Is Pritzker Push To Oust Black Congresswoman As Dem Party Boss Racist?

CHICAGO — Could it be that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has a problem getting along with strong Black women in the state Democratic Party who don't abide by his political will?

After all, the white billionaire has plenty of political beef with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago's first Black lesbian mayor.

At times, Pritzker has even found himself at odds with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle — who in 2018 publicly gave him a pass for getting caught on FBI wiretaps referring to a Black politician as "crass" and Secretary of State Jesse White as the "least offensive" of Illinois' African American politicians.

Now, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly — the first Black woman to lead the Illinois Democratic Party — has become Pritzker's latest political foe.

This week, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller made national news, calling out a pro-choice political action committee — that recently received $150,000 from Pritzker's campaign fund — for blowing a racist "dog whistle" in announcing support for the governor's choice to lead the state Democratic Party.

Pritzker's chief of staff helped recruit state Rep. Lisa Hernandez — a Latina from the notoriously corrupt city of Cicero, who has a long history of being loyal to indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan — to run against Kelly in the state Democratic Party's looming leadership vote set for Saturday.

The governor's political operation claims the beef with Kelly's leadership is about campaign finance rules that prohibit her from personally raising cash for the state Democratic Party as an elected federal office holder.

“The fundamental problem with Robin as chairman is that she’s not raising enough money,” former state Sen. John Cullerton, who remains a member of the State Central Committee, told NBC's Natasha Korecki.

Over the last two weeks, labor unions and political action committees that support the governor, have issued endorsements for Hernandez, including Personal PAC —a pro-choice group that backs candidates in Illinois.

Commissioner Miller made national news by saying PAC's endorsement was tinged with racism.

"As a Black woman, I am mindful of the dog whistles used to raise legal questions about the first African American and first woman to lead the Democratic Party of Illinois," Miller said in a statement.

"Robin has followed the rules set forth by the FEC and the party has flourished under her leadership. Personal PAC did not raise the same questions about the previous chair (Madigan) when he was under federal investigation and ultimately indicted."

Miller has a point.

Illinois Democrats have raised plenty of campaign donations this year.

After the first quarter, the state Democratic Party led by Kelly had more than $4 million in the in state and federal campaign funds.

Even when Madigan controlled the party, the state Democratic campaign war chest's cash on hand hovered around $2.5 million.

Today, under Kelly's leadership, the state campaign fund has more than $2.8 million on hand.

Plus, the majority of Democratic campaign cash raised in the state — big donations from labor unions, political insiders and Pritzker, himself – went to campaign funds controlled by House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and state Senate President Don Harmon.

Welch's personal campaign fund boasts more than $10.1 million — about $9 million more than last year. And the "Democrats for Illinois House" campaign fund, that Welch also controls, is packed with $3.5 million.

Sen. President Harmon's personal campaign fund is packed with more than $15.8 million — about $10 million more than last year, thanks in great part to generous labor unions.

Last month, Welch put out a press release calling his campaign fun the "strongest fundraising arm with the banner of working for the people."

Kelly was even quoted in the release saying: "Working together, we must defend our Democratic super majorities this November, including our fantastic House Democrats, and continue to deliver real results for the people of Illinois."

Now, Pritzker wants Kelly out as party chairwoman because she doesn't raise enough money?

That doesn't seem to add up.

It's no wonder, Miller has warned of racist dog whistles associated with the governor's campaign to oust Kelly — who promised a more inclusive Democratic Party when she beat Prtizker's choice to serve the remainder of Madigan's term as party boss.

Pritzker's relationship with African Americans has been a contentious one.

After the FBI wiretap was leaked in 2018, then state senate president Emil Jones, the Black politician who Pritzker called "crass" told the Tribune the billionaire is a "one-eyed Jack."

"He runs around and says one thing, but the wiretap shows you a different person. It shows you the other side of his face, and the other side of his face is what he is," Jones said.

In 2018, Black campaign workers filed a racial discrimination lawsuit in federal court against Pritzker and his campaign staff.

Remember how Pritzker promised legalizing marijuana would create Black millionaires?

That still hasn't happened because his administration first issued licenses exclusively to companies controlled by rich white men.

During the early days of the coronavirus crisis, Pritzker's administration made false promises to boost testing in minority communities.

When the feds opened a mass vaccination site at United Center, Pritzker attempted to rig the eligibility rules to benefit white folks in the suburbs.

Now, the governor wants Illinois Democrats to believe that the Black woman in charge of state politics isn't doing a good enough job.

Pritzker's answer is to pit Kelly against a Latina legislator with $348,000 in her campaign war chest, best known for her consistent support of Madigan — her top campaign donor and political clout.

After all, Rep. Hernandez's husband, former Cicero Democratic Committeeman Charles Hernandez, scored government jobs in Cook County government and later at Metra after getting fired from the Cicero police department.

Rep. Hernandez and her husband also helped one of their associates get a promotion at Metra based solely on Madigan's clout.

The former speaker said so himself, the Tribune reported in 2014.

"I said yes," Madigan told by then-Inspector General Thomas Homer. "Obviously, politically, we work with Hernandez. Both of them. Both Hernandez people."

When I think about it, maybe the white billionaire's push to oust the Black woman leading the Democratic Party in favor of a Latina friend of Madigan isn't about skin color.

It could be that Pritzker prefers a leader with experience practicing politics the Madigan way.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docuseries on CNN and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary "16 Shots.

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