I wasn't hugely surprised when Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers earlier this month contributed $30,000 to Chad Grimm, the Illinois Libertarian Party's candidate for governor.
After all, the union's president, James M. Sweeney, was out in front of the push to beat Bruce Rauner during the Republican primary. After a stormy meeting with Rauner, who is running on a pledge to allow local areas to opt-in to "right to work" laws, Sweeney demanded that organized labor stop the candidate in his tracks. (The law would give workers the right to not join the unions that negotiated their pay, benefits and working conditions.)
Sweeney's union contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to state Senator Kirk Dillard's primary campaign, and kicked in even more to the Fund for Progress & Jobs PAC, which was the vehicle some unions used to inform Republicans that Rauner was a "closet Democrat."
Dillard just barely lost to Rauner in the primary, but Sweeney didn't let up. When the Illinois Republican Party committed resources this summer to knocking the Libertarians off the November ballot, Sweeney bankrolled a crew that pushed back hard and kept the Libertarians in place.
But, as it turns out, that $30,000 to the Libertarian was just a down payment. Sweeney told me last week that his local is also planning a full direct-mail and robo-call program for Grimm.
When asked about rumors that his union would spend between $200,000 and $250,000 to push the pro-gun, pro-life Grimm with traditional Republican voters against the much more liberal Rauner, Sweeney replied, "More." When asked if the budget was six figures or seven, Sweeney said, "Six."
Grimm is polling between 5 and 8 percent so far, depending on the poll. He appears to be taking away slightly more support from Rauner than from Governor Pat Quinn. The object is to push Grimm's numbers up by informing conservative Republican voters that he's the only pro-gun, pro-life candidate in the contest.
Sweeney explained last week that 42 percent of his members pull Republican ballots during primaries and that many of those members are pro-gun, pro-life conservatives who want another option. But the real object here is to defeat Rauner.
Rauner says he is pro-choice and has run TV and newspaper ads in Chicago featuring women attesting to his pro-choice convictions. The National Rifle Association has refused to rate Rauner, claiming he won't answer their questions. Rauner's positions can't be used by Quinn - who is solidly pro-choice and not exactly a gun lover - but Sweeney can sure use them to try to push Republicans toward the Libertarian candidate.
According to Sweeney, his union local had a 50-percent unemployment rate during the depths of the Great Recession. Once-proud, solidly-middle-class union members were relying on union-sponsored food banks. Several lost their homes, their cars, their families.
The unemployment rate for Sweeney's members is now the second-lowest in the country in that sector, thanks in part to a big public-works program pushed by Quinn. Sweeney's local endorsed Quinn four years ago over Bill Brady because Brady, like Rauner, favored right-to-work legislation.
Sweeney said he met with Rauner twice since the primary in an attempt to find common ground, but Rauner refused both times to come off his right-to-work stance and wouldn't commit to a funding source for a new public infrastructure program.
And Sweeney doesn't appear to be in the mood for any further discussions, telling me that even if Rauner publicly changed his position on right-to-work - as he has with the minimum-wage increase issue and taxes - the union leader wouldn't believe him.
A huge factor in Quinn's win four years ago was independent candidate Scott Lee Cohen's millions of dollars worth of TV ads. He ended up splitting the anti-Quinn vote with Bill Brady. The hope here is that Grimm can do the same and sink Rauner.
The universe Sweeney's aiming at is probably pretty small. Party loyalty is strong on both ends of the spectrum, and convincing people to "throw away" their vote on a third-party candidate won't be easy.
But for those who sincerely believe that abortion is murder and who refuse to support any candidate who disagrees with them, it could be a powerful message. The same goes for the "true believers" who own guns.
And in a close race - and this race is close - every vote will count.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.
