* OK, now do Chicago, where the lines to vote are regularly just as bad, if not worse…

The scenes coming out of Georgia are flat out unacceptable. No one, and I mean no one, should be forced to trade hours of their time as a transaction to cast a ballot. Federal legislation is necessary to prevent any state from doing this. https://t.co/AzMJ6tXiOW

— Isaiah Martin (@isaiahrmartin) November 26, 2022

* I swear I am not making this up…

Kinda curious what sort of degrees they offer. /s

* The Patch…

Democrat Jenn Ladisch Douglass declared victory over Republican state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi late last week in the House District 45 race.

Mazzochi, who took office in 2018, has yet to publicly concede. She can seek a recount at her expense.

Douglass said the Nov. 8 election results were certified Tuesday in DuPage and Cook counties. […]

Douglass won with 50.4 percent of the vote. Her margin of victory was 365 votes out of more than 43,000 cast.

* Speaking of close races, this one went a different way…

The following statement was released by Maria Peterson today, candidate for Illinois State Senate, in the race that resulted in one of the closest margins in the state. As the final tally now stands at 49.78% (Peterson) to 50.22% (McConchie) and with less than a 400 vote difference, Peterson has conceded the race to Senate Minority leader Dan McConchie. Although the razor-thin margin would allow Peterson to trigger a recount, she chose to accept the results.

Peterson stated:

It was an honor to run for the Illinois State Senate in the 26th District. I am proud to have run one of the most competitive State Senate races in Illinois. We came within 393 votes of the approximately 90,000 votes cast. I am very grateful for our volunteers and team who made that possible. They went door to door, made phone calls, engaged on social media, and were a huge pillar of support. Their commitment and belief in our message are the reasons we came from so far back to make a lasting impact on this district and the Illinois State Senate. My rock throughout this campaign was my husband and the love of my life, Ken, who co-piloted this race with my team.

We owe it to the voters and supporters to see that each vote was counted, especially in a race that was so close. Now that the votes have all been tabulated, I left a message with Senator Dan McConchie, congratulating him on his win. I told him that I looked forward to working with him on bi-partisan issues affecting our district.

One year ago, this was a race that no one was interested in because it was believed that Senate leadership couldn’t be unseated. With hard work, values that mattered in my district, and continued growing support, we grew our campaign every day, including winning over those who were skeptical at first. This is why we came within .44% of beating the highly funded incumbent Republican State Senate leader. I am one who takes on challenges, and this campaign faced many uphill battles. Leaders rarely face challengers in their home district - a district the incumbent helped to draw.

I am proud of my campaign’s many accomplishments. Thanks to a strong organization, we contacted more than 50,000 voters directly, and I personally canvassed more than 5,000 doors. In our contact with voters, it was clear that a woman’s right to choose mattered. In a critical time in our country’s and State’s history, we activated the Pro-Choice movement through grassroots organizing. I am also proud to have enhanced the voice of the district by bringing common sense gun laws, ethics in government and protecting the environment to the forefront of this race. As a child of immigrants, I am honored to have engaged with our diverse population in the district.

Running against one of the most powerful leaders in the State Senate was challenging; however, we kept moving forward, and our campaign was able to make a significant impact proving that when leadership is left unchecked, we leave opportunity on the table.

There is still more work to be done, and I continue to have a vision for that future. I am committed to staying in the struggle. The results of this election have made it clear that our district is ready for new voices. We must codify a woman’s right to choose, remove the threat of gun violence from our neighborhoods, and always place service before politics.

* ILGOP fundraising email…

Rich,

Can you believe we only have one month left in 2022?

We have accomplished so much this year, despite tough losses earlier this month. But, Rich, we can’t let these stumbles deter or define us.

We have to remind ourselves that it is only up from here. This is why we’re reaching out to you about our November End-of-Month fundraising goal.

We need our TOP grassroots supporters like you, Rich, to pitch in and help make the Land of Lincoln the best it has ever been. Let’s show Springfield Democrats what it means to be a true conservative in our state. Will you consider pitching in for our efforts, Rich?

Make Illinois Strong - $10
Make Illinois Strong - $15
Make Illinois Strong - $20
Make Illinois Strong - $25

We want to come back stronger than ever and we promise to stay in this fight for you.

Pitch In Today

Thank you for your support,

Stronger Illinois

* HGOP staff memo from Mike Mahoney…

Hey everyone, the last day of my latest go-round with staff will be December 2nd.

I have never been as honored or had more fun than the days spent working in the Capitol. Know that everything and anything you do in this building can positively impact the people across this great state. Working here is a once (or in my case 3x) in a lifetime opportunity, so cherish every day you are here. It is a special place with some interesting characters.

If you ever need anything, I am always just a phone call away with ideas on fine dining options in Toluca, cliffs notes on Bill Black speeches, the specials at Saputo’s, the list goes on.

Have fun, stay sane and keep me apprised of the sweatshirt order.

Michael Mahoney
Deputy Chief of Staff
Illinois House Republican Caucus

Love that dude.

* HR1013 synopsis…

Congratulates Dave Dahl on being named Outstanding Illinois Father by the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood and recognizes his dedication to his son and his family.

Love that dude, too. Here he is in the press box today…

* The hazing had gotten out of hand…

Yesterday I spoke to new House members during their orientation, and I was asked to share the story of my “first” bill. It reminded me that I was the last freshman hazed by the House. Look what they made me wear back then in order to pass Bring Your Parents to School Day.🤣 pic.twitter.com/jE59xaCyVk

— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@RepChrisWelch) November 29, 2022

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Sun-Times | Suburban man gets 18 months probation for entering U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6: David Wiersma, 68, was arrested in Posen and charged along with Dawn Frankowski in September 2021. He pleaded guilty in late August to misdemeanor parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

* Axios | Refining the SAFE-T Act during this week’s veto session: With most veto session business done behind closed doors, we may not know what got changed until after the fact. But here are some provisions officials have cited as ripe for tweaks. Tickets for trespassing: Critics of the PFA say requiring police to ticket rather than arrest people for certain misdemeanors could mean cops can’t remove trespassers from property. PFA supporter and state Rep. La Shawn Ford told the Tribune, “I’ll be advocating for clarity … so it’s clear that they have the instructions through law to arrest people for trespassing.”

* Greg Hinz | Time finally expires on Ed Burke the survivor: The first time I ever really talked to Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, was on the back of a fire truck. We were both young, me a cub reporter who’d covered the City Council for a bit, Burke the fresh-faced political lord of a nice Southwest Side fief that he in the Chicago way had inherited from his father, the ward’s alderman and committeeman. I happened to be down there to report on something, perhaps the South Side Irish parade, and when Burke and his 14th Ward Regular Democratic Organization fire truck rolled by, he offered me a ride.

* Crain’s | Blue Cross trans care lawsuit tests limits of employer plan admins’ liability: A federal judge this month certified a class-action lawsuit against the nonprofit insurer that alleges its refusal to cover a transgender teenager’s gender-affirming care through a self-funded employee benefits plan it administers for Catholic Health Initiatives violates the ACA. Patricia and Nolle Pritchard of Washington state initiated the lawsuit two years ago after Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois declined to cover gender-affirming care for their son, identified as C.P., in adherence with Englewood, Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives’ company policy.

* ABC 7 | Lincolnwood Public Library declines to remove books with LGBTQ content from children’s collection: standing room-only crowd gathered at the Lincolnwood Village Hall Monday for a heated debate about a book with LGBTQ+ content on the public library’s children’s collection. The monthly library board meeting was moved from the library to the village hall to accommodate a large turnout after last month’s meeting got heated and ended early with police being called.

* CBS Chicago | Some parents object to book read to kids at library in Lincolnwood, others say complaints stigmatize LGBTQ+ community: The debate at a library board meeting centered on respect, decency, and values – and on the selection for kids’ summer reading. That selection was the children’s book, “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.” “So I went and found a copy of it,” said Jen Mierisch. “I read the whole thing. It’s a garden variety picture book.” Mierisch defended the book at the meeting Monday night. “I searched it cover-to-cover for anything obscene, sexual, raunchy – you would come up with a big fat zero,” he said.

* Sun-Times | Whistleblower trial begins in alleged CPD cover-up in shooting of unarmed autistic teen : Testimony begins Tuesday in a lawsuit alleging Chicago Police Department brass demoted a detective after he refused to clear a fellow officer in the 2017 shooting of an unarmed, autistic teenager. Veteran CPD Officer Isaac Lambert claims he lost his job as a detective sergeant and was sent back to patrol just five days after he signed off on a police report on CPD’s investigation of the shooting of Ricardo “Ricky” Hayes by CPD Officer Khalid Muhammad.

* Tribune | Illinois, other states reach $9.4 million settlement with Google, iHeartMedia over misleading ads: The settlements stem from complaints alleging Google paid to have radio personalities endorse and talk about their personal experiences using the Pixel 4, one of the company’s cellphones, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. At the time, the phone wasn’t available and many of the radio DJs had not used it, Bonta said.

* ABC 20 | Illinois Product Holiday Market returns to Springfield: “We are excited to partner with Downtown Springfield’s Holiday Walks to bring local products to shoppers this holiday season,” said Jackie Sambursky, IDOA Bureau Chief of Marketing. “Building off of the success of our Illinois Product Farmers Markets and Illinois Product Expo, the holiday market allows our vendors to showcase their products in a unique location during the giving season.”

* The Hill | Teddy Roosevelt’s glasses, JFK’s rocking chair among presidential auction ending Thursday: Other items include Roosevelt’s famed eyeglasses and pages from a 1912 speech that saved the then-White House hopeful during an assassination attempt, Thomas Jefferson’s signed letters from the 1790s, Dwight Eisenhower’s Stetson hat and Abraham Lincoln’s desk from the Illinois State House where he first served in public office.

* We raise money here during the holiday season for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, the largest foster care provider in Illinois. As of 1:35 pm, the fundraiser had reached $9,250! While needs vary for each child, $25 is the average cost of a Christmas gift. A big thank you to all who have donated! Let’s keep this going!