debbie halvorson's record more guns in the hands of criminals. independence u.s. pac responsible for the content of this advertisement. >> interesting. once these ads started running against debbie halvorson, the perceived front-runner for the seat because she is a former member of congress with all the name recognition, once these ads started running against her in illinois, a state senator, who also has a lot of name recognition, also a known quantity in the district, a candidate named toi hutchinson, she tried to take advantage of the damage being done to debbie halvorson by these ads because of her association with the nra, she tried to take advantage of it by stepping up and establish herself instead as the should-be front-runner for this seat. the problem with that is that she has the same problem debbie halvorson has if that she also has an "a" rating from the nra. which at this point in a congressional election in this congressional election is a starlet letter. so now enter one well regarded former state representative in the race, who is very, very, very

quote, debbie halvorson put the nra before our family's safety.lvorson, "a" from the nra, "f" from illinois families. and debbie halvorson's views on guns earned an "a" from the nra. if the nra says yes, we should say no. but the bloomberg pac ad onslaught making the nra and guns a big issue in this race, one of the formally pro nra candidates decided that she would drop out. state senator toi hutchinson left the race 48 hours after the bloomberg pac started advertising against her by name as well. gun reform was not all that big an issue at the beginning. but now that mike bloomberg has spent more than $2 million on this race, being seen as once an ally of the nra is apparently enough to get you to quit the race. and now tonight on the eve of the election, whether that all is enough to determine the winner of the primary, we do not know. and the hints about what is going to happen tomorrow are all wobbly, and therefore very interesting. one poll shows debbie halvorson with a four-point lead even after all that bloomberg spending against her. now

former democratic congresswoman debbie halvorson has conceded.his could have national implications. robin kelly made her support for gun reform the centerpiece of her campaign. she ruiz running against somebody who had long touted her a rating from the nra. and the a rating from the nra lost and the f rating won. the f rating from the nra from the michael bloomberg gun reform superpac and millions of dollars worth of ads run against debbie halvorson on the same grounds. again, robin kelly will move on to the general election on april 9th in the district that was recently held by jesse jackson jr. but because of the partisan breakdown of this district, she is expected to become the nation's newest member of congress. this is a fascinating result. the battle of bataan, 1942. [ all ] fort benning, georgia, in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal.

and debbie halvorson's "a" rating from the nra made her the target of a nonstop series of tv ads, in, the only ads that aired in this race. and then today it was robin kelly who celebrated her win after acknowledging how much this was a vote on the issue of guns and the issue of the nra as much as it was a vet on particular candidates. >> today you did more than cast a vote. you did more than choose a democratic candidate for congress. you did more than i ever could have imagined. you sent a message that was heard around our state and across the nation. a message that tells the nra that their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end. and their days of scaring congress into submission on gun control are coming to a close. >> their days of scaring congress into submission on gun control are coming to a close. robin kelly, the new nominee for that seat, the democratic nominee in a heavily democratic district. she is going to be our guest on this show tomorrow night. this was a chicago election, but it was of course new york mayor michael bloomberg's pac that produced tho

former congresswoman debbie halvorson was beaten by her. >> you sent a message by the state and acrossthat tells the nra that their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end. >> joining me now, new york city deputy mayor for government affairs and community affairs, thank you for joining us. >> well, this was a special election, the only race going on right now. it is a race that was playing out in the middle of this very important gun debate in washington. so there was going to be a lot of attention placed on this race. and when we looked at the race and saw that former congresswoman, debbie halvorson, who had as you mentioned, an a-rating from the nra, was poised to lead. the mayor said we can't have that. somebody going to congress and being a vote for the nra. >> in some ways, this district is an interesting one, because there was kind of a mis-match between debbie halvorson on the issue. >> because of that, former congresswoman halvorson began in the lead and could have won, i think had -- not quite congresswoman -- congresswoman apparent kelly not run a very strong

debbie halvorson's record more guns in the hands of criminals. she will join on president obama to take on the nra for effective background checks and ban deadly assault weapons. >> the group sent out mailers like these leaving halvorson unmatched. >> this is what is wrong with super pacs. somebody can come in and spend all the money they want. in this case, one person. $1 billion from new york coming and spending all the money he wants to buy a congressional seat. it's like intimidation. >> that is what has happened here. totally changed the dynamics of this race. easy place for bloomberg to make his point. if you want to bring attention to the gun issue and flex some muscle, chicago isn't a bad place to try it. see if he can do it in a swing district say in colorado and still he will be gloating on this one polls close at 7:00 p.m. local time. >>> we have bob mcdonnell here in our studio and we're talking about cuts and consequences. >>> plus, why is the republican vying to replace mcdonnell as governor coming out against his big transportation

debbie halvorson's record more guns in the hands of criminals. >> halvorson who lost to jackson in lasts primary says it's ridiculous that bloomberg is trying to buy the race. she posted that quote . . . and we're going to bring in "chicago tribune" report bill ruthart on that. he'll tell us how today's plea deals are playing out in chicago. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> michael: what is the reaction in chicago? >> well, the reaction today is -- is not really one of any shock. i mean folks here have been hearing for months that jackson was under federal investigation. we have known for quite a few days some of the details of his wrongdoing. it's kind of more of the same. we knew of the $4,000 michael jackson fedora and some of the memorabilia purchased today, it's just more of those details. $7,000 for two stuffed elk heads. the $40,000 rolex watch. all the way down to purchasing toilet paper at costco. it is really pretty remarkable to see how such a well-known politician used his campaign credit card basically to live off of. >> michael: it bogles my mind. how is

former congresswoman debbie halvorson, another recognizable name in this crowded race, believes it will be the message not the money that shines through next tuesday. debbie halvorson thats why were not going to let a new york mayor like michael bloomberg spend millions of dollars trying to buy this election and so bloomberg and his candidate need to watch out because illinois voters want to decide who is going to win this election. three candiates have dropped out in recent days, most notably state senator toi hutchinson a leading candidate who then threw her support to robin kelly. kelly denies any connection to the super pac or mayor bloomberg. robin kelly really, at the end of the day its what happens with the voters and who votes. that is really the bottom line. its not the money thats coming in. its really about how many more votes i get than somebody else. thats just the bottom line. but money wins sometimes. money wins sometimes but money doesnt win all the time. the special election takes place next tuesday. alderman beale did tell me he's been asked by a number of influential

then there's the attack ads...targeting hutchinson and former congresswoman debbie halvorson.. both earned an a from the nra.. with gun control a central issue.. kelly picked up the deep- pocketed endorsement of new york mayor michael bloomberg. the ads paid for by his super political action committee... and that has kelly's opponents crying foul. i don't know him..never talked to him. we are letting a billionaire decide.. chicago alderman anthony beale at a press conference saying he's been asked to drop out too..but he won't. the seat was left empty when jesse jackson junior resigned... he's now facing federal charges. halvorson ...ran against jackson in last march's primary... she says the latest shakeup in the race...is an attempt to stymie her support. back room dealing...voters deserve better... who gains the most? it depends who tyouyou ask... >> tomorrow we will be taking a closer look at the second district race. we will bring you their views on the issues important to the district. be sure to tune in at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow on cltv... >> it has been 10 years and sends a

debbie halvorson responded by including gun safety as an issue for her campaign. it, the second thing on her issues page, gun control and gun safety. debbie halverson also posted this open letter about her position on guns after mike bloomberg began saturating her district with ads against her. but lest there be any doubt about the contrast now in this primary, this is the campaign for the candidate the bloomberg superpac endorsed last week. this is who the pac endorsed against the two candidates who had the nra "a" ratings. look at her website, robin kelly's campaign is centrally, almost totally now about her commitment to leading on gun safety. gun policy is the central point of this race at this point, which is, after all, our first federal race since the shootings since sandy hook. there has not been much polling, but based on what we see so far, the contest looks like robin kelly running on gun reform, almost single-minded focus on gun reform. against the number one rating, who says she wants to talk about gun control. one week from today we'll keep the elect

she beat debbie halvorson 52-25.d supporters and acknowledged how big an issue gun control was in her victory. >> you sent a message that was heard around our state, and across the nation. >> that's right! [ cheers ] >> a message that tells the nra that their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end. [ cheers and applause ] >> michael: with me again tonight is james warren of "the new york daily news," who has been covering this story. jim, you can't get enough of the war room can you? >> better now that you see my ugly face than last night just hearing my terrible not even fit for talk radio voice. >> michael: listen halvorson allewded to the $2.2 million that bloomberg's super pac spent on the case. how big of impact was that? >> absolutely. first of all it was probably more than that. in a very short special election primary with a fragmented field, there ultimately were 15 candidates yesterday, all of them with very little money, to have this sort of money come in which was far greater than the co

debbie halvorson also looked into the district with the ads against her.est there is any doubt in the primary, this is the candidate that the super pac endorsed last week. this is who the pac endorsed against the two candidates who had the ratings. look at her website, robin kelly's campaign is centrally, almost totally now about her commitment to leading on gun safety. gun policy is the central point of this race at this point, which is, after all, our first federal race since the shootings since sandy hook. there has not been much polling, but based on what we see so far, the contest looks like robin kelly running on gun reform, almost single-minded focus on gun reform. against the number one rating, who says she wants to talk about gun control. one week from today we'll keep the election music close at hand. [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that

she led the field ahead of debby halvorson.expected to easily hold the seat for democrats in the march 19th general election. kelly, who has vowed to become a leader in the federal fight for gun control gained huge momentum from michael bloomberg's gun control super pac which poured money into tv ads attacking halvorson and favoring kelly. bloomberg put out this statement, this is an important victory for common sense leader on gun violence and it's the latest sign that voter across the country are demanding change from their represent ttytives i washington and not business as usual. but it's an urban district where gun control was already popular. let's see how this works in places more rural and more swing districts. in other special election news, teddy turner, the son of ted turner, who's vying for the open house seat in south carolina's first congressional district has launched a new tv ad telling viewers to break up with career politicians. it's clear, though, he's singling out one republican opponent. check it out. >> ju

she's up against a former, very popular member of congress, debbie halvorson. 100% rating from the nra. robin kelly saying no, we have to do something about background checks and assault weapons. michael bloomberg put her one on her. she won. joe biden saying it is not just in chicago. across the country people are thinking differently now particularly after newtown about gun safety. >> the public mood has changed. the excuse that it is too prettily risky to act -- prettily risky to act is no longer acceptable. >> bill: he's absolutely right. i can sense it. you can sense it. every public opinion poll shows that. the public overwhelmingly supports closing the loopholes of the background checks. universal background checks. strongly supports a ban on high-capacity magazines and the majority of americans support a ban on assault weapons. so damn it, there's no better time, let's do it now. good for michael bloomberg. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> go ahead! (vo) current's award winning original series is back, with a world premiere episode. it's

. >> watch out for debbie halvorson. an a for the nra. >> the man who is pushing tissue more than anybody else is not from illinois. new york city mayor michael bloomberg super p.a.c. dumped several million into the race. >> kelley will join president obama to take on the nra. >> because it's a special election to replace congressman jesse jackson jr. who resigned abruptly last november the candidates have had only a few no, sir campaign. halverson said bloomberg's money has made her the underdog. >> first thing they tell me we're with you. we're sick and tired of those commercials. a mayor of new york will never control this election. we don't want someone sticking their nose into little politics. >> pro control mayor argues he's putting his millions to good use. >> the public should stand up. i'm part of the public. i happen to have some money. that's what i'm going to do with my money is try to get us some sensible gun laws. >> with chicago still reeling from the high-profile murder of hidalyia pendleton, robin kelley