The Illinois governor’s race was in dead heat when the incumbent Democrat sent his attack dogs after new targets: the Illinois Policy Institute and its CEO John Tillman.

Raising the minimum wage was Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s top campaign issue. The Institute rightly opposed an increase because of its negative effect on employment, specifically for teens and minorities. So the Quinn campaign issued a press release calling Tillman a “racist.” Quinn also called on his challenger Bruce Rauner—a longtime supporter of the Institute—to “disassociate himself” from Tillman and the organization. The campaign’s supposed smoking gun: A publicly available video of Tillman discussing how a higher minimum wage locks teens and minorities out of the job market.

The Institute was no stranger to attacks, but this reached a new low. Tillman was being personally attacked in a wrong and disgusting manner. News media were told that Tillman and the Illinois “Perjury” Institute were toxic and to stay away, lest they lose access to the governor. The matter required careful and precise handling.

While it was a challenging episode, it became an opportunity for the Institute. Here’s how. These lessons are ones other organizations can use when facing their own attacks:

Relationships are key. Over the past few years the Institute has dedicated significant resources to building its earned media capacity. Most reporters who received the Quinn press release already had a personal relationship with Tillman and with the Institute and thought it was outrageous to call him a racist. Most news outlets ignored the release because they knew it was just a desperate campaign ploy.

Don’t take it personally. Personal attacks are effective because the people who are attacked take the matter personally and are emotionally bruised. Remember Rules for Radicals: “Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.” It was important for Tillman and the staff to look objectively at the issue and not get emotional. This is key with any crisis situation. Whoever is handling the situation cannot be emotional or personally riled up because it causes them to not think clearly and strategically through the next move.

Don’t hurt in public. Even if you feel hurt by the attack or it is causing negative consequences for your organization, don’t publicly suffer. It will only aggravate the issues you are facing and make them worse. Stand strong. After all, we have the truth on our side.

Turn negative episodes into an opportunity. At the time of this attack, the Institute had just concluded research on the recession’s effect on the employment rate in Illinois by demographic group.
We released the report within hours of the attack, which repositioned the Institute in the controversy. The Quinn administration claimed to be looking out for minorities, but the Institute’s research found that the black male employment rate was lower under Quinn than at any other time in recorded state history.

The bottom line is this: As your organization becomes more effective, the attacks will be more frequent and sharper. We will never be successful as a movement if we cannot withstand attacks from the other side. Instead of cringing when the left or the political establishment come after your organization, embrace it;
it means we are having an impact!

Diana Rickert is vice president of communications at
Illinois Policy Institute. Write her at drickert@illinoispolicy.org.