SHOREWOOD - Shorewood Republican State Senate candidate Thomas McCullagh is appalled that his Democrat opponent Meg Loughran Cappel is boasting her endorsement by Equality Illinois, a gay rights political group that has taken a public position against law enforcement.
"ENDORSEMENT ALERT: Thank you for your support, Equality Illinois!" Cappel tweeted this week. On the group’s website their CEO Brian Johnson aligns his LBGTQ group with the police protest movement stating “We must never forget that, at its core, Pride is a police protest.”
“The open acceptance of an endorsement from a group that condemns police and supports the very rioters who threaten the fabric of the American Dream, and condemns those tasked with protecting our families and small businesses. It is unacceptable,” McCullagh said in a statement.
McCullagh pointed to an array of police officers being killed recently in reaction to public anti-police demonstrations.
"In the wake of the Breonna Taylor ruling in Louisville two police officers were shot by police protesters. In Los Angeles two officers were gunned down in their squad car by a police protester," he wrote. "In 2016, five police officers were executed by a police protester that took up a sniper position in Dallas. These facts appear to be missed by Meg Loughran Cappel who is celebrating an endorsement from Equality Illinois, a group, whose CEO states, 'Pride at its core is a police protest.'"
McCullagh went on to say “While I stand with the LGBTQ community's fight for equality, this is another example of my opponents unwillingness to stand for our district's safety by supporting police. An elected official's solemn duty is to put public safety first. She has demonstrated, by celebrating this endorsement, she should never hold a public office in the State of Illinois."
Meg Cappel passed on the Will County Deputy Sheriff’s Union endorsement meeting, and is on the record condemning police. On August 31st 2020, during a Sun Times candidate interview, she said police officers had an implicit bias against African Americans.
McCullagh responded celebrating the diversity of the district, “We have one of the most diverse police forces here in the 49th district and I know these officers strive daily to apply the law equally to everyone.” He continued, “I know locally we do not have a police problem, we have a national media problem, and Meg Cappel will only make it worse for those willing to serve and protect the families and businesses in our district.”
