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| Chicago unites in fury at Bloomberg intervention in special election | Chicago unites in fury at Bloomberg intervention in special election |
| (30 days later) | |
| Bob Jackson might be thought to have reason to welcome the mayor of New York splurging millions to make guns the issue of a Chicago election. | Bob Jackson might be thought to have reason to welcome the mayor of New York splurging millions to make guns the issue of a Chicago election. |
| After all, Jackson heads a group, Roseland Ceasefire, struggling to contain a surge in shootings in one of Chicago's poorest and most violent neighbourhoods. More than 100 people have been shot dead in Roseland over the past year, many of them teenagers, as a wave of killings of young people has shaken the city. | After all, Jackson heads a group, Roseland Ceasefire, struggling to contain a surge in shootings in one of Chicago's poorest and most violent neighbourhoods. More than 100 people have been shot dead in Roseland over the past year, many of them teenagers, as a wave of killings of young people has shaken the city. |
| Michael Bloomberg, one of the most high-profile supporters of stricter gun controls, has used his money to oppose one candidate and back another in a special primary election, taking place on Tuesday, to decide the likely replacement for Jesse Jackson Jr as member of Congress for Illinois' second district, which covers Roseland. For New York's billionaire mayor, the key issue has been the candidates' position on a federal assault rifles ban. But his intervention, far from rallying campaigners like Jackson, has instead angered people on all sides of the guns debate. | Michael Bloomberg, one of the most high-profile supporters of stricter gun controls, has used his money to oppose one candidate and back another in a special primary election, taking place on Tuesday, to decide the likely replacement for Jesse Jackson Jr as member of Congress for Illinois' second district, which covers Roseland. For New York's billionaire mayor, the key issue has been the candidates' position on a federal assault rifles ban. But his intervention, far from rallying campaigners like Jackson, has instead angered people on all sides of the guns debate. |
| "Who's going to be the boss of this new member of Congress? Is it going to be Mr Bloomberg or the voters of the second district?" said Jackson. "And what's Bloomberg's agenda? It's setting a precedent. He's the mayor of New York, not Chicago. Had it not been for Bloomberg's money, would this even be be a race?" | "Who's going to be the boss of this new member of Congress? Is it going to be Mr Bloomberg or the voters of the second district?" said Jackson. "And what's Bloomberg's agenda? It's setting a precedent. He's the mayor of New York, not Chicago. Had it not been for Bloomberg's money, would this even be be a race?" |
| But above all, Jackson said Bloomberg had missed the point. New York's mayor has thrown his weight behind one candidate, Robin Kelly, because she is a strong supporter of a ban on assault rifles and large ammunition clips – a cause close to Bloomberg's heart which has been thrust to the political fore by the massacre of 20 young children in Newtown, Connecticut, in December. | But above all, Jackson said Bloomberg had missed the point. New York's mayor has thrown his weight behind one candidate, Robin Kelly, because she is a strong supporter of a ban on assault rifles and large ammunition clips – a cause close to Bloomberg's heart which has been thrust to the political fore by the massacre of 20 young children in Newtown, Connecticut, in December. |
| "When's the last time you heard of a shooing on the streets of Chicago with an assault rifle?" said Jackson. "It's not an assault weapons issue here. It's handguns and bullets. Banning assault rifles isn't going to change a thing on the streets of Chicago. It's a distraction. The mayor of New York has got it wrong." | "When's the last time you heard of a shooing on the streets of Chicago with an assault rifle?" said Jackson. "It's not an assault weapons issue here. It's handguns and bullets. Banning assault rifles isn't going to change a thing on the streets of Chicago. It's a distraction. The mayor of New York has got it wrong." |
| The special election was called after Jackson Jr pleaded guilty to embezzling $750,000 of campaign funds. He faces several years in prison. Although Tuesday's vote is a primary, the seat is so solidly Democrat that the winner is regarded as a near certainty to win the general election. | The special election was called after Jackson Jr pleaded guilty to embezzling $750,000 of campaign funds. He faces several years in prison. Although Tuesday's vote is a primary, the seat is so solidly Democrat that the winner is regarded as a near certainty to win the general election. |
| The Democratic field was wide but among the frontrunners was the only white candidate, Debbie Halvorson, in a district where a little more than half of the population is African American. She looked among the favourites because the district's boundaries have been redrawn this year to include not only some of Chicago's most deprived neighbourhoods, such as Roseland, pockmarked with boarded-up shops, but semi-rural and mostly white communities such as Halvorson's hometown of Crete with its Dutch barns, horse track called Balmoral Park and championship golf course. | The Democratic field was wide but among the frontrunners was the only white candidate, Debbie Halvorson, in a district where a little more than half of the population is African American. She looked among the favourites because the district's boundaries have been redrawn this year to include not only some of Chicago's most deprived neighbourhoods, such as Roseland, pockmarked with boarded-up shops, but semi-rural and mostly white communities such as Halvorson's hometown of Crete with its Dutch barns, horse track called Balmoral Park and championship golf course. |
| The polls hinted that if the black vote fractured, and enough African Americans supported Halvorson because of her previous experience in Congress and the state legislature, she could emerge the winner. | The polls hinted that if the black vote fractured, and enough African Americans supported Halvorson because of her previous experience in Congress and the state legislature, she could emerge the winner. |
| But then Bloomberg waded in using his Super Pac, Independence USA, to define the issue of the election as the candidates' attitudes toward gun control. He spent $2.3m on television adverts attacking Halvorson over her opposition to an assault weapons ban and her high approval rating from the powerful gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association. | But then Bloomberg waded in using his Super Pac, Independence USA, to define the issue of the election as the candidates' attitudes toward gun control. He spent $2.3m on television adverts attacking Halvorson over her opposition to an assault weapons ban and her high approval rating from the powerful gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association. |
| "Gun violence. It's out of control. Debbie Halvorson will make it worse. Halvorson opposes a ban on deadly assault weapons. She co-sponsored legislation to allow some criminals to carry loaded hidden guns across state lines. No wonder Halvorson received an A-plus rating from the NRA," said one of the adverts. | "Gun violence. It's out of control. Debbie Halvorson will make it worse. Halvorson opposes a ban on deadly assault weapons. She co-sponsored legislation to allow some criminals to carry loaded hidden guns across state lines. No wonder Halvorson received an A-plus rating from the NRA," said one of the adverts. |
| Bloomberg has justified his intervention on the grounds that the NRA uses its vast coffers to influence congressional elections across the country. Just the threat of an NRA endorsement of an opposition candidate can be enough to pull a sitting member of Congress into line. | Bloomberg has justified his intervention on the grounds that the NRA uses its vast coffers to influence congressional elections across the country. Just the threat of an NRA endorsement of an opposition candidate can be enough to pull a sitting member of Congress into line. |
| New York's mayor takes the position that there have been no consequences for toeing the NRA line. Now he is attempting to show that there is a price to pay. Jackson said Bloomberg's money has made a difference, pushing Kelly to the fore even if many voters instinctively recoil at the New York mayor involving himself. | New York's mayor takes the position that there have been no consequences for toeing the NRA line. Now he is attempting to show that there is a price to pay. Jackson said Bloomberg's money has made a difference, pushing Kelly to the fore even if many voters instinctively recoil at the New York mayor involving himself. |
| "It is helping Kelly. Two to four million dollars does wonders for a campaign," he said. | "It is helping Kelly. Two to four million dollars does wonders for a campaign," he said. |
| Halvorson said otherwise. "It's backfired. People tell me that Bloomberg ad has ticked them off, he needs to keep his nose out of Illinois and this race. I think he thought he could come in and destroy me with one week of commercials and he has had to do it for an entire month, and keep beefing it up. He's just made people livid," she said. | Halvorson said otherwise. "It's backfired. People tell me that Bloomberg ad has ticked them off, he needs to keep his nose out of Illinois and this race. I think he thought he could come in and destroy me with one week of commercials and he has had to do it for an entire month, and keep beefing it up. He's just made people livid," she said. |
| "These newcomers, Robin Kelly, she thinks that by just slapping your name on an assault weapons ban. Now, I did my job. Bloomberg, who's never been in Chicago, doesn't know. I was in Roseland. I know what they're talking about. Cook County [Chicago] has had a ban on assault weapons since 1993 and the city of Chicago has the highest murder rate in the country. Two percent of those murders can be attributed to assault weapons." | "These newcomers, Robin Kelly, she thinks that by just slapping your name on an assault weapons ban. Now, I did my job. Bloomberg, who's never been in Chicago, doesn't know. I was in Roseland. I know what they're talking about. Cook County [Chicago] has had a ban on assault weapons since 1993 and the city of Chicago has the highest murder rate in the country. Two percent of those murders can be attributed to assault weapons." |
| Halvorson said she has been misrepresented. Her support for the right to carry concealed weapons, which helped her approval rating with the NRA, is because she has heard from African American women in poorer neighbourhoods that they feel safer if they can legally pack a gun. | Halvorson said she has been misrepresented. Her support for the right to carry concealed weapons, which helped her approval rating with the NRA, is because she has heard from African American women in poorer neighbourhoods that they feel safer if they can legally pack a gun. |
| "Illinois is the only state in the country that doesn't have a conceal carry law. Crime goes down on women when they have the ability to protect themselves. People think they want to take guns away from the law abiding citizen when if a criminal knows you can't protect yourself you are more vulnerable. I've heard this from women at town hall meetings," she said. | "Illinois is the only state in the country that doesn't have a conceal carry law. Crime goes down on women when they have the ability to protect themselves. People think they want to take guns away from the law abiding citizen when if a criminal knows you can't protect yourself you are more vulnerable. I've heard this from women at town hall meetings," she said. |
| Halvorson has made Bloomberg's intervention an election issue in itself by distributing flyers asking: do you want a New York City billionaire representing you in Congress? | Halvorson has made Bloomberg's intervention an election issue in itself by distributing flyers asking: do you want a New York City billionaire representing you in Congress? |
| "If you vote for fellow New Yorker Robin Kelly that's what you'll get. New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent over 2 MILLION DOLLARS to buy her seat." | "If you vote for fellow New Yorker Robin Kelly that's what you'll get. New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent over 2 MILLION DOLLARS to buy her seat." |
| Bloomberg may have given momentum to Kelly's campaign but she is embarrassed enough to distance herself from Bloomberg. "I have nothing to do with what he's doing," she said. "So whatever people are saying is untrue and ridiculous. I don't know the man." | Bloomberg may have given momentum to Kelly's campaign but she is embarrassed enough to distance herself from Bloomberg. "I have nothing to do with what he's doing," she said. "So whatever people are saying is untrue and ridiculous. I don't know the man." |
| The field thinned after one of the candidates dropped out after he was arrested truing to carry a gun on to a plane and another was found to be paying her mother a fat salary from campaign funds. | The field thinned after one of the candidates dropped out after he was arrested truing to carry a gun on to a plane and another was found to be paying her mother a fat salary from campaign funds. |
| The outcome of the race is likely to hang on turnout as not many bother to vote in congressional primaries. Halvorson said that anger at Bloomberg will not only motivate her supporters to turn up at the polls but influence Republicans to back her. | The outcome of the race is likely to hang on turnout as not many bother to vote in congressional primaries. Halvorson said that anger at Bloomberg will not only motivate her supporters to turn up at the polls but influence Republicans to back her. |
| Among them is Doug Lawson, a Republican who said he will vote for Halvorson because the second district is so solidly Democrat that the primary amounts to the general election. "Normally we vote Republican. She's not running on the right side of the fiscal issue but she's the best of the Democrats, and this is a Democrat seat," he said. "We don't think Bloomberg has any business in our election." | Among them is Doug Lawson, a Republican who said he will vote for Halvorson because the second district is so solidly Democrat that the primary amounts to the general election. "Normally we vote Republican. She's not running on the right side of the fiscal issue but she's the best of the Democrats, and this is a Democrat seat," he said. "We don't think Bloomberg has any business in our election." |
| Jackson is frustrated at the focus on the assault weapons when he said that it is poverty driving the violence. | Jackson is frustrated at the focus on the assault weapons when he said that it is poverty driving the violence. |
| "This is an economically depressed area. We want to know how they are going to create jobs, and what they're going to do for training, for education, for entrepreneurs so we are not seen as parasites here. We have kids, their parents and their grandparents all competing for the same jobs at the grocery store or McDonald's," he said. "People are hungry. As one of our clients said, how do you expect me to feed my family? If you've got it, I'll take it. We've seen good people take bad decisions in order to feed their families." | "This is an economically depressed area. We want to know how they are going to create jobs, and what they're going to do for training, for education, for entrepreneurs so we are not seen as parasites here. We have kids, their parents and their grandparents all competing for the same jobs at the grocery store or McDonald's," he said. "People are hungry. As one of our clients said, how do you expect me to feed my family? If you've got it, I'll take it. We've seen good people take bad decisions in order to feed their families." |
| Jackson doubts tougher gun laws will make a difference to the violence, particularly given that most of the weapons used in shootings are illegal. | Jackson doubts tougher gun laws will make a difference to the violence, particularly given that most of the weapons used in shootings are illegal. |
| "These kids couldn't care less about the gun debate. Our kids have been hardened by violence, less sensitive to gun violence just like we are in a war zone. Do you think they care about the law?" he said. "It's economics that makes a difference. They tax cigarettes, alcohol. But they won't tax a bullet. Food has gone up but guns and bullets have not gone up." | "These kids couldn't care less about the gun debate. Our kids have been hardened by violence, less sensitive to gun violence just like we are in a war zone. Do you think they care about the law?" he said. "It's economics that makes a difference. They tax cigarettes, alcohol. But they won't tax a bullet. Food has gone up but guns and bullets have not gone up." |
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