Attorney Bart Goldberg appeared to be a strong contender in the March Democratic primary in the 20th Senate District.
In fact, the Chicago Sun-Times admitted in its endorsement for incumbent Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) that Goldberg clearly had a grasp of certain issues that Martinez lacked.
In a Feb. 17 Sun-Times op-ed piece, the editors endorsed Martinez based on her “long track record of serving vulnerable people in her district,” but warned that she should “bone up on other issues … such as pension reform and rent control.”
State Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago)
The endorsement went on to say that Goldberg “schooled” Martinez on such topics during a Jan. 24 interview with the editorial board and the candidates.
“If Goldberg had done his homework on immigration, which really matters in a district that is slightly more than 50 percent Latino, he would be a more viable candidate,” the paper said in its endorsement of Martinez.
The left-handed endorsement of Martinez might make better sense when one considers that several of the unions that have donated to her campaign are part of the investment group that has owned the Sun-Times since last summer.
According to the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), the acquisition of the Sun-Times by ST Acquisition Holdings LLC for a mere $1 kept the paper afloat by financing its $11.2 million operating costs, but also had support from the Chicago Federation of Labor, SEIU Local 1 and Operating Engineers Local 150.
“In a way, the investment group resembles the city itself – or, at least, the people who run it,” the CJR said.
The paper’s new owners also include some entities that have been donors to the Martinez campaign. According to VoteSmart.org, the Chicago Federation of Labor & Industrial Union Council and SEIU Healthcare Illinois/Indiana (an arm of the SEIU Local 1 via their shared state council) donated $1 million and $5 million, respectively, to her campaign.
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