Illinois Political Dirty Tricks Alive and Well in Scott Tucker's Primary Campaign

CHICAGO–Scott Tucker, candidate in the Republican Primary for Illinois’ 11th State House District (Ravenswood-Lakeview), is reaching into Illinois machine politics’ black bag of dirty tricks in order to prevent Deb Leticia Gordils from appearing on the February 2, 2010 primary ballot, according to Jim Tobin, President of National Taxpayers United of Illinois (NTUI).

“Scott Tucker and his establishment Republican buddies are pulling out all the stops in trying to knock Ms. Gordils off the ballot,” said Tobin. “They are launching a brute-force assault on her petition signatures, and are being aided by Kevin Artl, Political Director at the House Republican Organization, and by attorney John Fogarty, the right-hand man and political operative of Rep. Tom Cross (R-84), the House Minority Republican Leader.”

“These political strong-arm tactics might be normal for Banana Republics or Communist countries,” said Tobin, “but they have no place in Illinois. Illinois citizens have the constitutional right to nominate those whom they desire to represent them, and these dirty tricks, tacitly approved by a corrupt Illinois Board of Elections, must be halted once and for all.”

“Ironically, these dirty tricks are no different from what establishment Democratic politicians are doing. Gov. Patrick Quinn (D) is employing dirty tricks to knock the only African-American gubernatorial candidate, William “Dock” Walls, III, off the primary ballot, and Daniel W. Hynes, the Illinois State Comptroller, is doing everything he can to knock gubernatorial candidate Ed Scanlan from the ballot.”

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