The Upside Down governor's primary — Pritzker's new numbers — Biss' Facebook marathon —Madigan's 'independence' — Rauner's growing veterans crisis Presented by Facebook

By Natasha Korecki ([email protected]; @natashakorecki) and Kristen East ([email protected]; @kristenicoleast)

Good Wednesday morning, Illinois.


THE BUZZ — The Illinois governor’s race was supposed to be a clash of two fabulously rich politicians, an election so expensive that it might end up costing more than a quarter-billion dollars.

But with just four weeks to go until the March 20 primary, it’s not even certain that Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker will be their party’s nominees in the general election.

Both are fighting to fend off longshot rivals who have, against all odds, put a scare into their cash-flush campaigns -- and reminded them of the roiling grassroots anger in both political parties.

“I think the people of Illinois are being confronted with the choice between a middle class progressive and another out-of-touch billionaire and it’s not a hard call for people,” said Democratic state Sen. Daniel Biss. Read our story on the race

Where do they stand?

J.B. Pritzker’s campaign released new internal numbers to POLITICO that show him leading the next closest challenger, Chris Kennedy, by 14 points with Biss in a close third. The Global Strategy Group conducted a live telephone survey of 802 likely Democratic primary voters from Feb. 9-13 asking “if the Democratic primary election were held today who would you vote for?” Results: 37 percent of the those polled backed Pritzker, with Kennedy at 23 percent and Biss with 21 percent.

Biss goes live — for 12 hours

Scoop: State Sen. Daniel Biss’ campaign tells us the Evanston Democrat will hold a 12-hour Facebook Live broadcast, starting at 9 a.m. It will be held at Biss campaign HQ and feature staff and volunteers who will take turns on camera to talk about their roles in the campaign. Click here for Biss' Facebook page

MADIGAN-RAUNER — Dual scandals dominated the news on Wednesday: State House Speaker Mike Madigan’s struggles to contain a sex harassment scandal has meant more calls for his head and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s inability to stem what appears to be another Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Quincy veterans home.

NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern reported on Tuesday that a new independent investigator’s ties to Madigan’s office is under question. The independent investigator is supposed to look at sexual harassment and misconduct allegations in Madigan’s operation: “Madigan announced Friday that his political organization had retained an ‘independent counsel’ in Kelly Smith-Haley, of Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll, LLP … Smith-Haley's two brothers, Mike Smith and Bill Smith, both work at Cornerstone Government Affairs - a public relations and lobbying firm that hired another top Madigan aide, Will Cousineau, eight months ago. Cousineau worked for the speaker for 18 years … and served as Madigan's political director for eight years. In that role, Cousineau oversaw legislative races across the state – including the 2016 campaign during which sources said allegations of misconduct surfaced against another high-ranking Madigan staffer Shaw Decremer, who was quietly dismissed last week.” Story here

On Tuesday, we wrote about Madigan’s organization , and how his infrastructure lacked what was needed to properly tackle an ever-growing scandal: Case in point

A day earlier, Ahern broke news of the termination of a second operative in Madigan’s organization. There was no response from Team Madigan in a scathing 5 p.m. broadcast. A comment wasn’t released — until after the segment aired.

The calls for Madigan’s resignation as state party chair grew louder. Among them, Marie Newman, who is challenging Dan Lipinski in the 3rd Congressional District. Madigan has been a longtime supporter of Lipinski and his father, who preceded him in office.

Madigan’s response, according to the Tribune: “The 75-year-old veteran Southwest Side power broker quickly pushed back. The calls to step down as state party chairman? “That’s not going to happen,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. As for calls for an outside investigation, the closely guarded Madigan offered to have his self-appointed counsel ‘assist,’ raising new questions about how independent the process of looking into sexual harassment complaints will be.” Story here

With Team Madigan appearing to miss the point of independence, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy laid it out: “The slow and steady drip of accusations and dismissals has turned into an endless cycle of lather, rinse, repeat, highlighting the culture of harassment in the legislature and political campaigns," she said in a statement. "I am calling for an independent investigation into this culture that appears to pervade the organizations led by Speaker Madigan. Because of the unique interconnectedness of his Capitol and political operations, the investigation must not be hampered by organizational boundaries. The investigator(s) should not be Democratic elected officials, individuals, or firms with pre-existing ties to the Speaker and should have demonstrated experience with investigations of this nature."

Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook! Please send tips, events, announcements to [email protected] or @natashakorecki SUBSCRIBE to Illinois Playbook For more Illinois news visit: http://www.politico.com/news/illinois

TURNING TO RAUNER

The fourth Legionnaire’s case this month was confirmed in the Quincy Veterans’ home on Tuesday, the same day that lawmakers held a hearing on the matter. But Rauner’s cabinet members didn’t show. That news was on top of a Tribune report last week that the veteran Rauner invited as a guest to the State of the State later tested positive for Legionnaires and an AP report showing recommended fixes to the piping at the home cost far less than the state had been saying.

— “Lawmaker rips Rauner on Legionnaires’ response at vets’ home,” by AP’s John O’Connor: “A Democratic state senator ripped Gov. Bruce Rauner Tuesday over the Legionnaires' disease crisis at the Quincy veterans home, saying the Republican's administration has been sitting on viable options for more than a year and officials ‘need to make a decision and get it done.’ Sen. William Haine was incensed Rauner cabinet members did not attend a committee hearing to answer questions about an August 2016 report obtained by The Associated Press last week. It showed replacing antiquated plumbing would cost $8 million, far less than what Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Erica Jeffries has repeatedly told lawmakers was the cost listed in the report.” Story here

GOVERNOR’S RACE

— “Candidate Jeanne Ives: Gov. Bruce Rauner a ‘crony capitalist’ in Illinois budget woes,” by Northwest Herald’s Ed Komenda: “State Rep. Jeanne Ives is confident she’s the only electable Republican running for governor. In a nearly 50-minute interview with the Northwest Herald Editorial Board on Monday, Ives called incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner a ‘crony capitalist’ and blamed him for the state’s budget shortfalls.” Story here

— “Race for governor: Kennedy’s relatives step up campaigning,” by WGN’s Sean Lewis: “The race for Illinois governor is heating up. And now democratic candidate Chris Kennedy is calling in his high-profile relatives to help him drum up votes. Tuesday, another Kennedy, Joseph the III, was in Chicago stumping for his uncle, Chris Kennedy, a month before the primary election. As the congressman from Massachusetts talked up his uncle’s run for Illinois Governor, the candidate took another go at powerful Illinois house speaker Michael Madigan, the day after a second man within Madigan’s political organization was let go due to sexual harassment allegations.” Story here

— “Endorsement: Bruce Rauner for governor in the Republican primary,” by Chicago Sun-Times: Story here

— “Does Daniel Biss have a shot against J.B. Pritzker?” by Chicago Magazine’s Rian Watt: “Now it’s a race. Despite trailing badly in the polls for much of the past 18 months, it appears that State Senator Daniel Biss has solidly entered the top tier of contenders for Illinois’s March 20th Democratic gubernatorial primary. Two recent polls have Biss in a strong second place, a few percentage points behind billionaire venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker and well ahead of millionaire businessman Chris Kennedy. Just a few months ago, this would have seemed rather improbable to most observers.” Story here

GUN DEBATE

— “Florida massacre pushes guns to front burner in Illinois campaigns,” by Crain’s Chicago Business’ Greg Hinz: “The issue of gun violence and what to do about it is emerging as a significant issue this campaign cycle, with politicians up and down the Illinois ballot (especially Democrats) responding to the Florida school shootings. The reaction is clearest so far in the race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, with candidates Pat Quinn and Nancy Rotering trading barbs over who's the more dedicated gunfighter. But candidates for governor, Congress and other slots now are talking about the issue. And with talk of a national series of marches, protests and school walkouts in March and April, the issue seems to have longer legs than protests after other shootings—in Las Vegas and at an Orlando gay nightclub, for instance—that quickly flamed out.” Story here

— “Gun-rights groups giving to Illinois Republicans in Congress,” by The Daily Herald’s Russell Lissau: “All seven members of Illinois' Republican congressional delegation have received campaign donations from gun-rights groups since the 2016 election season, campaign records show … Lawmakers who have received significant campaign donations from pro-gun groups, especially the National Rifle Association, have been in the spotlight since last week's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Representatives from Illinois were not among the top recipients nationwide.” Story here

STATE

— “Three Dems seek unbiased probe of Madigan organization — and some want him gone,” by Chicago Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles: “Three Democratic legislators on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into what one dubbed the ‘endless cycle of lather, rinse, repeat’ of harassment allegations and ‘culture that appears to pervade the organizations led by Speaker Madigan.’ And one of them — Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood — also called on Mike Madigan to step down as House speaker. Drury is part of a growing small but growing chorus of Democrats demanding Madigan step down as speaker, state Democratic Party leader or both.” Story here

— “State Senate candidate accuses primary opponent of hacking her Facebook account,” by Belleville News-Democrat’s Joseph Bustos: “One candidate running for the state Senate has accused her primary opponent of hacking into her Facebook account. Tanya Hildenbrand, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 57th State Senate District, filed a police report accusing Bob Romanik, a radio show host who is also running in the March 20 GOP primary, of hiring a private investigator to find incriminating evidence against her and of having someone hack into her Facebook account. Romanik denied the accusations.” Story here

— “Illinois Senate plan would require rear-facing car seats until age 2,” by AP’s Sarah Zimmerman: “The Illinois Senate endorsed a measure Tuesday tightening car seat regulations in an effort the sponsor said will better protect children in the event of a collision. The Senate Public Health Committee voted 7-0 to require children 2 and younger to sit in rear-facing car seats while riding the backseat a vehicle. Children under the age limit are exempt if they weigh 40 pounds or more or if they are 40 inches or taller. The measure would amend the 1983 Child Passenger Protection Act, which currently states parents are only responsible for providing ‘an approved child safety seat’ to children under eight.” Story here

SCOTUS

— “Gov. Rauner accused of politicizing Janus union dues case,” by State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg: “Just days before U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a key labor relations case emanating from Illinois, the head of an organization representing the plaintiff is asking Gov. Bruce Rauner quit ‘falsely’ taking credit for the case, and to quit making it a political issue. A Rauner spokesman said that to accuse the governor of not being involved in the case is to rewrite history.” Story here

CHICAGO

— “Cmdr. Paul Bauer’s widow writes thank-you letter to Chicago,” by Chicago Sun-Times’ Sam Charles: “The widow of slain Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer has penned a thank-you letter to the City of Chicago, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support shown to the family and for demonstrating that ‘the good people in this world far outnumber the bad.’” Story here

— “Three women tell harrowing stories of sexual harassment at Ford Chicago plants,” by Chicago Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman: “Three African-American women came forward Tuesday with vulgar and humiliating stories about sexual harassment and bullying they say they endured while working at Ford Motor Company’s two Chicago plants. With 15 aldermen in rapt attention — not including the absent Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) — Tonya Exum, Christie Van and Miyoshi Morris told of being greeted on their first day on the job with chants of ‘fresh meat.’ They accused male colleagues of masturbating on the assembly line, showing off pictures of their penises, groping and propositioning women and retaliating against those who refused to ‘go along with the program.’” Story here

— “Dashed Hope: How a once proud Chicago high school hollowed out,” by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp: “Sixteen-year-old Miracle Boyd’s South Side high school is at death’s door. All the students enrolled could fit on three yellow school buses with room to spare. With so few students, the school can only afford to offer a barebones curriculum. In fact, Boyd’s Hope College Preparatory High School and three others in the Englewood community — Harper, TEAM, and Robeson — offer such a paltry education that the school district had planned to shutter them in June, even before a replacement high school is ready in 2019. But last week, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said three of those schools, including Hope, would instead be phased out, giving current students the option to stay through graduation.” Story here

— “Toni Preckwinkle, Bob Fioretti spar over pensions, pop tax, leadership,” by The Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin: “Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle painted herself as a proven leader forced to make hard decisions when her hands were tied by bureaucracy and politics, but her opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary, Bob Fioretti, argued all she had done was lead the county's residents to pay higher taxes. The pair -- former Chicago City Council colleagues -- sparred frequently over Preckwinkle's eight-year run as chief executive of the county during an hourlong meeting with the Daily Herald's editorial board Monday in Arlington Heights.” Story here

— “Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s GSD Appearance Met With Protest,” by Crimson Staff Writers Archie J.W. Hall and Sonia Kim: “A crowd of around 50 Harvard affiliates and Boston residents gathered in front of the Graduate School of Design’s Gund Hall to protest Mayor of Chicago Rahm I. Emanuel’s appearance at the GSD on Tuesday. Hosted by the Answer Coalition Boston and the Party for Socialism and Liberation Boston, the protest was organized to publicly criticize the Chicago mayor’s policies … For two hours Tuesday night, protesters chanted slogans including ‘Rahm Emanuel you’re a tool, hands off Chicago’s public schools!’ and ‘From Palestine to Chicago, Emanuel has got to go!’ They also held signs reading ‘#ResignRahm’ and ‘No closed schools, no cop academy,’ in reference to a planned $95 million police academy announced by the Emanuel administration.” Story here

MEDIA

— “The Chicago Reader’s ‘African-American thing,’” by Adeshina Emmanuel for Columbia Journalism Review: “Reaction to the cartoon was swift and negative, and I was one of the loudest voices who cried racism, in part because a piece I wrote was among those illustrated by the cover. When I look at that cover it feels like I’m that red-lipped lawn jockey and Konkol is the powerful white man on my back. … Konkol was fired Saturday night after my post and a chorus of complaints from other local journalists, black politicians, and members of the public. But as I tweeted, things like that cover are increasingly likely to happen in settings where there are not black people participating in editorial and production processes who can flag them. Things like what happened to me will continue to happen as long as vulnerable black writers are seen as commodities to gain approval from an underserved black audience.” Story here



NATION

— “Republican challenge to Pennsylvania map likely to fail,” by POLITICO’s Elena Schneider: Story here

— “Trump directs DOJ to craft ban on ‘bump stocks’ as shooting response evolves,” by POLITICO’s Cristiano Lima: Story here

— “As Florida students head to state capital, lawmakers fail to take up assault rifle bill,” by The New York Times’ Julie Turkewitz and Anemona Hartocollis: Story here

Today: I’ll join Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney of WBEZ at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics to discuss “Illinois Elections 101, ” a roundtable about the 2018 elections in advance of our March 1 gubernatorial forum.

Saturday: It’s FOIA Fest! The daylong event features panels of reporters, attorneys and other stakeholders to talk about how to get information from the government. The day will include a “Future of FOIA” panel with Illinois Attorney General candidates. I’ll join an afternoon panel about the struggles over extracting emails from public officials. Full schedule here BUY TICKETS

EVENTS courtesy of IntelligentEvent (@Chi_Intellevent)

TODAY - Chicago Style: The Soda Tax - Institute of Politics - Join the IOP and Paul Douglas Institute (PDI) for an off-the-record panel conversation on soda taxes.

Podcasting Social - 2112 Inc - Politicians are increasingly entering the world of podcasting. Come hear from City of Chicago Digital Director Grace Cheung as she shares more about Mayor Emanuel’s foray into podcasting, “Chicago Stories.”

THURSDAY Ambassador Nikki R. Haley - Institute of Politics - SOLD OUT - Join the IOP as we welcome Ambassador Nikki R. Haley, the United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor.

WHERE’S RAHM? in Boston for meetings. No public events.

WHERE’S RAUNER? In Chicago at the Thompson Center to celebrate Black History Month with 2018 Governor’s Difference Makers Awards ceremony.



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