RAMIREZ-ROSA to drop out of 4th CD RACE — Internal poll: NEWMAN could overtake LIPINSKI — IVES chases cash in D.C. — CTU’s KAREN LEWIS on OBIT: ‘Report of my death was an exaggeration' Presented by Facebook

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

Good Monday morning, Illinois.


SIREN — Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa plans to pull out of the primary race for Luis Gutierrez’s congressional seat, sources with knowledge of the decision told POLITICO. The move is a probable boost to frontrunner Jesus Chuy Garcia.

On Sunday, Ramirez-Rosa held a call in what his campaign billed as a major announcement to volunteers. Rosa told them that his own internal polling showed Garcia crushing the field. “Chuy is unbeatable. It’ll be a landslide,” Ramirez-Rosa reportedly told his supporters, according to a source with direct knowledge of the call. Ramirez-Rosa then said he’d soon announce a decision about the future of his campaign. That could happen later today. A separate source told POLITICO Ramirez is to announce he’s dropping out and is expected to put his support behind Garcia. Remaining in the race is community activist Sol Flores. In December, we reported a Garcia poll showing he led by double digits. Garcia had forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff campaign in 2015, which greatly boosted his name ID. And when the popular Gutierrez made a sudden move to retire, he held a televised news conference standing beside Garcia.

KAREN LEWIS IS VERY MUCH ALIVE

Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis received a jarring phone call last night when she learned the Chicago Sun-Times had posted her obituary on its website. The news organization quickly realized it was published in error and took it down. Lewis suffered a stroke in October and before that had endured treatment for a cancerous brain tumor, which sidetracked a potential 2015 run against Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Reached last night, Lewis laughed at the gaffe and cited a legendary Mark Twain quote: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Lewis shrugged off the episode, telling POLITICO everyone makes mistakes.

Longtime columnist Neil Steinberg, who wrote the obit, personally called Lewis to apologize. “You know, things happen. Everyone makes mistakes,” she said. “I told him, ‘I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Hold onto this, because I think there will be a whole lot more to say,’” she said. “He read me the first line. It was pretty sweet, frankly.”

She said she posted a note on Facebook , in case someone she knew had seen the obit. "I just wanted all my friends and family, if somebody saw it, that they wouldn’t freak out," Lewis said. Lewis said she is using a wheelchair to get around and is undergoing rehab to regain full use of one side of her body following the stroke.

Sun-Times Editor-in-Chief Chris Fusco said in a statement emailed to us last night: “Because of an error involving our online publishing system, Karen Lewis’ pre-written obit was published briefly on our site on Sunday. It was taken down as quickly as possible, we’ve apologized to Ms. Lewis for any pain this might have caused her and she has accepted our apology. We hope our readers accept our apology as well.”

FIRST LOOK AT LIPINSKI VS. NEWMAN: We have results of businesswoman Marie Newman’s polling in the primary race against longtime incumbent Dan Lipinski. See the polling memo here. Newman leads by five points after voters are told about Lipinski’s conservative voting record, according to the memo. Without that messaging, however, Lipinski would crush an unknown Newman, at 49 percent to 18 percent, the memo says. Progressives believe this is their best chance to unseat Lipinski, who opposes abortion rights, voted against the Affordable Care Act and against the Dream Act, arguing he’s out of step with his district. Bernie Sanders carried the district by eight points in the primary and Hillary Clinton won by 15 points.

The internal poll of 400 likely 3rd congressional district Democratic primary voters took place back in October 16-19, 2017. “After a series of negatives against Lipinski that detail his record on a variety of issues, including choice, LGBT issues, immigration and voting against Obamacare as well as an attack on Newman that assails her character as a resume inflator and her support for a mandatory and expensive single payer health care system, Newman leads 39% to 34%,” the memo states. Of those polled, 38 percent said they wanted him reelected.

TAKEAWAY -- With Lipinski’s name ID at 81 percent against a virtual unknown, it will take real cash for Newman to unseat him. As we reported in December, national groups are coalescing behind Newman and were expected to be on the ground this month. But don’t count the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee among them: “We know that Congressman Lipinski is taking this race very seriously and working hard to win reelection,” Meredith Kelly, DCCC Communications Director told POLITICO in a statement. “As always, the DCCC is focused on turning red seats blue and taking back the House.”



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IVES GOES AFTER NATIONAL MONEY — State Rep. Jeanne Ives, the Republican challenging incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner from the right in the March 20 gubernatorial primary, is headed to Washington D.C. this week to meet with potential donors, her campaign tells POLITICO. “She’s meeting with some of her contacts out there,” Ives spokeswoman Kathleen Murphy said Sunday. “She is reaching out to people outside of Illinois.” Rauner, a multi-millionaire himself, has some $65 million in his campaign account. Murphy says Ives has landed some $800,000 in earned media and expects to expand more conservative radio talk, including a weekly spot at a Decatur station.

BISS CLAIMS FUNDRAISING MOMENTUM — Daniel Biss’ campaign heads into 2018 with $3.1 million cash on hand after raising just more than $1 million in the fourth quarter, his campaign reports. “Daniel is the other choice if you look at where we are positioned in 2018,” said Hari Sevugan with the Biss campaign. “We’ll be in a strong position to communicate our message, whether it’s on TV or online.” Sevugan said he believes Kennedy’s large money reporting will show he’s in a weaker financial position. But a Kennedy spokeswoman said the campaign wasn’t prepared to release final numbers Sunday evening. While Biss hasn’t advertised yet on TV, Kennedy spent $600,000 in a limited ad buy last month. Biss reported his donations came from 2,640 individual donors and campaign manager Abby Witt touted the fourth quarter as “our best fundraising quarter yet.” Both are up against billionaire J.B. Pritzker, who has already given his own campaign more than $42 million.

Kennedy camp update

Hanah Jubeh is very much still part of Chris Kennedy’s gubernatorial, despite rumors to the contrary, Kennedy campaign manager Brendan O’Sullivan told us. O’Sullivan said Jubeh remains a senior adviser and is involved in fundraising and general strategy. O’Sullivan credited Jubeh with landing Chuy Garcia’s endorsement. Jubeh has also been working on the campaign of Illinois attorney general candidate and state Senator Kwame Raoul.

Speaking of staffing …

Chris Kennedy has made no bones about his contempt for Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. Kennedy has called on Berrios to resign after he said Berrios headed a corrupt assessment “racket,” in the wake of a Chicago Tribune/ProPublica investigation on the office’s practices.

It may surprise you that Kennedy’s former political director, Mario Lopez, left his job with Kennedy last August to join … Berrios’ campaign. Lopez is now Berrios’ campaign manager. Does Lopez see the irony that his old boss showed such disdain for his new one? “To the outsiders, yeah, I definitely think it looks a little ironic,” he said. “To most insiders, it's political operatives just moving around.” Lopez said it was an amicable move, which he made after given an opportunity to run a countywide campaign.

That would mean Lopez was at the helm when Berrios’ camp fired back against his old boss last month: “We strongly advise Chris Kennedy to focus on his failing campaign instead of throwing temper tantrums while claiming as ‘unfair’ the system he has directly benefited from.”

NEW BGA-WBEZ INVESTIGATION — “Taking cover,” by WBEZ and Better Government Association’s Casey Toner and Jared Rutecki: “...Booker, Lyons — and even officer Nawotka — are among dozens of people shot under questionable circumstances by suburban police in Cook County, where officers often make life-or-death decisions under sometimes lax and often unenforced policies regarding the use of deadly force, a Better Government Association/WBEZ investigation has found ... Still, in 113 police shootings in the Cook County suburbs since 2005, records show not a single case led to disciplinary action for an officer who made a mistake. Not one lost their job. Not one criminal case was filed against an officer.” Story here

STATE

— “‘It’s a crime’: Illinois cap on Legionnaires’ payouts lowest in U.S.,” by WBEZ’s Dave McKinney and Tony Arnold: “No amount of money is going to bring back Steve French’s mother or erase all of the horrible details surrounding her death from Legionnaires’ disease at the state-run veterans’ home in Quincy. The state knew it had an epidemic on its hands before she was sick. Someone at the home's administrative office told French that his 78-year-old mother was OK when he called to check on her. At the time of his call, she actually was lying dead in her independent-living unit at the facility and may have been that way for a few days, according to court documents. On its face, French’s wrongful-death case against the state appears to be almost a legal slam dunk. Yet, Illinois law caps any recovery for his mother’s survivors at $100,000 — the same ceiling on negligence claims against the state that’s been in place for decades. ‘It’s almost like that whole law … protects them. It’s like it’s protecting a crime. It’s like they’re getting away with a crime because of that law,’ French told WBEZ. ” Story here

— “The five biggest stories I’ll be watching this year,” by Crain’s Chicago Business’ Greg Hinz: “I cover politics and government. That's never boring in Chicago, and 2018 promises not to disappoint. Here's a few things I'm going to be keeping a close eye on.” Story here

— “Editorial: Or they could just lower the taxes … Nah,” by Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “Unless you’re holed up on Gobbler's Knob with Punxsutawney Phil, you know that a new law will limit to $10,000 the amount you can deduct on your federal return for state and local taxes. This is terrible for high-tax politicians in high-tax states. … Now, though, the limit on this deduction makes citizens in high-tax states likelier to rebel over the amount of Other People’s Money the pols collect … Note what you’re not reading here: quotations from state officials nationwide who understand that they have another option, lowering state and local taxes.” Story here

— “Federal tax revamp could force changes in Illinois law,” by Crain’s Chicago Business’ Greg Hinz: “Hearings, and maybe changes in state tax law, might be needed to avoid unintended negative consequences from—or take advantage of—the massive rewrite of federal tax law that was enacted just before the holidays.” Story here

— “Sen. Durbin visits veterans home during Legionnaires’ crisis,” by AP: “Sen. Dick Durbin toured the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy on Friday, calling on Gov. Bruce Rauner to come up with a plan for the home were outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease have left 13 people dead. Rauner is responding in an unconventional way to criticism of his administration's handling of outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease at the Illinois Veterans Home. His office says the Republican has moved into the home for several days to get a better idea of how it operates. … ‘I think the fact that the governor has now visited and is now staying overnight at the Quincy veterans home shows that it is high on his priority list. That was my goal...I've invited him to come up with a new plan...and let us pay for the funding on that through the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration,’ Durbin said.” Story here

— “Illinois governor names new budget director as market watches for gridlock,” by Bond Buyer’s Yvette Shields: “A new budget director will take the helm in Illinois with both budget and election seasons set to kick into high gear and the state’s barely investment grade ratings on the line. Hans Zigmund will replace Scott Harry as director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget on Jan. 15 as Harry moves over to the State Board of Education. Harry took the position a year ago to fill the role being then vacated by Tim Nuding.” Story here

CHICAGO

— “Emanuel, CPD deploy 53 new police officers,” by CBS Chicago: “Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday 53 new police officers have been deployed to their first district assignments as part of the plan to grow the Chicago Police Department by nearly 1,000 officers. … The new officers will benefit from the new in-service training requirement, which begins with 16-hours of mandatory training and will necessitate that all department members take 40 hours of continuing education annually by 2021, according to the CPD’s office of communications.” Story here

— “Column: Kennedy, Rahm and the three things the mayor needs,” by Chicago Tribune’s John Kass: “For Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the oligarchs who installed him at City Hall to keep control of Chicago, Rahm needs three things: Rahm needs to make sure there’s no real challenger to his re-election next year. By this, I mean a dynamic candidate with a real command of Chicago finances who could appeal across racial and class lines and take the fight to the mayor. So far, I haven’t seen one. And Rahm needs J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire Democrat and plumber’s helper, to become governor of Illinois. Pritzker would make nice with Boss Madigan and protect the mayor’s flanks. And Rahm also needs African-American voters to forget about Laquan McDonald and remain placid, even as black neighborhoods are torn by homicide, and the Chicago Public Schools suffer scandal after scandal, with the mayor’s last two school CEOs leaving in disgrace. If Rahm gets all three of his favorite things, he’ll be satisfied going into his re-election campaign in 2019.” Story here

— “Emanuel: Chris Kennedy’s conspiracy theory ‘hallucinatory,’” by CBS Chicago: Story here

— “Obama Foundation chooses construction manager for presidential library,” by NBC 5 Chicago: “The Obama Foundation has announced that Lakeside Alliance will serve as the construction manager for the new Obama Presidential Center. The Alliance is a newly-created joint venture consisting of several African-American owned construction firms from Chicago, and the Foundation hopes that the selection will result in more jobs and opportunities for minority-owned businesses. The venture will feature the Presidential Partners consortium, which consists of Powers & Sons Construction, UJAMAA Construction, Brown & Momen, and Safeway Construction. They will partner up with Turner Construction Company on the project.” Story here



GOVERNOR’S RACE

— “Daiber’s tax plan would cut taxes for most Illinoisans,” by Illinois Homepage’s Mark Maxwell: “Madison County School Superintendent Bob Daiber tried to jumpstart his primary campaign for governor on Thursday by becoming the first Democrat in the race to say exactly how much his tax plan would cost you. Democrats J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Daniel Biss and Chris Kennedy each vow to install the first-ever progressive income tax code in Illinois, but none besides Daiber have yet given any specifics on what their rates and tax brackets would look like. ” Story here

— “Kennedy’s hot rhetoric met with silence by primary opponents,” by Rich Miller: “Kennedy’s remarks prompted howls of protest, with the mayor’s office comparing Kennedy’s hot rhetoric to President Trump’s. The city’s police superintendent ripped into the candidate for attempting to use the city’s violence to ‘score political points.’ Pundits and others were quick to take Kennedy to task for having the gall to utter such remarks. Tellingly, however, none of Kennedy’s Democratic primary opponents have so far uttered a peep. One campaign quietly pointed out that Kennedy had contributed $5,000 to Mayor Emanuel’s campaign fund and another shared some statistics on background which showed that African-American enrollment at the University of Illinois fell from 2,572 when Kennedy was appointed chairman of the board of trustees in 2009, to 2,241 when he left that post in 2015.” Story here

— “Few specifics are available on progressive tax amendment,” by The News-Gazette’s Jim Dey: “Like all of his Democratic competitors, Daiber supports a state constitutional amendment allowing the Legislature to replace the current flat state income tax with a progressive income tax that permits higher tax rates on higher levels of income. If approved by voters, it would be up to legislators to determine what those higher rates would be. While Daiber's rivals have been coy about their favored rates, he was specific. … But there's a problem with Daiber's tax proposal — it's a bait and switch.” Story here

— “Harley in the garage? Rauner gets his skates,” by the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg: “Will Gov. Bruce Rauner skate to a second term? He likely hopes so and, it turns out, skating is one of his favorite things. In an interview on WJOL radio in Joliet last week, host Kevin Kollins asked Rauner what he does to “kick back” in the winter when it’s not Harley-riding weather. ‘One of my favorite things to do is I like to go skatin,’ Rauner said. ‘I used to play hockey when I was a kid. There’s ... two hockey rinks in Springfield. They’re right near our house, so I go up there and skate at night or on the weekend.’ He said he also goes to rinks in Chicago and the suburbs.” Story here

DELEGATION

— “The 2018 midterms are fast approaching. First up: Primary fights for both parties’ future,” by The Washington Post’s David Weigel and Michael Scherer: “Long before voters decide in November who will control the House, the Senate and 36 governor’s seats across the country, the most wide-open primary season in decades will plunge the nation’s two major political parties into historic battles over who they are. The long-anticipated 2018 midterm elections are rapidly approaching — a referendum on President Trump and the GOP majority, and a gauge of Americans’ expectations of government. But first the parties and their voters must chart a course through their nominating contests.” Story here

— “Inside the faltering Dreamer talks,” by POLITICO’s Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Ted Hesson: “Congressional negotiators and the White House are publicly touting progress toward a deal to shield hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. But behind the scenes, Democrats and Republicans appear to be struggling more than ever on a plan that can earn President Donald Trump’s signature and bipartisan backing from Capitol Hill … One Democratic aide insisted that ‘Lankford and Tillis were dragging their feet and did not share the urgency we had.’ But another person familiar with the situation said the two Republicans weren't invited, including to the most recent meeting Wednesday night in Durbin's office.” Story here

AROUND THE COLLARS

— “Life after locked-in syndrome: Aurora man finds will to live after rare, paralyzing condition,” by Chicago Tribune’s Robert McCoppin: “Lying motionless in a hospital bed, Jose Rodriguez Jr. lost the will to live. He’d suffered a stroke, fallen into a coma and awoken with an extremely rare condition known as locked-in syndrome. He was unable to move anything except for his eyes. Previously a healthy young man, Rodriguez now couldn’t walk, talk, swallow or even breathe on his own. He felt trapped inside his body. As the reality of his situation sunk in — that he could no longer work or hug his mother — Junior, as his family calls him, felt the life he’d had was over. He wanted to die.” Story here

— “Assessor’s action sparks inquiry,” by The News-Gazette Editorial Board: “If Wayne Williams was looking to make a big splash in his new role as the assessor of Cunningham Township (which covers the same area as the city of Urbana), he certainly succeeded. If he was trying to make a positive impression on the public he serves, well, that's another story. … But there's another, more-substantive issue council members also suggested they will address, one that has implications for Champaign County and the rest of the state. Alderman Eric Jakobsson said it's time for council members to discuss abolishing the township and folding its duties into city government.” Story here

NATION

— “Bannon apologizes,” by Axios’ Mike Allen: Story here

— “Bannon finds his regrets aren’t good enough for Trump,” by POLITICO’s Annie Karni: Story here

— “Trump Twitter threats put American credibility on the line,” by The New York Times’ Steven Erlanger: Story here

— “iPhones and children are a toxic pair, say two big Apple investors,” by The Wall Street Journal’s David Benoit: Story here

— “First phase of Trump border wall gets $18 billion price tag, in new request to lawmakers,” by The Washington Post’s Nick Miroff and Erica Werner: Story here

EVENTS courtesy of IntelligentEvent; @Chi_Intellevent

TODAY Kim Foxx, Cook County State's Attorney - SOLD OUT -

Kimberly M. Foxx is the first African American woman to lead the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office – the second largest prosecutor’s office in the country.

— Democratic AG Candidates Forum - University of Chicago Democrats & College Democrats of Illinois

TUESDAY — Chris Kennedy - Chi Hack Night - Chris Kennedy will make his case for being Illinois' next Governor.

WEDNESDAY — Chicago's TV News Gatekeepers - Publicity Club of Chicago - You need to know who Chicago’s TV News “Gatekeepers” are, what restrictions they operate under, and what you can do to increase the chances that they’ll put your clients on air.

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