With a final vote count in the Republican primary for governor expected today, Bill Brady revved up the campaign engine. Expected to be declared the primary winner by about 200 votes, Brady set his sights squarely on his Democratic opponent-to-be, Governor Pat Quinn.
He missed. Badly. (Scroll down for video.)
Brady held a press conference to go after Quinn on what was a glaring weakness for the governor in the Democratic primary: a controversial secret program, called "MGT-Push" and authorized by Quinn, to release thousands of prisoners slightly earlier than their sentences demanded.
But the example Brady gave at the conference was Jonathon Phillips, a man convicted in 2004 of vehicular hijacking. After being released from prison, Phillips allegedly went on to commit murder: he's charged with shooting 24-year-old William Suggs in December of 2009.
Trouble is, Phillips wasn't released under MGT-Push. As Brady is told by a reporter at the conference, Phillips got standard day-for-day good time credit, which is allowed in many cases of vehicular hijacking.
Refusing to concede the point, Brady demands that the governor publish a list of all prisoners released under MGT-Push. And then he's told that there isalready a list online of all prisoners released under MGT-Push.
"There is?" he says sheepishly. Then, he looks over to an aide for help.
At the end of the day, about 200 Republicans might be kicking themselves that they didn't vote for Kirk Dillard.
Watch Brady's miss, courtesy of The Capitol Fax here: