DeKalb Times

Republican House District 76 candidate Jason Haskell said efforts by prominent members of the Black community to get Black voters to reconsider voting for Democrats are well-aimed. 

Haskell, who is running against incumbent Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa), says the GOP provides  equity and equality. 

“Absolutely, the Republican Party has become the more inclusive party,” Haskell told the DeKalb Times. “I think many Black voters are starting to realize that. I’d also say that because the extreme left-wing part of the Democrat Party has gained complete control of the Democrats' agenda; many Black voters don’t agree with their views and feel left behind and forgotten about.” 

He urges voters to "ask themselves if they are better off now than they were four years ago." 

"Has crime increased or decreased?" Haskell said. "Have taxes gone up or have they gone down? If we want to really make a difference, we must find the common ground issues to tackle and solve, together! This is about a completely different way of doing things, because what has been going on for the past 30 years is not working!”

Former ABC 7 reporter Charles Thomas said Democrats have been disrespecting the Black community for years by providing awful public services and passing over local politicians and businessmen. Thomas, a paid spokesman with the People Who Play By the Rules PAC which opposes Gov. J.B. Pritzker, criticized those who voted for Pritzker solely because he is a Democrat. 

Thomas said the Black community has been left out when it came to the distribution of licenses to sell legalized cannabis. “(Pritzker) out of whole cloth created a brand new industry, this cannabis industry, and he said there would be equity. Those are his words, equity. In other words, we were going to get 15 to 20 percent of all this business, which is a multibillion-dollar business, now. We got nothing,” Thomas said on The Brunch Bunch On 1390.

According to Prairie State Wire, Beverly Miles, who ran against Pritzker in the Democratic primary, also faulted Pritzker for the distribution of marijuana licenses.  She said despite the toll the war on drugs took on the Black community, Pritzker gave recreational marijuana licenses in those communities to “rich white people,” disregarding the black community and creating animosity.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) has also made an issues of the cannabis licenses.

“Gov. Pritzker for four years, 'equity, equity, equity,'" Bailey said at the Oct. 18 candidates' debate. "And he finally had his opportunity with the recreational marijuana dispensaries and he failed again. I'm out in the Black community – you probably saw me on Facebook a few weeks ago since you saw everything else – when I was walking with the Black community up and down the streets of Chicago and they were screaming foul because they can't get the licenses.”  

The comment came after WGN news anchor Tahman Bradley asked Pritzker why the Black community had been left out of the process. “Let's talk about equity and recreational use cannabis. The state's program went online in 2020. The first predominantly Black-owned craft grow house recently opened in the state. But Governor, since 2020, more than 340 licenses have been given out and only one has been given to a minority owner. Governor, when will you make good on your promise to diversify the lucrative cannabis industry?” Bradley asked.

In 2008, Pritzker was caught on tape by the FBI discussing with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich which Black candidates were “least offensive” to replace then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, before deciding on then-Secretary of State Jesse White, WTTW reported. The two also joked about former president Barack Obama’s mixed-race background. "You can argue he's, you know, he's got a lot in common with Obama, he's black and white. Ha. How stupid is that?" Blagojevich said. Pritzker can be heard chuckling on the audio. "That's good," Pritzker said, praising Blagojevich for the racial joke. "That's good.” He also is heard reassuring Blagojevich, “You don’t have to put an African-American in that spot” if he were to appoint Jesse White. 

Blagojevich was later sentenced to 14 years in prison for trying to monetize the selection.