Republican presidential candidates [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] and [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore] as well as Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have appeared in Chicago recently without supporters violently punching people and without clashes so intense that the rallies were called off at the last possible minute.
GOP candidate Cruz spoke on Friday at a Lincoln Day Dinner in the northwest suburb of Rolling Meadows.
“This race has now become a two-man race. There are only two candidates who have any credible path to becoming the Republican nominee,” the Texas senator told a sold-out crowd of about 1,000 people, according to WLS-TV.
Cruz noted that he and Trump are “effectively tied” as Illinois voters head to the polls for Tuesday’s Republican primary,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
“If you’re one of the 65 to 70 percent of Republicans who recognize Donald Trump is not the best candidate to go up against Hillary Clinton, then I would welcome you to join us,” Cruz urged.
Meanwhile, Democrat and avowed socialist Bernie Sanders had a very busy weekend in the Windy City.
On Saturday, the Sanders campaign hosted a PUSH Coalition speech by Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, who was killed by a New York City police officer in 2014. There were stops at a trio of South Side barber shops: Cutz to Perfection, Price Barbershop and Franklin’s Barbershop throughout the afternoon.
Then, Sanders spoke for about an hour at Argo Community High School in the southwest suburb of Summit. Scorn for rich people was his main theme.
“We’re not going to let Donald Trump or anyone else divide us,” Sanders said, according to the Tribune.
“We don’t represent the billionaire class. We’re not going to beg them for money,” Sanders also said.
“The American people are not going to accept a president who insults Mexicans, who insults Muslims,” he added.
Sanders also criticized Clinton for her support of “disastrous trade agreements” such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Sanders was also scheduled to hold an invite-only press conference and join Jesse Jackson for a forum at the Hyatt Regency Chicago — a downtown hotel offering “plush, expansive suites” and impressive city views.
On Monday morning, Clinton is slated to speak concerning her “new bargain” at the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union, just west of the downtown Loop. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. for the free, public event.
The Clinton event is less than a mile from the UIC Pavilion where Trump’s rally had been scheduled and then abruptly canceled on Friday night. No chaotic melee is expected for Clinton’s speech. (RELATED: Trump Cancels Chicago Event Amid Chaos, Safety Concerns)
Before Cruz spoke at the suburban Lincoln Day Dinner, he stopped by a fundraiser for Illinois Republicans at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel downtown. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner also attended.
Perhaps 100 protesters briefly stopped rush hour traffic near the Palmer House while the event occurred.
In October, Marco Rubio spoke at a fundraiser at Fairways Chicago, a craft beer bar in the Second City’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. No mayhem ensued.
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