Progress Illinois

There are two new campaign ads out this afternoon.

First up, Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias' campaign has a new web video slamming GOP frontrunner Mark Kirk for seeking Sarah Palin's support:

On a related note, the Sun-Times editorial board criticized the North Shore Republican this morning in a piece headlined "Moving right might cost Kirk election."

Next is 10th Congressional District candidate Julie Hamos, who released her first TV spot today. Health care is the theme. "Let's not let this moment in history pass us by," she says about the prospect of reform. Watch it:  

Speaking of health care, United Power for Action and Justice and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law have published a new video featuring two physicians explaining why they believe reform is necessary.  Watch it:

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Back in September, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias became the first major statewide candidate in Illinois history to speak up in support of gay marriage. Since then, raising the profile of the civil rights abuses leveled against the GLBT community has become a central theme of his U.S. Senate campaign.  Indeed, the Chicago Democrat has already pledged to help repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy if he is sent to Congress.

So it's not surprising that Giannoulias was quick to respond to the news that Maine voters yesterday repealed same-sex marriage rights at the ballot box -- a stinging defeat for the gay rights community.  From his statement this morning:

The march toward marriage equality was dealt a setback yesterday, and I am disappointed with the results.  But we know that change never comes easy.  I believe strongly that we cannot give up hope, that we must not stop moving forward, and that no matter how difficult the setback, we must never stop fighting for people to be treated equally under the law.

The defeat in Maine has some gay-rights advocates already rethinking their strategy at the state level.  Even though state lawmakers like Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) continue to push for equal marriage laws here in the Prairie State, additional focus is likely to shift to Congress, where the federal same-sex marriage ban could be reversed without voter approval. Already, Giannoulias has indicated that if sent to D.C., he's ready to do his part to end these retrograde policies. "This goes to what this country was founded on," Giannoulias recently told the Sun-Times Mark Brown, "equality and fairness."

Full Disclosure: The SEIU Illinois State Council,which sponsors this website, has endorsed Alexi Giannoulias in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Since entering the U.S. Senate race, former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman has repeatedly suggested that fellow Democrat Alexi Giannoulias can't beat GOP frontrunner Mark Kirk in the general election.  Today, the Giannoulias campaign released a poll that indicates, if the election were held today, their candidate would fare better against Kirk than Hoffman.  Here is the pair of head-to-head results (the only data made available by the Giannoulias camp):

Giannoulias: 46%
Kirk: 43%

Hoffman: 39%
Kirk: 48%

*Results based on a sample of 805 likely general election voters conducted October 25th – 28th.  Margin of error: +/- 3.5%

A Rasmussen poll conducted in mid-September found somewhat similar results: Giannoulias and Kirk tied at 41 percent and Kirk leading Hoffman by 10 percentage points. Rasmussen also had Kirk leading Democrat Cheryle Jackson by four points.

Speaking of Jackson, she filed her nominating petitions just an hour before the deadline today.

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Painting what he described as a "stark contrast" between his platform and the policies endorsed by Republican Senate frontrunner Mark Kirk, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias rolled out the first section of a five-part economic plan (titled "Future Works America") before reporters this morning.  "Mark Kirk and the failed politics of the past got us into this economic mess," he said. "I have a plan to lead us to a more promising future."

Standing beside a new homeowner in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, Giannoulias called for a one-year extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit (which was included in the stimulus bill Kirk voted against) and a one-year payroll tax holiday on the first $20,000 of income for individuals making less than $75,000. (Th eSenate is expected to pass the homebuyers credit this week, although the extension would only last eight months.) He also wants to create a tax credit for small businesses with less than 50 employees, available for one year to companies that add workers to their payroll. To pay for the mini-recovery package, the treasurer would work to close corporate loopholes that benefit companies who ship jobs overseas. Watch him layout the expected benefits of the plan:

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The latest from the 2010 electoral landscape in Illinois ...

IL GOVERNOR

As we watched him roll out campaign ads and accept high-profile endorsements in recent months, we forgot that Gov. Pat Quinn never actually held an official launch for his 2010 campaign.  Today, he's doing just that with a kick-off event in Chicago, followed by announcement stops in eight other Illinois cities: Springfield, Cahokia, Herrin, West Frankfort, Mt. Vernon, Salem, Mattoon, and Tuscola.  We'll have some photos from the Chicago event later today.

Quinn's launch coincides with his release of his economic plan, titled "Jobs and Growth for Illinois."  Here are the five priorities laid out under this plan:

1) Rebuilding the state’s foundations by investing in public works and 21st-century communications systems.

2) Investing in clean energy to create jobs today and sustainable energy resources for our future.

3) Protecting and increasing the state’s investment in our human capital through education. 

4) Encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation through strategic use of state investment to provide start-up capital.

5) Expanding the state economy by bringing Illinois to the world.

You can find more detail on each priority here.

Meanwhile, if you haven't seen challenger Dan Hynes' latest ad -- this one 100 percent positive -- you can view it below:

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After voting for Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in 2008, most of the electorate is clearly ready to see a liberal Congress fix some of America's enduring problems. Health reform is one of those top priorities. Both Obama and congressional hopefuls emphasized the issue throughout their campaigns, promising to tackle health care accessibility quickly when they got to Washington. And voters approve of the broad approach they have taken. An August Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that when the interviewer read an "accurate, neutrally phrased description of the main features of the plan that Obama supports," 56 percent of people approved and 38 percent opposed. Just this week, a majority of respondents told the Washington Post that they favor a Democratic-only bill rather than a bipartisan one if the Dem version includes a public insurance option (arguably the most contentious issue in the health care debate) and the bipartisan one doesn’t.

That being said, health care reform as structured by congressional Democrats and the White House is viewed by some as a risky proposition for Democrats representing moderate districts.  And according to congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk -- master political opportunist that he is -- the Democratic leaders should kill the entire reform push as a result. From Politico this morning:

“If they pass this bill, I wouldn’t want to be a Democrat standing for reelection in 2010,” said Arizona Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.).

Added Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.): “Several dozen House Democrats risk losing their jobs if they vote for reform.”

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and all three major Democratic Senate candidates here in Illinois blasted Kirk for his comment this afternoon.

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The latest from the Illinois electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

A poll released by the Paul Simon Institute on Public Policy late last week showed Gov. Pat Quinn with a sizeable lead over comptroller and Democratic gubernatorial challenger Dan Hynes:

Quinn:  33.9%
Hynes: 16.5%
Someone else: 14.2%
Don't know/No answer: 35.4%
MOE +/- 5/4%

Since our last 2010 round-up, this race has also seen its share of additional endorsements.  A week ago, Quinn accepted the backing of Rep. Phil Hare, who said that the "Illinois Congressional delegation finally has a partner inSpringfield, instead of a punch line."  Watch a video put together by the campaign: 

Today, Quinn is scheduled to receive the endorsement of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. Last week, that same union's state council announced their support for challenger Dan Hynes, who also received the endorsement of the sheet metal workers union.

IL SENATE

In the nation's Capitol last week, reporters spotted Alexi Giannoulias leaving the White House where he told them he'd been huddling with senior adviser David Axelrod to discuss the Democratic Senate primary. At this point, Giannoulias is leading in the polls and in the fundraising race, but doubts remain about his viability among the Democratic establishment in D.C. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported on that dynamic:

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GOP Rep. Mark Kirk was the first Senate candidate to announce his third quarter fundraising totals yesterday, disclosing that he had brought in $1.6 million and ended the filing period with $2.3 million cash on hand.  In the 24 hours since, three of the Democratic candidates have put out their own figures. 

Former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman was first.  He says that he raised $400,000 and loaned his campaign an additional $500,000, while spending about $50,000.  Attorney David Meister raised $27,000 from outside sources, while loaning his campaign $1 million. Last but not least, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias announced that he raised $1.1 million ("a total that does not include any contributions from Giannoulias' personal funds") and ended the third quarter with $2.4 million on hand -- more than any of the other candidates.  He previously raised $670,000 during the second quarter and $1.1 million during the first.

From a press release:

"I am honored so many have given so generously of themselves in these trying economic times.  Our fundraising total demonstrates that people believe we can change how Washington works, create better opportunities for Illinoisans and get our nation back on track," said Giannoulias. [...]

"Lobbyists and special interests in Washington have blocked change for too long. Mark Kirk has taken their money and voted their way and the people of Illinois deserve better," Giannoulias concluded.

Cheryle Robinson Jackson has yet to release any details of her fundraising efforts.

The latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

This morning, Rep, Mike Quigley formally endorsed Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, saying that "the best indication of future behavior is past performance."  Watch an excerpt from Quigley's remarks:

The Quinn campaign has also posted some highlights from UNITE-HERE's recent endorsement, which you can watch here.

U.S. SENATE

This morning, Republican Senate candidate and congressman Mark Kirk announced a $1.6 million third quarter fundraising haul:

Five-term GOP Congressman and Navy veteran Mark Kirk, the leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, today reported his campaign set a new single-quarter fundraising record for federal Republican candidates in Illinois raising more than $1.6 million. That brings the campaign’s total receipts for the election to more than $2.9 million with $2.3 million in the bank.

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Today marks the end of the third quarter and federal candidates across Illinois are working hard to get some last minute donations.  Meanwhile, here's the latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

Check out Phil Kadner's SouthtownStar column on the Gov. Pat Quinn and the game of "Whac-a-Mole" going on in Illinois politics at the moment:

Around every single opening, there are hundreds of people in Illinois with hammers, waiting to crush the governor's next proposed plan.

We, the people, always tell politicians we want them to cut the budget, slash the waste, get rid of the pork. But when they do start hacking away, we're quick to tell them: "No, not there. Cut somewhere else."

With Quinn, this game has become cruelly laughable because he should've expected a honeymoon period as the replacement for Badgojevich, who replaced the indicted and convicted Gov. George Ryan.

UNITE-HERE Local 1 formally endorsed Quinn this morning.  From a press release:

“Governor Quinn has fought for our members, and not just when it was the easy thing to do,” said Henry Tamarin, President of UNITE HERE Local 1. “Whether it is issues on the job, promoting the tourism industry or on the critical issues facing the state, Governor Quinn has always stood for the hardworking people of Illinois.” 

According to the Tribune, challenger Dan Hynes received endorsements this past weekend from "the Ironworkers Chicago District Council and the Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers Illinois District Council and Local 11."

IL SENATE

Yesterday, Democratic candidate David Hoffman released transparency guidelines that he pledged to adhere to if elected, saying: “There is a crisis of trust in government today and I believe that we have an obligation to be as open and transparent as possible in order to restore that trust."  Here are the components:

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