Marathon Pundit: Video: McKenna supporter Tom Cross sidesteps Pollgate questions

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Video: McKenna supporter Tom Cross sidesteps Pollgate questions

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) has endorsed Andy McKenna for governor, but McKenna is now embroiled in the Pollgate Scandal. A summary: The self-anointed political outsider McKenna, who until recently headed the state GOP, spent $28,000 of party money on a poll that included his name--then he decided to run for governor. Worse, he lied to DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett, who was considering a run for governor himself, about the existence of the poll.

McKenna didn't tell the party central committee about the that poll, of which a party internal investigation said McKenna "compounded one ethical misstep with another."

Watch as Cross sidesteps Pollgate questions.

In its report about the debate, the Chicago Tribune's Clout Street blog had this to say about Pollgate:

McKenna, whose campaign's extensive TV ads have been fueled by his family’s wealth, also came under plenty of criticism. Ryan, (Dan) Proft and (Adam) Andrzejewski accused McKenna of being distrustful for using state GOP resources for a political poll that included McKenna's name. McKenna has since apologized.