprehensible behavior. From WBEZ:
“In the newly unsealed divorce files, Kathleen Hastings provided further details regarding that alleged incident two years ago. Her lawyer wrote that Michael Hastings “slammed Kate’s head against the door leading to the garage multiple times and put her in a choke hold — all because she asked Mike where he was working that day,” according to a filing in the divorce case in October 2021.
Kathleen Hastings alleged the assault took place at about 7 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2020, “in front of” one of their children and woke up their other child, according to the filing.
“Not wishing to disrupt Mike’s political and social image, and frankly not knowing what to do, Kate did not report the abuse to the authorities at the time,” wrote Kathleen Hastings’s lawyer Brett Buckley.”
In light of the latest allegations against Senator Michael Hastings from WBEZ this morning, the Illinois Republican Party issued the following statement renewing their calls for him to resign:
“This is yet more behavior unbecoming of a State Senator. Our legislators are supposed to exemplify the very best of Illinois. Senator Hastings has repeatedly demonstrated behavior this year that shows he is unfit to hold public office.
He should do the honorable thing and resign to save South Suburban voters the trouble of throwing him out of office in disgrace. However, as Hastings’ past behavior has proven, doing the right thing seems to be something he is not capable of doing.
Further, Governor Pritzker has already done the right thing and called on Senator Hastings to resign. It’s a partisan sham that Senate President Don Harmon continues to stay silent regarding whether or not he feels Senator Hastings is still fit to serve in his caucus and hold public office.”
Harmonsaid of Hastings in July of 2021 after Hastings dropped out of the race for Secretary of State, “Though I am saddened the people of Illinois won’t benefit from the leadership and dedication to working families Senator Mike Hastings would bring to the office of Secretary of State, I’m happy that the people of the 19th District and our colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus will continue to have him fighting for Democratic values in the General Assembly.”
Chicago, IL – Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) dominated tonight’s televised forum on WTTW Chicago with sound and reasonable ideas from a candidate who can be trusted with Illinoisans’ tax dollars.
“The difference between candidates is clear,” said Don Tracy (R-Springfield) Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
“Dan Brady’s vision of utilizing community colleges as satellite locations to relieve congestion at Chicagoland driver facilities will save taxpayer’s dollars. With improved facilities senior citizens will not have to wait outside in the cold or hot weather to renew their driver’s license.
State Rep. Dan Brady presented a positive and optimistic vision for the future of the Secretary of State’s office. His opponent, meanwhile, failed to address his murky past and numerous failures when he was State Treasurer.
Illinoisans want and need Dan Brady as their next Secretary of State. His opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, has a questionable history of losing over $150 Million in college savings while he was State Treasurer and his family bank was seized by federal regulators after it made loans to mobsters.
Dan Brady is the most ethical and trustworthy candidate in the race for Secretary of State.”
With Election Day drawing near, Democrat Elizabeth Rochford’s campaign for Illinois Supreme Court is showing signs of desperation. This morning, Rochford’s campaign released a polling memo in an attempt to signal to her Madigan Machine donors and backers that she’s in desperate need of additional millions.
Rochford’s call for help comes even after she’s raised $3.5 million for her campaign, and the so-called “All for Justice” group has raised nearly $6.8 million, spending much of it on Rochford. Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Shaun McCabe released the following statement in response:
“Elizabeth Rochford and her Madigan Machine allies are desperate, even after spending millions of dollars on her failing campaign. Rochford knows if voters learn about her Machine ties and record, she will lose her election and the Madigan Machine will lose a vote on the Supreme Court. Mark Curran is in a strong position to win because he’s an independent outsider with extensive law enforcement experience who will uphold the rule of law, not the rule of Madigan.”
Springfield – Voters are fed up with the status quo – skyrocketing inflation driving up the cost of everyday goods like gas and groceries. Meanwhile, Chicago Carpetbagger Nikki Budzinski moved to Central Illinois to run in a hand-drawn Pritzker district design to elect her – it’s not going so well.
“This is a race within the margin of error. If it wasn’t, the campaign that was ahead would be leaking poll results to try and dissuade people from giving to the other campaign,” according to former Congressman John Shimkus speaking to the Illinois Times.
“The 13th Congressional District, which was drawn by Democrats in the legislature to favor their party, is typical of the congressional districts across the nation that are in play.
Effective gerrymandering by both parties means that for about 90% of all congressional districts, the winner is all but a foregone conclusion. When he campaigned for governor, JB Pritzker pledged not to sign a partisan map. Nonetheless, on Nov. 23, he signed one drawn by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly that made Illinois perhaps the most gerrymandered state in the nation.
The 13th Congressional District snakes its way up from East St. Louis, engulfing Collinsville, Chatham, Springfield, Decatur and Champaign. It’s designed to elect a Democrat, and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project originally predicted the 13th Congressional District would likely vote 56% Democratic.”
“Central Illinois voters don’t want a Chicago Carpetbagger running in a hand-drawn district to represent them in Congress. They especially don’t want to elect someone with such a terribly out-of-touch record of helping fuel the inflation voters are facing today,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
Budzinski, the ultimate insider, helped fuel the inflation problems that central Illinois voters are facing as a result of her time in the Pritzker and Biden Administrations.
In 2019, while Nikki Budzinski was serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, JB Pritzker signed a $45 million package of bills that doubled the gas tax, while indexing annual gas tax increases to inflation. She was also in a senior role in advocating for Pritzker’s failed tax referendum that would have changed the Illinois Constitution to give politicians more opportunities to raise income taxes.
In 2021, Budzinski joined the Biden Administration as Chief of Staff to the Office of Management and Budget to – you guessed it – advance higher taxes and higher inflation while turning a blind eye to skyrocketing energy costs. Budzinski led the office that was in charge of implementing Biden’s vision for America that included canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, which eliminated more than 1,000 jobs and cut Americans off from much-needed additional energy resources.
Budzinski continues to champion the American Rescue Plan, despite dire warnings from respected Democrat economists that it would cause the severe inflation that we are now seeing.
Inflation is at its highest rate in 40 years, while the cost of gas and groceries have skyrocketed, making it harder for Central and Southern Illinois residents to get by. Business however is looking pretty good for Pritzker and Biden insider Nikki Budzinski.
“Shortly after she left her state job as a senior adviser to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, longtime political operative Nikki Budzinski collected more than $500,000 in consulting and other fees in 10 months, including more than $80,000 from a Springfield lobbyist Budzinski helped while working for the governor.
At least $100,000 of that payday came from progressive organizations that don’t disclose their donors — despite Budzinski now running for Congress downstate as a Democrat in the 13th District on a platform that includes getting “dark money” out of politics, a Better Government Association examination of government records found.”
The story continues:
“Budzinski’s separate 2020 work for “dark money” organizations contrasts with her campaign platform to “get dark money out of politics by requiring disclosure of all large dollar donations” as she runs for Congress in the newly drawn 13th District…
…Budzinski’s federal forms contain a variety of inconsistencies including the amounts she was paid and by whom. But they show the candidate received more than $100,000 from politically prominent Washington D.C.-based nonprofits that do not disclose their donors.”
All told, Budzinski has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting and lobbying fees since leaving the Pritzker Administration. Further, as a Pritzker and Biden insider, Budzinski made a career out of making life more expensive for Central Illinois residents.
In 2019, while Nikki Budzinski was serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, JB Pritzker signed a $45 million package of bills that doubled the gas tax. She was also in a senior role in advocating for Pritzker’s failed tax referendum which would have changed the Illinois Constitution to give politicians more power to raise income taxes.
In 2021, Budzinski joined the Biden Administration as Chief of Staff to the Office of Management and Budget to – you guessed it – advance higher taxes and higher inflation while turning a blind eye to skyrocketing energy costs. Budzinski led the office that was in charge of implementing Biden’s vision for America that included canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, which eliminated more than 1,000 great jobs and cut Americans off from much-needed additional energy resources. Budzinski continued to champion the American Rescue Plan, despite dire warnings from respected Democrat economists that it would cause the severe inflation that we are now seeing.
“From Pritzker’s tax increases to Bidenflation, Nikki Budzinski has made a career out of making life more expensive for Illinois residents,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. It’s troubling that as Illinois residents struggle with Pritzker’s taxes and Biden’s inflation – that she helped cause as Budget Director – that Budzinski has been able to do so well for herself.”
