Only a week ago, Democratic secretary of state candidate Tim McCarthy told a TV audience that the people who should be blamed for state Sen. Penny Severns’ removal from the primary ballot are the “Chicago ward bosses” who collected bad signatures on her candidacy petitions.
But on Thursday, one of those men will endorse McCarthy in his primary battle against Jesse White, the Cook County recorder of deeds.
Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) was a major player in getting petition signatures for Severns, who died last month. Severns’ name was struck from the secretary of state ballot by the State Board of Elections after McCarthy challenged the validity of her nominating petitions.
The McCarthy campaign’s decision to highlight Mell’s endorsement at a Chicago City Hall news conference, set for Thursday, is an attempt to reverse what polls have indicated may be a backlash against the candidate among Severns backers in the Chicago area.
But Mell’s decision to back McCarthy, Orland Park’s police chief, may be causing some tension within the alderman’s vaunted ward organization.
Some of Mell’s precinct workers aren’t happy about the alderman’s alliance with McCarthy, especially those who contend they were followed by McCarthy supporters during the investigation of Severns’ petitions.
Some also are unhappy McCarthy is being supported by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago).
Lisa Madigan, the speaker’s daughter, is challenging incumbent state Sen. Bruce Farley (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary on the Northwest Side, including part of Mell’s ward. The speaker has regularly sent precinct workers from his Southwest Side 13th Ward organization into the Northwest Side on behalf of his daughter.
Michael Madigan also is backing U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, while Mell is supporting John Schmidt, a former Justice Department official.
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Mell was unavailable Wednesday to comment on his decision to back McCarthy, but he has directed precinct workers to pass out literature and sample ballots on McCarthy’s behalf.
Also expected to endorse McCarthy on Wednesday is Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40th).
Schmidt shots: A new ad by Schmidt attacks Poshard (D-Ill.) for his opposition to abortion and gun control.
The ad started airing shortly after Poshard received the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a plum the pro-abortion rights Schmidt had hoped to pick.
Schmidt insisted that the spot was not negative advertising. It shows Poshard in slow motion, jabbing the air and apparently shouting from a podium.
“What I’ve said and what I believe is we should run a campaign on issues,” Schmidt said. “But I never said that we would not confront differences on issues.”
Supreme worries: Worried that a simple name might lure 3rd Congressional District Republicans into unknowingly voting for a white supremacist, GOP leaders denounced long-shot candidate Art Jones and announced a mailing to warn the party faithful.
“He absolutely just continues to spew hate, violates all protocol, all decorum, and probably offends anyone of any persuasion,” Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka said at a news conference. “I think it would be embarrassing (if he won), and we’re just trying to take care of that beforehand.”
Jones’ platform centerpiece is a “Neighborhood Amendment,” which would allow white neighborhoods to vote on whether they want to allow blacks and other minorities to move in. Jones has run before, never receiving more than a tiny fraction of the vote. This time, though, his rivals are two other unknowns–small businessman Karl Groth and radiologist Dr. Robert Marshall.
Jones held his own impromptu press conference at the Daley Center Plaza, in which he complained of being “beaten up” by party leaders.