Schimpf: Shouldn't Our AG Investigate This 'Vote Buying' Stuff?

Republican Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf asked if Lisa Madigan is doing anything in response to reports of vote buying in Pike County:

“This is a clear violation of Section 29-1 of the Illinois Election Code (10 ILCS 5/29-1) that prohibits a person from giving something of value to another person to influence their vote. Furthermore, the involvement of the Pike County State’s Attorney in this event proves that State’s Attorneys are not capable of addressing all cases of government corruption. Attorney General Lisa Madigan needs to immediately and publicly initiate an investigation to ensure the integrity of our voting system and bring any wrongdoers to justice.”

Trust A Retired Marine...Not the "Madigan Machine"

Illinois Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf wants your vote next week so he can work to take on government corruption.

Take a listen to his latest spot:  Trust a retired Marine.  Not the Madigan Machine.

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Schock, Bost, Emauel, Schimpf, Rutherford, Kim

Down to the last three Mondays of this election cycle.  And that means this will be our third-to-last Candidate Facebook Weekend recap posts of this political season.

So, let's go around the social network and see what candidates were up to on this important weekend:

Congressman Aaron Schock was getting some sun down in Miami and hanging on South Beach.  On...and he was there to support Carlos Curbelo - a candidate for Congress, too!

Mike Bost tore into the chili at the Mascoutah Chili cook off.  He was all over the place this weekend and he's pushing ahead in the race.  Keep it up, Mike!

With the 'threat level' reduced to almost zero, Da Mare had time to fix up his Facebook profile over the weekend.  

Illinois Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf was doing some retail politic'ing at the Bears tailgate at Soldier Field where he met voters and spread his message.

Current Treasurer and former Governor's candidate Dan Rutherford was out raising money and rallied with is running mate Steve Kim at his annual fundraiser.

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Anthony, Bost, Proctor, Emanuel, Tunney, Rauner, Schimpf, Senger

Including this one, there's just four more Monday's before Election Day on Tuesday, November 4th here in Illinois.  That means just four more "Candidate Facebook Weekend" posts!

As we usually do every Monday, let's see what candidates for office were up to this weekend around Illinois:

State Representative John Anthony was out - with his wife - meeting voters door-to-door- in his district.

Congressional candidate Mike Bost hosted a fish fry in Anna where he had a great turnout and what looks like a pretty tasty sheet cake!

Andrew Proctor - who is running for Springfield City Alderman was out rounding up signatures to get him on the ballot for the Spring election.  Good to see Andrew out there working!

Mayor Rahm Emanuel brought together the Cubs and Alderman Tom Tunney (who was fighting every step of the way in this process) and the official ground-breaking of the Wrigley renovations.  Kerry Wood was too cool to take off his shades!

Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner was out early at Bennison's Bakery in Evanston to pick up some sweet treats and meet voters.

Illinois Republican Attorney General nominee Paul Schimpf was up in Lake County to speak to the Republican organization and get them fired up to beat "The Madigan Machine."

Congressional candidate Darlene Senger was out with her crew knocking on doors in Plainfield to round up the vote in her race against do-nothing Congressman Bill Foster.

AG Candidate Paul Schimpf Wants Lisa Madigan's CoS Invited To The #NRI Party

Ann Spillane, come on down!

In a press conference today, Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf demanded that the Legislative Audit Commission question Barbara Shaw about her email request for pay raises for her staff as a result of the 2010 election and subpoena Ann Spillane, Lisa Madigan’s Chief of Staff, to give testimony about her role in the mismanagement of funds under the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (“NRI”).

It is vital to consider all the players, including Ms. Spillane, as the Legislative Audit Commission resumes its investigation of NRI to determine if state funds were used to boost Democratic turnout in the 2010 election. The incriminating email, sent from Barbara Shaw to Ann Spillane just 3 hours after Brady conceded the 2010 election to Quinn, strongly suggests that Lisa Madigan’s Office was directly involved in the disbursement of NRI funds. The people of Illinois deserve to know how millions of tax dollars bypassed Chicago's most violent neighborhoods and found its way into the hands of the politically-connected.

Reason #4 To Vote For Paul Schimpf: Less Corruption Leads To Better Economy

From the Paul Schimpf for Illinois Attorney General campaign comes reason #4 to vote for him over Lisa Madigan:  He will prioritize anti-corruption which will lead to a stronger economy here in Illinois.

The economic and fiscal situation in Illinois has its citizens leaving the state at an increasingly rapid rate. In addition to a failing economy, Illinoisans are overtaxed. According to a recent study, excessive corruption in Illinois costs each individual over $1300 per year, totaling $16.8 Billion in wasted tax dollars annually. Illinois simply cannot afford to outsource this problem to the Department of Justice. As Attorney General, my prioritization of anti-corruption efforts will reduce this burden on taxpayers and help get Illinois back on track.

Reason #5 From Paul Schimpf: He Will Defend Parental Rights On Education

Paul Schimpf, candidate for Illinois Attorney General has released his #5 'reason' to vote for him over incumbent Lisa Madigan and it centers on education.

From the Schimpf campaign:

Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf unveiled Reason #5 of the 14 Reasons to Trust a Retired Marine in 2014 on WZUS’s Busboom and Wolfe. Schimpf, who is counting down these reasons leading up to the election in November, stated:

“I believe that one of the roles of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office is to limit the intrusive reach of government upon people’s private lives. Accordingly, parents and local school boards should have the right to make educational decisions for their children. As such, I will work to ensure that home school children are afforded the educational opportunities commensurate with those of public school children. As Attorney General, I will aggressively defend the right of parents to educate their children in the manner in which they see fit.”

Some Perspective On Independent Voters: Cross up by 27%, White up 20%, Madigan Tied

We wanted to posit this additional data point to further demonstrate the strength of Tom Cross' campaign for Illinois Treasurer and his particular appeal to independent voters.

Earlier this morning, we covered how Tom Cross has extended his overall lead against his opponent Mike Frerichs.  And how he's opened a 27% lead on Frerichs in the eyes of independent voters.  The full post about the polling data is here.

Here's the chart showing Cross' lead with independent voters in the Treasurer's race:

But...that wasn't the only poll that the Sun-Times ran.  They also polled the rest of the statewide races.  And...in two of them, the spread of independent voters is smaller than that 27% that Cross is showing in the Treasurer's race.

Look at the Secretary of State race where everyone - and we mean EVERYONE - believes incumbent (Democrat) Secretary of State Jesse White will cruise to victory in November.  What's that race show in terms of appeal to independent voters?

White is winning them, but by a far less margin than Cross is winning them.  White is only besting his opponent - the little known Mike Webster - by 20% of independents:

And what about the Attorney General race?  Everyone is thinking that Lisa Madigan is going to cruise to victory against Paul Schimpf.  But...when you look at independent voters?  How is she faring?

It is a dead heat!

So...let's recap:

• Tom Cross is leading opponent Mike Frerichs for State Treasurer in the eyes of independent voters by 27%.
• Favorite Jesse White is leading opponent Mike Webster for Secretary of State in the eyes of independent voters by 20%.
• Incumbent and vote-getting powerhouse Lisa Madigan is flat out tied with her opponent Paul Schimpf for Attorney General - each with 35% of the independent vote.   

The work and message that Tom Cross has been bringing to voters of reform the Treasurer's office, balance the budget, and protect the taxpayers is breaking through with voters across the spectrum, but especially with independent voters.  

Illinois Review: Republican Women Wrap-Up Weekend Tour

Over on the Illinois Review, they have photos of what looks like the final stop of their weekend tour that included stops around the State of Illinois. 

The Illinois Federation of Republican Women led a six-stop bus tour around the state Friday and Saturday featuring statewide candidates Paul Schimpf, Tom Cross, Mike Webster and Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider. 

On Friday, the tour started in Kankakee, went to Moline and finished the day in Peoria. Saturday, they stopped in Murphysboro, stopped in Champaign and ended up in Naperville.

Really nice effort to get out the vote and rally women voters in key areas of the state.  Glad to see this stuff happening for the party as we don't think this was happening four years ago.  Let's win this thing in November.  

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Bellock, Bost, Topinka, Rauner, Sandack, Schimpf

Monday morning means a recap of candidate events and appearances from the weekend.  Without any delay, let's see what the candidates were up to this weekend in Illinois:

State Representative Patti Bellock hung out with Secretary of State Jesse White in the suburbs at a charity walk:

Congressional candidate Mike Bost was the Grand Marshall at the Apple Festival Parade in Murphysboro.  And..in Southern Illinois fashion, he was driving a tractor?!?

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka was out at the Mexican Independence Day Parade in Chicago and met lots of folks:

Governor's candidate Bruce Rauner attended the Southwest Cook County Republican Picnic and fired up the troops:

State Representative Ron Sandack was marshalling the DuPage County faithful at his newly opened campaign headquarters.  In attendance were Bruce Rauner and his running mate Evelyn Sanguinetti, former State Senator Kirk Dillard and State Senator Mike Connelly:

Illinois Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf went with the Illinois Federation of Republican Women Bus Tour at stops in Kankakee, Moline, Peoria, Murphysboro, Champaign and Naperville:

Schimpf Releases Reason #7: He'll Be A Watchdog, Not a Patronage Machine

Illinois Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf has released the latest reason (#7) for why voters should be casting their vote for him instead of Lisa Madigan.  

Here's reason #8: He'll Proactively Uphold Constitutional Rights

Here's reason #9: He's a prosecutor not a career politician

We also covered:

Reason #12: He'll Protect Veteran's Access to VA Hospitals
Reason #13:  He'll Protect Pensions Under Constitution

Reason #14: He'll protect the medical and financial privacy of Illinois citizens under the Affordable Care Act

(for some reason, we didn't cover reason #10 and #11?!?)

As for the latest reason, he's calling out Lisa Madigan as being part of the patronage problem in Illinois.  From the Schimpf campaign:

Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf unveiled Reason #7 of the 14 Reasons to Trust a Retired Marine in 2014 on the radio with Former Congressman Joe Walsh on Chicago’s AM560. Schimpf is counting down these reasons leading up to the election in November. Reason #7 to trust Paul Schimpf is that he will treat the Attorney General’s Office as a watchdog, not a patronage machine. 

The Attorney General’s Office should serve as a check and balance against the excesses of the legislative and executive branches instead of simply acting as another piece of the bloated patronage machine that constitutes Illinois government. The Quinn/Madigan Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI) serves as a perfect example of these questionable practices. Paul Schimpf believes that the role of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office is to investigate corrupt patronage and grants by the Illinois government. Because trustworthy, transparent government cannot include agencies investigating themselves, the Attorney General’s Office should not be administering state patronage programs. Schimpf will work to remove the Attorney General’s Office from the business of distributing funds including lawsuit settlement funds that should instead go into the State’s General Revenue Fund.

AG Candidate Paul Schimpf Calls On Lisa Madigan To Stand Down on #NRI

Illinois Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf is drawing a line in the sand on current Attorney General Lisa Madigan's ability to be a neutral party in the on-going and un-raveling #NRI scandal that is plaguing Governor Pat Quinn's campaign.

The Schimpf campaign makes some strong points about the conflict of interest that is facing Lisa Madigan:

Republican Attorney General Candidate and Retired Marine Prosecutor Paul Schimpf held a press conference today to call on Attorney General Lisa Madigan to recuse herself from giving legal advice on all matters involving the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (“NRI”). The Chicago Sun Times recently reported that Ms. Madigan does not believe she has a conflict of interest. 

Ms. Madigan’s inability to understand that there is a conflict of interest in this situation calls into question her competence to serve as Attorney General for the State of Illinois. Her belief is contrary to the fundamentals of practicing law as defined by the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.7 on Conflicts of Interest. Ms. Madigan, as Attorney General, was in a position to provide oversight on this program and failed to do so – a fact not in dispute. She is a material witness in the investigation of the failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and needs to recuse herself as soon as possible in this matter.

Candidate Facebook (Labor Day) Weekend: Anthony, Davis, Sandack, Schimpf, Senger, Rutherford

It isn't Monday, but since this is the first day of the week that the editorial team is back in the saddle here at the Truth Team, we still wanted to run through the weekend on Facebook.  Labor Day is a time for parades and a time to formally kick-off the campaign season!  Let's get after it.

State Representative John Anthony had a big crowd at the Lisbon Labor Day Parade.

Congressman Rodney Davis continues to hit the parade circuit hard, this time in Pana for their Labor Day Parade.

State Representative and rising star Ron Sandack put together a nice crew (in the rain!) for Naperville's Last Fling parade.  Nice orange!  Glad to see Senator Mark Kirk out at the parade, too!

GOP AG candidate Paul Schimpf continues to barnstorm the state with his team.  They look like they put together a nice showing in Millstadt.

Congressional Candidate Darlene Senger knows where the voters are:  they're at the critical JCA vs. Providence football game.  Pretty smart move to be there, in our opinion.

Finally, we're excited to see Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford back in the political saddle:  this time in his hometown parade.

AG Candidate Schimpf Releases Reason #8: He'll Proactively Uphold Constitutional Rights

It was just last week, that we covered Reason #9 of 14 on why to 'trust a retired Marine' for Attorney General.  Well...This morning, the Paul Schimpf for Illinois AG campaign has come out with reason #8:  He'll proactively uphold constitutional rights:

Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf unveiled Reason #8 of the 14 Reasons to Trust a Retired Marine in 2014 on WIND’s On Target Radio with host David Lombardo. Schimpf is counting down these reasons leading up to the election in November. Reason #8 to trust Paul Schimpf is that he will proactively uphold the constitutional rights of Illinois citizens.

As Attorney General, Paul Schimpf will protect the constitutional rights of Illinois citizens by reviewing local ordinances to assure their compliance with 2nd Amendment Jurisprudence. Under Lisa Madigan, a strong advocate of gun control, citizens have often been forced to sue local governments to have their 2nd Amendment rights enforced. The people of Illinois are already taxed too much without having to bare the cost of lawsuits that could have been avoided.

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Bost, Davis, Schimpf, Simon and Rutherford

Monday!  So that means, we take a tour around Facebook to see what some of the candidates and campaigns were up to as they meet voters and connect with residents.

First up, Congressional candidate Mike Bost took the Ice Bucket Challenge.  That's fine and good, but the most important part is that they filmed it in landscape mode. Landscape mode, people.  See how nice it looks?

Contrast that with Rodney Davis and his portrait mode video.  So glad he took the challenge, but...come on Rodney.  Portrait mode?  Srsly??

Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General Paul Schimpf continues to hit the trail hard with a stop at the Dundee Township Republican Picnic.

Illinois Comptroller candidate Sheila Simon hung out with Wrassler Jerry The King Lawler.  Really.

And....Treasurer Dan Rutherford hung out on his back deck with family and friends.

Reason #9 To Back Paul Schimpf for Illinois Attorney General

From the Paul Schimpf for Illinois AG campaign:

Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf unveiled Reason #9 of the 14 Reasons to Trust a Retired Marine in 2014 on WJPF’s Morning Newswatch with host Tom Miller in Carbondale, Illinois. Schimpf is counting down these reasons leading up to the election in November. Reason #9 to trust Paul Schimpf is that he is a prosecutor not a career politician.

As the head Marine prosecutor for the Recruit Depot and Marine Corps Western Recruiting Region, Paul Schimpf supervised other attorneys and personally litigated drug, sexual assault, and attempted murder cases. A prosecutor’s job is not to just win, but to seek justice under the law. This requires a person to be intellectually and brutally honest about the realities of case or situation. It is vital that we have an Attorney General with prosecutorial background who can objectively enforce the law especially when it relates to government corruption. Illinois needs a Marine prosecutor, not a career politician for Attorney General.

Pizza With Paul Schimpf - Candidate for Illinois Attorney General

If you're near Washington this Friday, come out and support the Paul Schimpf campaign at a pizza and ice cream fundraiser.  Let's help Paul, folks!

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Schimpf, Schneider, Anthony, Simon

Let's take a spin around Facebook walls of candidates in Illinois to see what they were up to this weekend.

First up, Illinois Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf who turned out a crew for the Columbia Daze parade.

Congressman Brad Schneider took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  (have we had enough of these yet, folks?!?)

State Representative John Anthony was out meeting voters and putting in yard signs.

Lt. Governor and Comptroller Candidate Sheila Simon took some time to officiate a marriage.

And Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford kept a low profile.  The last post on his wall was Friday when he stopped by the Old State Capitol.

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Rodney Davis, Judy Topinka, Larry Kaifesh, Paul Schimpf, Darlene Senger

We're back in the saddle here at the Illinois Truth Team and it is Monday, so that means we take some time to look around on Facebook and see what the campaigns have been up to the past few days.

Here are the highlights:

Congressman Rodney Davis walked in the the Mt. Auburn Farmer's Picnic Parade.

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka hung out with some beauties and llamas.

Congressional candidate Larry Kaifesh 'suited up' in Gilberts.  Pretty impressive.

Paul Schimpf was out in DeKalb County for their local Republican Party Pig Roast.

Congressional candidate Darlene Senger - along with a HUGE crowd - walked with the Kendall County GOP in the Montgomery Fest Parade.

And Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford went for a jog and spotted this cute deer.