Bill Brady took his first shots at the new Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, Sheila Simon.
The Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson reported Monday that Brady appeared on WGN-AM's "Greg Jarrett Show" and, speaking of Simon, asked whether the state of Illinois wants "another attorney-academician in politics."
The Tribune reports:
Speaking on [Jarrett's show] this morning, Brady touted his own running mate, 27-year-old Jason Plummer of Edwardsville, as someone who "understands the private sector" and the need to grow jobs. That, he said, was in contrast to the 49-year-old Simon, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's running mate, who teaches in the law school at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
"I think it's more the academician against a person who runs a family business--someone who's involved in that," Brady said.
Pearson also hints at the irony of Brady campaigning on the strength of his running mate's experience. The young Plummer's resume has, upon post-election scrutiny, shown a few holes.
In February,theTribune reported on the Republican lt.-gov. nominee:
Plummer highlights his service as a Navy intelligence officer, but he received his commission just last September and has yet to undergo training.
He touts his creation and operation of a wireless Internet provider while still a college undergrad, yet public records show it was his father who owned the firm and Plummer was never listed as an officer.
He has referenced his experience working for former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and a conservative think tank, but doesn't always mention both jobs were internships.
Plummer also had a short stint as Madison County Republican chairman during which he oversaw the opening of a GOP office in a strip mall owned by one of his family's businesses, which received more than $13,000 in rent.
On the contrary, Pearson notes, Sheila Simon has held previous elected office, serving on the Carbondale City Council for four years before an unsuccessful mayoral bid in that city.
Simon was chosen for the lieutenant governor's spot on the ticket after scandal forced the winner of the Democratic primary, Scott Lee Cohen, to withdraw from the race. The daughter of the late Senator Paul Simon, she was chosen in part to bring balance to the ticket, both as a woman and a down-stater.