* I asked both the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Illinois Republican Party this morning whether they’d been contacted by the FBI about this and never heard back…

Chinese government hackers are scanning U.S. political party domains ahead of next month’s midterm elections, looking for vulnerable systems as a potential precursor to hacking operations, and the FBI is making a big push to alert potential victims to batten down the hatches.

Over the past week, FBI agents in field offices across the country have notified some Republican and Democratic state party headquarters they might be targets of the Chinese hackers, according to party and U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

None of the potential targets were hacked or breached, the officials said.

* This means next to nothing. Most of Pritzker’s money is sheltered off-shore, so we don’t really know how much he’s making…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois first lady M.K. Pritzker reported earning more than $18.5 million in adjusted gross income last year - a hefty bump from the $5.1 million the billionaire couple reported in 2020.

Pritzker’s campaign on Friday released partial 2021 state and federal tax returns, which also show the Pritzkers paid $4,733,028 in federal taxes and $883,780 in state taxes. […]

The campaign also said trusts benefitting Pritzker paid $14.6 million in Illinois taxes and $68.6 million in federal taxes in 2021. The Pritzkers also made $1.07 million in personal charitable donations last year.

The Daily Mail’s take…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker TRIPLED his income to $18.5m in 2021: Democrat billionaire heir to Hyatt hotels with plush property portfolio doesn’t take salary from his gubernatorial role - and already pumped $145m into his midterms campaign

* AG Raoul makes a good point in Politico…

Republican nominee for Attorney General Tom DeVore has called on Democratic AG Kwame Raoul to return the $1 million campaign donation he received in 2018 from the Friends of Michael J. Madigan committee. DeVore describes Madigan as “the poster child for political corruption in Illinois,” according to a statement.

Raoul responded: “That money was donated by the former head of the Democratic Party of Illinois four years ago, and it was spent four years ago. Since then, I’ve accepted donations from the new chairwoman of the party and other supporters, and I’m certainly not going to hand over those donations to someone who is under federal indictment,” Raoul said in a statement.

* ABC 7 on Friday…

There was a scuffle Thursday night on State Street and two CTA patrol volunteers were arrested.

Police say the group had parked illegally up and down the center of the street, right outside the ABC7 studios. […]

After being asked to move their vehicles, police say one of the volunteers hit a patrol car.

A second person was taken into custody for trying to stop the arrest.

If you watch the video, the “volunteers” appear to be from Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change (ECCSC). If you walked between the Statehouse and the Stratton Building in April, you likely caught sight of at least one of those cars. Also, click here to watch ECCSC leader Tyrone Muhammad smash the windows of a business he accused of being racist. And, of course, Muhammad disrupted a trans rights event in Chicago. And this is from July…

Just sayin, but sometimes folks get into “violence prevention” in order to project their own power onto others.

Anyway, Tom DeVore announced a couple days after the State Street police scuffle that he’d be hanging out with ECCSC…

Watch for us tomorrow night. These men have offered to allow me to tag along and witness their efforts to try and keep…

Posted by Thomas DeVore on Friday, October 14, 2022

The night came to an end. A lot to process from tne last several hours. Thank you Tyrone Muhammad

Posted by Thomas DeVore on Sunday, October 16, 2022

…Adding… Sherman is also with ECCSC…

A nine-time convicted felon who was on felony bail for allegedly battering an Illinois State trooper during a protest that featured Chicago’s “Dreadhead Cowboy,” accidentally shot himself in the butt at a Bucktown gas station, and then lied about what happened, prosecutors said Thursday.

Gregory Sherman, 43, works full-time as an anti-violence worker, “out there on the street, trying to lower the criminal and dangerous issues that are going on in our community,” his private defense attorney said. […]

But Sherman won’t be able to go home right away. Beach also ordered him held without bail for violating the bond conditions in the pending aggravated battery of a peace officer case, which is a story in itself.

In May 2021, Sherman, Adam “Dreadhead Cowboy” Hollingsworth, and three others were arrested after allegedly obstructing traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway to raise awareness of violence against children.

* Illinois early vote totals…

The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/17/22):
Total VBM requested: 729,600
Total VBM returned: 139,977
Total VBM outstanding: 589,623
Return Rate: 19%
Total Early Vote: 37,619
Total Grace Period: 285
Total Already Voted: 177,881https://t.co/44ga6AxRbY

— IL Election Data (@ILElectionData) October 17, 2022

* Chicago early vote totals…

The Early Vote total stands at 2,037 ballots cast.

Additionally, 11,817 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 181,234.

The grand total is 13,854 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.

* IL FOP…

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge, representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired law enforcement officers, has asked Third District Supreme Court Justice candidate Mary Kay O’Brien to stop using campaign literature that claims she has the FOP’s endorsement. The FOP has, in fact, officially endorsed the incumbent in the race, Justice Michael Burke.

“Whether O’Brien’s FOP endorsement claim is a mistake or is deliberate, the simple fact is that it’s not true and is misleading to Third District voters,” said Illinois FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “We hereby call on the O’Brien campaign to cease and desist the use of any FOP logos or endorsement claims in its printed material, on-line postings and in-person events.”

A recent mailer sent by the O’Brien campaign to the residents of the new Third Supreme Court District displays an FOP logo among other logos under the heading “Proudly Endorsed by.” The Illinois FOP State Lodge unanimously endorsed her opponent, Justice Michael Burke, and only Burke is authorized to use an FOP logo for his campaign.

“As an officer of the court, O’Brien certainly knows that it is wrong to misrepresent the facts,” Southwood said. “We hope it was an honest mistake, but either way she needs to let voters know the truth.”

MKO campaign’s response…

Justice Mary Kay O’Brien received the endorsement of the Joliet Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council. The mail piece includes the logo used by the Joliet FOP on their own public pages.

Letter of endorsement is attached.

Justice O’Brien is also proudly endorsed by the Coalition of Frontline Police Officers made up of the Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association (“PBPA”), Metropolitan Alliance of Police (“MAP”), Illinois Council of Police and Sheriffs (“ICOPS”), and Association of Professional Police Officers (“APPO”) which represents over 20,000 active and retired law enforcement professionals across the state of Illinois.

Yeah, I dunno. The logo doesn’t say “Joliet” FOP.

…Adding… Press release…

Today, Representative Morgan, Chair of the Illinois House Jewish Caucus reacted to former President Donald Trump’s recent statements. Trump, who has a history of proliferating harmful, anti-Semitic tropes, told American Jews to “get their act together” and accused Jews of having dual loyalty to America and Israel. Unsurprisingly, Republicans met these dangerous comments with silence, and yet again failed to call out anti-Semititsm within their own ranks. Darren Bailey, who has his own history of making problematic comments about the Jewish community, was among those who remained silent.

Rep. Morgan reacted to the former president’s comments and GOP Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s silence:

“Telling American Jews to “get their act together…before it is too late” is nothing short of a bigoted, antisemitic threat. Donald Trump is taking a page right out of the authoritarian playbook, and Darren Bailey’s silence on his comments speak volumes. These remarks, as well as Bailey’s continued comparison of abortion to the Holocaust, lend credence to existing harmful tropes about Jewish people and add fuel to lies espoused by extremist hate groups. Any elected official who doesn’t understand this, can’t be trusted to lead our state”, said Rep. Bob Morgan.

* Roundup from Isabel…

* Final gubernatorial debate: What do Pritzker, Bailey need to say to gain support: A dominant theme in the first debate, held at Illinois State University, were claims that each candidate’s respective opponents were lying or spreading mistruths. The frequency of these claims were so high that Pritzker, when asked during a post-debate presser, said a fact check was likely in order regarding statements from Bailey.

* New Madigan charge casts a shadow on the upcoming election: Illinois Republicans are trying. The charges “will absolutely be used in House races to highlight how the web of Democratic corruption continues to grow,” said Eleni Demertzis, spokeswoman for House GOP Leader Jim Durkin. Illinois Democrats have done little to clean up their mess, even as other Democratic lawmakers continue to be charged with corruption, Demertzis said. “Nothing has actually changed in the Democratic Party of Illinois and you will certainly be seeing that narrative in the next few weeks.”

* Campaign rhetoric in Illinois Supreme Court races belies vows of impartiality: Allies attack the Republicans for being supported by anti-abortion rights groups and warn they are aggressively anti-abortion rights. A recent TV ad features a doctor who claims Curran and Burke “are too extreme” for the Illinois Supreme Court. “Pregnancies are complicated, and every situation is different,” the doctor asserts. “My job is to do what’s best for my patients.”

* Abortion rights at the forefront of Supreme Court race: It’s a race that’s become more visible on the airwaves in recent days, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker chipping $500,000 into the Rochford campaign war chest. Her backers have aired ads that highlight Curran’s long history of anti-abortion rhetoric. Rochford, meanwhile, has support from abortion rights advocacy groups and her campaign website bills her as a champion of women’s rights.

* Voters to decide on Carbondale’s ‘home rule’ status: A confusingly-worded referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot will ask Carbondale residents if they want to the retain status as a home rule community, and voters are hearing from advocates on both sides. […] “Home rule gives a city council and local administration the ability to do things much more independently of the state government,” explained longtime Southern Illinois University Carbondale political scientist John Jackson. “In essence, if the state government doesn’t prohibit something, the city can do it in home rule cities, whereas there are more constraints in non-home rule cities.”

* Editorial: Toni Preckwinkle for Cook County Board president: Fioretti, 69, who ran for mayor in 2015 and 2019 is a perennially unsuccessful candidate who also finished dead last in the 2020 primary race for state’s attorney, a race won by Foxx. We also don’t see Libertarian candidate Thea Tsatsos as offering a viable alternative. Preckwinkle isn’t likely to change much at the age of 75. But we think she has done the work to deserve voters’ support for an additional term.

* Stava-Murray, Leong both favor gun control, but issue remains contentious in 81st House race: Leong also questioned the dedication of Democratic state legislators such as Stava-Murray. “They have failed to pass legislation even though they are in the supermajority,” Leong said. “So if that’s really your passion and if it’s really your sincere desire, I think you could have done it by now.” Stava-Murray detailed her support for strengthening “red flag” laws, universal background checks, a modernization of the Firearm Owner’s Identification card system and increasing focus on mental health.