WGN Radio 720 - Chicago's Very Own

Illinois governor's race is also battle among billionaires

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 08:16 AM PDT

WAUCONDA, Ill. (AP) — The race to be Illinois' next governor is also a battle among billionaires, including two whose names won't appear on Tuesday's primary ballot.

Republican candidates Darren Bailey, who as a state lawmaker fought pandemic measures such as mask mandates, and former prosecutor Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Chicago's largest suburb, each has a benefactor who has pushed a different vision for the GOP and put their money behind it.

Billionaire businessmen Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein — among the country's biggest Republican donors — have combined to pour more than $60 million into the race. Griffin backs Irvin and Uihlein supports Bailey.

Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, meanwhile, along with the Democratic Governors Association, has spent millions trying to ensure Irvin, an Army veteran and Aurora mayor, isn't the GOP nominee.

The money has funded a monthslong barrage of ads that have attacked Irvin and propped up Bailey, the opponent Pritzker would rather face in November. The ads note Bailey's strident far-right positions, including being "100% pro-life," and his allegiance to former President Donald Trump — qualities that may help Bailey in a Republican primary but would be a liability for a general election in a state Trump twice lost by double digits. Trump endorsed him at a rally Saturday night in Mendon.

Although rich men in politics certainly aren't rare, there may never have been a battle of the billions to match this one in a state election, particularly in a primary. It's left Irvin, once considered the front-runner, scrambling to convince GOP primary voters that he's the only one who can beat Pritzker.

"J.B. Pritzker is telling you that every time he takes out an ad. He's telling you that 'This is the guy I'm the most most afraid of,'" Irvin said during a stop at an Illinois manufacturing plant.

Irvin's downfall may be a record that is considerably more moderate than that of his GOP rivals. Unlike Bailey and the four other men in the race, Irvin avoids saying if he voted for Trump or talking much about issues such as abortion, focusing instead on steps he would take to reduce crime and taxes. He has been criticized for saying "Black Lives Matter" during protests over police brutality that turned destructive in his hometown, then filming a TV ad where he said "All Lives Matter."

Bailey has built a reputation during three years in the Legislature as an uncompromising conservative unafraid to take people on.

"People say J.B. Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he believes that I'm the easiest opponent to beat," Bailey said during a campaign stop at a restaurant. "Well, I've got news for J.B. Pritzker: Be careful what you wish for because it's coming. Friends, we're going to win on Nov. 8."

Bailey, a farmer from rural Xenia, jumped onto the statewide scene in summer 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued to slow transmission of the virus. Bailey was seen by supporters as a maverick when he was escorted from the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask in defiance of Democratic leaders. His backers like that he speaks often of his faith. Bailey, who speaks with a prairie twang, ends his nearly daily online video messages with prayer.

"He's a godly man. He isn't afraid to put his faith out there," said supporter Ruth Bast, 63, of Springfield.

The three billionaires — Pritzker, Griffin and Uihlein — have a long history of clashing politically in Illinois and elsewhere.

Griffin, the founder and CEO of hedge fund company Citadel, has been a vocal critic of Pritzker's administration, particularly over the issue of crime in Chicago. In addition to the $50 million he gave Irvin this cycle, he also spent millions to help get former Gov. Bruce Rauner elected in 2014 and on Rauner's loss to Pritzker in 2018. He bankrolled a successful campaign to block Pritzker and other Democrats from changing Illinois' tax structure to levy more on the highest earners.

In 2020, Griffin gave $37 million to the GOP's Senate campaign arm, making him the PAC's second-largest individual donor, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending.

Asked at a forum last year if he would support Trump should he run for president in 2024, Griffin replied, "I think it's time for America to move on," adding that Trump had been "pointlessly divisive."

In a statement to The Associated Press, Griffin criticized Pritzker for "interfering" in the GOP primary, saying "spending tens of millions of dollars in cahoots with his cronies attacking the most successful Black political leader in Illinois is despicable." Pritzker has defended his actions, saying an ad attacking Irvin is "telling the truth."

Uihlein, a founder of the office supply company Uline Inc., is a major Trump supporter who has a long record of donating to far-right candidates and groups. That includes PACs and people strongly opposed to abortion, and the House Freedom Fund, which backs the most conservative candidates and strongest Trump backers.

The other candidates seeking the GOP nomination are businessman Gary Rabine, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon. Pritzker's only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles.

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O'Connor reported from Athens, Illinois.

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

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Risk assessment and how to limit your losses

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 05:00 AM PDT

WGN Radio's Ilyce Glink and Tom Fortino from Alpha Wealth Group give you the latest financial business news and financial planning advice and more!

The Fed continues to raise interest rates as it tries to control inflation while earlier this week, the Dow was exactly where it was a year ago. To top things off, the NASDAQ is down around 30 percent making it a lot to lose before retirement. Ilyce and Tom talk about the risk assessment that you should do and how that can help limit – or stop – some of the losses.

If you'd like to get involved with the show, call 630-934-1855. A member of Tom Fortino's group will get back to you.

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Home Sweet Home Chicago (06/25/22) Wendy Snyder fills in for David Hochberg, with MegaPros Joe, Tom Jahnke of Builder Supply Outlet, Kari Kohler of The Kohler Group, Dave Schlueter with Schlueter Law Offices, and Roy Spencer with Perma-Seal Basement Systems

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 12:06 PM PDT

We started off this week's show by chatting with Founder and President of Perma-Seal Basement System's Roy Spencer to talk about concrete raising and leveling. Next, The Kohler Group at Coldwell Banker's Kari Kohler joined the show to talk about why buyers should talk to their lender to learn if an ARM is right for them. Then, President of Builder Supply Outlet Tom Jahnke talks about free-standing bathtubs that they offer. Up next, Real Estate Tax Attorney Dave Schlueter with the Law Offices of Dave Schlueter Ltd. to talk about why it is important to get permits before doing work on your house. And obviously, throughout the show, listeners call in asking their questions and getting the information they need for the best outcome!

Dogs can be the best therapists and Steve Dale's new kitten can be seen on TikTok

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 04:18 AM PDT

Confirming that dogs can be the best therapists, a conversation with Pam Osbourne of Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy about her book A Dog Takes a Bite Out of Alzheimer's: Connections: Animal Assisted Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

According to the Internet, Curly Howard of the Three Stooges saved thousands of dogs his lifetime. Bradley Server, Curly's Grandson, talks about Curly's unconditional love for dogs and how that all came about.

Our newest family member is a kitten that you can now find on TikTok @Groucho_thefunnycat

Inside the life of the greatest clay target shooter

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 03:00 AM PDT

Meet one of the greatest clay target shooters in the world, learn about his passions and his new book on becoming a better shot.

Trump endorses Darren Bailey, Mary Miller in Illinois

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 07:32 PM PDT

Former President Donald Trump spoke at a rally downstate in Mendon Saturday.

During the event, Trump endorsed Mary Miller for the Republican primary in Illinois' 15th congressional district.

Miller is running against U.S. representative Rodney Davis.

And for the first time publicly, Trump endorsed Republican Darren Bailey for governor of Illinois.

Bailey met with Trump last year and has campaigned strongly on his trump loyalty.

Trump also discussed supreme court's overturn of Roe v Wade.

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1 killed, 1 critical after shooting at WeatherTech in Bolingbrook; Person in custody

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 08:40 AM PDT

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. – One person was killed and two others injure Saturday at the WeatherTech warehouse in Bolingbrook, police said.

A person is in custody.

Police said officers responded to the building at 1 Weathertech Way and Remington Boulevard around 6:30 a.m.

Police said a person has died as a result of the shooting. A second person is in critical condition. A third person was treated and released at the hospital.

Police said a person was taken to custody around 9:30 a.m.

No other information has been provided at this time.

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Police: 5-month-old girl in car fatally shot in Chicago

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 08:41 AM PDT

CHICAGO (AP) — A 5-month-old girl was shot to death while in the rear of a car in a neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.

The infant, who was identified as Cecilia Thomas, was struck in the head Friday evening when shots were fired from another vehicle in the South Shore neighborhood, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Cecilia was taken to a hospital where she later died.

A 41-year-old man in another vehicle was in good condition at a hospital after suffering a gunshot wound near his eye, Chicago police said.

No arrests have been made, and authorities have provided no details on what led to the shooting or how it happened. Police said Saturday that they did not have any updates.

The baby is among the youngest victims of gun violence in Chicago. She would have turned 6-months-old in four days, according to Natalia Derevyanny, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

As of June 19, the Chicago Police Department had recorded 282 homicides so far this year, down from the 316 recorded during the same period in 2021. Like many other cities in the U.S., Chicago reported a dramatic increase in homicides last year. The 797 homicides in the nation's third-largest city in 2021 — Chicago's highest toll for any year in a quarter century — eclipsed Los Angeles' tally by 400 and the total in New York by nearly 300.

Crisis responder Andrew Holmes, who spoke with Cecilia's mother, expressed anger at the shooter, saying, "you shouldn't sleep at night" and urged the person to turn themselves in.

"You just took this baby's life. This baby was an infant, this baby didn't do nothing to you," he said.

Activist Ja'Mal Green was offering a $5,000 reward for information about the shooting.

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Planned Parenthood of Illinois on SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade: 'It is unfair and outrageous'

Posted: 24 Jun 2022 02:26 PM PDT

Brigid Leahy, Vice President of Public Policy at Planned Parenthood of Illinois, joins Dean Richards (filling-in for Lisa Dent) on Chicago's Afternoon News to explain why the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade is the wrong choice, and why the ruling is a setback for women's reproductive rights across the country.

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IL Right to Life reaction to SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade: 'We're overjoyed the court took a bold step'

Posted: 24 Jun 2022 02:58 PM PDT

Amy Gehrke, the executive director of Illinois Right to Life joins Dean Richards (filling-in for Lisa Dent) on Chicago's Afternoon News to explain why the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was the correct decision, and protects women and unborn babies.

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