SANDERS, CRUZ surging in ILLINOIS -- TRUMP IL campaign in disarray – UIC protest bounce Presented by Facebook

By Natasha Korecki ([email protected]; @natashakorecki) with Manuela Tobias ([email protected]; @manuelatobiasm)

Good Monday morning, Illinois. With just a day to go before the election, the dynamics of both the Republican and Democratic presidential races are quickly changing. POLITICO reported late last night that the Donald Trump campaign sidelined its Illinois campaign director last week, amid complaints of lackluster organization. That has a new team scrambling to move voters to the polls just before the election.

At the same time, there are signs Ted Cruz could overtake Trump in Illinois. That may be why Cruz is planning five stops in Illinois today, including in Rockford, Glen Ellyn, Peoria, Decatur and Springfield. Hillary Clinton will visit the city this morning to talk economic opportunity. Bernie Sanders has a rally planned for the evening in Chicago.

The whole world was watching on Friday, when protesters, largely made up of University of Illinois at Chicago students, clashed with Donald Trump supporters in what has become a flashpoint in the presidential campaign. (Read: “Trump Chicago rally postponed amid scenes of chaos.” http://politi.co/1pCDRZE)

UIC rally bounce, anti-Emanuel ads -- The massive anti-Trump demonstration, which ultimately shut down the rally, breathed new life into youth who felt they had a win. At the same time, Bernie Sanders’ campaign is hitting Clinton hard over her ties to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who remains unpopular in the African American community because of the handling of the Laquan McDonald case. This weekend, Sanders, who in the past was some 30 points behind Hillary Clinton in Illinois, was suddenly within striking distance in two national polls. In a CBS poll, detailed below, Sanders overtakes Clinton. That may be why Bill Clinton was dispatched to black churches on Sunday in Chicago.

TRUMP’S ILLINOIS CAMPAIGN IN DISARRAY -- “Trump dumps Illinois campaign director,” by POLITICO’s Natasha Korecki and Ben Schreckinger: Donald Trump’s Illinois campaign director has been sidelined after the national campaign grew furious over what sources described as a lack of organization in the state in the run-up to Tuesday’s primary. Instead, two others have assumed duties that were held by Springfield-area attorney Kent Gray, who is also running for state representative, a person intimately involved with Trump's political operation confirmed.” http://politi.co/1pieV9i

Adding – Even if Gray may technically still be part of the Trump organization, his duties were assumed by others last week, POLITICO was told. Leaving the team to essentially start from scratch. Sources said others took over the duties last week. That would meant Gray was at the helm of the Illinois campaign when University of Illinois at Chicago was chosen as a site for a rally that instead turned out to be disastrous.

Polls -- still show Trump with the lead in Illinois. Cruz has gained ground, however, in the latest survey: http://bit.ly/1TU1RDV

Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook. Have a tip, event, announcement, endorsement? Send to [email protected] or @natashakorecki

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IN ILLINOIS, CRUZ IN STRIKING DISTANCE -- “Poll: Trump and Kasich neck-and-neck in Ohio; Trump leads in Florida,” by CBS News' Anthony Salvanto, Fred Backus, Jennifer De Pinto, Sarah Dutton: "In Illinois Trump also leads, 38 percent to 34 percent over Cruz, who is in striking distance, with Kasich back at 16 percent. The findings across the three states may suggests Cruz is emerging more generally in the minds of many non-Trump voters as the alternative to the frontrunner... In Illinois he is leading among white voters and is supported by almost one quarter of African Americans. In Illinois Sanders leads Clinton on the metric of being honest and trustworthy, and is helped by a majority of voters wishing to switch to more progressive policies than those of the Obama administration."



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SANDERS OVERTAKING CLINTON? -- “On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has a big lead in Florida, 62 percent to 34 percent, and a smaller lead in Ohio, 52 to 43. But Bernie Sanders leads narrowly in Illinois, 48 to 46, coming off his surprise win in Michigan last week.” http://cbsn.ws/1QX3D1L

CRICKETS -- “Trump returns to Illinois after canceling Friday night Chicago rally,” by Chicago Tribune’s Monique Garcia and Bill Ruthhart: “Republican front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday made his first return to Illinois since a protest-filled Chicago rally was canceled as candidates and their top surrogates fanned out across the state on a frenzied final weekend before Tuesday's primary elections. On the Democratic side, former President Bill Clinton visited Chicago-area African-American churches in support of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as did several supporting congressmen. Her rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, added a late night Monday rally in Chicago to his pre-primary day schedule.” http://trib.in/1QX3wTI

SEEMS TO BE WORKING -- “Bernie throws Rahm Emanuel under the bus,” by Gabriel Debenedetti: “If Bernie Sanders gets his way, Tuesday’s Illinois primary will turn into a referendum on embattled Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The Vermont senator’s campaign has begun unleashing stinging attacks on the former Bill Clinton and Barack Obama White House aide — who has become a lightning rod for criticism from African-Americans and progressives in his two terms in City Hall — with the aim of painting him as a close political ally of Hillary Clinton. Top campaign surrogates have been dispatched to Chicago, and Sanders is running two separate television ads critical of Emanuel in an attempt to highlight Clinton’s connections with the mayor." http://politi.co/1V5uY70

BILL CLINTON DISPATCHED AT LAST MINUTE -- “Clinton presents wife as a grand unifier, takes veiled shots at Trump,” by Chicago Tribune's Bill Ruthhart: "Presenting Hillary Clinton as a grand unifier who can move the country past its deep divides, former President Bill Clinton returned to Chicago on Sunday and campaigned at a pair of African-American churches ahead of Tuesday's Illinois primary. Both the former secretary of state and opponent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have aggressively courted black voters in recent days. Sanders has sought to boost his chances by attacking Clinton ally Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whose approval rating has plummeted among the city's minority voters over the Laquan McDonald shooting controversy and the closing of nearly 50 schools mostly on Chicago's South and West sides." http://trib.in/1V5veTz

CANDIDATE RUNAROUND -- “Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz finalize plans for stops in Springfield on Monday," by The State Journal-Register's Jason Nevel: "Details for presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz’s stops in Springfield on the day before voters in Illinois go to the polls have been finalized. Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, will participate in a town-hall meeting hosted by cable channel MSNBC at the Old State Capitol. The event will be taped at 2:45 p.m. and will air on MSNBC at 6 p.m. An MSNBC spokeswoman said Sunday a limited number of tickets for Clinton's town hall event had already been given out." http://bit.ly/21qxWCO

UIC TRUMP PROTEST PLAN? CIRCLE OF SILENCE -- “Inside the Protest That Stopped the Trump Rally. The plan worked better than they’d ever imagined. Then the trouble began,” by Keith O’Brien for Politico Magazine: “By sundown on Friday night, the crowd assembled inside the arena was chanting and ready to cheer on their candidate: Donald Trump. Six thousand strong and still trickling in through the metal detectors at the front gate, they had traveled from across the Midwest, taking vacation days from work, booking bus tickets from afar, and waiting, at times, more than 12 hours outside on the streets of Chicago for a night with the GOP frontrunner. But not everyone was there to cheer. Just 50 feet in front of the podium where Trump was scheduled to appear at any moment, Nathaniel Lewis, a 25-year-old African-American graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, had established a beachhead of sorts: a pocket of about three dozen college students and activists. They were ready, too.”

The plan -- “Once Trump began speaking, Lewis would begin sending messages to the groups around the hall—and, so prompted, they would each stand up, chanting, and disrupt the speech. It would then build to a crescendo: right there, in front of Trump’s podium. Lewis and the other protesters in front were going to link up — ‘arm in arm,’ he instructed the students around him—and make their presence known in a silent, but conspicuous, circle. ‘It will speak louder,’ Lewis said, ‘than anybody who interrupts Trump’s speeches.” http://politi.co/1P7Czuh

KIRK ON TRUMP -- U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk tells NBC/5’s Mary Ann Ahern he would support Trump: “If he’s the nominee I certainly would.” http://bit.ly/1SM1Oco

CEDING MORAL HIGH GROUND -- “Brown: Protesters can’t blame Trump crowd for this ugliness," by Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Brown: "I haven’t figured out quite yet how anybody is going to beat Donald Trump, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t it. The protesters who caused Trump to cancel his Friday night rally at the UIC Pavilion erupted in elation at the announcement and took to the arena floor to celebrate. I’m not sure what they were celebrating. You can’t shut up Trump by shouting him down. Maybe for an hour. But his chance to speak is never further away than the next microphone.” http://bit.ly/1pig7d2

DURBIN: CLINTON CAN’T TAKE ILLINOIS FOR GRANTED -- “Bernie Sanders bashes Rahm, Hillary Clinton,” by Chicago Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles and Lynn Sweet: “Bernie Sanders bashed Mayor Rahm Emanuel for a second day in a row on Saturday and then looked for African American votes on the South Side, while a worried Hillary Clinton campaign will be bolstered with a likely Bill Clinton visit on Sunday. Democratic presidential rivals Clinton and Sanders are hopscotching among Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina in the final days before the Tuesday vote, with less personal emphasis this weekend on Florida. ‘I would just tell you, after Michigan, the Hillary Clinton campaign cannot take any state for granted, including her home state of Illinois, where she was born,’ said Sen. Dick Durbin D-Illinois, a Clinton ally. ‘They should take it very seriously.’” http://bit.ly/1QRGQHT

UP NEXT, JENNY MCCARTHY AS TRIB COLUMNIST? -- “Susanna Homan named editor and publisher of Chicago magazine,” by Robert Feder: “Susanna Homan, the high-profile Chicago media executive and celebrity journalist, was named editor-in-chief and publisher of Chicago magazine Friday in a move that reunites her with Tribune Publishing chairman Michael Ferro. Homan previously worked for Ferro at Wrapports LLC, where she founded Splash, the lifestyle and fashion supplement, and served as publisher and general manager. In her new combined role at Chicago, Homan replaces publisher Tom Conradi and editor Beth Fenner. Conradi is expected to continue with Chicago Tribune Media Group in another position. Fenner is out after more than four years at the monthly publication.” http://bit.ly/1TZMwSZ

SHE WAS JUST EXPLAINING NAZISM -- “Trump Supporter Who Made Nazi Salute Explains Why She Made the Gesture," The New York Times' Eli Rosenberg: "The photo, taken outside the arena where Donald J. Trump’s appearance had just been canceled on Friday in Chicago, circulated far and wide: A woman in a Donald Trump T-shirt, eyes locked with a protester, her right arm raised skyward, her palm faced down. It did not take a second glance to understand that she was making a Nazi salute. Many took the photo, published by The Chicago Tribune, as a sign of the support Mr. Trump has engendered from extremists. Others surmised that it was maybe a Bernie Sanders supporter in disguise. But in an interview on Saturday from her home in Yorkville, Ill., Birgitt Peterson, 69, who says she was the woman in the photo, explained why she had made the salute." http://nyti.ms/1QRGRMa

MERIT-BASED HIGHER ED FUNDING -- “Rauner pushes for increase in performance-based higher education funding,” The Southern Dan Petrella: "While Gov. Bruce Rauner is calling for a 20 percent cut in guaranteed state support for public university operations next year, his budget proposal would spend an additional $50 million on 'performance-based funding.' That money -- 5 percent of the $1.01 billion Rauner suggests spending on state universities -- would be divvied out to schools competitively based on the number of degrees they award, the cost per degree, the amount of money spent on research and public service, and other measures designed to show how well they’re doing the job of providing high-quality, affordable education to students of diverse backgrounds." http://bit.ly/1UrGyZA

LAYOFFS BECAUSE NO HIGHER ED FUNDING -- “Eastern Illinois U president blames layoffs on state leaders,” by The Associated Press: “Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman says 177 campus employees who earlier who were given layoff notices because of the state-budget stalemate have now lost their jobs. Glassman sent a message to people on campus Friday, calling it a sad day and blamed the state’s political leaders. The university president said those who lost jobs are victims of 'the lack of any bipartisanship and compromise.’” http://bit.ly/1Mh8qZL

FATALLY FLAWED POLITICS -- “Death by a thousand cuts,” by Illinois Times' Patrick Yeagle: "Someone may have to die before this is resolved, and even that might not be enough. That’s the consensus among several social service agencies in Springfield which are running on fumes as a result of the state budget crisis.” http://bit.ly/1UrGRU6

NO SAFETY, NO PROBLEM -- “Cited for safety, company still wins juicy city contracts," by Chuck Neubauer & Sandy Bergo: “The Emanuel administration gave 10 contracts worth as much as $43 million to a Chicago sewer and excavation company after federal inspectors cited the business twice for serious workplace-safety violations on city jobs. City officials say they hadn’t been aware of the safety citations and resulting fines, totaling $150,000, on the two sewer jobs when they gave Pan-Oceanic Engineering Co., Inc. the millions of dollars in additional business.” http://bit.ly/1QX3zyY

RESIDING HERE, LIVING THERE -- “Cook county judge candidate fights residency ‘problem,’” by BGA’s Casey Toner: “In the months leading up to filing day, Chicago lawyer Travis Richardson did a variety of things to run for Cook County judge. Renting a house in the Brainerd neighborhood, he changed his driver’s license as well as auto and voter registrations to reflect the place he now called home — about a mile and a half from his Beverly house for the past 14 years, a residence he still owned and where the rest of his family still lived.” http://bit.ly/24ZfgyG

BREITBART ‘SOLD OUT’ TO TRUMP -- “Michelle Fields, Ben Shapiro Resign From Breitbart,” by Rosie Gray and McKay Coppins - “Today I informed the management at Breitbart News of my immediate resignation,’ the reporter at the center of the controversy at the conservative site told BuzzFeed News, the week after Trump’s campaign manager allegedly grabbed her. In his own statement, Shapiro said the episode was emblematic of how he believes the site’s management had sold out the legacy of its founder and namesake, the late Andrew Breitbart.

Bully upon bully -- ‘Andrew’s life mission has been betrayed,’ Shapiro wrote. ‘Indeed, Breitbart News, under the chairmanship of Steve Bannon, has put a stake through the heart of Andrew’s legacy. In my opinion, Steve Bannon is a bully, and has sold out Andrew’s mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda, to the extent that he abandoned and undercut his own reporter, Breitbart News’ Michelle Fields, in order to protect Trump’s bully campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly assaulted Michelle.’” http://bzfd.it/1THm28l

TROUBLE BUILDING -- “Breitbart divisions erupt over handling of Michelle Fields incident,” by POLITICO’s Hadas Gold: “Some staffers at the conservative news site Breitbart are furious over the company’s handling of an incident between one of their reporters and Donald Trump’s campaign manager. Internal chats shared with POLITICO and conversations with staffers at Breitbart suggest a groundswell of feeling at the company that leadership was uninterested in supporting Michelle Fields after she accused Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of strong-arming her as she tried to ask the candidate a question at an event in Florida Tuesday night.” http://politi.co/1QRH2a6

LAST DASH IN STATE’S ATTORNEY RACE -- “State’s Attorney candidates hit the campaign trail," by WGN's Sean Lewis: "Across Cook County today, The final 48 hours in the three woman race for State’s Attorney. In Lakeview, current State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez accepted the endorsements of North Side Aldermen Tom Tunney and James Cappleman, both giving her credit for crime reduction programs. On the South Side, challenger Kim Foxx made one of her stops this Sunday at West Point Baptist Church.” http://bit.ly/1P7CCX2

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR DEMS ON TUESDAY -- “Breaking down the Democratic map,” by POLITICO's Daniel Strauss and Natasha Korecki: "Bernie Sanders has been looking forward to Tuesday’s string of industrial Midwestern contests for some time, confident that his economic message and opposition to trade deals will resonate in working class areas hit hard by manufacturing losses and foreign competition. The Vermont senator comes in with some momentum after his upset victory Tuesday in Michigan, and figures to be competitive in at least three of Tuesday’s five Democratic presidential primaries: Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. In the other two states, North Carolina and Florida, Hillary Clinton has the clear advantage. Sanders has been crushed everywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line, largely because of Clinton’s landslide margins among African-Americans -- and North Carolina and Florida have large black populations.” http://politi.co/1THdBtE

PROTESTER FACING ‘TRUMPED-UP’ CHARGES? -- “Trump Protester 'Blindsided' Police Officer at Rally Friday: Prosecutors," by DNAinfo's Alex Nitkin: "Three men and a woman were formally charged after being arrested at Friday's canceled Donald Trump rally at UIC Pavilion, according to a police notice issued Saturday night. Sohaan Goss, 21, and Sergio Giraldo, 23, were both charged with felony aggravated battery of a police officer, according to the notice. But supporters who attended bond court said the two faced ‘trumped-up’ charges, and people from across the country had donated to help them make bail." http://dnain.fo/1LluEyQ

“Father of slain 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee charged with shooting 3,” by DNAinfo's Simone Alicea: "The father of slain 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee has been charged with shooting three people last week in the Gresham neighborhood, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced Sunday. Pierre Stokes, 25, was charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon for a March 8 shooting that left three people injured in the 7900 block of South Ashland, state attorney’s office spokeswoman Sally Daly said." http://bit.ly/1RIFuMb

LEGEND-ARY BACKING -- “Singer John Legend tweets endorsement in Cook county state’s attorney race," ABC7: “Crooner/songwriter John Legend weighed in Sunday via his verified Twitter account on the Cook County State's Attorney's race. In a 4:35 p.m. tweet, he endorsed Kim Foxx, who faces off against incumbent Anita Alvarez for the Democratic nomination on Tuesday's primary election. Alvarez has been under fire the last few months for her handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting.” http://abc7.ws/22cEsD1

-- “THE WATCHDOGS: You paid to build them, now you pay to lease them,” by Chicago Sun-Times' Tim Novak, Mick Dumke, Brett Chase and Chris Fusco: "Under Mayor Richard M. Daley, the city of Chicago chipped in $19 million to build Sky55, a 40-story apartment building that was part of City Hall’s plan to redevelop the South Loop neighborhood where Daley lived. Now, the city’s taxpayers are paying to help fill the privately owned building. They’re helping to cover the rent for people in the Chicago Housing Authority’s housing choice voucher program, formerly known as Section 8, to lease 28 apartments in the tower." http://bit.ly/1M1mVWH

REFERENDUM ON RAUNER -- “Rauner's Help In Key Senate Contest: A Boost, Or Deterrant?" by NPR IL's Amanda Vinicky: "Gov. Bruce Rauner has endorsed state trooper Bryce Benton in the 50th state senate district, over incumbent Sen. Sam McCann. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner spent his Sunday trying to give a boost to a central Illinois Republican candidate for state senate. The race is seen as a key test of Rauner's own agenda, and power within his party." http://bit.ly/22eBBWC

EXPLAINING TRUMP -- “Muslim child's fear: 'Is Trump going to exile us?'" by Chicago Tribune's Alison Bowen: "Many parents know the feeling of a child asking a difficult question they're not prepared to answer. But for many Muslim parents, those questions are increasingly fearful and focused on Donald Trump and the presidential race. 'I have kids coming in asking, 'Is Trump going to exile us?' said Dr. Azmaira Maker, a San Diego psychologist. Muslim children throughout the country are expressing fear amid fiery campaign rhetoric, say therapists and community leaders." http://trib.in/1pFVMyF

STATE OF THE RACE -- “Poll Finds Kasich, Rubio Moving in Opposite Directions," by The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick O'Connor: "The fortunes of Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Marco Rubio appear to be heading in opposite directions on the cusp of must-win primaries for both, a new poll finds. Mr. Kasich narrowly leads the Republican field in his home state of Ohio ahead of a winner-take-all primary on Tuesday, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll shows. The governor is the preferred pick of 39% of likely primary voters, followed by businessman Donald Trump at 33% and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 19%.” http://on.wsj.com/1THdu1f

URBAN EAGLE -- “Bald Eagle Spotted in Chicago, Basking In Its Glory at Rainbow Beach Dunes," by DNAinfo’s Justin Breen: "While driving on Chicago's South Side recently, veteran wildlife photographer Jerry Goldner noticed three crows bothering a large bird. Goldner at first thought the bird being harassed on a tree near Rainbow Beach Dunes and the vacant former South Works steel mill site was a great horned owl. But, upon further inspection, Goldner realized it was a mature bald eagle.” http://dnain.fo/22cEpqF

Where’s Rahm? No public events.

Where’s Rauner? In Springfield in the evening to attend Asphalt Pavement Association meeting.

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