The Big Money Guys Out to Defeat Chuy Garcia
The mayoral election in Chicago has become a national story. Jesus Chuy Garcia, who has beenendorsed by the Network for Public Education, forced a run off election with incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel when Emanuel failed to garner the required 50% of the vote in the mayoral primary.
It has been widely reported that Emanuel wildly outspent his opponents in the primary election, with some reports putting the margin as wide as 12-1.
That trend has continued, with the hedge fund and Hollywood elite continuing to pour money not only into Emanuel’s campaign, but into Chicago Forward PAC, which has been created to support Emanuel. Chicago Forward is spending millions on TV ads, not only to praise Emanuel, but to slam Garcia. The ads portraying Emanuel as a guy who cares about the people behind his gruff exterior, have dramatically increased the lead he holds over Garcia.
BIG Money Donors Impact Elections in the East, West and in Chicago
Here at NPE, we are keenly aware that hedge fund executives and billionaire philanthropists donating to politicians and PACs are often the same people donating to anti-public education efforts.
We’ve seen the same pattern on both the east and west coast. In the last year, two NPE endorsed candidates have won high-profile elections where they were up against well-financed education reform candidates.
In the California State Superintendent’s race, Tom Torlakson defeated his charter executive, Broad graduate, challenger Marshall Tuck. In Newark, New Jersey Ras Baraka defeated a well-orchestrated, multi-million dollar attempt by Democrats for Education Reform to install a charter friendly candidate to carry out the privatization efforts initiated by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who has since become a United States Senator.
Baraka has endorsed Garcia, stating:
Both Baraka and Torlakson were able to defeat the corporate interests that donated large sums to defeat them. There is no doubt that Garcia has the ability to do the same in Chicago.
Corporate Reform Money in Chicago
Some of the same reform heavyweights that donated to defeat Torlakson in California have donated to defeat Garcia in Chicago as well. John Arnold, a KIPP and TFA supporter from Houston, TX gave more than $300,000 to defeat Torlakson. He has also given $200,000 to Emanuel, and $100,000 to Chicago Forward. Eli Broad, a native Californian, gave $1,000,000 to Tuck, and more than $500,000 to various PACs that donated to him. He has also thrown his money behind Emanuel, with a $100,000 contribution directly to his campaign.
DFER is not playing a financial role in the Chicago mayoral election, likely because there is a strong anti-union privatization group that has already made significant political inroads in Illinois.
Stand for Children IL
Stand for Children IL, the Chicago office of Jonah Edelman’s Stand for Children, has spent almost $70,000 on in kind contributions and has officially endorsed Emanuel’s campaign. In 2011, Edelman took the city by storm when his education reform behemoth decided to take root in Chicago with an eye “toward influencing elections.”
Chicago’s power elite was all too happy to help finance Edelman’s new endeavor.
Watch this video of Edelman describing how the $3 million raised was used to “shift the balance of power” in Illinois from the unions to Stand for Children. He glibly recounts how the money enabled them to push for collective bargaining reform and “jam it down their throats.”
Here’s a look at the list of the biggest contributors to Stand for Children IL, the Chicago Forward PAC and Emanuel.
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Notable Chicago billionaire families the Pritzkers and the Crowns have donated sizable sums and neither family is a stranger to creating education policy for other people’s children.
The Pritzker’s, of Hyatt Hotel fame, are the 8th wealthiest family in the USwith a net worth of $29 billion. There is a Noble Charter School named after the family, and Penny Pritzker was nominated to the Chicago School Board by Emanuel and then abruptly resigned when she was tapped by President Obama to become Secretary of Commerce. The Pritzkers have given $200,000 to Stand for Children and $250,000 to Emanuel.
The Crowns are the 35th wealthiest family with a net worth of $7.3 billion. The Crown Family Philanthropies is a supporter of Learn Charter School andNew Leaders for New Schools in Chicago, which claims to develop “transformational school leaders” and design “effective leadership policies and practices for school systems across the country.” New Leaders is also funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Foundation, the Broad Foundation and the Robertson Foundation. Last year New Leaders CEO Jean Desravines was paid an astounding $425,000, which is dramatically higher than any “transformational school leader,” even in the nation’s largest cities.
Crown family members have donated a combined $834,400 to Stand for Children IL, $50,000 to Chicago Forward, and $150,000 to Emanuel.
Republican Donors Love Emanuel!
The biggest donor overall is Kenneth Griffin. Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel. He donated $500,000 to Stand for Children IL and a combined total of $1,175,000 for Emanuel – $325,000 directly to Emanuel and a whopping $850,000 to Chicago Forward.
While it’s notable that Griffin is strongly aligned with Stand for Children, what’s perhaps even more notable is that Griffin is also strongly aligned with the GOP. It was recently reported that Wisconsin’s union busting governor and presidential hopeful, Scott Walker, has been courting big GOP donors, including Griffin. He recently gave a “low six figure” contribution to Walker’s fledgling campaign.
And Griffin isn’t the only Emanuel backer who also finances Republican candidates that are hostile to working people and public education.
Such is the current state of politics in Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago. President Obama’s friend and former chief of staff kept in power by the same donors behind Republican presidential hopefuls Scott Walker and Jeb Bush. The people of Chicago, and the students of Chicago, deserve better.
Chuy: Champion for Equitable Public Education
Chicago teacher’s union President Karen Lewis told NPE that, “Chuy is a champion for equitable public education. He understands working people, poor people and has compassion for them.”
In her endorsement of Chuy Garcia NPE President Diane Ravitch said, “It is time to stop closing schools. It is time to give the public school children of Chicago the resources they need to have a good education, a great education, one that prepares them to be independent and responsible citizens and lifelong learners.”
Chuy Garcia will give Chicago back to the people. Please visit his website to learn more about his plan to support neighborhood schools and an elected school board. The Network for Public Education is proud to endorse Chuy’s campaign, and asks our allies to donate or volunteer for Chuy.
As Garcia says:
Big money guys already have a Mayor who listens to them. I will be a mayor that listens to you.
