experience matters

Victories

KNI Communications' principals have decades of combined experience in campaign management, issue advocacy, communications, public affairs and business promotion. We have won dozens of elections – involved in campaigns from the Courthouse to the White House – and led the charge for public policy victories on critical issues ranging from breast cancer screening to genocide education.

KNI In the News

Che “Rhymefest” Smith Elected...

Read more on this historic election

The community knew better

How a trio of independent school board candidates topped their better funded opponents

Led over 20 winning judicial campaigns in the Chicagoland region in the 2024 election cycle alone.
Managed winning campaigns for over 60 Illinois Judges in the past decade.
Managed the historic election of Grammy and Oscar-winning Recording Artist Che “Rhymefest” Smith to Chicago’s first-ever elected school board in November, 2024.
Led the effort to pass four landmark pieces of breast cancer legislation in the Illinois General Assembly: requiring insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings recommended by physicians, requiring insurance coverage of medical costs related to cancer clinical trials, establishing numerous crucial new state programs to fight breast cancer through the “Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities Act” and requiring insurance coverage and state standards for potentially lifesaving clinical breast exams. All four pieces of legislation passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers.
Helped win millions of state and federal dollars to fund breast cancer screening programs serving low-income and uninsured women.
Worked with Congressional leaders of both parties to win $10 million in State Department funding to help victims of slavery in Mauritania, West Africa and the surrounding region. Generated international media attention to the widespread, but globally overlooked, issue of race and descent-based slavery in Mauritania – called Slavery’s Last Stronghold by CNN.
Worked with diverse communities and leaders throughout Illinois and the global anti-hate organization Simon Wiesenthal Center to create the nation’s first mobile Museum of Tolerance in 2020. The ‘museum on wheels’ is educating students throughout Illinois about the importance of tolerance and opposing hate, bigotry and prejudice.
Led the successful charge for a “first of its kind” Sudanese Community Center in Illinois to serve refugees from genocide in Darfur and the Sudanese civil wars.
Provided critical support for groundbreaking Illinois state legislation, to divest funds from Sudan and cut off money used by the Sudanese government to commit genocide against the people of Darfur.
Coordinated interfaith and cross-community efforts to promote meaningful anti-hate crimes legislation.
Spearheaded Illinois General Assembly passage of legislation increasing penalties for serious wage theft and barring companies which have committed serious wage theft from receiving taxpayer-funded state contracts.
Victories in municipal elections throughout Illinois - from Chicago City Council to major suburban Mayoral races including Aurora and Evanston.
Successful management - from creative design through postal delivery - of hundreds of political direct mail flights
Designed and managed a unique and data-driven digital program to educate Mexican-Americans on their opportunities to vote abroad in Mexico's 2024 Presidential election.

Recent Judicial Victories by KNI Clients

– 2026 –

Luz Maria Toledo for Judge
Judge Lester Finkle
Bianca Brown for Judge
Judge Christina Kye
Judge Dan Naranjo
Judge Sara McGann
Judge Judy Rice
Robert Groebner for Judge
Brittany Michele Pedersen for Judge
Bill Kelly for Judge

– 2024 –

Judge Jennifer Barron
Judge Leah Setzen
Illinois Supreme Court Justice
Joy Cunningham
Judge Jack Costello
Judge Loveleen Ahuja
Judge Mary Sevandal Cohen
Judge Owens Joe Shelby
Judge Debjani Desai
Judge Ed Underhill
Judge Jennifer Patricia Callahan
Judge Pablo deCastro
Judge Neil Cohen
Appellate Justice Cynthia Cobbs
Appellate Justice Carl Anthony Walker
Appellate Justice Mary Mikva
Judge Deidre Dyer
Judge Sarah Johnson
Judge Kim DiGiovanni
Judge James Murphy-Aguilu
Appellate Justice John Anderson
Judge Chantelle Porter
Judge Frank Andreou
Judge Alon Stein
Judge John Hock

– 2022 –

Judge ShawnTe Raines-Welch
Judge Diana Lopez
Judge Thomas More Donnelly
Judge Michael Weaver
Judge Stephen Swedlow
Judge Joe Gump

– 2020 –

Appellate Justice Michael Hyman
Judge Teresa Molina
Judge Patricia Fallon
Judge Jill Rose Quinn
Judge Chris Stacey
Judge Jamie Guerra Dickler
Judge Eileen Marie O’Connor
Judge Maire Aileen Dempsey
Judge Susanne Groebner

– 2018 –

Judge Robert Harris
Judge Kent Delgado
Judge Jeanne Wrenn
Judge Kevin Cunningham
Judge Jamie Shapiro
Judge Lindsay Huge
Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen
Judge Michael Noland
Judge Joel Chupack

– 2016 –

Judge Anna Loftus
Judge Jerry Esrig
Judge Eve Marie Reilly
Judge Carrie Hamilton

– 2014 –

Judge Megan Goldish

– 2012 –

Judge Celia Gamrath
Judge Lionel Jean-Baptiste

KNI in the News

The community knew better:

How a trio of independent school board candidates topped their better funded opponents

Joy Virginia Cunningham declares victory in Illinois Supreme Court Primary

Joy Virginia Cunningham holds onto Illinois Supreme Court seat - Chicago Sun-Times

Abolition in the Land of Lincoln

A group of modern-day freedom fighters in Illinois combating ongoing slavery in a faraway West African country.

Chicago Activists Fight Against Slavery In Mauritania

It took Mauritania until 1981 to abolish slavery, and even then, the act did not become a crime until 2007.

his Juneteenth, Where Does Slavery Still Exist Today?

Today is Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas...

Kanye West Short 1,300 Signatures: Illinois Elections Officials

Superstar Kanye West fell short of qualifying for the Illinois ballot as an independent presidential candidate by 1,300 signatures...

Kanye denied ballot spot in his native Illinois

The rap star fell short of making it on the ballot by 1,300 signatures despite a lower threshold to qualify.

Kanye West poised to be bounced from Illinois presidential ballot: Not enough valid signatures

The Illinois State Board of Elections found that West did not file the required 2,500 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.

Lehayne-Blogspot

Guest Post: Sean Tenner puts the 2024 primary into perspective

Lehayne-Blogspot

Guest post: Sean Tenner analyzes the primary results

Cook County judicial voters reject old habits, disfavor poorly rated candidates

It was not business-as-usual in the Cook County judicial primaries last week.

Lehayne-Blogspot

Guest post: Voter turnout and judicial elections -- lessons learned from 2016

Hansen, Romanek apparent winners in 9th judicial races; Goldish holds solid lead

Is the Evanston City Council a launch pad for an attorney aspiring to a career on the bench?

The social soapbox:

How social media and data analytics are helping grassroots candidates gain legitimacy