Welp. We Guess Pat Quinn's "Vaunted" Digital Team Is Fooling Themselves

If you read the Sun-Times last month, you might have checked out the profile of the 'whiz kids' running Governor Pat Quinn's digital operation.  There's an interesting nugget in there about retargeting and how Quinn's team is taking a 'different' approach.

Hass points to the number of Rauner ads online, driven by cookies that follow people on the Web who may have visited a Rauner site.

From Hass’ point of view, it’s a wasteful tactic. 

“Me personally, I’ve been inundated with Bruce Rauner ads for at least about a month now. I suspect if they keep up that pace they’ll end up spending hundreds of dollars advertising to me between now and Election Day,” Hass said. The problem with that: “I’m not one of their voters.” 

Hass said the Quinn camp’s approach is more targeted. For instance, early on, the campaign connected with people who supported an increase to the minimum wage. After identifying those people, they recruited volunteers, and worked to expand their field campaign or social media presence. He also has learned it’s up to the campaign to educate voters who are looking up information on a candidate online.

Wasteful?

Well...a tipster sent us this screenshot of what they saw right here on the Truth Team...

What do you know....it was a Pat Quinn for Illinois Governor 300x250 display ad!?!

Which...was likely the result of retargeting or contextual targeting...

 So...if this isn't 'wasteful', then these guys really think that someone who reads the Truth Team is 'one of their voters'?!?

Our reaction to their boast:

Exclusive: Bill Clinton Weighs In On Illinois Governor's Race

In response to the latest news in the Sun-Times on the race between Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and challenger Bruce Rauner, President Bill Clinton has joined his fellow national Democrats like First Lady Michelle Obama in weighing in on the Illinois Governor's race.

We were on hand to capture President Clinton's comments:

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.  

Governor Pat Quinn's Handling of Subpoena's Just "Stinks"

Dave McKinney at the Sun-Times gets to the heart of the matter on Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's handling of the release of subpoena documents related to the scandal-plagued NRI program and calls in an 'expert' to say what Jay Sherman would say about Pat Quinn's administration:  It stinks.

Despite having a new criminal subpoena in hand, Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration dragged its feet in releasing the politically-sensitive public document — a delay one expert called a gaming of the state open-records laws that “stinks.”

On Tuesday, the governor’s office finally released the federal grand jury subpoena dated Aug. 27 that sought records related to Quinn’s failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative anti-violence program, but it did so only selectively.

NRCC Chair Greg Walden - @votegregwalden - In Town to Support Candidates

Lynn Sweet at the Sun-Times is reporting that in addition to naming Darlene Senger and other Illinois Republican candidates to the NRCC 'Young Guns' Program, Greg Walden, the Chair of the NRCC is coming to town to demonstrate the national support of a handful of candidates here in Illinois.

From the S-T:

Greg Walden, R-Oregon, the chair of the House GOP political operation — the National Republican Campaign Committee --is traveling around Illinois on Thursday and Friday to fundraise and stump with five GOP House candidates in tight races. 

"This is a battleground state for us again this cycle and we will continue to put a focus on ensuring victories in Illinois this November," NRCC spokesman Katie Prill told me.

You can check out the full schedule of events they have planned including one with each of:  Bob Dold, Darlene Senger, Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, and Bobby Schilling.  

Sun-Times: "Rutherford’s Reasoning on Withholding Report Doesn’t Hold Water"

Photo from Robert Feder's column on political reporting

Natasha Koreki - who 'Expert Chicago Media Watcher' Robert Feder pointed to as a key asset for the Sun-Times in a story this week about the expansion of political coverage in the mainstream media - is really putting the screws to Governor's Candidate Dan Rutherford.

Rutherford’s reasoning on withholding report doesn’t hold water http://t.co/SR2uAMqSnT via @suntimes #TWILL
— natasha korecki (@natashakorecki) February 14, 2014

She's been all over this Rutherford story (and the entire 2014 campaign like nobody else at the Sun-Times) from day one.   And, unfortunately for the Rutherford campaign, the political beat she's currently on isn't her first assignment.

What did she cover before state government and politics?  Federal Court for 8 years.  She knows what happens in terms of press conferences and federal litigants.  Good for her.  Not great for the campaign, we're thinking...

From her piece where she's doing her job as a journalist and not letting the campaign, nor the attorney off the hook easily:

Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s reason for not releasing a taxpayer-funded report looking into sexual harassment allegations just doesn’t track. 

“There is a federal lawsuit that has been filed — under federal rules, we are not supposed to be talking to the whole world about the case — we are supposed to be talking about it in the courtroom,” Rutherford attorney Peter Andjelkovich told me last night. 

I told him I’ve covered federal court for more than eight years — and watched litigants routinely hold press conferences on their cases. 

“Then you’re familiar with federal rules?” he asked, following up that federal judges may slap a gag order on parties in a case for talking. 

You mean like Rod Blagojevich? He talked and talked for years before his trial. 

We aren’t even that far along in the Rutherford case yet.