Democrats are in total disarray in Illinois over Tammy Duckworth’s candidacy. Following her failure to secure the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsement, Politico Pro reports that the DSCC’s endorsement continues to be a disastrous burden on Duckworth’s campaign.
Politico Pro also notes the continued infighting between Senator Dick Durbin and former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley over Tammy Duckworth:
But while Washington Democrats are all-in on Duckworth, the Cook County Democratic Party, one of the largest local parties in the country, is torn. An endorsement meeting in August ended in a stalemate, with neither candidate able to gain a clear majority. Both Durbin and Daley worked the phones before the vote, attempting to cajole committeemen.
D.C. support for Duckworth wasn’t a selling point.
"That was not something that came up," Jacob Kaplan, the Cook County party’s executive director, said when asked if the DSCC’s endorsement swayed any committeemen. "If anything, in Cook County, we don’t like it when national folks come in." …
The DSCC’s decision to endorse Duckworth roiled Democrats in the state especially since the committee didn’t even interview Zopp beforehand. (The DSCC said Zopp never reached out to set one up; Zopp’s campaign said they didn’t realize an endorsement was imminent.)
"It rubbed people the wrong way," Daley said, noting it had been decades since the DSCC helped a non-incumbent win a primary in the state. Zopp said decision was "disrespectful to voters generally, and especially to black voters and to Democratic voters.".
Rev. Jesse Jackson protested the decision in a letter to DSCC Chairman Jon Tester (Mont.).
"They should not have endorsed, especially without talking to her," he said, noting he found the group’s reasoning disappointing. "When I called them in Washington, their response was: ‘Well, [Duckworth] has a lead in the polls.’ That’s not good enough."
Perhaps the DSCC’s hesitance to endorse Ann Kirkpatrick stems from witnessing their support turn into a liability for Tammy Duckworth.
FLASHBACK:
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"In a statement, Zopp said she was ‘saddened and shocked that the DSCC would issue an endorsement without even interviewing me’ and accused the group of displaying ‘total insensitivity to Chicago, African-American women and the democratic process.’" (Chicago Tribune, 7/9/15)
- "Rev. Jesse Jackson slams Senate Dems for backing Duckworth over Zopp" (Chicago Sun-Times, 7/15/15)