Despite $3 million-plus in SEIU donations, Preckwinkle’s campaign may be DOA

With less than two weeks to go before the April 2 election, Chicago mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle has stopped purchasing television ads.

The Cook County Democratic Party chair claims her campaign is just making “strategic decisions.” But to some, the move is a sign that her mayoral bid may be dead on arrival.

If so, the loss will be particularly humiliating — and costly — to the Service Employees International Union. One of the state’s largest public sector unions, the SEIU has poured more than $3.23 million into Preckwinkle’s campaign, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. 

A loss for Preckwinkle won’t be the only embarrassment for the SEIU. Jerry Morrison, assistant to the president of SEIU Local 1, recently appeared in court to answer a charge of misdemeanor battery involving an off-duty Chicago police officer. According to Chicago Police Records, Morrison allegedly struck the man  with an umbrella in the lobby of City Hall on June 26, 2018 after yelling insults, including calling him a “fascist.”

Morrison has largely driven the SEIU’s backing of Preckwinkle over the years — including her disastrous soda tax. 

The candidate’s comfy relationship with the union has long raised conflict of interest claims. As Cook County board president, she often negotiated with the SEIU as it funneled money into her campaign coffers.

If Preckwinkle’s mayoral bid has indeed died, her relationship with the SEIU may also be coming to an end. 

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SEIU Contributions to Toni for Chicago Sept. 9, 2018-March 18, 2019

Source: Illinois State Board of Elections