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Controversial Ad Shakes Up Illinois Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Posted on
February 5, 2018
by Agree Staff
Illinois' Republican Governor Bruce Rauner wasn't expected to face a serious challenge to his re-nomination. His lone Republican primary challenger, state Rep. Jeanne Ives, trailed by 40 points in a January 2018 poll, as 68 percent of Illinois had never heard of her.

She appears to have solved her name recognition problem.

Tapping an influx of cash for a former Rauner donor, Ives released an ad painting Rauner as a traitor to conservative principles. And she did it by mocking transgender people, portraying immigrants as criminals, and injecting race into the debate over education.

Jeanne Ives' Airs Unapologetically Divisive Political Ad

"Thank You, Bruce Rauner" features actors praising Rauner for supporting liberal issues.

A man with a deep voice and wearing a dress says, "Thank you for signing legislation that lets me use the girls bathroom." Rauner has not signed a so-called "bathroom bill," but did sign a law that allows transgender people change the sex designation on birth certificates. The bill number of that law is shown on the screen.

A woman wearing a pink "p***y" hat made famous in the 2017 Women's March, says, "thank you for making all Illinois families pay for my abortions." that refers to the law Rauner signed that makes abortions covered by Medicaid.

Jeanne Ives Attacks Rauner on Abortion, Immigration and Transgender Rights

A man whose face is covered by a bandana thanks Rauner for making Illinois a "sanctuary state for illegal immigrant criminals." Rauner signed a bill that bans local officials from detaining immigrants on the basis of a federal immigration detainer, but does allow them to detain individuals who are targets of a federal criminal warrant. Rauner has argued the law does not make Illinois a sanctuary state.

And an African-American woman wearing a "Chicago Teachers Union" t-shirt thanks Rauner for "making the rest of Illinois bail out Chicago teacher pensions," seemingly playing on the resentment of rural and suburban whites for spending money on black-majority urban schools.

The head of the Illinois Republican Party has called for the ad to be pulled and demand Ives apologize, saying "There is no place in the Illinois Republican Party for rhetoric that attacks our fellow Illinoisans based on their race, gender or humanity." But the Associated Press noted "The Illinois GOP is almost entirely funded by Rauner," who is a multi-millionaire." Ives' campaign, so far, is resisting the pressure, putting out a statement saying, "Rauner is the one who owes Illinois families in general and conservatives in particular an apology."

Ives appears to be following Donald Trump's political math: controversy increases name recognition which increases votes. Her war chest is dwarfed by Rauner's, but the free media she's getting may well make this race competitive.  
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