Ives Campaign Ad Denounced As 'Hateful,' 'Disgusting,' 'Divisive'

WHEATON, IL — The newest campaign ad from gubernatorial candidate Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) has stirred up a wave of criticism from constituents and politicians alike. The ad depicts transgender, African-American, and feminist people "thanking" Rauner for legislation he signed.

After the ad went live, words like "sexist" and "transphobic" were hurled at Ives, a conservative state representative from Wheaton who is challenging Bruce Rauner in the gubernatorial primaries.

The ad appeals to Ives's conservative constituents by taking aim at Rauner's legislation involving abortion, transgender rights, and immigration.

The ad begins by teasing a "special message."

A person in a dress with a deep voice says , "“Thank you, for signing legislation that lets me use the girl’s bathroom.” It is unclear if the person is transgender or a cis-gendered actor.

Cut to a man in a black hoodie with a red bandana over his face who says, "Thank you for opposing law enforcement and making Illinois a sanctuary city for illegal immigrant criminals."

A woman in a pink feminist "cat hat" then thanks Rauner for allowing Illinois families to pay for her abortion.

Finally, an African-American woman thanks Rauner for letting the rest of the state bail out Chicago public schools.

Twitter users described the ad as "vile" and "disgusting," branding Ives a "racist" and a "bigot."

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss slammed the ad as "next level overtly racist, misogynistic, hateful, and antagonistic."

After the deluge of criticism about the ad, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider called for the ad to be taken down. Schnieder said in a statement, "This is awful in anybody's mind. I don't know who could conceive of something like this that was so awful and so divisive,"

The Ives campaign has decided not to pull the ad, saying, "The ad represents Gov. Rauner's chosen constituents based on the policy choices he made."

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What do you think of this ad from the Jeanne Ives campaign? Let us know in the comments.

» Image credit: YouTube