Quincy Mayor John Spring and Republican Senate candidate Randy Frese issued statements Tuesday regarding the recent visits of former gubernatorial campaign Adam Andrzejewski, Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, and Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, in support of the Frese campaign.
Spring is a strong supporter of incumbent Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, who is seeking a fourth term.
Andrzejewski, who ran for the 2010 GOP gubernatorial nomination, is sponsoring an independent ad campaign against Sullivan.
Spring fired the first salvo Tuesday afternoon via an email sent from the “Friends of John Sullivan” email account.
“I’m disappointed to see Randy Frese bringing in outsiders and failed Cook County politicians to Quincy today to push more hollow rhetoric and distortions about John Sullivan,” Spring wrote. “More committed to their ideology than to actually getting results, extremists like these won’t work with anyone and thereby get nothing done. John Sullivan, on the other hand, is known for reaching across the aisle and working with anyone, regardless of party, to produce results for the people of western Illinois. The people of Quincy know John Sullivan and know the truth about his independent record, no matter what outsiders, busy lining up their next run for Governor, say.”
Frese supporters followed Tuesday night with an email from Kimber Becker, deputy campaign manager.
“This campaign is about creating jobs for the people of Western Illinois and protecting their wallets from Democrats in the General Assembly who think borrowing and raising taxes is right for Illinois,” Frese wrote. “I was proud to stand with two downstate Republican senators today, as well as a man who has led a charge to bring greater transparency to Illinois government. They understand the problems in Springfield today; they are committed to building a business climate that will grow jobs and making Illinois government responsive and responsible.”
“I’m disappointed the mayor felt compelled to not only condemn the message that they bring to the state and to western Illinois, but to also name call and revise the history of our current senator’s record of service. I will not engage in a campaign of mudslinging, but I will insist on focusing on the facts and the record. There is no evidence that Sullivan’s record reflects any effort at bipartisanship or independence. The facts remain that John Sullivan has supported higher taxes, pay raises for himself and massive borrowing, and the record remains that he serves in Senate Democratic leadership, dominated by the influence of Chicago Democrats, and receives more than 90 percent of his financial support from outside the district, as does Mayor Spring.”
