Jeremy Karpen, Green Party Candidate, Wins Tribune Endorsement Over Incumbent Berrios

Jeremy Karpen, the Green Party underdog in Illinois's 39th House District, won a major endorsement in his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Maria Antonia "Toni" Berrios.

The Chicago Tribune released its list of State House endorsements Wednesday, and Karpen was given the nod over Berrios, the Democrat seeking her fifth term in the Northwest Side district.

She is the daughter of machine power-broker Joe Berrios, against whom the Tribune has consistently editorialized this year in his race for Cook County Assessor. As HuffPost Chicago reported last week in our profile of the race in the 39th, Toni Berrios hoped to distance herself from her father's critics.

"My father is my father; I can't change that," Berrios said. "It's sad that just because I'm his daughter, people don't want to support me."

But in its endorsement, the Tribune takes Toni Berrios to task not for who her father is, but for how she's sided with his politics:

39th District (Near Northwest Side) -- Two years ago, we endorsed Democratic Rep. Maria Antonia "Toni" Berrios over Green Party candidate Jeremy Karpen, a professional counselor who works with at-risk kids in Chicago. Berrios has firmly established she is a loyal soldier protecting entrenched power in Springfield. We disagree with Karpen on plenty of issues. But he says, "My campaign is about more than winning office, it is about shaking the foundation of the political machine. ..." Fair enough. Karpen is endorsed.

Indeed, Karpen understands the symbolic importance of his candidacy, as he explained to HuffPost Chicago in an extensive interview.

"This one would be a big story, being able to win against the daughter of Joe Berrios, who is a symbol of the Democratic machine and everything that is wrong with the machine," Karpen said.

In 2008, Karpen won 21 percent of the vote against Berrios in the same race. This time around, though, he's raised more money, organized more volunteers and is co-ordinating his campaign with Green Party candidates for governor and U.S. Senate.

And with the endorsement from the Tribune, the unlikely Green Party candidate is heading into October with momentum at his back.

Comments

[beckyrey]

11:12 AM on 10/12/2010

Check it out:

Jeremy just got the Chicago Teacher's Union Endorsement:
http://ctunet.com/legislative/legislative_information.html
and
The Chicago Sun-times
http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/endorsements/2793192,CST-EDT-edit12.article

Exciting stuff!

[itworks]

01:11 PM on 10/04/2010

Mr. Karpen to see how much you like to be involved i contacted the office of State Rep Berrios and for someone who cares about his community and wants to do everything he can to better it you have never once made an appointment to see the State Rep to talk about how she can help you get things done in the district. So my question is for someone who wants to better our community why won’t you go and talk to your current elected officials to try and help you better our community.

[KevinOConnor]

04:58 AM on 10/05/2010

Somebody is a "Negative Nancy". Perhaps running an active campaign with solutions to issues plaguing the 39th and the rest of the state is the best way for a democratically-minded person to bring forth bettering our community. That type of pressure would whip anyone into shape who wanted to maintain a base of support politically. That way the dialogue includes the community rather than a one-on-one meeting in a constituency office on the edge of the district.

[Gesundheit 451]

04:57 PM on 10/03/2010

awesome!!! I hope he can win. It's time for multi-party democracy in America.

[KevinOConnor]

06:48 PM on 10/01/2010

KARPEN 2010! Change I can believe in.

[Dameocrat]

03:01 PM on 10/01/2010

Let's hope the trib gives some support to more than just local greens. How about a little support or publicity for for Rich Whitney and Leanlan Jones. Just because the people of Chicago want nothing to do with the republicans doesn't mean everyone likes the machine, or that the people of Chicago don't want choices on their ballots.

[DawnK]

01:14 PM on 10/01/2010

"My father is my father; I can't change that," Berrios said. "It's sad that just because I'm his daughter, people don't want to support me."
That doesn't change the fact that she is financially supported by pharmaceuticals.

[crookedcountyillinois]

09:14 PM on 09/30/2010

Of course!!!

[goblue137]

05:47 PM on 09/30/2010

Woo Hoo! I'm voting Green Party up and down the ballot.

[kopanko]

05:20 PM on 09/30/2010

This story just made me think of something that would be like 10 Christmases and 20 birthdays combined for me (and I'll wager many others as well):

In the Chicago mayoral race, Rahm Emanuel being beaten out by a Green Party candidate--or losing the nomination to a clear PROGRESSIVE Democrat.

[Roni Reynolds]

04:29 PM on 09/30/2010

I met Jeremy at a local house part with a few of my neighbors. He asked us questions about what was important. He listened to our concerns. He spoke thoughtfully about how, in these trying times, important it is to defend working-class families. ALL working class families. I can see the honesty and earnest love of people in him. He will protect our communities.

Roni

[itworks]

03:36 PM on 09/30/2010

Does anyone realize that district is more then just Logan Square, that is the problem with these green party candidates that think that Logan Square is the only area they represent i never hear him talk about Belmont Cragin area, Avondale area, or Hermosa area. I mean what is a green party candidate really going to accomplish and maybe people should read up on the information they receive. Oh and if no one noticed Tribune, Fox, and their immediate affiliates are anti anything that has the name Berrios

[Jeremy Karpen]

04:15 PM on 09/30/2010

@itworks, I certainly understand your concerns. If you listen to any of the speeches or interviews I have given that are archived on my site (www.JeremyKarpen.org) you will see that I always highlight Belmont Cragin, Avondale, and Hermosa. Our district and our community is wonderfully multicutural, economically diverse, and a hub of civic engagement and activism.

I am not a protest candidate and the Tribune endorsement is a reflection of my consistent advocacy for reform - even though they disagree with the reforms I support, they can't deny that years of unbalanced budgets, unfunded schools, cuts in social services, and video gambling proposals have left us in a mess. We need a public servant who will actively fight for us. I want to be that public servant.

[belitheart]

08:04 PM on 09/30/2010

This is entirely untrue. I volunteered on the weekends with Jeremy throughout the summer. Almost every time I knocked on doors we were talking to folks in Hermosa & Belmont Cragin. I should note, Noe one knew who Toni was.

Early this week I saw a team of volunteers in my part of the hood(Avondale). His volunteers are everywhere, his literature and ads are bilingual. He works for issues that impact EVERYONE in our community.

[cwhite43]

03:09 PM on 09/30/2010

I've read very little on this Karpen guy. Who's to say he doesn't turn into the same political schmuck the Dems end up being?

I hope he changes things in the Logan Sq area. The neighborhood is definitely changing for the positive.

[greenferret]

06:31 AM on 10/01/2010

For one thing - and it's a major thing - Jeremy Karpen isn't taking a dime from corporations or lobbyists who do business with the state.

Some people say all politicians are corrupt. It would be more accurate to say that Democrats and Republicans are equally corrupt, because both (with rare exceptions) take corporate lobbyist money and practice pay-to-play politics. Green Party candidates, on the other hand, pledge not to accept any corporate money to fund their campaigns.

Aside from that, I think Karpen's character shines through in interviews he gives. He seems genuinely committed to being a public servant for the common good.

[KevinOConnor]

06:42 PM on 10/01/2010

The neighborhood is changing, but that's not due to the incumbent. How much have you read about her?

Start here: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/investigative/Maria_toni_berrios_campaign_money

[cubs835]

03:06 PM on 09/30/2010

I am from Chicago and the Trib is a piss poor source for well researched and thought out endorsements

The key part to any endorsement is the R next to someone name - on a very rare ocassion they will deviate from that underlying principle

[jsgaetano]

03:02 PM on 09/30/2010

Wow, the Tribune not endorsing a Democrat.

How not-surprising.

[skullman]

02:57 PM on 09/30/2010

"Dewey Defeats Truman"
-Chicago Tribune