Category: News

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J.B. Pritzker Takes Madigan Support, Then Balks At Criticizing Madigan On Sexual Harassment Case

“Pritzker is in a precarious spot” because his campaign is backed by Democrats and unions allied with Madigan

Yesterday, J.B. Pritzker held a press conference in Springfield and faced a volley of questions about the recent sexual harassment case in Mike Madigan’s political operation. Not once did Pritzker criticize Madigan or his handling of the case. Instead, he chose to dodge and deflect because his campaign is dependent on Mike Madigan’s support.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday tiptoed around criticizing Mike Madigan over the state Democratic Party chairman’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint.

…Pritzker is in a precarious spot. His Democratic campaign for governor is backed by heavy-hitting state Democrats and unions, many allied with the powerful House speaker. But Pritzker has been careful not to signal public support for Madigan — which many Democratic and Republican opponents would pounce on — given Madigan’s growing unpopularity with some voters.

Madigan, too, is facing a harsh spotlight. The Southwest Side Democrat helped to pass legislation targeting sexual harassment within state government in early November, nearly the same time he received a letter from a woman claiming she was sexually harassed within Madigan’s own 13th Ward operation.

The “Blame Madigan” chorus is popular in this year’s election, and it’s being sung on both sides of the Republican gubernatorial primary, and by Democratic candidates Chris Kennedy, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Madison County Schools Supt. Bob Daiber.

Watch Pritzker absolve Madigan of responsibility HERE.

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J.B. Pritzker Refuses To Criticize Madigan’s Handling Of Sexual Harassment Case

Pritzker believes behind-the-scenes support from Madigan is more important than exposing injustice for a sexual harassment victim

“It’s become apparent that Mike Madigan used his power to cover up sexual harassment in his political organization, and only went public when he knew Alaina Hampton was on the verge of speaking out. Today, J.B. Pritzker was asked repeatedly whether Mike Madigan bears responsibility for these actions, and Pritzker refused to answer the question every single time.

“What’s even more striking is that just yesterday Pritzker released a statement saying we need to focus on Alaina’s story, but when pressed by reporters for a reaction to Mike Madigan’s involvement in Alaina’s story, Pritzker dodged the question. Pritzker said we shouldn’t focus on Madigan’s involvement, but we should rather focus on sexual harassment generally because he knows he can’t speak out against Madigan – the man behind his campaign for governor.

“J.B. Pritzker’s repeated silence on Mike Madigan shines a light on Pritzker’s character and reveals a man who believes behind-the-scenes support from a corrupt politician is more important than speaking out for a woman who faced harassment. Just like his conduct on the Rod Blagojevich calls, Pritzker chooses the insiders over everyone else.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

Today, J.B. Pritzker held a press conference in Springfield and faced a volley of questions about the recent sexual harassment case in Mike Madigan’s political operation. Not once did Pritzker criticize Madigan or his handling of the case. Instead, he chose to dodge and deflect because his campaign is dependent on Mike Madigan’s support. From the press conference:
Question: “You said that you want to believe [Alaina Hampton’s] claim. One of the claims she made was the Speaker’s announcement to fire Quinn was preemptive right out in front of the story. He’s the Chairman of the Democratic Party [of Illinois], and we are five weeks from a primary that you’re running in. At what point does his involvement in the party become a political liability?”

Pritzker: “We’ve got to find out exactly what the facts are… Each piece of information that leaks out is yet another, you know, piece of information. Focusing this on one thing isn’t good enough. This is a pervasive problem throughout private and public sectors and that means to me making sure all the facts are brought to the fore.”

Question: “If you called on Mike Madigan publicly to clean up what happened here, wouldn’t that put pressure and send a signal to women that they were safe working on his campaigns?”

Pritzker: “Again, I would say focusing on one person when this is a pervasive problem, what I would tell you is we need to make sure that all the facts come out…”

Just yesterday, Pritzker released a statement saying in part that “today should be about Alaina and Alaina’s story,” but when pressed by reporters today to respond to what Mike Madigan’s involvement in Alaina’s story was, Pritzker balked, said we shouldn’t focus on Madigan, but rather we should focus on the issue of sexual harassment generally. Yet again, Pritzker refuses to criticize Mike Madigan because he knows he can’t speak out against the man behind his campaign.

Watch Pritzker absolve Madigan of responsibility HERE.

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GOP Candidate For Comptroller Darlene Senger Responds to Governor Bruce Rauner’s Budget Address

Republican Candidate for Comptroller Darlene Senger issued the following statement after Governor Bruce Rauner delivered his Budget Address:

“Today, the Governor outlined a responsible spending plan that prioritizes education, healthcare and infrastructure and puts Illinois on a trajectory towards reducing the recently enacted income tax hike.  Now more than ever, Republicans and Democrats must put the partisanship aside and work towards real solutions — most importantly a balanced budget that includes a path towards reducing the tax burden on Illinois’ working families.”

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Five Questions Susana Mendoza Has Yet To Answer

Mendoza’s silence on major issues is further proof she works for Madigan’s Chicago Machine, not Illinois taxpayers

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is Mike Madigan’s attack dog – she spews vitriol in order to provide cover for the Chicago Machine’s corruption. After a decade of voting for Madigan and being a willing participant in his war against Illinois taxpayers, Mendoza is attempting to absolve herself of any responsible for the state’s fiscal challenges by dodging tough questions about her record. Here are five questions for Susana Mendoza that she’s yet to answer:

1.  Last night in an interview on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, you stated your opposition to rolling back Mike Madigan’s 32% tax hike. Why are you once against siding with your “mentor” Mike Madigan over Illinois taxpayers?

2.   During your tenure as a State Representative, you voted for 10 unbalanced budgets. Do you feel you have any culpability in the state’s current financial troubles because you have never voted for a balanced budget during your entire legislative career?

3.  In 2005, you supported Governor Blagojevich’s and Speaker Madigan’s plan to skip pension payments – a vote that is now considered one of the major cost drivers of Illinois’ unfunded pension liability.  Do you regret supporting the Blagojevich-Madigan plan to skip pension payments?

4.  Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios has come under intense criticism for what many consider are politically motivated assessments that ultimately benefit insiders at the expense of low and middle income homeowners.  In fact, he is currently being sued by the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association who claim that the county’s “residential property tax scheme is neither accurate nor uniform” and is “perpetuating institutional racism” by shifting the tax burden from wealthier, majority-white neighborhoods to poorer, minority neighborhoods. Do you believe the Berrios-Madigan property tax system is fair? If not, why have you never spoken up on this issue?

5.  Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios is currently suing the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Board of Ethics in order to avoid a $41,000 fine and to retain the right to keep accepting contributions from property tax lawyers who practice before his office.  Do you agree with Berrios’ lawsuit and are you still endorsing his campaign for Cook County Assessor?

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Cook County GOP Chairman and IL-03 State Central Committeeman Sean Morrison Issues Statement on Engaging Republican Voters In IL-03

Cook County Republican Party Chairman and State Central Committeeman for the 3rd Congressional District Sean Morrison issued the following statement calling on Republican voters in IL-03 to get engaged and oppose Arthur Jones’ candidacy for Congress:

“Since late summer of 2017 and up until the last day to file, I worked with local Republican leaders to recruit a candidate to run for the Republican nomination in the 3rd Congressional District. As you know by now, our efforts were unsuccessful. No candidate was willing to step up and unfortunately our Party is left with Arthur Jones, a self declared Nazi, as the only candidate running in the Republican primary.

“After our district became national news, I have been heartened by the response of those who wish to take on Arthur Jones. With this renewed interest, I call on all good Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District to consider running as an independent or as a write-in candidate in the General Election. If you aren’t moved to run yourself, help us circulate petitions for those that are willing to run. If you are unable to circulate petitions, consider making a financial contribution to the candidate so they have the resources to combat Arthur Jones’ deeply racist views.

“The stakes in this election are high. Arthur Jones is a threat to everything we hold dear as Republicans and as Americans. We cannot let Arthur Jones use his bully pulpit to spew his racist, anti-Semitic rhetoric and denigrate our fellow Americans across all cultural and ethnic communities. Our Republican Party, the Party of Abraham Lincoln, was founded by anti-slavery activists who were dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and are entitled to equal justice under the law. As Illinois Republicans in the Land of Lincoln, we must exhaust all means to ensure that Arthur Jones’ hateful views never make it to Washington.”

To get involved and help the Illinois Republican Party stop Arthur Jones’ candidacy by recruiting an independent candidate for Congress in IL-03, please contact us at[email protected].

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Illinois Republican Congressional Delegation Issues Statement on Arthur Jones, Candidate for Congress in IL-03

Members of the Illinois Republican Congressional delegation issued the following statement on Arthur Jones, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District:

“The Illinois Republican Congressional delegation strongly and unequivocally condemns the racist views and candidacy of Arthur Jones in the 3rd Congressional District. This is not who we are as a party or as a country and we urge civic-minded citizens to get involved in the political process to prevent non-party extremists like Jones from hijacking nominations.”

Signed:
U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-06)
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12)
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13)
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (IL-15)
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (IL-18)

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GOP Candidate For Comptroller Darlene Senger Responds to Governor Bruce Rauner’s State Of The State Address

Republican Candidate for Comptroller Darlene Senger issued the following statement after Governor Bruce Rauner delivered his State of the State Address:

“I applaud the Governor’s call for common-sense, bipartisan solutions that can deliver real property tax relief for Illinois families starting with reforming the broken and corrupt property tax assessment system.  For too long, this system has benefited the insiders and connected while punishing hard-working families who only lack clout.

“The time is now for those, like Speaker Madigan and Comptroller Mendoza, who continue to defend and benefit from this broken system to either support reform — or get out of the way.”

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ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider Responds to Governor Bruce Rauner’s State Of The State Address

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider issued the following statement after Governor Bruce Rauner delivered his State of the State Address:
“Today, Governor Rauner showed why he’s the right person to lead Illinois to a better future. He clearly and compellingly articulated the need to work together to find real solutions to our state’s challenges. His commitment to grow good-paying jobs, cut taxes for small businesses and hardworking families, and end the corruption in state politics is exactly what we need to unlock Illinois’ potential.”

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Pritzker, Democrats Refuse To Say How High They’d Raise Taxes In Their Tax Hike Plan

“Biss, Kennedy and Pritzker have repeatedly declined to say what the rates or income levels should be under a graduated income tax”

The Democratic candidates for governor want to hike taxes again, but they still refuse to say by how much.

J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, and Daniel Biss all want to raise taxes even higher than Mike Madigan’s recent 32% income tax hike via a new graduated income tax system, but they aren’t giving out any specific details. One independent group says such a tax system would raise taxes on small businesses, Illinois’ largest source of job creation.

Recently at the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board forum, J.B. Pritzker was directly asked three times what the tax rates would be under his so-called “detailed” tax plan, and Pritzker refused to answer the question each time.

Now, the leading Democratic candidates for governor were once again asked to outline the specifics of their plan to hike taxes, but they balked yet another time.

From the Associated Press:

“The Democrats… favor replacing Illinois’ flat tax — in which all filers are taxed at the same rate — with a graduated or ‘progressive’ system in which higher earners pay higher tax rates.

“…Biss, Kennedy and Pritzker have repeatedly declined to say what the rates or income levels should be under a graduated income tax, noting it would have to be negotiated and that the decision also must include discussions about spending.”

So why are J.B. Pritzker and the other Democratic candidates for governor mum on the details of their tax hike plans?

Because to offer any specific details of higher tax rates would tie them even further to Mike Madigan and his job-killing, unpopular tax hikes.

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J.B. Pritzker Struggles To Escape Blagojevich, Madigan Questions At NBC Chicago Forum

J.B. Pritzker continues to struggle to answer questions about his ties to Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich, with his connections to them on full display at last night’s NBC Chicago forum. Pritzker’s opponents blasted his conduct on the Blagojevich FBI tapes and his support from Madigan, and post-forum coverage almost universally framed Pritzker as a part of the Chicago political machine that both Democrats and Republicans are fed up with.

Pritzker Can’t Explain Why He Didn’t Know Blagojevich Was Under Investigation

Debate moderator Carol Marin pressed Pritzker right out of the gate, asking him “How could you not have known” that Blagojevich was under FBI investigation. Pritzker dodged that question and stumbled through to respond. Watch HERE.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports, “Pritzker again denied any wrongdoing regarding the FBI wiretap conversation with Blagojevich…’Hundreds of people were speaking with Gov. Blagojevich at the time, and the bottom line is that, frankly, I did nothing wrong,’ Pritzker said. ‘And I was never accused of anything.’”

The Associated Press even included an entire section in it’s write up on Pritzker’s Blagojevich mess, highlighting how Pritzker can be heard saying “That’s a deal I would take” on the wiretap.

“BLAGOJEVICH QUESTIONS

“Kennedy renewed attacks on Pritzker over the recordings of him talking with the now-imprisoned Blagojevich about a possible job, saying Pritzker has become ‘the poster child for pay-to-play in this state’ and that would cause him problems in a general election.

“On the audio, Blagojevich and Pritzker discuss the possibility of Blagojevich appointing Pritzker attorney general. Pritzker is heard saying, ‘That’s a deal I would take.’ Blagojevich was later sentenced to prison for corruption.

“Pritzker reiterated that he did nothing wrong and ‘was never accused of anything’ and accused Rauner of running the ads to distract from his own ‘failed record.’

“Asked whether he should have known better than to talk to Blagojevich because prosecutors had said the Democratic governor was under investigation, Pritzker said hundreds of people spoke with him, and many more supported him.

“‘He never would have been governor of the state if people knew what he was doing.'”

Pritzker Called Out For His Ties To Mike Madigan, Opposition To Term Limits

J.B. Pritzker was blasted at the forum for his ties to Mike Madigan. ABC 7 Chicago’s post-debate coverage highlighted Pritzker’s refusal to criticize Mike Madigan or Joe Berrios, as well as Pritzker’s opposition to legislative term limits – a view also shared by Madigan.

ABC 7 Chicago reports, “It was a question to JB Pritzker about whether his reluctance to criticize Madigan and Berrios was due to his benefitting from them that turned a forum with decorum into a finger-pointing shouting match between Pritzker and Daniel Biss.”

“But when he was asked if he agreed with Governor Bruce Rauner on term limits, he said, ‘I am not in favor of term limits for everybody in the legislature.'”

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