Jan. 14--Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.
Topspin
Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth outraised Republican Sen. Mark Kirk during the last three months of the year, the second straight quarter she's done so.
In addition, Duckworth's $1.6 million in contributions from October through December was five times that of Democratic U.S. Senate primary rival Andrea Zopp, who took in $314,000 during that time.
The three candidates gave some fundraising details to the Tribune in advance of the Jan. 31 deadline for their latest campaign-finance reports.
Kirk, from Highland Park, raised just over $1 million during the last quarter and had nearly $3.8 million to start the year, his campaign said. Duckworth, from Hoffman Estates, had $3.65 million to begin 2016. And Zopp, a Chicagoan and former president of the Chicago Urban League, had $714,000 in cash on hand.
Kirk has collected more than $8.2 million since his election to the Senate in 2010, his campaign said. Duckworth, who declared her candidacy in March, has amassed more than $4.7 million in contributions since then, her campaign said.
Zopp, who announced her run in May, reported more than $1 million in overall donations as of Sept. 30, which means that Duckworth's contributions during last three months of the year were greater than what Zopp has taken in altogether.
A third Democrat seeking the party's nomination to run for Kirk's seat, State Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey, did not give the Tribune contribution information. Harris declared his candidacy to the Federal Election Commission Nov. 5.
James Marter, of Oswego, is vying against Kirk for the Republican nomination. Marter declared his candidacy to the FEC on Oct. 22.
Marter campaign manager Raquel Mitchell said Wednesday that fundraising figures were not available.
"All donations are from average, ordinary citizens," she said. "We haven't done any big-donor fundraisers yet."
Marter, 53, is CEO of a self-titled business-management software firm, Mitchell said. His prior run for elected office was an unsuccessful, write-in campaign last year for the Oswego Village Board, she said. (Katherine Skiba)
What's on tap
*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will speak at the opening of Prescient's global headquarters in Chicago.
*Gov. Bruce Rauner has two events in Springfield. The first is a meeting about criminal justice reforms, the second is an event honoring veterans.
*The Cook County Democratic Party meets downtown to decide whether to make an endorsement in the state's attorney primary. Read a preview here.
From the notebook
*Emanuel channels Truman to rip Rauner: The mayor was asked Wednesday to respond to the "litany" of criticisms Gov. Bruce Rauner has leveled at him in recent days as the two continue their public tango over education spending in Chicago Public Schools and the governor's call for the mayor to help him pass his agenda in Springfield.
Emanuel noted Rauner has been making the rounds in recent days to talk to reporters about his first year in the governor's mansion, and suggested he was attacking others because he can't follow the usual playbook of touting his own victories.
"First of all, this is the governor's one-year anniversary in office as the governor," he said. "There's a great phrase by a former chief executive in public life, Harry S Truman: The buck stops here. And on the one-year anniversary, a lot of people note what they've gotten done. I think it's a reflection on the governor that he is taking his one-year anniversary and talking about everyone else except for the one person that's accountable -- where the buck stops for the state of Illinois -- and that's him. And so my recommendation is rather than pointing fingers at everyone else and talking about their work, he should take the time to talk about his work and the accomplishments, or the lack thereof, that would reflect the one year of his tenure." (John Byrne)
*Preckwinkle piles on Rauner too: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined Emanuel in accusing Rauner of holding the state budget "hostage" to his pro-business, union-weakening economic plan.
"He has this agenda that has nothing to do with the budget, and so he's holding the budget of the state of Illinois hostage over his business-turnaround agenda," Preckwinkle said after the County Board meeting. "It's all because he's insisting on this turnaround agenda before he will do anything with anybody, including help the people who he has asked for help, like me."
Preckwinkle said Rauner refused to back her effort to make changes to the county pension system to save taxpayers money if she didn't back his agenda. As a result, she's "disappointed" in the governor and hasn't had a substantive conversation with him in six months or so, she said.
Her comments came after she highlighted shortfalls in the county budget resulting from the state budget stalemate. Last year, the county fell $69.5 million short because it wasn't getting state money due for several programs. By the end of this year, it will be another $228 million in the hole, she said.
The money goes for programs that keep people from returning to jail, provide vision screenings to children, manage infectious diseases, among others, she said.
"We've continued to support these programs with our own funds, but ultimately this will have an impact on our cash flow and we won't be able to do it any longer," she said. "These are decisions we should not have to make, because the state does not have its fiscal house in order." (Hal Dardick)
*Preckwinkle joins special prosecutor chorus: The County Board president added her name to the list of people suggesting the appointment of an outside prosecutor in the murder case against the police officer who shot Laquan McDonald.
Preckwinkle said that if asked, she would "encourage" the judge in the case to name a special prosecutor. Currently, it's being handle by State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, with whom Preckwinkle has long been at odds over issues of criminal justice.
Preckwinkle is backing her former chief of staff, Kim Foxx, in the March Democratic primary over Alvarez and challenger Donna More. During the campaign, Alvarez has defended her handling of the case and contended no special prosecutor is needed.
"The incumbent in the job ought to do the job, and that would solve a lot of these problems, but I think there is some concern that there is an inherent conflict between the state's attorney pursuing these cases, given the fact that the state's attorney has to work on a regular basis with the Police Department," Preckwinkle said. "So cases of alleged police abuse are problematic for the state's attorney."
Preckwinkle made the comment after the County Board voted Wednesday to call for a special prosecutor in the case over the objections of Alvarez. (Hal Dardick)
*Illinois Senate out with a quickness: The Senate gaveled in and out after less than two hours of work Wednesday, a likely prediction for what's to come during the spring session in which there's little impetus to reach a budget deal.
However, lawmakers did take time to honor Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat who marked his 25th year in office. Cullerton, in turn, took to the microphone to note the departure of his spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon, who is leaving state government to start a consulting firm.
"She's the one who says the things I need to say, but says them better than I do," said Cullerton, who is known for his sarcastic sense of humor that can sometimes get him in trouble.
Still, most of the activity at the Capitol unfolded during a flurry of news conferences. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, revived his push for automatic voter registration for those who get a state drivers' license. Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey, who also is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, proposed a constitutional amendment to allow voters to recall all elected officials.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats joined SEIU Healthcare Illinois to highlight problems caused by the budget impasse and suggest ways to bring in more money, including decriminalizing recreational marijuana.
But the main back and forth focused on restoring funding for college scholarships for low-income students, known as MAP grants, which have been on hold during the budget stalemate.
While most colleges covered the cost of the grants during the fall semester, fewer have been able to do so this semester.
Sen. Pat McGuire, a Joliet Democrat who chairs the higher education committee, said that's translated to 1,200 students dropping classes this semester at Chicago City Colleges alone. On average, qualifying students received about $2,782 in grants per semester. He wants to release $168 million to help cover the costs, an idea Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's office pushed back against.
In a memo to lawmakers from Richard Goldberg, Rauner's deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs, the administration questioned spending at universities, saying tuition continues to rise but there's no way to determine how "fiscally responsible" schools have been.
As such, Goldberg said schools should find ways to cut spending and waste in order to free up dollars for the scholarships.
"As you know, appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars in General Revenue funds for MAP or general higher education without finding offsets -- whether in the form of spending reductions or cost-saving reforms -- could trigger a cash flow crisis in Illinois," Goldberg wrote. (Celeste Bott and Monique Garcia)
*AFL-CIO for Duckworth, other endorsements: The Illinois AFL-CIO, the umbrella organization for organized labor in the state, has issued its Democratic primary endorsements, including backing Duckworth for the U.S. Senate nomination.
The AFL-CIO did not endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary to succeed Duckworth in the northwest and west suburban 8th Congressional District.
But in a closely watched state legislative race, the AFL-CIO backed Democratic primary challenger Juliana Stratton in Chicago's 5th House District over state Rep. Ken Dunkin. Recent votes by Dunkin angered public employees' unions.
The labor organization also endorsed in one central Illinois Republican primary. The AFL-CIO backed Republican state Sen. Sam McCann of Plainview. McCann has been supportive of unions despite Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's push to weaken union power. McCann is being challenged by a candidate supportive of Rauner, Bryce Benton of Springfield. (Rick Pearson)
*Steny for Raja: Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House Democratic whip, has endorsed Schaumburg businessman Raja Krishnamoorthi's bid for the Democratic nomination in the 8th Congressional District.
Hoyer now joins House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in backing Krishnamoorthi over March 15 primary rivals state Sen. Mike Noland of Elgin and Villa Park Village President Deb Bullwinkel.
"Drawing on his deep experience in the public and private sector, I am confident that Raja will work tirelessly to create and protect American jobs, defend a woman's right to choose, and strengthen America's gun laws," Hoyer said in a statement.
Krishnamoorthi, Noland and Bullwinkel are vying for the open-seat nomination left vacant when current U.S. Rep. Duckworth opted to seek the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. (Rick Pearson)
*LeGrier remembered: The life of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier, who along with a 55-year-old neighbor, was fatally shot last month by a Chicago police officer, was honored Wednesday by the County Board. Antonio LeGrier, the young man's father, thanked the board and urged people not to let the "tragic episode ... be grounds to use hatred to strike out," as he stood alongside Preckwinkle. (Hal Dardick)
*Council honors Maldonado's wife: Aldermen spent nearly an hour at the beginning of the City Council meeting Wednesday paying tribute to Nancy Maldonado, the wife of Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th. She died of cancer last month. Maldonado and family members looked on from a box in council chambers as the mayor and aldermen talked about Nancy Maldonado's work in the community and then stood for a rising vote to show their support for him. (John Byrne)
What we're writing
*Foxx backers say they have votes to win county party endorsement.
*Some African-American ministers plan boycott of Emanuel MLK breakfast.
*Defense attorney at red-light camera bribery trial gives lesson in Chicago Way.
*Chicago City Council ain't ready for reform, at least for a day.
*City drops opposition to release of another police shooting video.
*Cook County Board approves $6 million settlement for family of teen hit by car in police chase.
*DCFS left millions of federal dollars unclaimed.
*State pension crisis hurt Chicago's chances of getting GE headquarters.
Follow the money
*Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash
