59 Comments - Mal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:40 am: So what are the dem and republican house totals? - JackD - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:42 am: Guess they can’t blame Madigan for not using his “veto proof” majority anymore. - Name/Nickname/Anon - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:43 am: Umm so if it’s not subscriber only, what exactly happened to Smiddy? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:43 am: Mal, it’s simple math. 71-4=? and 39-2=? - LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:44 am: @mal per my figurin’ Lose 4, win 1 started at 71. I get 68 - LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:45 am: Carry the franks - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:45 am: HAHA! What were the lines from Monday afternoon?! “Skoog will win comfortably.” “Frank Mautino will have no bearing on this race.” No media?! Seriously?! I guess that Skoog really has an ax to grind with Mr. Guiliani. - Allen D - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:48 am: HA … super majority Busted…. I guess now they might work a little better with the Governor now… still moving forward … - TrumpsSmallHands - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:49 am: So is GOP +4 in the house, with a loss of the Comptroller a win or draw for Rauner? - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:50 am: Kay’s loss surprises me - although his mouth likely cost him the race. He certainly works hard. Mike Babcock and Dwight Kay will be back in two years. On a similar note Madison County’s executive office and board completely flipped. Unreal. - illinois manufacturer - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:53 am: I do agree with Madigan. It was Trump and it was Trump because of anger at the destruction of Midwestern Manufacturing - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:53 am: “The Senate Democrats lost two seats (they didn’t run anyone in retiring Sen. John Sullivan’s district) and picked up none.” Does anyone know why the Dems did NOT run anyone in that district and a lot of other GA districts? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:53 am: Madigan started with the Mythical “71″ That 71 was always 68, as Franks, Dunkin, and Drury were never about anything but… Franks… Dunkin… and Drury. Franks phony Dem seat is now lost, so it’s still 68, but Dunkin’s defeat made the 68 a “70 minus Drury” starting point. Add the Kay seat, that’s the Mythical 71 minus 4… So Madigan’s number is 67, but honestly, Drury is as reliable as a Swiss Cheese umbrella, so… you guessed it, the number is “66″. Rauner at 52 means 8 Green from Democrats for Rauner to get to 60, mythical or not. Rauner got to “66″, at the cost of losing a myth, even if they wanted it shattered, it’s still miles away from a compromised 60 structured Roll Call. So Durkin at 51, or 52… I have my own thoughts, that got drenched with the biggest of bucket, and the coldest of water. Durkin could be the most important power broker in cobbled legislation and budgets in this state’s history. Guiding Rauner to find those 7-10 votes, Durkin could be the person to get the wins needed for Rauner, the toll calls demanded by Madigan, and still use that streaky independence a Caucus should have to guide the governor into wins he never thought were possible, but only through the actual process of governing. I can’t express how much I’d be on board with that type of Durkin leadership, and that type of legislative governing for a governor’s winnable agenda. I would be the biggest cheerleader for that type of governing, and those type of politics played for the betterment of Illinois. I still hope for these avenues, but I can read. I read the response by Leader Durkin, and while there’s a hint of pointing to process and governing, there’s a big statement about where Rauner is leading a caucus and not following what a real independent caucus working with a governor could bring… … because “66″… is better… that “68″ I still hope and root for Leader Durkin because the success of governing within 60 and 30 is close enough to be seen, but just far enough to be touched. - Deft Wing - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:54 am: “- Deft Wing - Tuesday, Nov 8, 16 @ 1:11 pm: House GOP nets three seats. Duckworth wins big. Schneider, unfortunately, wins fairly comfortably. Bost wins. Mendoza wins & it ain’t that close. Biggest upsets– One of the following GOP incumbents will lose: Bourne, Kay, Hammond or Jimenez. While three losses will come from this Dem incumbent group: Conroy, Yingling, Beiser, Bradley, Smiddy, Cloonen or … Jay Hoffman.” So, the fight will continue … expect more of the same until 2018. P.S. Proft did poorly– Holan lost again! - Mal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:59 am: Im officially off this site since the site administrator has a smart mouth! - Rabid - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:03 am: Math is hard - LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:04 am: RIP Mal. Fair seas and following winds - Dance Band on the Titanic - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:05 am: Where it stands is that the HGOP needs 9 Democrats to support the Rauner income tax increase. - Saluki Matt - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:05 am: At the risk of sounding naive, my biggest surprise was the extent to which Sheila Simon lost to Paul Schimpf. I didn’t follow polls for this race, but around Jackson county I saw far more Simon yards signs that Schimpf. I saw Simon out and about more frequently. Simon has a much stronger connection to SIU Carbondale and John A. Logan CC. I saw Simon commercials on local TV and online…and I cannot recall seeing a Schimpf commercial. In my mind his campaign so invisible, but what do I know? - Miss Marie - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:06 am: @Anonymous 9:53 am: “Does anyone know why the Dems did NOT run anyone in that district and a lot of other GA districts?” I can’t speak for the other districts, but I can take a guess on Sullivan’s seat. Sullivan is one helluva guy. He’s smart and cares about his district. Even after that, he gets challenged in almost every election cycle, and it’s usually a top tier race. I can’t blame him for not wanting to run again. But the senate dems probably knew it would be next to impossible to replace him, and chalked his seat up to a lost so that they could save resources for more winnable races. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:09 am: ==super majority Busted== There never was a working super majority. ==I guess now they might work a little better with the Governor now== And you think that why? - Responsa - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:09 am: Mal–did you really just refer to Mr. Miller as “the site administrator”? - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:10 am: 9:53 - the 47th Senate District is arguably one of the most conservative districts in the state. Even with Quincy - which is like a smaller version of Springfield in terms of how both parties play tug of war with mayoral and aldermanic races - the district as a whole is very red and was likely more of a “Senator Sullivan” district than a competitive district (especially in a presidential year). - Bigtwich - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:10 am: Thanks Mal. I needed a smile this morning. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:15 am: - Mal - “Administrator”? Yikes, bud, you’re not new to this site, you’re green to Illinois politics. To the Post, What will be the new crutch… now that “super-majority” is completely off the table? Gotta have a way to deflect falling short on Roll Calls. - Mal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:16 am: Site administrator Rich Miller. Scared little boy that deletes comments like a coward. Thank God I never subscribed to this failing website! - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:18 am: Mal - just to be clear Mr. Miller is not the administrator. He is the sole owner and sole proprietor. And given the vitriol during this cycle his middle of the road approach is appreciated. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:18 am: I have been commenting on this site for 11 years now. I remember the old design. I have had maybe 3 comments deleted - all for comment slip-ups that included banned words. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:27 am: Well no coming together yet - Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:31 am: “Thank God I never subscribed to this failing website!” And yet, here you are. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:33 am: ==At the risk of sounding naive, my biggest surprise was the extent to which Sheila Simon lost to Paul Schimpf. I didn’t follow polls for this race, but around Jackson county I saw far more Simon yards signs that Schimpf. I saw Simon out and about more frequently. Simon has a much stronger connection to SIU Carbondale and John A. Logan CC. I saw Simon commercials on local TV and online…and I cannot recall seeing a Schimpf commercial. In my mind his campaign so invisible, but what do I know?== The same Sheila Simon who couldn’t win mayor of Carbondale and hasn’t won a race in her life running on her name other than a small town city council seat? You’re shocked at that result? Really? - anon - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:37 am: Rep. Mussman won her fourth term last night. All but her first election was won by a landslide. How many times does she have to win before the 56th district will no longer be considered a swing district? - Deft Wing - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:40 am: –”Rep. Mussman won her fourth term last night. All but her first election was won by a landslide. How many times does she have to win before the 56th district will no longer be considered a swing district?”– Perhaps that Mom on a Mission could deliver a financially sane vote once in a while and not be a Madigan-flunky. Until she demonstrates some semblance of independence, she’ll be a deserved target. - Mal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:40 am: OW You can be owner and administrator at the same time or is that not possible? Too many that talk a lot but dont know anything on here. - Yiddishcowboy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:42 am: @Mal: Start your own blog if you desire to write, say whatever you wish regardless of the content. That simple. - Honeybear - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:47 am: Labor failed. Plain and simple. I can’t even feel pride in taking down Kay. It is overshadowed by our failure in all other battles. Most importantly in our failure to keep the 5th district appellate court. Now all legal options are off the table for Labor. Come nov 15 Rauners owned ILRB will deliver a total impasse verdict and we will eat the poison contract and die as a union. We can’t strike during the holidays. Ballgame as OW says ballgame. Go ahead and start your whooping Mal. Labor is defeated. I’d like to thank all the steelworkers and IBEW and SEIU’s who showed up at every event. God knows it was you that carried us here. I am deeply ashamed of not my Union but of my coworkers who sit in complacency and never helped. Well elections have consequences. So let’sake this quick if we could. I’m in such despair. - MOON - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:52 am: It is my opinion that Madigan is satisfied with the outcome. I am sure he feels bad about the loss of Bradley and Cloonen. Regarding Skoog he refused to take the Speakers advice and the loss is on him. In 2018 with the GOP in the White House I predict After that election Madigan will have a comfortable majority and will retain the Speakers position. Rauner will never compromise and there will be no budget. Rauner is blinded by his dislike for Madigan and will suffer the consequences….DEMS will control both houses. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:52 am: Mal, almost an hour ago you said you were leaving. Keep your word. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:52 am: Mal - you were 100% correct on the Comptroller race. Good job. I came within 1 of correctly predicting the HRO net gain. The problem with this site - as with others sites - is that sometimes our partisan leanings/preferences get in the way of our reasoning. Two years ago people were just convinced that Rauner stood no chance. Then he went out and won by 4% exactly. In years past I jumped the gun and assumed certain things would happen in the GOP’s favor. 2010 and 2014 found me predicting that we would do really well. We did worse than I thought in 2010 (with Brady losing) and I really screwed the pooch on 2014 (when I thought we would win way more than one State Senate seat and pick up a few State House seats and retake the 17th Congressional District seat). It happens to the best of us. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:53 am: ===It is my opinion that Madigan is satisfied with the outcome=== Such a shock. Totally out of character. Completely unpredictable. /snark - G'Kar - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:53 am: I’m not surprised about Skoog’s lack of class. While I live in the 73rd, I work in the 76th. I can honestly say that I have never in my life witnessed two less deserving candidates than Skoog and Long. Both are, and I hope this doesn’t get this posted deleted, not the brightest of bulbs. Both, but especially Long, spent most of the campaign hiding. Neither, I think, really have the ability to represent the district and both would have been pretty much under the thumb of their respective patrons. - A guy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:56 am: The super majority in practical terms is gone and in literal terms it is gone. A net pickup of 2 in the Senate and 4 in the House is a very good night. Not great, but very good. Defense in a Presidential year goes somewhat unappreciated. Both sides did a pretty good job of defending. On the Comptroller…I think Susanna will become a Constitutional Officer just as Friehrichs did and the others before them. A little time in a Constitutional Statewide office seems to have a positive effect on the people in them to only be as political as they need to be. Those jobs are busy! - Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 10:57 am: Skoog is only doing something that Trump would have done if he lost–something a lot of Trump/Long voters would probably be okay with if the shoe was on their foot. - Roman - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:17 am: Wither the Downstate Dem Caucus. Bradley, Smiddy, Cloonen, Skoog, and Forby all gone. While the targeted suburban Dems all held on. - SouthernIllinoisan - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:19 am: Rich, care to speculate as to how John Bradley and Gary Forby lost but Brandon Phelps did not? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:20 am: ===Rich, care to speculate=== Eventually, yes. But follow the money. - Deft Wing - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:24 am: –”===It is my opinion that Madigan is satisfied with the outcome=== —”Such a shock. Totally out of character. Completely unpredictable.”– /snark” Except … Madigan’s not satisfied, at all. Read his statement, it’s dripping with anger & excuses. Meaning the 2-year war continues, in spite of Rauner’s legislative wins over Madigan yesterday. Nothing is settled. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:30 am: ===The same Sheila Simon who couldn’t win mayor of Carbondale and hasn’t won a race in her life running on her name other than a small town city council seat? You’re shocked at that result? Really? ==== Yes, because of the SIU factor. We’ve needed much stronger advocates for SIU during this budget impasse than what we’ve seen out of Bryant and Luechtefeld. I thought Simon would satisfy this need much better than Schimpf. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:31 am: ===Yes, because of the SIU factor=== Townies are not pleased with SIU these days. Also, too, you’re ignoring the partisan makeup of that district. These aren’t even-Steven seats. - Amalia - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:53 am: the nickname Mal just writes the jokes! Rich does a kick ass job of administering this community. heed the rules, contribute as you can, play nicely with others. - Just Saying - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 11:59 am: I don’t think that 63rd District race (Jack Frank’s seat) was a gimme. Reick wasn’t exactly an ideal candidate, and Franks was campaigning hard for Bartman up in these parts. I never thought this was a slam dunk. - blue dog dem - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 12:01 pm: Simon,Barecivic, Clinton. Destroyed in one of the fastest growing counties in Illinois. MONROE. Trump darn near 80%. I said it last night. Costello II would have been tested to the max. He won’t be do lucky next time. I wonder if he’s thinking about pulling a Joe Manchin? - blue dog dem - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 12:05 pm: Rich @11:31. No truer words have ever been spoken. - walker - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 12:34 pm: I was figuring 68, which would have been a modest Rauner win. As OW says: 67, but really an “effective 66,” is a solid win for Rauner, which will change how Durkin and Madigan operate. Expensive but not money wasted On the other side, it’s not clear how much losing his “wingman” hurts Rauner, but there’s might be some operational leverage for Madigan to apply. Net on the big Rauner investment, probably a plus for him. - opiate of the masses - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 12:38 pm: Name/Nickname/Anon - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 9:43 am: =Umm so if it’s not subscriber only, what exactly happened to Smiddy?= he went after a school district (twice) for his wife, who happens to be the teachers union president of said district. he tried to pass a performance audit of the district through committee without telling anyone, including the district. then 3 months later he tried to get the state board to shut down one of their schools (the one his wife teaches at) because of “black mold.” two problems with that: one, after some very expensive air sampling and visits from various state agencies (including the dept of labor), there was no mold or any other issues — anywhere. second problem, he wasn’t even smart enough to know the school was not in his legislative district. it was in pat verschoore’s district and smiddy didn’t realize that until the news channel informed him. oh, and he’s morally and ethically bankrupt. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 12:50 pm: With respect to Skoog and Gualiani, it was a nasty race and the Ottawa paper & Gualiani in particular, was pushing hard for Long. When Long backed out of a debate at the last minute, the Ottawa paper told Skoog he would not be allowed to appear. If Gualiani acts like a partisan, he should not be surprised when he is treated as such. With respect to Mautino’s impact on the outcome, I think that the results of this election can also be taken as an illustration of what Mautino did with his campaign funds: he worked the district for himself and for the local Dems and helped coordinate and direct local campaigns. Without Mautino’s very effective operation, Skoog and a number of down ballot races were lost by narrow margins. The money in question was spent on mileage and workers, it does not take much to see the impact in a year when it was gone. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 1:00 pm: Pot - okay. Fine. Whatever. But along those same lines the newspaper owners/publishers/editors/reports in my home area were completely in the tank for Mike Mathis. It was a sad display of such favoritism, and I heard rumblings that the papers were purposely withholding letters to the editor in Bourne’s favor. I get what you say about his involvement. But like with McCann and his largesse the question needs to be asked when is enough enough?! And regardless of your contention the State Board of Election clearly does not buy Mr. Mautino’s side(s) of the story and has denied his motions. His refusal to file amended returns or turn over documents makes me think his stories will not hold water. Sorry but there is too much smoke for there not to be a fire. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 3:02 pm: ==Like with McCann and his largesse the question needs to be asked when is enough enough?!== The ground game takes time, travel, people, and money to pay for it all. How much is too much? $10/hour, $15/hour…10 hour limit per person, 20 hours…can the guy with the truck putting out signs get it filled with gas, get new tires, an oil change, a brake job…It all adds up for the volunteers/workers as well as for the campaign fund. And, if you don’t have those people getting their expenses covered, some of them don’t help, and the overall effort falls a few hundred votes short. ==His refusal to file amended returns or turn over documents makes me think his stories will not hold water.== If your attorney tells you to not deal with the state folks until the feds are done, what do you do? If you pay an attorney for advice should you follow it? - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 9, 16 @ 3:42 pm: Pot - then you pay them mileage or buy them gas cards. You don’t just “fill ‘er up!”, not save receipts, and just tell people to take your word for it. I know it takes cash to cover large territories but an organized campaign finds ways to properly pay people, organize paperwork, delineate staffer/volunteer expenses, and keep things above the fray. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.