There were at least five PACs related to AIPAC that tried to influence five congressional races — and the group saw two victories: Donna Miller in the 2nd and Melissa Bean in the 8th. The groups fared worse in the 9th District, spending money to harm Kat Abughazaleh’s chances and trying to boost State Sen. Laura Fine. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won instead.
One AIPAC-affiliated group spent big dollars to help Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th and to oppose real estate executive Jason Friedman. State Rep. La Shawn Ford instead won the race.
Here’s a rundown of the groups: Affordable Chicago Now! spent nearly $4.4 million supporting Miller in the 2nd District. Chicago Progressive Partnership spent $266,000 in opposition of Abughazaleh in the 9th District. Elect Democratic Women Action Fund spent more than $500,000 supporting Fine in the 9th District. Elect Chicago Women (ECW) spent $5.8 million supporting Fine and opposing Biss in the 9th, plus $3.9 million supporting Bean in the 8th District. United Democracy Project (UDP) spent $5 million in the 7th District race, mostly in support of Conyears-Ervin, but also about $60,000 against Friedman.
AIPAC claimed it as a net win, declaring in a statement “these results further demonstrate that campaigns defined largely by opposition to AIPAC, our members, and the values we represent continue to fall short on election night.”
* AIPAC also claimed they helped defeat progressive Bushra Amiwala…
While disappointed Laura Fine didn’t prevail, the pro-Israel community is proud to have helped defeat would-be Squad members Kat Abughazaleh and Bushra Amiwala, who centered their campaigns on attacking Israel and demonizing pro-Israel Americans. https://t.co/7HL0DbCLkP
An APIAC-affiliated group, Chicago Progressive Partnership, spent $1.2 million to support Amiwala in an attempt to further divide the progressive vote.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, who had supported state legislation regulating the AI and crypto industries, won the Democratic primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Danny Davis. Fairshake spent nearly $2.5 million opposing Ford’s candidacy in a race that featured at least four other political groups spending against the progressive lawmaker or for his opponents.
Meanwhile, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller prevailed in the Democratic primary to succeed Kelly after Fairshake spent more than $800,000 against state Rep. Robert Peters, another progressive who supported legislation to regulate the crypto industry.
The AI-backed Think Big PAC invested more than $1 million to boost the candidacy of Jesse Jackson Jr., a former congressman who pleaded guilty in a fraud scandal in 2013. But Jackson also faced about $1 million in negative campaign spending from the Jobs and Democracy PAC, another AI-backed group.
Pumping his fist as he walked in, Ford informed a room full of supporters at the National Association of Letter Carriers headquarters on the South Side that Chicago city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin had called him to concede. Then he turned to address Davis, who had endorsed Ford after holding the seat for nearly 30 years. […]
Conyears-Ervin’s campaign had released a statement about 8:40 p.m. saying she congratulated Ford on clinching the nomination. The Associated Press called the race for Ford a short time later.
“While this is not the outcome we were hoping for, I am comforted by the words of Scripture: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith,’” she wrote.
Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. fell short in his attempt to return to Congress on Tuesday, after resigning more than a decade ago amid a federal corruption investigation.
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller defeated him and a host of other candidates to win the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd district, a seat currently held by Rep. Robin Kelly, who left to run for the Senate. […]
Meanwhile, Miller consolidated support across key parts of the district and benefited from spending by a group aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which funneled more than $4 million into ads promoting her campaign. The contest drew national attention in part because the group, Affordable Chicago Now, gave Miller’s campaign substantial airtime in the Chicago media market and funded mail pieces highlighting her record.
The spending helped elevate Miller’s profile even as a separate political action committee, the Leading the Future PAC, which is funded by OpenAI stakeholders, spent more than $1 million to promote Jackson after he signaled support for the industry with op-eds and ads.
Huge miss here by American Priorities, the new anti-genocide PAC with deep pockets. They believed Junaid Ahmed couldn’t win and resisted pressure to support him. Results show they could’ve made a decisive difference. AIPAC almost never holds back, and didn’t here, and so notched… pic.twitter.com/HCIF0RqOHO
*NYT | Centrist Melissa Bean Wins 8th District Democratic Primary: In the final days of the campaign, Ms. Bean received a rush of financial support from a group tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the hard-line pro-Israel lobbying organization, as she fended off a progressive rival, the tech entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed. Ms. Bean campaigned on a promise to offer a check on President Trump and to help revive a more functional version of Congress. The race drew attention from national figures and interest groups.
*NYT | La Shawn K. Ford Wins Nomination for House Seat Long Held by Danny Davis: A victory by Mr. Ford in November would preserve Black representation of the Seventh District, which has been served by a Black member of Congress since the 1970s. A plurality of Seventh District residents are Black, though the district is also home to large numbers of white, Hispanic and Asian residents. The leading Democrats in the race criticized President Trump and pledged to serve as a check on his priorities in Washington. United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, invested millions of dollars in the race and supported Ms. Conyears-Ervin.
* Politico | AIPAC, AI money propels Melissa Bean to comeback victory in Illinois: Her win was heavily boosted by outside spending: A group called Elect Chicago Women, aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, poured nearly $4 million into the race to support Bean, and another AI-focused committee ran ads in favor of her. Bean, who had lost her seat during the 2010 Tea Party wave, built her campaign around a message of pragmatism — an approach she argued voters were seeking amid a hyper-partisan national political climate.
* WaPo | Crypto’s bet against Stratton doesn’t pay off: Fairshake also spent nearly $2.5 million attacking Ford, who defeated Conyears-Ervin. The super PAC fared better in the race Miller won, where it spent more than $800,000 opposing state Sen. Robert Peters. Ford and Peters both voted for the legislation that Pritzker signed last year that the crypto industry opposed.
* The 19th | Kat Abughazaleh loses primary election bid for Illinois U.S. House seat: Speaking to a room full of supporters, Abughazaleh said, “The work isn’t over. There are progressives all over the country who are taking a chance just like we did and we have to help them win, no matter how hard it is. We have to send a message to this administration and anyone who enables them, and I’m talking to them right now: You and your jobs are not safe. This is the start and not the end. We are not tolerating the status quo. You cannot kidnap and kill us and our neighbors. You cannot start illegal wars. You cannot trample on our rights and see our lives as a means for profit. We will continue to come back and every single loss like this one just makes the path easier for the next person who takes the same chance.”
* Every now and then we take a look at what AG Kwame Raoul has been up to, since a lot of it doesn’t get covered by the news media. Press release yesterday…
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ANNOUNCES ANOTHER VICTORY TO STOP TRUMP’S UNLAWFUL ATTEMPT TO FREEZE FEDERAL FUNDS
Attorney General Kwame Raoul released the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit largely upheld a lower court order blocking the Trump administration’s illegal effort to categorically freeze trillions of dollars in essential federal funding to states.
“This is a huge win for the health and safety of Illinoisans and all Americans. Within the first week of President Trump’s second term, his administration attempted to freeze trillions of dollars that they did not have the legal authority to freeze. We pushed back. We said no. We came together under the direction of the law to ensure the Trump administration could not take action that could have a devastating impact on funding for our state’s most vulnerable residents.
“The U.S. Constitution is clear: Congress is granted the power to appropriate funding. The executive branch cannot unilaterally disregard appropriations passed by a separate branch of government. Now, the court’s opinion prevents the executive from running roughshod over that principle. Blocking this freeze ensures our residents, including our children, are safe with access to health care, childcare, lifesaving medical research, mental health programs and sex education in public schools, and crime victim compensation.
“This federal funding is also essential for Illinois universities that depend on National Institutes of Health grants to develop new medical treatments that save lives. I applaud the court’s decision and will continue to fight any reckless and illegal efforts that threaten this essential funding for the health and safety of our residents.”
In January 2025, Attorney General Raoul co-led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general in suing to stop the implementation of a new federal policy that would have categorically withheld trillions of dollars in essential funding, impacting a vast array of important public services that states provide. In March 2025, Raoul won a preliminary injunction blocking the policy, and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit largely affirmed that order.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today co-led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging unlawful actions by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including threats to withhold funding from state and local fair housing enforcement agencies for abiding by state laws and to impose illegal conditions on HUD funding. These actions threaten to weaken America’s fair housing enforcement system and undermine states’ ability to ensure equal access to housing. If unchallenged, discrimination in housing is almost certain to increase. […]
Sixty years ago, Congress enacted the Fair Housing Act to address pervasive housing discrimination. Congress also created a robust partnership between HUD and state and local agencies, known as the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), to enforce this landmark civil rights law in tandem with state fair housing laws. The FHAP has had strong bipartisan support in Congress and stable funding since it was established in 1980.
In their lawsuit being filed today, Raoul and the attorneys general allege that the Trump administration is seeking to illegally undermine this partnership by attacking states’ ability to combat housing discrimination under their own democratically enacted state laws.
Through the FHAP, HUD refers allegations of housing discrimination to state and local partner agencies for investigation and enforcement. These agencies receive HUD funding, which they use to process housing discrimination complaints, train staff, and support community outreach and education.
In September 2025, HUD issued guidance to the Illinois Department of Human Rights and partner agencies in other states, threatening to decertify them from the program and cut off funding unless they stop enforcing crucial protections against housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, language, criminal records and source of income. The guidance also bars agencies from pursuing claims targeting housing practices that may appear neutral but, in reality, are discriminatory and have a disparate impact on certain populations. In Illinois and many other states, these fair housing protections are enshrined in state law.
In addition to the threat to decertify partner agencies, HUD is attempting to impose vague, ideologically motivated, and unlawful conditions on program funding.
In their complaint, Raoul and the attorneys general assert that the administration’s actions will raise the costs of enforcing state and federal fair housing laws in their states. They also argue that HUD’s vague conditions will sow confusion over enforcement. […]
The coalition’s lawsuit alleges that HUD’s guidance violates the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies implement rule changes.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement after a federal court judge granted Raoul’s motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin the federal government from halting health-related funding to states and void the public health grant terminations that have already occurred.
Last month Raoul led attorneys general from California, Colorado and Minnesota in suing the Trump administration over the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) directive to target those states and unlawfully cut more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants based on its policy disagreements with those states. The court previously granted a temporary restraining order in this case, which lasted 28 days.
“Thanks to the order we secured, hundreds of nurses, disease detectives and other essential public health workers will keep their jobs as we fight the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to terminate more than $600 million in health-related funding. This preliminary injunction means Illinois will continue to receive more than $100 million in CDC grant funding that protects Illinois children from lead poisoning, as well as testing for and treatments of HIV. This funding also allows Illinois and other states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve data systems, and collect basic public health data the CDC relies on. […]
On Feb. 9, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified Congress of its intent to terminate CDC grant funding in those four states without providing any specific reasons. Cuts to Illinois’ public health programs alone exceed $100 million. In their complaint, Raoul and the coalition allege that OMB’s directive commanding agencies to cut funding, along with its implementation, violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act because it is arbitrary and capricious and exceeds the agencies’ statutory authority.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of 24 states, asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to rule in the states’ favor and block implementation of President Trump’s latest efforts to impose illegal tariffs on products purchased by American consumers and businesses.
Raoul and the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the tariffs earlier this month. […]
For more than a year, President Trump unlawfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and attempted to impose tariffs on essential goods purchased by American consumers and businesses. In April 2025, Raoul and a coalition filed a lawsuit to block the administration’s attempt to impose illegal tariffs because, as the suit explained, only Congress has the power to “lay and collect” taxes.
In February, the Supreme Court rejected the president’s unprecedented and unlawful use of IEEPA and agreed that the tariffs were unlawful.
Rather than accepting that loss in court, President Trump is now attempting to use a different law that has never been used before, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, to impose 10% tariffs on most products worldwide, apparently in response to trade deficits. But, as Raoul and the attorneys general argue, those tariffs are illegal too. Section 122 allows tariffs only when there are “large and serious balance-of-payment deficits.” A trade deficit is not a balance-of-payment deficit, and so Section 122 does not apply.
The president’s first round of illegal tariffs threatened Illinois’ economy and harmed taxpayers by increasing costs to the state and local governments. For example, the Illinois Department of Transportation alone estimated that over two years, the state’s costs for transportation projects would have been $249 million to $585 million higher due to tariffs.
The Supreme Court’s decision last month might have mitigated those increased costs to the state in construction projects, technology and other expenses, but the newly imposed illegal tariffs again create harms to Illinois’ economy.
Economic analysis submitted to the court shows that state governments in the 24 plaintiff states stand to pay at least $748 million per year in additional costs due to the new tariffs. Additionally, a recent analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that nearly 90% of the costs of tariffs last year were paid by American consumers and businesses.
Today’s motion asks the U.S. Court of International Trade to order federal agencies to stop collecting the latest round of illegal tariffs by issuing a summary judgment or, in the alternative, a preliminary injunction.
HB 5011 is bipartisan legislation aimed at eliminating “indirect” or “de-facto” quotas put on local law enforcement officers. Indirect quotas lead to perpetual traffic stops which frustrate the public. By disallowing evaluation of a police officer based on the number of police officer’s points of contact, State Representative Patrick Sheehan (R-Homer Glen) and proponents aim to further codify the legislative intent of previous, common-sense, legislation to ban ticket quotas.
“Law enforcement officers should be there to protect and serve the public, not to serve as revenue sources for local politicians,” said Sheehan, who also serves as a southwest suburban police officer. “I am working to shore up bipartisan support for disallowing this outdated tool. House Bill 5011 helps to reduce distrust, by discouraging forced contacts and preventing retaliation by command staff.”
With numbers of mental health incidents too high for law enforcement officers already, Rep. Sheehan urges policymakers examine the various ways policies are further taxing the well-being of officers, who are often asked to work overtime and extra shifts due to law enforcement shortages in Illinois. HB 5011 is scheduled to be heard in the House Police & Fire Committee on Friday March 20 at 8:00am in Capitol Room 118.
* ACT Now Illinois…
Legislation (HB5362 and HB5363) supporting the expansion of Full-Service Community Schools in Illinois will be heard in the Illinois House Education Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 18th. The legislation would provide state funding and an established framework for expanding Community School partnerships.
The hearing and legislation come as the federal government abruptly cancelled multi-year FSCS grants mid-school year with only weeks’ notice. ACT Now has been actively challenging the termination of these grants in federal court and recently secured a ruling to restore the funding through the end of June.
While the court order restored funding temporarily, there is no indication what will happen after June, underscoring the urgent need for sustained state investment.
* A press release from an “informal group of concerned Illinois technologists”…
The Illinois Legislature should reject the Children’s Social Media Safety Act (HB5511 & SB3977) as it fails to protect children and poses significant danger to the privacy and security of the residents of Illinois as well as making it impossible for all but the largest tech companies to operate in Illinois.
What does this bill do?
The bill requires software developers, including operating system manufacturers like Apple and Microsoft, to verify your age or be considered illegal software. It would require app makers to conduct age verifications for any websites, discussion forums, or any website that allows comments to verify your age. The bill would require developers who offer “addictive feeds” to offer versions of their services without said addictive functionality to minors and makes it illegal to monetize them.
Why is this bill a problem?
First, age gates often do not work as research has shown that they are simple to bypass. Worse, they require invasive date collection that puts users at risk of data breaches. Additionally, companies can use age verification to track and monetize personal data even further. This bill would centralize the power to govern identity with Google, Apple, and Microsoft and provide the Federal Government ways to access residents’ entire usage history and close to everything they do on their computer. This bill is a gift to Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and ICE who already use digital ad tracking to target and locate people.
It creates an expensive and unnecessary burden on software developers. The bill doesn’t specify how the applications will verify ages, but simply puts the requirement in. It also doesn’t specify the security requirements for handing the personally identifiable information that would be necessary to verify ages. Securing scans of drivers licenses and birth certificates require significant cybersecurity measures to do so safely. The most likely outcome would be that a company with lax security will leak scans of sensitive documents to potential bad actors.
The implementation of this bill would make Illinois less safe. This burden is high enough that when similar laws were passed in other states, companies simply opted not to do business in Illinois. It doesn’t consider free open source software and software built by independent developers. This bill makes open source operating systems such as Linux illegal in Illinois without burdensome age gate requirements. This bill stifles competition by raising the barrier to entry for small startups as they’ll be forced to adopt these services and technologies, and hand over some forms of identity management to the big tech companies.
If Illinois wants to protect children, the Illinois legislature should consider data privacy reforms to protect the security of kids and adults alike.
[S]tate lawmakers are taking aim at Chicago’s tax — and trying to prevent other municipalities from setting their own local sports betting taxes.
Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, filed Senate Bill 2760 in January, which seeks to penalize Chicago by taking the total amount the city gained from its sports wagering fee and deducting it from Chicago’s share of the Local Government Distributive Fund, one of the largest sources of state funding for cities and counties. That amount would then be redistributed to other municipalities following the fund’s allocation formula.
Joyce said in an interview that he, along with other members of the General Assembly, was open to sitting down with Chicago officials to discuss the bill.
He also filed Senate Bill 2800, a bill identical to Didech’s House version (HB4171)that denies home rule units the authority to regulate or tax sports wagering.
* Rep. Thaddeus Jones…
State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, introduced legislation aimed at keeping teens and their surrounding communities safe from large, disruptive and unlawful gatherings that have recently gained popularity on social media.
“When tragedy strikes, it is up to us to take action to protect our families and communities,” Jones said. “This measure is going to help ensure social media platforms bear the burden of preventing their services from being used as tools to enable dangerous activities. Holding companies accountable for monitoring unlawful activity is nothing new, and when we are called to protect our communities as legislators, we will respond.”
Jones introduced House Bill 5561 with two specific goals in mind: keeping teens safe and holding social media platforms accountable. This legislation takes aim at the increasingly popular “teen takeovers,” a social media trend that continues to grow in popularity and danger. The events often include large groups of teenagers who converge in public centers and streets to disrupt a community event, traffic and pedestrians. Some takeovers have resulted have in serious injury or death for participants and bystanders alike. For example, 14-year-old Armani Floyd was shot and killed during a teen takeover that occurred in the Chicago Loop near the Chicago Theatre last November. Eight other teens were also wounded during the incident.
Jones’ bill makes it a Class A misdemeanor to organize or promote such an event that poses clear risks to young people and the broader community. The bill also requires social media platforms to make an effort to restrict shared content that promotes such events, and states that anyone hurt by an unlawful and large youth gathering can take civil action against a social media platform that allowed for the promotion of the event.
HB 5561 has not been assigned to committee and Rep. Jones is the bill’s only sponsor.
Illinois Senate Bill 3838, dubbed the Broadband Deployment Act, would streamline how internet service providers secure access to land along roadways, a change supporters say is needed to meet federal deadlines and avoid losing the funding. Opponents warn the shift would weaken longstanding protections for property owners.
Instead of typical protections, the bill requires only that property owners are notified at least 14 days before work is to be done on the private property.
The Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a representative for 12 internet service providers spoke as proponents of the bill, arguing that the bill provides protections and remedies for landowners. […]
The Illinois Farm Bureau’s representative, Chris Davis, spoke in opposition to the bill on the grounds that it would undermine property rights across the state, passing along an up-front burden of seeking restitution only after any damages may have been done.
JB for Governor Releases New Video Called “He’s Back” – Watch Here
Yesterday, the Illinois Republican Party selected Darren Bailey as its candidate for governor, reviving a ticket that Illinois voters already rejected in 2022. Bailey has been explicit that he intends to change his tone to attract new voters, but a closer look at his record makes clear that his positions haven’t moved an inch.
Illinois voters didn’t buy it four years ago, and they won’t buy it now. Darren Bailey can try to change his message but his ideas haven’t changed – he’s too extreme for Illinois.
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Newborn screenings can uncover neuromuscular disorders in a healthy-looking baby, allowing for early treatment. The 340B program has helped many parents facing the profound reality of a child who may never walk, talk or breathe on their own. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago treats over 400 patients with neuromuscular disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy—and 60% of the children come from low-income families covered by Medicaid.
As a 340B provider, the hospital can offer these patients new high-priced gene therapies. When the federal 340B program works as intended, economically disadvantaged parents have the medication their child needs and the hope that comes with it.
“Prior to these new therapies that have come out, [children with neuromuscular disorders] would usually pass away before their first birthday,” said Kristen Alianello, Lurie Children’s neuromuscular nurse coordinator. When administered early, she added, gene therapy can help these children live normal lives. “The 340B program is so important, especially in our organization and with our patient population of spinal muscular atrophy.”
In addition to covering high-cost medication, Lurie Children’s puts 340B savings toward supporting families, which includes counseling, emotional support, home modifications for patients who can’t walk and transportation for families with children using a wheelchair.
340B provides hope for children facing the most wrenching health challenges. Stand with patients and providers:
Vote YES to House Bill 2371 SA 2 —the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act. Learn more.
* A whole lot of commenters here second-guessed Quentin Fulks the past several months. As you know, Q ran Pritzker’s super PAC supporting Juliana Stratton’s congressional bid. I understood the doubters because Quentin previously ran Pritzker’s failed graduated income tax constitutional amendment, so people naturally had their reservations. Lots of folks complained (myself included) that his spending started way too late for Stratton (which was a major complaint with the CA back in the day) and that Raja was so far ahead Q’s ads would never let her catch up. Those comments were likely in the hundreds.
Well, LG Stratton not only caught up, but she won
* Also, the legacy media journalists who bought into the prospect that Pritzker would fail in this race and are now covering for their sources is so fascinating and amusing. From the Wall St. Journal…
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Illinois won her state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, helping Gov. JB Pritzker dodge political embarrassment as she placed herself in a strong position to become the sixth Black woman to serve in the chamber.
Hilarious.
* As I’ve been saying for months, Raja’s support was likely a mile wide and an inch thick. December polls mean nothing in mid March when the real spending starts. For example, once a Black candidate and her allies start spending money, Black votes can change…
One thing I want to point out: Who Black voters are supporting is wildly different in the DLGA poll compared to the WGN/Emerson College poll from early January. Either there has been a massive shift, or one of these polls is very wrong https://t.co/zkImL1hhCnpic.twitter.com/EzbZX57jGW
There was indeed a massive shift. Politics 101. Totally predictable.
* I was talking to Christian Mitchell last night about all the Q hate from some of y’all here. And it occurred to me that maybe we should have a post where people could clear the air.
It might be interesting to hear from Q’s detractors about what they think now.
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Starting July 1, Illinois families could face chaos when paying for everyday purchases like groceries, gas, or a dinner out because of a new state law that changes how credit cards work.
At the checkout line, shoppers may suddenly be told they cannot use their credit cards to pay for sales taxes or tips, forcing them to split payments or pay those portions in cash.
It is a radical change that only benefits corporate mega-stores, while small businesses, local banks, and consumers are left to deal with the fallout.
Experts who understand the global payments system have been sounding the alarm for months:
• The Biden administration’s Department of Treasury noted the law is an “ill-conceived, highly unusual and largely unworkable state law,” and “it is likely that fraud risk would increase significantly, consumer services would be constrained and public trust would decline.”
• A federal judge weighing a preemption-related matter noted the policy is “indisputably disruptive,” “costly” and calls out “business-ending consequences” for local banks and credit unions.
• Crain’s Chicago Business said, “Springfield’s Swipe Fee Gamble Deserves an Appeal.”
Before chaos hits on July 1, lawmakers should reverse course and repeal the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act.
* ICYMI: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Democratic nomination for US Senate. Tribune…
- With 90% of the estimated vote tallied, Juliana Stratton had 40% of the vote to 33.2% for Raja Krishnamoorthi and 18.2% for Robin Kelly, with the remaining votes divided among seven other candidates.
- Stratton’s victory also marked a major win for Gov. JB Pritzker, who in 2018 chose the then-freshman state representative to be his running mate.
- Stratton underscored her campaign pledge to push to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and alluded to community resistance to President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement crackdown and other aspects of the president’s agenda.
Bedside Nurses urge a “No” vote on HB4369. The Nurse Licensure Compact Act is being marketed as harmless “flexibility,” but Illinois nurses see the fine print. Championed by the right-wing Illinois Policy Institute, this proposal could subject Illinois nurses who provide reproductive and gender-affirming care to cross-state investigations or discipline for following Illinois law. It would also hand hospital corporations a powerful tool to import strikebreakers, undermining bedside caregivers fighting for safe staffing and fair contracts. Labor nurses across Illinois are united in opposition, and voters should ask why anyone who once stood with healthcare workers is now advancing a bill backed by corporate interests and right-wing think tanks.
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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois governor’s race will be a rematch in 2026: Bailey, a farmer from southern Illinois and the party’s 2022 nominee, claimed victory Tuesday night in a four-way primary for the GOP nomination, defeating Ted Dabrowski, former head of the conservative policy website Wirepoints. According to unofficial returns compiled by the Associated Press, Bailey had carried about 50% of the vote as about 8:35 p.m. when the race was called. Dabrowski garnered about 32%.
* Tribune | Downstate and Chicago North Side challengers declare victory in state House primary races: In what appears to be an indictment of Illinois’ Republican establishment, Deputy Republican leader Norine Hammond, who shares the second-highest ranking position in the Illinois House GOP, trailed her challenger, Joshua Higgins, in her downstate race by 25 percentage points with 91% of the estimated votes counted, according to The Associated Press. AP has not called the race for Higgins, a candidate who is aligned with the far-right Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of downstate Republicans considered the most conservative in the legislature. But he declared victory over Hammond, who has been in the Illinois House since 2010.
* Sun-Times | Community organizer Miguel Alvelo Rivera defeats State Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr. in Northwest Side district: Rivera ran as a progressive outsider while Andrade counted on his track record with voters in the 40th District, which includes a stretch of the Northwest Side from Bucktown to Albany Park. Andrade’s fundraising surged since January with big support from Illinois Democrats in Springfield and the Illinois Democratic party. His campaign brought in nearly $1 million in donations over $1,000 since January.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Feds back off threats to withhold funds from the CTA, but begin pressing the Illinois transportation department: The Federal Transit Administration is backing off previous threats to withhold up to $50 million in federal funds from the Chicago Transit Authority over safety issues. At the same time, the feds are putting the screws on the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has some oversight authority over the CTA’s rail system. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s FTA said it believed IDOT “has not properly leveraged its oversight authority and resources to protect Chicago passengers and transit workers,” citing the results of what it described as a routine audit.
* Capitol News Illinois | Croke leads Democratic comptroller race as downstate voters dominate GOP primaries: State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, held a 24,000-vote lead with 83 percent of votes reporting as of 10 p.m. — a roughly 2.4% advantage over state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago. The Associated Press had not called the race as of 10 p.m. […] Trailing her was Villa, who has served in the General Assembly since 2019 and is regarded as the most progressive of the candidates. She was the only candidate without a background in finance. Instead, she’s said her social work career gives her the insight to understand what it means to balance budgets with services people rely on.
* Daily Herald | Peterson appears headed toward rematch with McLaughlin in November: If unofficial results stand, Peterson will get another chance to prove the district can change from red to blue. With ballots still left uncounted, Peterson received 4,926 votes, while her opponent in the Democratic primary, Erin Chan Ding, tallied 2,657 votes. The two waged a bitter campaign featuring insults, negative literature and questions about campaign ethics.
* Daily Herald | Harris beats Adamczyk in GOP primary race for secretary of state: Diane Harris has defeated fellow Republican Walter Adamczyk to become the GOP nominee for Illinois secretary of state. With 89% of votes counted on Tuesday night, Harris, a longtime Joliet Township precinct committeeman, received 265,447 votes or 53%. Adamczyk, a GOP precinct committeeman from Chicago who works as a Cook County Forest Preserve District laborer, received 235,592 votes or 47%.
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | CHA Board Defies The Mayor And Picks Its Own CEO After Surprise Vote: The resolution was not shared publicly before the vote, and several CHA residents murmured in surprise when operating chairman Matthew Brewer announced Pettigrew’s name. “Who?” one of them blurted out. Pettigrew is currently the leader of the housing authority in Washington, D.C. A search committee put together by Johnson first picked him as a CHA finalist last year. He was not at the meeting Tuesday.
* Block Club | Thompson Center Will Keep Its Name, With Google Planning A 2027 Move-In: Previous renderings show plans for a multi-terrace atrium with greenery as well as a multitude of seating along what is planned to be retail and restaurant space. The atrium will remain publicly accessible. Another rendering showed what the renovated building is slated to look like from the corner of Randolph and Clark streets. It features a second-floor outdoor space and updated landscaping.
* WGN | FAA proposes deeper cuts to O’Hare flights to ease congestion: The FAA said without major reductions, even more major disruptions could hit O’Hare after hub giants United and American added waves of new flights, vying for dominance over one of America’s busiest airports. “It’s bad news for an airport recovering pretty fast from the pandemic,” said Joe Schwieterman, a DePaul University professor and aviation expert who spoke to WGN-TV on Monday. “O’Hare is the hottest airport in the country in terms of traffic growth. Just watching American and United grow so fast, and now, the FAA hit a wall saying they can’t handle it all.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Preckwinkle poised for record-tying fifth term after primary win: With 89% of precincts reporting, the four-term leader of the nation’s second-largest county bested Democratic primary challenger Brendan Reilly 430,123 votes to 197,506 votes, according to unofficial results Tuesday night. That gave Preckwinkle about 68% of the total. […] Preckwinkle, who turned 79 on primary Election Day, would match George Dunne as the county’s longest-serving leader if she’s elected in November and completes a fifth four-year term.
* Crain’s | Pat Hynes unseats Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi: Hynes defeated Kaegi in the Democratic primary contest for Cook County assessor, winning 56% of votes cast in the county with 99% of precincts reporting and 49% of votes cast with 91% of precincts reporting in the city as of about 9:30 p.m., according to election officials’ unofficial count. That lines him up to be the county’s next assessor pending the results of a November general election; there’s no Republican candidate in the race. A spokesman for Kaegi’s campaign confirmed he had conceded.
* Naperville Sun | DuPage Clerk Kaczmarek loses reelection bid by large margin: Incumbent DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek appears to have lost her reelection bid in a primary loss Tuesday to fellow Democrat Paula Deacon Garcia. With 100% of the unofficial vote count tallied, the results as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday were: Garcia: 54,761; Kaczmarek: 42,670
* Aurora Beacon-News | Voters appear to shoot down Geneva’s ask to issue $59.4 million in bonds for a new police station: With all precincts in Kane County reporting, unofficial results showed 34.38% of voters in favor of and 65.62% of voters against the city’s pitch as of around 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to data from the Kane County Clerk’s Office. […] Tuesday’s bond measure asked local residents whether they supported the city issuing $59.4 million in bonds to help pay for the construction of a new police station on a city-owned property adjacent to the city’s Public Works site on South Street.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 board nixes plan to cut 38 teachers after outcry from students, parents: District administrators presented a proposal to honorably dismiss the educators as one way to close a projected $12.4 million budget deficit. The board unanimously rejected the plan to thunderous applause from a packed house who remained at the meeting for about five hours waiting for the vote. Dan Iverson, second vice president of the Naperville Unit Education Association, said the vote to reject the job cuts, known as a reduction in force, was the right thing to do and he was grateful the board heard the passion from the community. While there is still a deficit, he said, “this was not the right way” to close it.
* Daily Herald | GOP voters back Noonan over Moore in DuPage sheriff’s primary: Former DuPage County Board member Sean Noonan won the Republican nomination for sheriff Tuesday. Noonan garnered 30,157 votes, while current Undersheriff Eddie Moore had 15,232 votes, according to unofficial tallies as of about 10:30 p.m. Noonan said he would come in as a “reformer” and wants to take the sheriff’s office “to the next level.” He spent most of his law enforcement career with the Bloomingdale Police Department, rising through the ranks to become a sergeant. He now is an officer in Oakbrook Terrace.
* Daily Herald | Newcomers win Democratic nod for DuPage County Board seats: Bloomingdale attorney Eric Poplonski secured the GOP nomination for a seat representing the northeastern corner of the county. Unofficial tallies showed Poplonski with 6,569 votes compared to 330 votes for candidate Onkar Singh Sangha. Poplonski will challenge Democratic incumbent Michael Childress in the general election. Democratic voters selected Melissa Villanueva as their nominee for a two-year seat.
*** Downstate ***
* Community News Brief | Macomb Poll Worker Relieved of Duties on Election Day:
Sutton requested a Democratic ballot, and the poll worker assisting with Macomb Precinct 2 responded: “You should be shot.” “I wasn’t sure if I heard correctly, so I asked her ‘You think I should be shot?’ and she confirmed what she had said,” Sutton said Tuesday afternoon following the incident […] “None of the other election judges said anything about what she just said,” Sutton shared. After casting his ballot, he immediately drove three blocks to the McDonough County Clerk’s Office, and spoke to County Clerk Jeremy Benson, who assured him the situation would be handled accordingly. The Community News Brief reached out to Benson after the incident was brought to the newspaper’s attention.
* WGLT | Voters approve new fire station for Randolph Township Fire Protection District: The referendum passed by a 64%-36% margin [572-315] on Tuesday with all five precincts reporting, according to the McLean County Clerk’s office. […] Some of those buildings in use currently are nearly 70 years old and are not build for modern fire trucks, according to fire protection district trustee president Frank Friend. The bonds will be paid off through a property tax increase that will add $192 per year to the tax bill of a $200,000 home.
* BND | $17.2 million career and technical education expansion comes to East St. Louis HS: The project, which is expected to be completed around June 2027, is primarily financed through a $17 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The remaining $197,627 will come from the district’s fiscal year 2026-27 capital projects budget, East St. Louis School District Executive Director of Communications Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said.
* WGLT | Hail to the new state champion!: It’s official. Last Tuesday’s severe storms produced the largest hail ever recorded in Illinois. Representatives from the South Carolina-based Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety traveled to Northern Illinois University to confirm the record. They measured and created 3-D models of several hailstones collected by Kankakee-area residents during the March 10th storm.
*** National ***
* Chalkbeat | A viral case against screens in schools is winning converts. Does the evidence hold up?: I wanted to figure out how strong the case against ed-tech really is, so I took a careful look at Horvath’s evidence. My takeaway: There’s no smoking-gun data showing that ed-tech is at the root of, or even contributing to, recent learning declines. But Horvath’s case should still give schools and educators some pause. Could the tech tools they’ve adopted be doing more harm than good?
* CNN | US airports scramble with TSA staffing shortages amid partial government shutdown: More than a third of the security screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport didn’t show up to work Tuesday, the airport’s general manager said, causing passengers to have to wait in line for up to two hours. Long lines have stretched through different airports this week as Transportation Security Administration officers worked without pay during the busy spring break travel season.
* WCIA | Illinois Dept. of Revenue: USPS changes could impact tax returns, payments: In a news release posted on Monday, the IDOR said that while USPS postmarks will still show the date of the first processing operation, it might not reflect the date the mail was dropped off at your local post office. The deadline to file an Illinois individual tax return is Wednesday, April 15. But due to the postmark change, the IDOR is asking taxpayers who mail their returns and tax payments to do it earlier than they typically would.
