Ads depict candidate in college doing keg stands, making obscene gestures
Campaign flyers mailed on behalf of Republican state House candidate Katie Miller feature photos of primary opponent Eddie Corrigan doing keg stands, making obscene gestures and imbibing extensively while labeling him a "party boy."
"These are worth at least 1000 words," one flyer says of a compilation of 10 photos pulled from Facebook. "But here are 10: We Have Enough Children In Springfield. Don't Send Any More."
In an interview Tuesday, Miller said she didn't send the mailers or have any say in their content. They were funded and sent by Liberty Principles PAC, controlled by conservative talk show host and consultant Dan Proft, who is supporting her over Corrigan in the 53rd District primary race.
She called the ads "over the top" while also criticizing Corrigan for sending negative mailers that target her.
"I don't see them until they show up in my mailbox like everyone else," Miller said of the flyers sent by Liberty Principles.
Corrigan, in an emailed statement, called the ads "desperate, last-minute attacks" one week before the primary.
"My opponent and the people controlling her campaign have clearly taken the low road by trying to attack me using pictures of me from college," Corrigan wrote. "However, more disgraceful is the inclusion of friends, neighbors, and family members who live and serve this community."
The photos depict Corrigan at house parties and bars, drinking from bottles and cans of beer, and posing with other people. Two photos show him displaying the middle finger.
"We all have things that we look back on and regret, but one has to move forward and make the best of every situation," Corrigan wrote. "What is really unfortunate is that these photos were taken from friends' and family members' Facebooks without their permission and sent to people all across the district with no discretion for young children to see."
Corrigan, 29, the outreach coordinator for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, has the backing of the House Republican Organization, which has sent mailers that attempt to tie Miller to House Speaker Mike Madigan and Democrats, and accuse her of "gaming the system" to lower her property taxes.
Miller, 39, a registered nurse at St. Alexius Medical Center's epilepsy clinic and clinical care coordinator at Northwest Community Hospital, said she's supported Republicans her whole life. She also said she appealed her property taxes "like most people I know."
"That doesn't make you friends with Mike Madigan and (Cook County Assessor) Joe Berrios," she said.
Miller and Corrigan are running to replace Republican state Rep. David Harris, who decided not to seek re-election. The primary winner will face Democrat Mark Walker in the general election.
The 53rd District includes parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights.