* The tradition in Illinois is to not challenge petition signatures for presidential delegates. We’ll know by Friday if the tradition will continue…

Delegates for GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum have filed the minimum legal number of petition signatures to appear on the ballot in just four of Illinois’ 18 available congressional districts.

In 10 others, delegates who filed signatures came far short of the 600 required to appear on the ballot, a review of the signatures found. They didn’t file any delegates in four districts.

* In other news, the Illinois AFL-CIO released its list of primary campaign endorsements this week. Click here to read the full list. From the press release…

Topping the endorsement list were Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress including Bobby Rush (1st District), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2nd), Dan Lipinski (3rd), Luis Gutierrez (4th), Mike Quigley (5th), Leslie Coolidge (6th), Danny Davis (7th), Jan Schakowsky (9th), Bill Foster (11th), Brad Harriman (12th), Matt Goetten (13th), Dennis Anderson (14th) and Cheri Bustos (17th).

No congressional Republican primary candidates were endorsed. Several state legislative candidates in tough primaries got the state fed’s nod, including Senate candidates Donna Miller (the wife of former Rep. David Miller) and Sen. Mike Jacobs (up against former Rep. Mike Boland). The labor umbrella group didn’t endorse anyone in the open seat race for Illinois Supreme Court.

…Adding… 600 people? That’s some intense interest, man…

Frustrated Chicagoans accused aldermen of shattering communities to protect their incumbencies at the first public hearing on the city’s ward remap process Wednesday night.

At least 600 people flooded into DePaul University’s Student Center in Lincoln Park, with many forced to wait temporarily outside closed doors due to concerns that attendance would exceed fire code limits. For three hours, scores of city residents hurled criticism at the more than 20 attending aldermen, and the two maps they created.

* Republican Congressman Don Manzullo continues to whack his primary opponent Congressman Adam Kinzinger as not conservative enough. From a press release…

An analysis of Congressional votes shows that U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-16) continued his strong conservative record of voting against wasteful Washington spending in 2011 while his opponent voted much more often for big government.

Manzullo, who maintains a lifetime 96 percent rating with the American Conservative Union, voted 79 more times to cut spending in 2011 than Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-11), who says he came to Washington in 2010 to cut spending. An analysis of all 949 roll call votes cast in 2011 shows Kinzinger voted to spend $209 billion more than Manzullo.

* Kinzinger zings back…

“Rather than speaking out as a voice of fiscal responsibility in Washington, Congressman Manzullo joined in the ‘big government’movement by voting to support taxpayer funded bailouts, advocating for Obama’s spending projects and voting twelve times to increase the debt limit piling on $5 trillion to our nation’s debt.

“Only when Congressman Manzullo realized he would have his first serious Republican opponent in decades, he began to take drastic measures to correct twenty years of overspending by voting in favor of the RSC budget, which would slash seniors’ Social Security and Medicare and threaten veterans’ benefits all in a desperate attempt to continue his two-decade congressional career.

“It is unfortunate that Congressman Manzullo is now disingenuously following the freshman class’ lead by talking about fiscal restraint when for the last twenty years he supported the failed policies that put us in this mess to begin with.

“In just one year, Congressman Adam Kinzinger and his freshmen class have changed the conversation from how much to spend to how much to cut. His class has brought a fresh approach, with strong, conservative voices that will fight tooth and nail to stop the reckless mistakes of the past by both parties. He will continue to lead this mission in Congress.”

* Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi has a new web video. Have a look…

* Republican state Sen. Carole Pankau is running a new cable TV ad. Rate it…

Pankau is up against Rep. Randy Ramey in the GOP primary.

* Other stuff…

* Manzullo trumpets conservative rating in House race with Kinzinger: For what it’s worth, the only other “perfect” A-plus score in Illinois went to Tea Party favorite Joe Walsh. Just about every other Republican except the north suburban 10th District’s Robert Dold got a B — he got a C — while Democrats rated from D on down.

* Manzullo says U.S. should manufacture way out of debt

* Mulligan update

* Gloria Lind’s election hearing pushed back

* State Election Board Certifies Rowe Candidacy, Dismisses McSweeney Challenge

* What’s smart, what’s not: In the no-planning camp was Steven Klingbeil, who thought he could run as a Republican candidate for the 108th state House District without his personal financial problems getting in the way. But he dropped out of the race last week, right before a story detailing those problems was scheduled to run. Of course, the story and the problems had nothing to do with his abrupt about-face.

* David Reis appointed to Firearm Public Awareness Task Force

* Lauzen’s son involved in pirate rescue