EDITOR'S NOTE: Interesting press release. 

State Senator Martinez Caught Lying About Representative Rich Bradley's race.
Illinois Latino Caucus Leader Condemns False Statements, According to Rich Bradley for Senate. 

     CHICAGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- State Representative Rich Bradley, a
Mexican-American legislator who was a founding member of the Latino Caucus
in the Illinois General Assembly, and his family demanded today that State
Senator Iris Martinez apologize for repeatedly lying to the media about his
Mexican heritage. Martinez and her campaign have repeatedly, in print,
called Bradley, "the non-Latino candidate" (see documentation below). The
Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Co-Chair State Representative Eddie
Acevedo sent a letter (view on http://www.BradleyForSenate.org) condemning
"slanderous or misleading statements about Representative Bradley's Latino
heritage made to achieve political advantage in a campaign."

    The lie about Bradley's race is particularly ironic because the Mexican
American Legal Defense Fund, the nation's leading Latino voter empowerment
organization, gave specific support to Bradley during the 2000 state
legislative redistricting efforts because of his Mexican heritage.

    "As a woman proud of her 100% Mexican background, I was shocked and
appalled to pick up the newspaper and read that Iris Martinez' campaign had
called my son the "non-Latino" candidate," said Bradley's mother Margaret
Cerda. "Perhaps Iris Martinez and her campaign team should go visit Aldama
or Guanajuato, Mexico where my mother and father -- Rich's grandparents --
were born. This is an insult to our family, who always took pride in their
Latino heritage after moving to the United States from Mexico."

    "It is an outrage for Iris Martinez' desperate campaign to lie about
State Representative Bradley's race and Latino heritage," said Bradley's
Senate campaign chair Jessica Jaramillo. "It is disgusting politics, and is
particularly derogatory to the thousands of Illinois Latinos who are of
mixed ancestry."

    "My family and I are proud of our Latino heritage," said Bradley. "This
Martinez campaign lie is not just insulting to me, it is insulting to the
voters of the 20th Senate district who deserve a campaign about issues like
crime, jobs and taxes instead of a campaign based on her race-baiting. I'm
putting out specific plans to improve the CTA, increase funding for
anti-crime programs and cut taxes, while they spend their time writing
articles which lie about my race."

    "I want to be clear and direct about this," said Margaret Cerda. "Iris
Martinez' campaign must apologize to my family for lying to the press about
my son Rich's Latino heritage, and they must pledge never to do this again.
We expect a prompt phone call of apology from Senator Martinez."

    MISLEADING PRESS STATEMENTS BY STATE SENATOR IRIS MARTINEZ AND HER
CAMPAIGN REGARDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE RICH BRADLEY'S RACE:

    -- "She (Martinez) says she wishes Bradley would stop claiming Hispanic
       ancestry..."
       Booster LakeView Newspaper (Member of the Sun-Times News Group)
       January 16, 2008

    -- "...we now have a non-Latino candidate (Richard Bradley)... "
       Ruben Feliciano of Iris Martinez' campaign writing in an opinion
       editorial in Extra Newspaper
       January 3, 2008

    -- "She (Martinez) assured, it is only a strategy to 'divide the Latino
       vote and give preference to the Anglo (Bradley).'"
       La Prensa Newspaper -- directly quoting State Senator Iris Martinez
       November 16th edition

     For More Information Contact:
     State Representative Rich Bradley:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it /
     (773) 879-6978
     Bradley For Senate Campaign Chair Jessica Jaramillo:
     This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it / (773) 428-7300
     Margaret Cerda (Representative Bradley's mother): (773) 725-7219

 SOURCE Rich Bradley for Senate

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