GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Oberweis, who is known for his anti-immigrant positions, has been accused of hiring undocumented workers for his dairy and underpaying them through a subcontractor. The two workers, Rosa Ramirez and Jorge Ibarra, brought the charges with the help of The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Day Laborer Collaboration, saying they received less money than promised, and less than the federal minimum wage for their work. The Illinois Department of Labor is investigating. You can read the whole story at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights website section on Oberweis. The Oberweis campaign on WGN-News (TV) tonight said the timing of the story breaking with Judy Baar Topinka entering the race is notable - and they may be right. Judy did recently say she was ready for a “brutal” race,
“I am ready for a brutal election, all right, if need be, because I don’t think any of this is going to come easy. But I am prepared to do it because I have great faith that the public is at the point where we want to see a change.”
It may be that Judy Baar Topinka came out swinging, as Jim Oberweis now suspects. Just cut off at the knees, we’ll see if Jim is “ready for a brutal election” himself. I don’t think this is the “change” voters seek - it will only increase cynicism about politics - but more people are likely to pay attention to the race, if for the wrong reason.
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