Dupage Policy Journal

Former Illinois House Rep. Jeanne Ives, the Republican candidate for the state’s 6th Congressional District, is accusing incumbent Democrat Sean Casten of engaging in sexism after political signs were defaced with vulgar sexual slurs.

“The truth is, Sean Casten doesn’t respect women,” Ives said on her Facebook page Sept. 7.

The 6th District includes portions of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties immediately west of Chicago. Casten, a former clean energy consultant, was elected in November 2018. 

Ives, a former West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran, served in the Illinois House of Representatives for the 42nd District (DuPage County) from 2013-19.

Ives posted a photo on the Facebook post showing that one of her campaign signs on a lawn at a street corner had been defaced by someone who had written on the sign a slur, again referring to a part of the female body.

Ives believes one of Casten’s supporters did it.

“When you tweet out pornography, your supporters then feel free to deface property in a similar way,” she said in the post.

In addition on her campaign page at Jeanne for Congress, Ives accused Casten of tweeting "The W.A.P. We Need" referring to new song and music video "W.A.P." by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

“He [Casten] seems to think using a sexually explicit music video to make a point is appropriate,” Ives said on the campaign page. “This is gratuitous, attention-seeking behavior that is beneath the office. If you can’t make a public policy argument without Cardi B in leather and fishnets, then you can’t make an argument. If he were a Republican, a powerful man objectifying women for personal gain would be headline news. But the media chooses to ignore leftist Sean Casten’s deeply concerning character and comments.”

She said Casten in the past has referred to Republicans as Nazis and killers, and has used foul language.

Ives also accused Casten of having a fixation with sexual references, including the allegation he had mentioned “small genitals” to some college students.

Several political signs were defaced in DuPage County in the areas of Naperville and Glen Ellyn during the Labor Day holiday weekend, a report in the Daily Herald said.

On June 9, officials of Casten’s campaign posted a statement on Facebook and Twitter deploring the vandalism.

“This is completely inappropriate and beneath the dignity we must demand from each other,” the statement said quoted in the Daily Herald. “This has no place in our campaign."  

Ives campaign spokeswoman Kathy Murphy rejected the statement and said Casten’s campaign has attempted to stoke division from the very start.

Ives said the behavior appalls her.

“I have never seen such disrespect in a campaign as I have seen in this one,” she said on her Facebook post.