Harmon back on the hot seat
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
*Subscribers were told this on Saturday afternoon…
* Remember this story?…
Illinois Democratic Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million more in political contributions than allowed under campaign donation laws he championed years ago, according to the State Board of Elections. […]
Harmon has until April 18 to return the campaign cash above the limits “to the contributor or donate an equal amount to charity” or to the state’s general fund, the letter said. Or the fund could potentially face a fine of more than $6.1 million, which is the 150% penalty the state statute calls for against campaign committees that willfully accept contributions over the limit, the letter said.
Well, the election omnibus bill (HB1832 Senate Amendment 2) has some relevant language that appears to wipe the slate clean for Harmon…
For the purposes of this Article, a candidate for the General Assembly that was elected and serving a 4-year term shall be deemed to have been nominated at the next general primary election, regardless of whether the candidate’s name appeared on the general primary election ballot. This amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly is declarative of existing law.
As I explained to you at the time, the Illinois State Board of Elections notified Harmon’s campaign that he’d busted the caps only through primary day of last year, midway through his four-year term. Harmon continued raising money above the cap level and got called out for it. He said he disagreed with the board’s interpretation of the law because he wasn’t in a primary election until 2026. And now there’s language in his own bill [I looked at the synopsis before I posted this to check on sponsors, but the bill was since taken over by Sen. Bill Cunningham] to retroactively clear it all up (”declarative of existing law”).
The bill ended up going nowhere.
* Anway, Gov. JB Pritzker was asked about Harmon’s abandoned proposal today at a news media availability…
Reporter: Here we are awaiting the sentencing of Mike Madigan, when the Illinois Senate President tries to slip in language to a bill to absolve him of a State Board of Elections violation. This is the second time that a political committee he has been associated with has faced sanctions from the elections for the state elections toward over reform language laws he sponsored. What does that say about Illinois and Illinois Democrats trying to clean up a state with a culture of corruption?
Pritzker: Number one, I’d say that virtually every year I’ve been in office, we have expanded our ethics legislation, our ethics laws. I know that the Senate President doesn’t have any intention other than to make the law better. And so I don’t know enough about the violations that have been alleged, but I know that he’s been constantly working with me and with the legislature on better ethics legislation.
* The problem I have with this is Senate President Harmon assured reporters he had no real legal problems…
“I’m more confident now than I was when I got the notice that we have fully complied with the law,” Harmon said when asked about the matter again on Monday [April 14th].
And yet.
- Davos - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:00 pm:
These ”omnibus” bills are more like “ominous for the taxpayers” bills.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:05 pm:
===And yet.===
As Remo Gaggi once famously said, “Why take a chance?”
- Paul Powell - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
Of course when you can write a new law that supersedes the law you violated, and then have your lemmings rubber stamp it you will have zero legal problems
The laws are for everyone else
- City Zen - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:43 pm:
Maybe Luke Casson will be Harmon’s legal representation.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/democratic-pac-shifts-cash-account-224100083.html
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:43 pm:
Senate President Don Harmon should return the monies and if not resign office, resign from his duties as Senate President.
I don’t think accepting the contribution was done with malicious intent, but it shows problems with his organization that it was not promptly addressed — at the time of filing at the very latest and his behavior since April and his efforts to change the law to make it okay for him to have done this.
This is a set back that the Democratic Party shouldn’t have to deal with, and Senate President Don Harmon should lead by example.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
===Maybe Luke Casson===
Maybe subscribe.
- JustMe - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:56 pm:
Isn’t there a conflict of interest for Senate staff (especially attorneys) who take direction from the Senate President on a matter that benefits the political candidate? Who is their client? The President or the candidate?
- Just a Citizen - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 12:58 pm:
Harmon needs to return the money or donate it.
- Paul Powell - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 1:24 pm:
Forget it Jake
It’s Chinatown
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 1:30 pm:
===Isn’t there a conflict of interest for Senate staff ===
Yes.
More to the point, free attorney is often not best attorney.
While I think it is appropriate for Harmon to resign, if he isn’t going to lead by example he needs to find some better legal advice.
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 1:56 pm:
You mean there’s gambling in Casablanca? I’m sure the Senate Pres will do a thorough investigation and find himself to be wrongly accused. Play it again, Sam…
- Here and Here - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 3:12 pm:
Absolutely inexcusable. Who are his advisers? Fire em
all.
- Gimme a Break - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 3:29 pm:
What ethics bills has the legislature “worked on” much less passed this year Governor? If a GOP leader had been convicted this year of similar violations that Madigan was, there would have been all kinds of hearings on ethics bills. But Madigan can be convicted and Harmon can be cited and crickets.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 6:28 pm:
It isn’t enough they have a gerrymandered map, then they have to play games with their fundraising.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Jun 5, 25 @ 6:29 pm:
===But Madigan can be convicted and Harmon can be cited and crickets.===
It isn’t like Republicans are behaving ethically right now themselves. Have you seen the corruption from their White House god?