* The 2025 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Democratic Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Liz Moody…

She is always on top of everything, so quick to respond and offer help to anyone who asks. She always keeps her members organized, and handles all the daily chaos with kindness and a smile.

Honorable mention goes to Mike Wasielewski, who emerged as a late favorite.

* The 2025 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager is a tie: Amanda Daley and Brandy Loftus…

They do an excellent job managing the Leader’s schedule and assisting the staff and the many personalities that make up an average day in 316. They do it with smiles on their faces and can always get a laugh out of anybody, no matter how bad or long a session day it may be.

All of those folks above are top-notch. Congrats!

* On to today’s categories…

* Best Republican State Senate Staff Member

* Best Democratic State Senate Staff Member

Nominees can come from the government and campaign sides. Bill Schneider won last year and is not eligible. Mary Hanahan was the other winner, but she’s now with a law firm.

As always, please explain your nominations or they won’t count. This is more about intensity than numbers. Also, do your very best to nominate in both categories. If you can’t, you can’t, but please tell us why.

* After you’ve entered your nominations, please click here to contribute to our annual Christmas toy fundraiser for foster kids. We raised more than $6,000 yesterday, but Lutheran Social Services of Illinois has more than 2,500 foster kids in its care and they must raise more than $62,000 to buy all of them modest presents. As I write this, we’ve raised $28,455. That’s not bad, but it’s way below the threshold. Those kids count on us, so, please do your best to chip in whatever you can.

Let’s help spread some genuine Christmas joy as widely as we possibly can.

Thanks!