Candidate Facebook Weekend: Schock, Bost, Cross, Topinka, Demmer, Dold, Kirk, Roskam, Mendoza, Rauner, Senger

This is the last weekend recap before tomorrow's General Election here in Illinois.  Let's take a spin around Facebook to see what the candidates were up to in the home stretch!

Congressman Aaron Schock joined Bruce and Diana Rauner and Lt. Governor candidate Evelyn Sanguinetti at a rally downstate.

Congressional candidate Mike Bost spent the weekend contacting voter door-to-door.

Treasurer candidate Tom Cross and Comptroller candidate Judy Baar Topinka joined forces for a tour of the state including a stop in Rockford...

Where they were joined by State Representative Tom Demmer:

Congressional candidate Bob Dold was joined by United States Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Peter Roskam in the 10th District where they helped 'get out the vote' for Dold's campaign:

Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza attended the rugby game at Soldier Field this weekend.  

Governor's candidate Bruce Rauner was joined by a big crowd at a rally in Hickory Hills:

And Congressional candidate Darlene Senger was joined by ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider at her campaign HQ where volunteers were busy hitting the phones.

Judy Topinka and Tom Cross Barnstorm Illinois In Final Days

With just one full day between now and the opening of the polling places, Tom Cross - candidate for Illinois Treasurer and Judy Baar Topinka - candidate for Illinois Comptroller hit the state at a series of meetings, events and campaign stops.

Great to see Cross and Topinka partnering up to share their message and encouraging voters to get out and vote on Tuesday!

Frerichs vs. Cross in Illinois

In just one week, voters all across Illinois will have a clear choice in the Illinois Treasurer's race.

Before you enter the polling place, you have to ask yourself:

Do you want more spending and higher taxes?  Then vote for Mike Frerichs.

Or...do you want bold leadership to clean up Illinois and work to balance the budget?

If so, cast your vote for Tom Cross for Illinois Treasurer.

The choice seems *very* clear to us.

We can't afford to elect Mike Frerichs.  Illinois needs Tom Cross as our next State Treasurer.

Mike Frerichs vs. Tom Cross for Illinois Treasurer

For Illinois Treasurer, the choice - for voters on November 4th, 2014 - is clear.

Tom Cross has a plan to stop the dishonest budget gimmicks and force the state's balanced budget requirement.

Mike Frerichs has supported billions of dollars in budget hikes and Frerichs voted with Governor Pat Quinn for the biggest 'tax increase in State of Illinois history'.

After voting to raise your taxes, Mike Frerichs failed to pay his property taxes for six years.

The Chicago Tribune endorsed Tom Cross for Treasurer.

The Chicago Tribune said this about Mike Frerichs: "Mike Frerichs does a better job of protecting state government than protecting state taxpayers."

Illinois can't afford Mike Frerichs.


Want to learn more?  Check out the detailed bio of Mike Frerichs here.

Kendall County Record Endorses Tom Cross For Treasurer

Tom Cross' campaign for Illinois State Treasurer continues to power on with his latest newspaper endorsement:  The Kendall County Record.

From the Record:

"We endorse Cross in this election based on his impressive record over the past 20 years as a state representative serving northeastern Kendall County. A Yorkville High School graduate and Oswego resident who went on to become the Republican House Minority Leader, Cross helped secure millions of dollars in state funding for a myriad of local public works projects over the past two decades. Those funds helped local school districts pay for new schools, for widened highways... Cross has also been responsive to the concerns of his constituents."

Farmers From Across Illinois To Serve on Agenda Setting Committee

Tom Cross - candidate for Illinois Treasurer announced this week the formation of his 'Agricultural Advisory Committee' that included membership from farmers around the State of Illinois.  Cross said that the committee will help set the 'Ag Agenda' for the Illinois Treasurer's office and is a big step for the Ag community around Illinois.

Cross has made accountability and balanced budgets a big part of his platform for Treasurer and his outreach to farmers - by farmers- in Illinois is a strong sign to Southern Illinois of his commitment to their communities.

To learn more about the Ag Advisory Committee or Tom Cross, visit his website at:  http://www.jointomcross.com/.

From Tom Cross' campaign site come these details:

The Cross Agricultural Advisory Committee includes:

• Chairman Philip Nelson, LaSalle County, Grain and Livestock
• Mike Martz, DeKalb County, Beef Producer
• David Uhlman, Tazewell County, Grain 
• Eldon Gould, Kane County, Grain and Livestock
• Keith Mussman, Kankakee, Egg Producer
• George Obernagel, Monroe County, Farmer
• Troy Uphoff, Shelby County, Grain and Livestock
• Kent Schleich, Fulton County, Beef and Corn
• Gary Ash, First Farm Credit
• John Slayton, US Bank of Springfield 
• Jim Schielein, Lee County, Grain
• Alan Entwistle, Sangamon County, Grain and Livestock
• Brian Duncan, Ogle County, Pork and Grain
• John Kellogg, Kendall County, Grain
• Marty Schwartz, Kendall County, Pork

Philip Nelson, Chairman of the Cross Agricultural Advisory Committee, said input from farmers and those involved in the agricultural industry is critical to good policy development. 

“Tom Cross has always worked hard on behalf of Illinois’ agricultural industry, fighting hard in Springfield for lower taxes and less regulation and red tape,” said Nelson. “Forming a Agricultural Advisory Committee reflects Tom’s commitment to work with farmers to develop good policy and achieve meaningful results for one of Illinois largest economic drivers—Agriculture.”

Tom Cross Endorsed By Kane County Chronicle In Treasurer's Race

Six newspapers have endorsed in the Illinois Treasurer's race.  And all six of them have NOW endorsed Tom Cross for Treasurer over Mike Frerichs.

The latest in the Kane County Chronicle who backs Cross and his call for a balanced budget.  They also point out - rightfully - that Mike Frerichs voted for the massive Pat Quinn income tax hike and wants to bring new taxes to Illinois residents.

From the Endorsement:

Cross, the former House Republican leader, is a fiscal conservative who voted against Gov. Pat Quinn’s 67 percent income tax increase in 2011. 

Cross said he will use the office to force the General Assembly to follow its constitutional requirement to pass a balanced budget each year, even if it means filing a lawsuit. 

Frerichs, the former Champaign County auditor, voted for the income tax increase and has supported plans to institute a graduated income tax. 

We endorse Cross.

Check out the Chicago Tribune's endorsement of Tom Cross here.
Check out the Peoria Journal Star's endorsement of Tom Cross here.
Check out the Northwest Herald's endorsement of Tom Cross here.

Tom Cross Endorsed By Chicago Tribune For Treasurer

Tom Cross - candidate for Illinois Treasurer - continues his string of endorsements from newspapers today with his fifth-straight endorsement:  The Chicago Tribune.

The Tribune picks Cross over Mike Frerichs and says that his record and experience are important assets he'll bring to the office of the Treasurer:

From the Tribune:

Treasurer Dan Rutherford ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for governor. Democratic state Sen. Mike Frerichs and Republican state Rep. Tom Cross want to succeed Rutherford as treasurer. The Tribune today endorses Cross.

Cross is a collaborative leader who has promoted more efficient government and a lower burden on taxpayers. He would bring that perspective to the treasurer's office.

... But he, more than Frerichs, could be counted on to use the office to keep the pressure on reducing state government costs.

Over the course of his career he has been a consistent fiscal conservative and he has worked in bipartisan fashion. His overall record as House minority leader was admirable. We're confident he would protect taxpayers' investments and continue to push for lean, effective government.

Another Democrat - Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow - Endorses Republican Tom Cross For Treasurer

The Illinois Treasurer's race has seen a pretty visible momentum swing towards Tom Cross and his campaign to bring integrity and balanced budgets to the office of State Treasurer this week.

First it was four newspapers endorsing him over Mike Frerichs.  (Daily Herald, Quincy Herald-Whig, Northwest Herald, and today the Peoria Journal Star)   Those are the only four papers who have endorsed candidates in the race thus far, and Cross has secured the trust of the editorial boards at every paper so far.

But, just this morning on WJOL in Joliet, (as you can see above via Tweet from @WJOL) Tom Cross made a joint appearance with Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow where Glasgow endorsed Cross' campaign.

It is interesting not just because Glasgow is a very popular public official in Will County who does a good job as prosecutor (can you say Drew Peterson?!?) , but also because he is a Democrat.

That makes three public officials - who are Democrats - to jump in with Tom Cross:  Former Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, and now Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow.

The Democrat party is abandoning Mike Frerichs and standing with Tom Cross who has worked to build bridges across parties and will work for all of Illinois as Treasurer.

Tom Cross Endorsed By Peoria Journal Star For Treasurer

The fourth newspaper in Illinois has endorsed a candidate for Illinois State Treasurer and for the fourth time, that newspaper has endorsed Tom Cross over Mike Frerichs.

A pattern is starting to develop as each endorsement pushes Tom Cross closer to victory in November.  The latest editorial board to select Tom Cross is the Peoria Journal Star and they cite Tom's ideas, experience and...frankly...how ill-prepared Mike Frerichs really is for the office:

Cross says he’d take a much more “broad-based approach” to the state’s investment options than Frerichs, who has indicated that he would favor in-state firms but divest from those “that move jobs overseas, out of Illinois.” Like Caterpillar? Frerichs says that’s not what he’s talking about. Cross says “I’m pro-Illinois, but that’s a naive approach,” with which we’d largely agree, as maximizing investment returns, for taxpayers’ sake, with reasonable risk ought to be the priority. Frerichs also has criticized the state’s “overseas” investments, when in fact it has only one — Israeli bonds — to which he now says he has no objection. 

Both candidates say they favor combining the treasurer and comptroller offices, though Frerichs has previously hedged on that score. From this perspective, there should be no hesitation about that. Finally, Frerichs touts his status as a “certified government finance officer,” though as Champaign County auditor a decade ago he backed an early retirement initiative that ended up backfiring, not producing the promised savings for taxpayers but costing them — to the tune of $2 million-plus in extra unfunded liability, which forced the county to borrow the difference. Cross has been hammering him on that, and it does give us pause.

Tom Cross Claims 3rd Newspaper Endorsement In Treasurer's Race

Just yesterday, we covered how Tom Cross was endorsed by the Quincy Herald-Whig in his race over Mike Frerichs for Illinois State Treasurer.  That was the 2nd endorsement - with the first being the Daily Herald also picking Tom Cross in the race.

Today, Tom Cross picks up his third endorsement - this time from the Northwest Herald. They cite his vote against Pat Quinn's 67% income tax increase and his focus on a balanced budget.  The endorsement can be checked out on Tom Cross' campaign site here.

The Northwest Herald also cites Mike Frerichs vote to raise your taxes and his plan to do even more damage through a graduated income tax:

With no incumbent on the Nov. 4 ballot, Republican state Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego, Democratic state Sen. Mike Frerichs of Champaign and Libertarian Matthew Skopek are vying to replace Rutherford. 

Cross, the former House Republican leader, is a fiscal conservative who voted against Gov. Pat Quinn’s 67 percent income tax increase in 2011. Cross said he will use the office to force the General Assembly to follow its constitutional requirement to pass a balanced budget each year, even if it means filing a lawsuit. 

Frerichs, the former Champaign County auditor, voted for the income tax increase and has supported plans to institute a graduated income tax. 

We endorse Cross.

Go get a yard sign from Tom Cross by visiting his action center here: http://www.jointomcross.com/yardsigns.

Tom Cross Picks Up 2nd Newspaper Endorsement In Treasurer's Race

Tom Cross' campaign for Illinois Treasurer continues to pick up momentum in the form on newspaper endorsements.  First it was the 2nd largest paper in the Chicagoland area - The Daily Herald - endorsing him over his opponent Mike Frerichs.

Now, it is the Quincy Herald-Whig stepping up and recommending Tom Cross.  And they go so far as to point out what a light-weight Mike Frerichs is in their remarks:

TWO ILLINOIS legislators and a third party candidate are vying for the office of state treasurer that will be vacated by incumbent Republican Dan Rutherford, who made an unsuccessful bid for governor. 

Former House Republican Leader Tom Cross and state Sen. Mike Frerichs have very different ideas about how to manage a constitutional office that primarily collects and invests state funds. Libertarian candidate Matthew Skopek has failed to mount any semblance of a campaign or make his plans known. 

Cross receives our endorsement, owing to his breadth of experience earned through more than two decades in the Illinois House and 10 years as minority leader, and his vision of how to add value to the treasurer's office for the citizens of Illinois. 

During a decade of Democrat control, Cross said he shared the frustration and embarrassment that many Illinoisans felt about the state's financial crisis, its backlog of unpaid bills and its worst-in-the-nation pension underfunding. 

...Frerichs has been a member of the state Senate for eight years and was previously the Champaign County auditor. He wants to conduct an audit of the treasurer's office and put an end to "cronyism and corruption" among those he supervises. 

While those may be worthy goals, audits of all state offices are conducted periodically, and as a constitutional officer, Frerichs or anyone else would have the power to safeguard against wrong-doing by those under his supervision. 

Cross is better suited to make the treasurer's office work for the people of Illinois. 

His long service as a counterweight to an overwhelming Democratic majority in the Legislature gives him the proper perspective on the importance of constitutional officers. His desire to see the state reform its finances is appropriate for the office of treasurer. 

Tom Cross is commended to voters for Illinois treasurer.

That's 2 for 2 in terms of newspaper endorsements for Tom Cross.  We're hoping his streak continues in the coming weeks.

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Bost, Kirk, Cross, Rauner, Mendoza, Schock, Senger

It is Monday and that means one thing here on the Truth Team:  A round-up of what politicians were up to this weekend as posted to their Facebook pages.  Let's get after it:

Congressional candidate Mike Bost welcomed Congressman Mike Conaway to Pinckneyville to talk about agricultural issues.

US Senator Mark Kirk hit the campaign trail to support Tom Cross for Treasurer and Bruce Rauner for Illinois Governor.  These are three guys that Republicans should be proud to be leading our party. They're focusing on the important stuff and things that we can win on:  balanced budgets and cleaning up corruption.

Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza hung out with some of her strongest supporters in the 29th Ward and drank some purple soda.  We prefer the orange Faygo, Susana!  But...glad to see her out and about working hard to get re-elected.

Congressman Aaron Schock took some time away from his #Crossfit workout to to do something super important:  honoring 'Central Illinois Gold Star Families'.  Schock has been on a military kick lately and we're impressed to see him stand so strongly in support of our armed forces.  Good on you, Congressman!

Congressional candidate Darlene Senger was out at the Plainfield Homecoming Parade and despite the 40-degree temperatures, she didn't wear any earmuffs.  (But...we got reports from some folks that other candidates at the very same parade were rockin' Mike Frerichs' favorite headgear!)

2nd Largest Chicago-Area Newspaper, Daily Herald Endorses Tom Cross for Treasurer

This is strong news for the campaign of Tom Cross in his bid to win the Treasurer's office on November 4th:  The Daily Herald - the 2nd largest daily paper in the Chicago Metropolitan area - strongly endorsed his campaign.

We believe Republican Tom Cross, 56, of Oswego is the stronger candidate, and he earns our endorsement. Cross is the former minority leader in the House and has the breadth of experience we think is important for statewide office. As we said when endorsing him in the GOP primary, we like his aggressive attitude toward making the office more vocal and involved when it comes to the state's troubled finances. Cross has vowed to hold the legislature and governor accountable in court if they do not pass a balanced budget as the state Constitution mandates. Having another statewide officer demanding accountability is a welcome approach to an office that also manages the state's investments and financial programs like the Bright Start college savings program.

Latest Poll: Tom Cross Up 11% Over Mike Frerichs In IL Treasurer's Race

The latest poll on the Illinois Treasurer's race shows that Tom Cross is extending his lead over Mike Frerichs as the race enters the final 35 days.

Taken on September 30th, the poll conducted by Communications Express asked 1200+ likely voters who they would cast their vote for in the Treasurer's race.

44.4% of voters picked Tom Cross while just 33.5% of voters selected Mike Frerichs.  This almost 11% spread is an increase over the 7% spread we documented back on September 22nd.

Also, a very important data nugget is marked above as Tom Cross is currently garnering 23% of the City of Chicago vote - which puts him above the so-called 'Victory Line' of 20% for Republican candidates in Chicago.  That 'Victory Line' shows that historically Republican candidates who can stay at or above 20% of the vote in Chicago go on to win their races.

This adds to a trend of Tom Cross growing his lead:  On September 5th, polling showed Cross was up 6% over Mike Frerichs.  And on September 22nd, that lead had grown to 7%.  Today, the data shows almost 11% spread between the two candidates.

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.  

Tom Cross Gains in Latest Poll for IL Treasurer, Dominates Independent Voters by 27%

Just earlier this month, we covered how Tom Cross is leading his opponent Mike Frerichs in polling data from around the state.  In the latest polling that was done for the Chicago Sun-Times, Cross has gained a point in growing his overall lead over Frerichs.

But he's done something even more interesting:  He's grown the gap (dare we say chasm) between his campaign and that of Mike Frerichs in the eyes of independent voters.

Back in early September, Cross garnered 46% of the independents.  Frerichs at 26%.

Today?  Cross added a few points to take 48% of the independent voters.  And Mike Frerichs dropped to just 21%.

A gap of 20% is now almost 27%.  I'd say that's 'trending in the right direction'.  Wouldn't you?!?

Former Democrat Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias Endorses Tom Cross for Treasurer

Over the weekend, Tom Cross and his campaign picked up some good news and strong momentum heading into the final 40+ days of the campaign.  First...some 3rd party polling came out - and we'll cover that in a different poll.

But, the bigger news is that Democrats continue to abandon Cross' opponent Democrat Mike Frerichs. Giannoulias is the second high profile Democrat to jump ship from the sinking Frerichs' ship in the past week.

Alexi told Rick Pearson on Sunday Spin on WGN Radio.  From the Chicago Tribune:

Former Democratic state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias on Sunday endorsed Republican Tom Cross over Democrat Mike Frerichs for the job of managing Illinois’ money. 

“While I’m not in politics anymore, and who I’m friends with and who I think would be a good leader is probably not important to a lot of people, I do appreciate the fact that Tom Cross has done his homework on the office of treasurer,” said Giannoulias, a senior director at BNY Mellon Wealth Management and chairman of the Illinois Community College Board.

Appearing on WGN radio, Giannoulias said Cross “understands the role (of treasurer) and when we talk about people willing to break with their party and do what’s right, I think he represents one of those people.”

Has to be devastating to Mike Frerichs to see the past Democrat State Treasurer join forces with the Republican.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner (A Democrat) Endorses Tom Cross For Treasurer

In what should be seen as a strong signal from the Illinois Democrats, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner - a Democrat - has endorsed Tom Cross - a Republican - for Illinois State Treasurer.  He's the first public Democrat official to distance himself from Tax Hike Mike Frerichs.  But...he won't be the last!

Aurora is the second largest city in the State of Illinois.  From the Sun-Times:

The former top House Republican, state Rep. Tom Cross, has picked up a key Fox Valley endorsement from the other side of the partisan divide in his bid for state treasurer. 

Three-term Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, a 2012 delegate for President Barack Obama and a donor to Gov. Pat Quinn, has endorsed Cross in his campaign against state Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign. 

“I’m a fiscal conservative. I think Tom is also. I’ve known him for a number of years. He’s always been trustworthy as far as my experience went. I think he’s a down-to-earth individual, serious about public service, and will certainly do well,” Weisner told Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times political portal. 

Weisner praised Cross for helping Aurora, the state’s second largest city, secure state funding to help stabilize the historic Grand Army of the Republic Hall, which had shown signs of settlement. The two also have paired up to work on school and transportation-related projects.

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.