* New York Times…

Message discipline. Focus on local issues. Find ways to work with Republicans. And show up. Everywhere.

That is some of the advice offered to swing-district Democrats for winning in conservative areas in a new report written by Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois, a former leader of the House Democrats’ campaign arm. […]

Ms. Bustos interviewed 25 national and local Democratic lawmakers who won areas carried by former President Donald J. Trump in 2020. She had help from a longtime adviser — Robin Johnson, a political scientist at Monmouth College, which is in Ms. Bustos’s district.

Democrats who won districts where Mr. Trump got a majority of votes are a distinct minority in Congress: There are only seven in the House.

Bustos was one of those seven, but she just barely won reelection and is now leaving the House. She probably shoulda taken her own advice. One constant criticism last year was that she wasn’t spending enough time in her district. The report is here, by the way.

* A group called Patients for Affordable Drugs just dropped $50,000 on cable TV ads in US Rep. Lauren Underwood’s district. Click here to see the buy. Also at that link, Gov. Pritzker’s campaign has spent another $127K on cable.

* I told subscribers a little bit about this earlier today…

Judge Mary K. O’Brien (who many know as “Mary Kay”) is launching her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s 3rd District this week. And she’s already got her first big endorsement — from Sen. Dick Durbin. “I’ve watched Mary Kay O’Brien grow from a promising legislator to an accomplished jurist, and I know she will be a thoughtful Supreme Court judge,” he said in a statement. O’Brien will be campaigning at the State Fair festivities this week. The Third District comprises DuPage and Will counties as well as Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties. O’Brien, who was a state legislator from 1996 to 2003, has served on the Illinois Appellate Court for nearly 18 years. She’s heard more than 4,500 cases, according to her campaign team.

* Journal & Topics…

Char Foss-Eggemann, former Maine Township Republican committeeman and current 9th Congressional District Republican state central committeeman, will retain her position as a member of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee despite recently moving from Park Ridge to Munster, IN.

In an email to the Journal & Topics, Foss-Eggemann authorized Aaron Del Mar to speak on her behalf. Del Mar is the deputy chairman of, and spokesman for, the Cook County Republican Party. He is a member of the Illinois Executive Board of the Illinois Republican Party and Palatine Township Republican committeeman.

“I understand she did move, but she is still working in Illinois,” Del Mar said. He said when Foss-Eggemann informed him of the move, she offered her resignation. However, Del Mar said he would not accept the resignation. Foss-Eggemann’s term as the 9th Congressional District state central committeeman ends in 2022.

Del Mar said he understood Foss-Eggemann’s son attends college in Indiana. The family found a good opportunity to move and be near their son.

* Sun-Times…

The rising Latino population across the state isn’t likely to change the face of City Hall or the governor’s mansion overnight — but some Hispanic leaders say it’s only a matter of time.

“I think before the decade is over there will be a Latina or Latino mayor in Chicago,” said U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who ran for mayor himself in 2015.

“And the possibility that Latinos can run statewide — as has been done already but with more frequency — certainly suggests that a Latino or Latina can be a state office holder, whether it’s secretary of state or treasurer or comptroller or governor.

“That is certainly a realistic expectation of what we will see without a doubt.”

Just remember what we discussed last week. A significant aspect to this change has to do with the new way the questions were asked and how the answers were coded.