Attack ad, poll shift, six-figure donations bring heated Foxx-O’Brien state’s attorney battle to a boil

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | October 20, 2020 | Rachel Hinton

[PBRCat]

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is ramping up her attacks on her Republican challenger just as a new poll shows the Democratic incumbent losing ground.

Foxx also reported a fundraising boost from a couple of top Democratic donors.

The incumbent argues that O’Brien is “pure Trump." Republicans say O’Brien’s rise in the polls shows voters are deciding what’s wrong for voters are “the disastrous policies of Kim Foxx.”

Foxx’s 30-second ad describes O’Brien and President Donald Trump as “angry” Republicans who want to “‘lock em up’ regardless of evidence.”

Foxx has gone after O’Brien previously for his role as prosecutor in the case against four men for the 1986 murder of medical student Lori Roscetti. The four were later cleared on the basis of DNA evidence.

The former judge has defended his decisions, given the evidence available, which included “two court reported confessions” and “third party admissions” the men allegedly made to others.

O’Brien spokesman Brad Goodman said “the only person in this campaign who participates in smears is Kim Foxx in an attempt to deceive voters from her record of failure.”

“Under Kim Foxx, violent crimes are up, and convictions for violent crimes are down. Voters are looking forward to the future, not a 32-year-old case, overturned by DNA testing that wasn’t even available at the time. Foxx’s only move is to politicize this case. Unlike Kim Foxx, Pat will be a prosecutor that Cook County residents will be proud of, not a state’s attorney who engages in lies and deception.”

Foxx was leading O’Brien, 47.1% to 40.6% with 9.8% still undecided in the poll.

“Law-abiding residents have had enough of rioting, looting, violent crime, murdered children and general lawlessness that has raged on across Chicago and Cook County under the disastrous policies of Kim Foxx."

[PBRCat]

"Angry rhetoric" means that O'Brien has pointed out Foxx's myriad failings such as refusing to prosecute felony crimes.

Foxx has been in hiding because every time she speaks in public she loses votes. She has been following the Biden basement campaign strategy and relying upon spokesmen and surrogates to speak for her.

Her major donor, Fred Eychaner, is a leading LBGQT activist.

[Boogieman]

Foxx’s 30-second ad describes O’Brien and President Donald Trump as “angry” Republicans who want to “‘lock em up’ regardless of evidence.”

---

As opposed to Foxx, who won’t lock any Democrat up, even if there’s a phone book full of evidence against them.

[Zhang Fei]

How the heck does any Republican win office in Cook County?

[chuckee]

Hard to believe a city with a 40% black population would vote out a black Dem DA in favor of a white Republican, no matter how corrupt or incompetent. Skin color trumps all when they have a black candidate. She could be a serial killer and instead of garnering 98% of their vote she would only get 95%. Sorry, but this does not translate into a win for the other guy.

[ought-six]

“How the heck does any Republican win office in Cook County?”

They don’t. Politically, Cook County is not that far removed from Soviet Russia.

[PBRCat]

It is a countywide race that includes the city and the suburbs.

[Zhang Fei]

“How the heck does any Republican win office in Cook County?”

They don’t. Politically, Cook County is not that far removed from Soviet Russia.

The poll quoted is showing 47.1% support for Foxx vs 40.6% for O'Brien. 2016 numbers:

Cook County State's Attorney, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kim Foxx	72.06%	1,459,087
	Republican	Christopher Pfannkuche	27.94%	565,671
Total Votes				2,024,758

Gotta wonder if the law and order vote will emerge elsewhere around the country. Trump doesn't need a 25% drop in his Democratic opponent's support vs 2016. The same level of support will do just fine for a Trump victory.

[PBRCat]

Christopher Pfannkuche had a terrible ballot name and lacked campaign funds. He was a decent person, but who simply could not compete.

[Zhang Fei]

Christopher Pfannkuche had a terrible ballot name and lacked campaign funds. He was a decent person, but who simply could not compete.

2012 general election

Cook County State’s Attorney election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Anita Alvarez (incumbent)	1,427,145	77.05
	Republican	Lori S. Yokoyama	421,810	22.77
	Write-in	Others	3,320	0.18
Total votes			1,852,275	100

 

2008 General election

Cook County State’s Attorney election^[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Anita Alvarez	1,378,452	69.90
	Republican	Tony Peraica	494,611	25.08
	Green	Thomas O'Brien	99,101	5.03
Total votes			1,972,164	100

 

2004 general election

Endorsements

Richard Devine (D)

Results

Cook County State’s Attorney election^[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard A. Devine (incumbent)	1,483,280	79.43
	Republican	Philip Spiwak	384,082	20.57
Total votes			1,867,362	100

 

2000 general election

Cook County State’s Attorney election^[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard A. Devine (incumbent)	1,337,578	78.30
	Republican	David P. Gaughan	370,678	21.70
Total votes			1,708,256	100

[Zhang Fei]

[Christopher Pfannkuche had a terrible ballot name and lacked campaign funds. He was a decent person, but who simply could not compete.]

---

If O’Brien wins 40%, it will be the best performance of any GOP candidate in the past 20 years for the office. If Cook County is seeing these numbers for O’Brien, you gotta wonder if IL is in play. The question is whether O’Brien has coattails, that he can drag Trump along with him.

[who knows what evil?]

Somewhere, a kitchen is missing its Foxx...

[Zhang Fei]

Christopher Pfannkuche had a terrible ballot name and lacked campaign funds. He was a decent person, but who simply could not compete.

Cook County numbers for 2016's White House race:

Cook County

97.5% Reporting

D H. Clinton	74.4%	1,528,582
R D. Trump	21.4%	440,213
L G. Johnson	2.7%	55,900
G J. Stein	1.5%	30,520

 

Hillary's result is remarkably similar to Foxx's 2016 number. If Biden plunges to 47.6% in Cook County, he will lose Illinois. Hillary won the state by just over 900K votes. A 500K swing, and Biden's done.

[PBRCat]

You ought to have included 1990, 1992 (when the Republican candidate won) and 1996 (when the Democrat narrowly edged the Republican incumbent).

Foxx had considerable baggage (she lied about her trial experience and was cited for campaign contribution reporting violations) even when she trounced her opponent in 2016 which may account for his receiving a few more percentage points than average.

[dfwgator]

Christopher Pfannkuche

He got "pancaked" in that election.

[Zhang Fei]

[You ought to have included 1990, 1992 (when the Republican candidate won) and 1996 (when the Democrat narrowly edged the Republican incumbent).]

---

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” - L.P. Hartley

In politics, 2 decades is a long time. Maybe an eternity. Who would have thought that a red state like Maine that gave Susan Collins ~70% of the vote in 2014 has her fighting for her political life today, and is turning blue?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/senate/me/maine_senate_collins_vs_bellows-4168.html

[comebacknewt]

Red state like Maine???

[Zhang Fei]

[Red state like Maine???]

---

Mea culpa. I was thinking of some other state. However, it was certainly red for Susan Collins and Paul LePage. My suspicion? If Collins loses, we won’t see another Republican in the Maine senate seat for a while.

[PBRCat]

Good point.