McHenry County Blog

Here’s the good-natured reaction of Bill Gentes, who lost the 26th state senate district race to Dan Duffy:

Ouch!
As you may or may not heard, I lost the election last night quite soundly! I ended up with 39% of the vote, which was surprising however its nearly the exact same result as 4 years ago when this seat was last contested so maybe I should not be that surprised.

I was gratified to see that I carried the Round Lake area precincts quite handily with roughly 57% of the vote, so it does take away some of the sting, that the people who know me best, thought that much of me!

Over the months on this campaign I have met and befriended so many wonderful people who have supported me and been there for me when I needed it, that I am truly richer for the experience!

Thanks to all of you!

Bill

This was a major loss for the pro-abortion Personal PAC.

Here’s the good-natured reaction of Bill Gentes, who lost the 26th state senate district race to Dan Duffy:

Ouch!
As you may or may not heard, I lost the election last night quite soundly! I ended up with 39% of the vote, which was surprising however its nearly the exact same result as 4 years ago when this seat was last contested so maybe I should not be that surprised.

I was gratified to see that I carried the Round Lake area precincts quite handily with roughly 57% of the vote, so it does take away some of the sting, that the people who know me best, thought that much of me!

Over the months on this campaign I have met and befriended so many wonderful people who have supported me and been there for me when I needed it, that I am truly richer for the experience!

Thanks to all of you!

Bill

This was a major loss for the pro-abortion Personal PAC.

Previously, I have written earlier about pro-abortion (and they really are pro-abortion) Personal PAC’s attack on Dan Duffy.

Besides the completely false “Woman in Jail” piece you can see in the above link, I have copies of two other mailings (click to enlarge). (I’ve missed two others.)

First there is the “Back Alley Stairs” Piece. You can see it below:

Another Personal PAC attack piece can be seen below. They would call is the “Kiss or Tell” piece. Since it came just before Halloween and has “scary” writing, that’s how I labeled it.

And Sunday night, while I was getting a positive, if misdirected (because I do not live in the 26th state senate district) robo-call from Gentes, Personal PAC was making calls, too. Only they were probably limited to the 26th District.

Personal PAC pieced together recordings of Duffy’s voice and interspersed Duffy’s comments with those of another person to damage Duffy still more.

Duffy says the only part of the message that was true was the tag line identifying Personal PAC as having made the phone call.

At $45,243.31, Personal PAC is Gentes’ largest contributor outside of Senate President hopeful John Cullerton, who gave $50,000. Contributions started last January and the reported ones go up to last Friday. I assume there will be more reported later. From in-kind contributions which have already been reported, I would not be surprised to see another mailing hit today.

Personal PAC is using its intensive voter identification of women who self-identify themselves as pro-choice and not “pro-choice” to tell “pro-choice” voters that Duffy is pro-life and “not pro-choice” voters that he is pro-choice.

It is an elegant and competently carried out campaign strategy that, in different permentations has worked since 1992, although it often has taken more than one election cycle to pick off an incumbent. (Personal PAC had to do it three times to beat me in 2000.)

You can imagine the confusion among the electorate.

And, a confused electorate is a volatile one.

Duffy is so angry that he is pledging to sue Personal PAC and its director, Terry Cosgrove, regardless of how the election turns out.

Previously, I have written earlier about pro-abortion (and they really are pro-abortion) Personal PAC’s attack on Dan Duffy.

Besides the completely false “Woman in Jail” piece you can see in the above link, I have copies of two other mailings (click to enlarge). (I’ve missed two others.)

First there is the “Back Alley Stairs” Piece. You can see it below:

Another Personal PAC attack piece can be seen below. They would call is the “Kiss or Tell” piece. Since it came just before Halloween and has “scary” writing, that’s how I labeled it.

And Sunday night, while I was getting a positive, if misdirected (because I do not live in the 26th state senate district) robo-call from Gentes, Personal PAC was making calls, too. Only they were probably limited to the 26th District.

Personal PAC pieced together recordings of Duffy’s voice and interspersed Duffy’s comments with those of another person to damage Duffy still more.

Duffy says the only part of the message that was true was the tag line identifying Personal PAC as having made the phone call.

At $45,243.31, Personal PAC is Gentes’ largest contributor outside of Senate President hopeful John Cullerton, who gave $50,000. Contributions started last January and the reported ones go up to last Friday. I assume there will be more reported later. From in-kind contributions which have already been reported, I would not be surprised to see another mailing hit today.

Personal PAC is using its intensive voter identification of women who self-identify themselves as pro-choice and not “pro-choice” to tell “pro-choice” voters that Duffy is pro-life and “not pro-choice” voters that he is pro-choice.

It is an elegant and competently carried out campaign strategy that, in different permentations has worked since 1992, although it often has taken more than one election cycle to pick off an incumbent. (Personal PAC had to do it three times to beat me in 2000.)

You can imagine the confusion among the electorate.

And, a confused electorate is a volatile one.

Duffy is so angry that he is pledging to sue Personal PAC and its director, Terry Cosgrove, regardless of how the election turns out.

Last week I suggested that newspaper endorsements were losing their influence.

There was an exception to my conclusion.

That exception was in cases when the candidate had enough money to merchandise them.

26th District state senate candidate Dan Duffy obviously has enough money to do wo.

Below is his large postcard endorsement mailing. The address side is on top.

Bill Gentes is Duffy’s Democratic opponent for the seat left open by State Senator Bill Peterson.

Last week I suggested that newspaper endorsements were losing their influence.

There was an exception to my conclusion.

That exception was in cases when the candidate had enough money to merchandise them.

26th District state senate candidate Dan Duffy obviously has enough money to do wo.

Below is his large postcard endorsement mailing. The address side is on top.

Bill Gentes is Duffy’s Democratic opponent for the seat left open by State Senator Bill Peterson.

Just got an email from 26th state senate district candidate Bill Gentes’ campaign.

His people are urging potential constituents to take Democratic Party literature to hand out in the neighborhood while they go trick or treating with their children.

Excellent idea, I would say.

I’ll bet Republicans could do it, too.

Gentes and Republican Dan Duffy are facing off for the privilege of replacing Bill Peterson in the eastern McHenry, western Lake and northwestern Cook County district.

Just got an email from 26th state senate district candidate Bill Gentes’ campaign.

His people are urging potential constituents to take Democratic Party literature to hand out in the neighborhood while they go trick or treating with their children.

Excellent idea, I would say.

I’ll bet Republicans could do it, too.

Gentes and Republican Dan Duffy are facing off for the privilege of replacing Bill Peterson in the eastern McHenry, western Lake and northwestern Cook County district.

Endorsements by newspapers don’t mean a whole lot.

They never did by themselves.

They were obtained value when reprinted and redistributed.

But now with fewer and fewer people reading a paper version and the Tribune’s editorial page being hidden not at the back of the first section, but Thursday at the back of the second section, even those who subscribe have a hard time finding the editorial page.

And, for those reading newspapers on the internet, the editorial page probably is not a primary goal for readers.

But, when I found the Tribune’s editorial page yesterday, there were Chicago-area state senate endorsements.

The only one of interest locally was in the hotly-contested 26th state senate district. The 26th has 18% of McHenry County voters. They are located north of Crystal Lake running into part of McHenry and points east into Lake and Cook Counties.

The Chicago Tribune endorse Republican Dan Duffy over Democrat Bill Gentes.

Here’s the editorial board’s reasoning:

“…Duffy is a smart, solid guy who has excellent real-world experience. He is troubled by the state’s anti-business climate and wants to hold the line on taxes. Gentes has been a successful mayor, but he’s given voters a reason not to trust him. He said he was on a leave of absence from his job—but later admitted he had been fired. Duffy is endorsed.”

This endorsement means something because Duffy has the money to spread it around to prospective constituents.

And money he got aplenty from the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee:

• $49,268 as an out and out contribution
• $23,515 for Targeted Creative Communications, Inc.
• $11,022 for media production
• $4,500 for a poll
• $3,366 for phone calling

$5,000 also came from Health Care Council of Illinois Political(Action Committee, I guess), $3,000 from the Manufacturers Political Action Committee, $1,000 from Libertyville’s Aldridge Electric Inc., the Underground Contractors Association and utility Ameren with a Springfield address.

Meanwhile, Bill Gentes reported $1,541.31 being received for salary of staffer Bryan Johnson, out of Springfield, $5,000 from Illinois PAC for Education (PACE) and $500 from the Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Political Action Fund.

Endorsements by newspapers don’t mean a whole lot.

They never did by themselves.

They were obtained value when reprinted and redistributed.

But now with fewer and fewer people reading a paper version and the Tribune’s editorial page being hidden not at the back of the first section, but Thursday at the back of the second section, even those who subscribe have a hard time finding the editorial page.

And, for those reading newspapers on the internet, the editorial page probably is not a primary goal for readers.

But, when I found the Tribune’s editorial page yesterday, there were Chicago-area state senate endorsements.

The only one of interest locally was in the hotly-contested 26th state senate district. The 26th has 18% of McHenry County voters. They are located north of Crystal Lake running into part of McHenry and points east into Lake and Cook Counties.

The Chicago Tribune endorse Republican Dan Duffy over Democrat Bill Gentes.

Here’s the editorial board’s reasoning:

“…Duffy is a smart, solid guy who has excellent real-world experience. He is troubled by the state’s anti-business climate and wants to hold the line on taxes. Gentes has been a successful mayor, but he’s given voters a reason not to trust him. He said he was on a leave of absence from his job—but later admitted he had been fired. Duffy is endorsed.”

This endorsement means something because Duffy has the money to spread it around to prospective constituents.

And money he got aplenty from the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee:

• $49,268 as an out and out contribution
• $23,515 for Targeted Creative Communications, Inc.
• $11,022 for media production
• $4,500 for a poll
• $3,366 for phone calling

$5,000 also came from Health Care Council of Illinois Political(Action Committee, I guess), $3,000 from the Manufacturers Political Action Committee, $1,000 from Libertyville’s Aldridge Electric Inc., the Underground Contractors Association and utility Ameren with a Springfield address.

Meanwhile, Bill Gentes reported $1,541.31 being received for salary of staffer Bryan Johnson, out of Springfield, $5,000 from Illinois PAC for Education (PACE) and $500 from the Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Political Action Fund.