Curtis J. Tarver IICurtis J. Tarver II

The Dish: Dear reader, I must admit that I’m perplexed. Bamboozled. Thrown for a loop by the candidacy of Antoinette Jewel Simmons, who does not appear to be a Republican at all at first glance. She was even listed erroneously as a Democrat by the ultra-conservative Illinois Right to Life in March. Simmons describes herself as a “seasoned community organizer,” who worked on the most recent election campaigns of Brandon Johnson and Friend of the Guide Che “Rhymefest” Smith, as well as the economic justice legislation One Fair Wage and alongside SEIU. The OFW connection appears to be legitimate at the very least, as Simmons is quoted as a spokesperson for the group in at least two articles. This proto-progressive facade fell apart, however, when I called around to some movement and campaign contacts in organizations and spaces with which Simmons claims affiliation. Nobody at SEIU had heard of her, and the folks at the Rhymefest campaign recalled her affiliation as being entirely through OFW, as did the Johnson campaign. And while affiliation with One Fair Wage is far from a bad thing, their coalition was quite broad and known for having some… interesting characters from the political margins. Antoinette Simmons appears to be one such character, and, as far as I can tell, is indeed a genuine Republican, or at least bizzare. Alas. 

This leaves us with Curtis Tarver II. Longtime readers will know that I’m far from a fan of Tarver, who the Guide last covered in the 2022 Primary when he shellacked progressive challenger Josef Michael Carr. Tarver, a member of the House’s Moderate caucus, has historically been opposed to progressive legislative measures (vehemently opposing things like rent control and some types of progressive revenue reform). He also represents one of the queerest Districts in Chicago, encompassing much of the City’s historically Black LGBTQ spaces in Hyde Park, South Shore, and across the Southeast Side… and I’ll note that I haven’t seen Tarver at many LGBTQ events in the past 8 years since he’s been in office. Regardless, even though we do not love a moderate within these digital pages, he’s much better than a Republican. Southeast Side voters should hold their nose and vote for Curtis Tarver II who receives a true shrug, and folks should please reach out if they have any information about Antoinette Jewel Simmons that contradicts what I was able to find.