Kane County Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is urging voters to demand more from the people seeking to represent them.

“Ultimately, the responsibility lies with voters,” Ugaste told the Kane County Times of the standards now in place for the way campaigns are run. “They need to do some work and make sure they have a good understanding about what people are truly all about. Unfortunately, a 30-second commercial and or a phone call oftentimes doesn’t tell you a whole lot about a person.”

The issue of dirty-politicking has gained attention recently with 6th Congressional District Republican Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) accusing the campaign of former challenger Evelyn Sanguinetti (R-Wheaton) of orchestrating and bankrolling a scheme to present Ives in a negative light through the use of a so-called “push poll.” Such polls are defined as ones where negative information is provided about the candidate not favored by the group paying for the survey just before the person being surveyed is asked which candidate they prefer. 

Sixth Congressional District Republican primary challenger Jeanne Ives

In this instance, Ives charged that Sanguinetti falsely claimed that Ives stands as the “favorite Republican” of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).

Ives further argued that the act essentially amounted to a repeat performance for Sanguinetti, as she was on the ticket with then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018 when they faced off in the Republican primary and he resorted to similar tactics.

“There are candidates out there who would resort to tactics I would never resort to,” Ugaste said. “I don’t believe in doing or saying anything false or misleading about anyone and I would prefer that no one did. But does it happen, absolutely it does.”

The Ives’ poll is reported to have included at least three push-poll questions directly comparing the two candidates with such assertions as Sanguinetti “spent 10 years fighting Mike Madigan,” while Ives is his “favorite Republican.” 

In another instance, the poll highlighted Sanguinetti’s background as a first-generation American whose family fled Castro’s Cuba, stressing she “opposes AOC (Sen. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez) and the Squad.”

Sanguinetti dropped out of the congressional race on Friday.

"Although I firmly believe that I can and will win the nomination if I stayed in the race, the question in my mind is at what cost,” she said in a statement. “There has been enough destruction in the Republican Party from past election cycles and I choose not to contribute further to it by engaging in a costly and negative campaign against my opponents.”

Ives is set to face off against Dr. Jay Kinzler in March 2020 for the right to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) in the general election the following November.