CTU PAC Monies

CTU Monies Going to Machine Democrats
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Teachers Union gave a total of $280,610 in 2012 to mostly democrats in various state and local elections.

A total of $266,610 went to democrats, $8,000 went to republicans, $5,000 went to non-partisan candidates, and $1,000 went to third party candidates, according to the website Followthemoney.org.

The CTU sent checks to 75 incumbents, 6 challengers and 14 open seats.  Their winning percentage was pretty high, funding 80 winners, 9 losers and 4 not up for election, according to the website.

The candidate who received the most in CTU monies was Kenny Johnson who lost in the democrat primary for the state house.  He received $21,660, according to followthemoney.org.

The second highest recipient of CTU monies was Dem. state rep Monique Davis, who received $15,000 and won.  

The Madigan family took 3rd and 4th place in receiving CTU dues monies.  Lisa Madigan, the attorney general who did not run in an election, received $13,000, while her father and big-time education reform and charter lover Michael Madigan, received $10,000.

The CTU political action committee will recommend candidates to endorse.  Then the executive board will vote on the recommended candidates, followed by the house of delegates that gives the final yea or nay to the endorsed candidates.

However, it is the CTU leadership who decides which candidates get money and how much.  Factors such as how competitive a race is factored into the funding formula.  

However, why would Lisa Madigan get money if she didn't run?  Or why would her father who is pushing a lot of anti-union measures get so much CTU money?  

The only reason that comes to mind is this is how the dirty political game is played.  

An extremely corrupt state political system controlled by Madigan demands tribute, and a CTU endorsement, despite his very anti-union measures that include pushing an anti-pension bill, pushing for more charter schools that hurt the union and supporting groups like Stand for Children, which is demanding huge union concessions, is what the union thinks is needed in order to get any support in the state legislature.

Many machine democrats along with Madigan received decent CTU checks.  State Rep. Cynthia Soto who sponsored the Soto bill that included a moratorium on school closings, but was taken out by Madigan, received $6,000 and won her seat, according to the website.

Soto allowed the Chicago Public Schools to get around her bill that required CPS to announce school closings in December.  When CPS said it would make the announcement in March last year, Soto went along with the proposed change to her bill.

You can check out the listings of each candidate who received CTU checks.

http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=19201&y=2012&incy=0&ince=0&incs=0&incf=0