* Press release…
The Illinois House Republican Caucus elected Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) as the House Republican Leader for the upcoming 103rd General Assembly. The vote took place this evening at an internal caucus meeting in Springfield.
Before becoming State Representative, McCombie served as the Mayor of Savanna, where she was known for balanced budgets and a solid administrative background. McCombie’s first election for State Representative in 2016 taught her what a tough campaign fight is, as she defeated an incumbent Democrat. McCombie has previously chaired the House Republican campaign organization and is the Republican Spokesperson on Restorative Justice Committee.
“The House Republican Caucus is focused on helping Illinois families by offering common sense solutions to the many problems our state faces,” said McCombie. “We will be a unified force that will grow our party by sticking to our core values and ending the corruption that has pervaded state government.”
Inauguration for the 103rd General Assembly will occur on January 11th, 2023.
…Adding…
The following statement is from Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza:
“I offer my heartiest congratulations to State Representative Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, on her historic achievement in becoming the first woman chosen to lead a caucus in the Illinois House of Representatives. Leader McCombie was a chief co-sponsor of my historic and transformational Debt Transparency Act in 2017. Risking the wrath of a vengeful governor from her own party after he vetoed the bill, Rep. McCombie assisted in marshaling the votes of Republicans to help us unanimously override the governor’s veto in the House. Rating agencies have regularly cited that very reform in their upgrades of Illinois’ creditworthiness. Leader-elect McCombie has shown real leadership when it matters. We won’t agree on every issue, but she has proven herself a bipartisan leader willing to work across the aisle for the betterment of Illinois without compromising her values. I look forward to working in the House with Speaker Welch and Leader-elect McCombie to move our state forward.”
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* Press release…
Illinois Review (IR) announced on Tuesday a new ownership team that includes conservative radio show host and Newsmax columnist Mark Vargas and Chicago attorney and former US congressional candidate Scott Kaspar. The widely recognized and conservative publication on Illinois news was founded in 2005 by conservative leaders Fran Eaton and Dennis LaComb.
“After 17 years and 17,000 stories later, it was time to hand over Illinois Review to a trusted and capable new ownership team that could take the organization to the next level,” said IR co-founder Fran Eaton. “Now more than ever, we’re going to need leading conservative voices and perspectives to rebuild the Republican Party in Illinois – and I know Mark and Scott are the team that can do it.”
“I have known Fran and Dennis since 2005, and I am honored to leverage my resources and rolodex to help take IR to the next level,” said Mark Vargas. “The very first OpEd that I published many years ago was on IR – and so it brings me great joy to officially be a part of the team as co-owner.”
“For decades, IR has been a leading voice on conservative news and perspectives here in Illinois,” said Scott Kaspar. “The brand, our contributors, supporters and subscribers have made IR a total success over the last 17 years – and we can’t wait to build upon that and make IR an even bigger force not just here in Illinois, but across the country,” said Kaspar.
Vargas and Kaspar plan to roll out a new website design, a newspaper division that will bring IR to your doorstep, expand IR’s social media presence and subscriber list and compensate contributors for their work. Vargas will serve as Editor-in-Chief and Kaspar as Publisher.
* Vargas hosts a talk show on WIND 560 AM, the same station where Dan Proft has a show. Vargas’ first IR column doesn’t mention Proft by name, but it’s clearly aimed at him…
Now let’s talk about the Bailey Campaign. $42M in total to a Pro Bailey PAC and $10M directly to Bailey.
$100M this Election Cycle to support 2 men – Irvin and Bailey. While the rest of the Republican field struggled to raise any money at all.
Talk to any Republican who ran for office this General Election and they’ll tell you the same thing: we had no money to get our messages out or to defend ourselves from vicious lies and smears by the Democrats.
$50M for the governor’s race to be called at 7:06 pm – one of the fastest races to be called in modern Illinois election history. […]
It’s time for the Illinois Political Consulting Class to go. Just like a controlled burn removes old vegetation and makes room for new growth – we need this in Illinois if we are ever to be in a position to win again.
It’s time to hold these so-called “political experts” accountable.
They are not experts at winning races – they are experts at losing races. The records speak for themselves. And we are in the super minority because of it.
Think about this in terms of your doctor or a surgeon. If you or a loved one needed surgery, would you call a doctor whose patients all died? No! Of course not!
To be out there promoting a single poll that said Bailey was within “striking” distance and only 2 points behind – is Political Malpractice.
Proft’s “striking distance” quote is here.
…Adding… I’m told by someone at the Bailey campaign that Vargas tried to get hired as a consultant, but the campaign refused. Much of the conversation I had was unprintable.
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Want a new job?
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is National Apprenticeship week…
* A do-gooder group is hiring…
* And Speaker Welch’s office is looking for employees…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is hosting the second annual job fair at the Illinois State Capitol on Friday, November 18th from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. in Room 114.
The Office of the Speaker is actively recruiting for legislative coordinators, policy analysts, communications specialists, attorneys, IT professionals, and more.
“After the success of last year’s event, I am looking forward to another job fair that allows us to attract the best and brightest Illinois has to offer,” said Speaker Welch. “I’m proud to be a leading voice for equity and diversity in the workplace, and I’m grateful I get to lead by example as the Speaker of the House.”
Nearly 100 applicants attended the in-person event in 2021 and more than 500 resumes were collected for open positions. Applicants ranged in age from college students to retirees looking to reenter the workforce. In addition to the in-person event, 100 people registered for the virtual option that was also offered due to COVID-19 concerns.
To register for this year’s event, please visit https://IL-House-2022-Job-Fair.eventbrite.com. To learn more about the opportunities available with the Office of the Speaker, visit https://ilhousedems.com/employment/.
Illinois House Democrats Job Fair
Friday, November 18, 2022 • 10 AM - 12PM
Illinois Capitol Building, Room 114 - 301 S. Second Street, Springfield
If you’re looking to make a difference, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and the House Democratic Caucus are looking for you! To learn more about the opportunities available with the Office of the Speaker, visit ilhousedems.com/employment/.
Do you like your current job?
…Adding… From Mike Ziri…
Hi Rich,
I saw your post today, “Want a new job?” Equality Illinois has an opening for Manager of Civic Engagement. The position description is linked at https://www.equalityillinois.us/17209-2/ and can be shared on your blog, if you’d like. Thanks.
Mike
–
Michael Ziri
Director of Public Policy
EQUALITY ILLINOIS
he/him/his
…Adding… Madison County Chief Judge William A. Mudge…
In accordance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 39, as Chief Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit of Illinois, I do hereby give notice to the members of the Bar that two vacancies exist for the position of Associate Judge for the Third Judicial Circuit. This vacancy exists due to the retirements of Associate Judge Philip B. Alfeld and Thomas William Chapman, effective July 5 and July 21, 2022, respectively.
Applications shall be taken from any United States citizen, who is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois and a resident of the Third Judicial Circuit. Applicants shall have 30 days after this notice of vacancy within which to electronically file a signed application with the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts on the form prescribed and furnished by the Director.
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Post-campaign notebook
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Chicago Crusader…
Voter turnout in Chicago’s Black wards dropped significantly in Tuesday’s midterm elections after a record high turnout in the 2018 midterm election, according to a Crusader analysis of data from the Chicago Board of Elections.
Overall voter turnout among Chicago’s 1.5 million registered voters on Tuesday was just 41.3 percent, compared to 60.67 percent in the 2018 midterm election. In Black wards that year, voter turnout was 57.51 percent.
But voter turnout Tuesday, November 8, in Chicago’s Black wards was even lower. Election data show that out of the city’s 17 Black wards, only 36 percent or 573,514 registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday. Voter turnout in Black wards was even lower than during the 2014 midterms election, where turnout was 49.56 percent, higher than the city’s overall turnout of 48.81 percent.
In Tuesday’s election, 11 Black wards experienced voter turnout that was within 30 percentage points. The 16th and 37th Wards had the lowest voter turnout with 25.13 percent and 27.45 percent, respectively. The 16th Ward, representing the neighborhoods of Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, New City and West Englewood, historically has the lowest turnout than any of Chicago’s Black wards.
In Tuesday’s election, none of the Black wards experienced a higher voter turnout than in 2018, when Democrats wrestled control of the U.S. House from the Republicans under President Donald Trump.
* WTTW…
Tom DeVore, who was defeated by incumbent Democrat Kwame Raoul in the race to be Illinois attorney general, downplayed the influence of the former President Trump on the Republican’s poor electoral performance.
“Trump’s been gone a long time, so absent Trump would we have won any of these races? I don’t think so,” said DeVore. “There’s bigger issues at play from a structural perspective and an organizational perspective for the party in Illinois and I think that had a much larger impact on these races than any former president ever could have had.”
Republican state Sen. Jason Plummer agreed that the Republican Party in Illinois simply does not have the electoral infrastructure to compete effectively.
“We have an infrastructure problem here in Illinois regardless of the election cycle, regardless of names that people like to talk about,” said Plummer. “The fact of the matter is what we’ve done in Illinois Republican politics would be the equivalent of sending the Chicago Cubs out on the field without bats or gloves.”
Both DeVore and Plummer bemoaned in particular the lack of an early vote effort on the GOP side while noting the success of Democrats in turning out their vote.
“Structural” analysis coming from Tom DeVore? The guy who had no discernible campaign structure at all?
And the lack of an early and mail-in vote push by Republicans is precisely because of Donald Trump, who wants everyone to vote on election day. Republican voters would’ve revolted if the state party had gone against Trump and ran a mail and chase program. Maybe now, the rank and file will learn something. Or not.
But, more importantly, they lost on the issues that mattered most to actual voters. And abortion was at the top of that list. No amount of money and “infrastructure” improvements were gonna change that this year.
* From Heather Wier Vaught’s post-election analysis…
Democrats won two Illinois Supreme Court seats in the newly drawn Second and Third Districts, and Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis received the vote to be retained for a 10-year term. This gives Democrats a 5-2 majority for the first time since 2004. In a first for the Court, a majority of the justices will be female (5-2), there are three African American justices, and a majority are new to the Supreme Court.
The irony is Ken Griffin is the person who should receive the most credit for the changes to the Court and Democrats’ 5-2 majority. In 2020, Griffin and independent expenditure committees spent millions against Justice Kilbride with the goal of knocking him off the Court and electing a Republican to that seat to have a 4-3 Republican court. But Kilbride’s close defeat (he received 57% but needed 60% to be retained) and the retirement of Justice Thomas triggered two elections in 2022, and the General Assembly seized that opportunity to redistrict the Supreme Court districts for the first time since 1964. The Illinois Constitution’s requirement that the districts be of “substantial equal population” allowed the legislature to draw two districts that slightly favor Democrats. Had Kilbride won in 2020, the General Assembly likely wouldn’t have redistricted the Court, and the Republicans could have retained the now-lost seat in the Second District. That could have allowed Republican donors to redirect the tens of millions spent on Supreme Court races to executive and legislative races.
Griffin recently called former President Trump a three-time loser. Maybe look in the mirror, genius.
* The trend is most definitely not Rep. Mazzochi’s friend…
Although, as I told subscribers today, Mazzochi has filed a lawsuit.
…Adding… Interesting…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* State Journal-Register | Illinois General Assembly veto session begins. Here’s what to know: Expected to add up to five seats in the Illinois House, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced Monday that he would retain his position for a second term. “We have more work to do – and with a strong, diverse, and talented Democratic caucus alongside me, I am excited to continue the work Illinoisans have sent us to do,” he said in a released statement.
* Washington Post | Muslim Americans make historic gains in midterm elections: Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’s 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state legislature. […] Syed is among a cohort of candidates who made history this year by becoming the first Muslim Americans to be elected to the state legislature in states including Texas, Illinois, Georgia and Minnesota. All of them are Democrats, many are women and a rising number are Somali Americans.
* WSIL | Illinois comptroller helps hand out turkeys in Cairo: 150 turkeys were handed out in Cairo on Monday in an event that’s been going on for six years. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has been a part of the event that entire time. She joined with Arrowleaf Community Center and Laborers’ 773.
* Crain’s | Political players among Chicago’s young leaders to watch: 40 Under 40: From local to state offices, political consultants to nonprofit leaders, these are some of this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees leaving their marks in and around the public sector.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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* Press release…
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) released the annual Illinois Economic and Fiscal Policy Report showing under Governor Pritzker’s leadership Illinois is in its best fiscal shape in decades.
“Illinois’ bills are being paid on time, we have over $1 billion in our rainy-day fund, our credit ratings are up and we are honoring our commitments to long-term financial liabilities by contributing extra to Illinois’ pension systems,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As we celebrate the tremendous progress we’ve made with our partners in the General Assembly, we remain committed to working tirelessly for Illinois taxpayers and responsibly managing the state’s finances. We’ve closed a seemingly insurmountable structural deficit that I inherited, and together we are securing Illinois’ long term fiscal stability and providing economic opportunities to its citizens.”
The future years’ budget outlook detailed in the report benefits from strong fiscal management over recent years as the Governor worked with partners in the General Assembly, the Comptroller and the Treasurer, to balance state budgets, tackle the state’s multi-billion-dollar bill backlog, repay COVID related short-term borrowings early, make $500 million in extra-ordinary payments to the state’s pension systems and put more than $1 billion in a savings account for fiscal emergencies or economic downturns. Additionally, by rebuilding the foundation of the state’s finances during the Pritzker administration, the Governor and lawmakers were able to provide $1.8 billion in tax relief this year to the hardworking people of Illinois.
Even with troubling national economic indicators, income and sales tax collections so far this fiscal year continue to exceed budget forecasts by significant margins. Coupled with other one-time revenues, the General Funds revenue forecast for fiscal year 2023 is revised upward by $3.69 billion. GOMB is continuing to monitor the revenues closely as inflation and national/international factors beyond the state’s control may impact the economy in uncertain ways. GOMB is now projecting a nearly $1.7 billion net surplus in the general funds budget for fiscal year 2023, wiping out a forecasted fiscal year 2023 shortfall of nearly $3 billion as estimated in 2019.
The Governor intends to pursue several actions to continue Illinois’ strong path forward, and put the state in the best possible fiscal position to prepare for the economic uncertainty that lies ahead. The Governor’s recommended actions include working with the Legislature to:
• Make additional deposits of $1.3 billion into the state’s rainy-day fund, bringing it to more than $2.3 billion. While Illinois currently has its highest balance ever at $1.045 billion, Illinois is still among the smallest state rainy-day funds.
• Set aside funds to pay off revenue bonds issued in 2010 to help the state pay bills that mounted during the Great Recession. About one-third of the $1.5 billion borrowed at the time remains outstanding.
• Make an additional contribution toward the Unemployment Insurance Trust fund. The Trust Fund’s remaining debt to the federal government is $1.345 billion plus interest. The Governor and the General Assembly have already taken several steps to reduce the amounts owed from last year’s level of $4.5 billion.
Illinois’ significant improvement to its fiscal outlook has been noticed by the state’s credit rating agencies, which have upgraded Illinois’ General Obligation Bond credit ratings a total of six times during the past year.
GOMB is required to annually submit an Economic and Fiscal Policy Report to the General Assembly outlining the long-term economic and fiscal policy objectives of the state, along with the economic and fiscal policy intentions for the upcoming fiscal year and for the subsequent four fiscal years.
The reports are available to the public online and can be found here: https://budget.illinois.gov/policy-reports.html.
* Attached charts…
* More from the report…
For fiscal year 2023, the Governor proposes to direct funds towards the remaining Railsplitter Tobacco Settlement Authority bonds. In December 2010, the Railsplitter Tobacco Settlement Authority issued revenue bonds in the amount of $1.5 billion to address a portion of the State’s unpaid bill backlog resulting from the Great Recession. The repayment stream is the State’s tobacco settlement payments under the Master Settlement Agreement between various states and various cigarette manufacturers. Of the original $1.5 billion issued in 2010, approximately $561 million – or over 1/3 of the original issue ‐ remains outstanding.
The Governor proposes working with the legislature to provide funds towards a cash defeasance of a portion of the remaining outstanding bonds with proceeds from a recent Attorney General settlement resolving claims regarding certain payments from tobacco companies. Once the bonds are paid off, the tobacco payment stream would be freed up to be used as ongoing annual state revenues to support the State’s Medicaid program.
* And the walkdown…
* An important excerpt from the full report…
Additionally, a larger than forecasted end of fiscal year 2022 balance in the Income Tax Refund Fund (due to stronger than expected income tax performance last fiscal year) has contributed a one‐time bump in the annual transfer from the fund of $1.28 billion. […]
Note that most of this fiscal year 2023 revenue forecast revision is assumed to be one‐time in nature.
And with a currently projected $384 million deficit in FY2025 rising to a $708 million projected deficit in FY2028, putting any of that new revenue into base spending would probably not be prudent. We’ll see if the Democrats can hold themselves back.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Comptroller Mendoza…
I wholeheartedly endorse Governor Pritzker’s proposal to put $1.3 billion more in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
This will continue Illinois’ progress catching up to other states on preparing for any possible economic downturn. It protects Illinois’ important programs that care for our state’s most vulnerable, our schools and our health care systems.
I will continue to fight for passage of my Rainy Day Fund bill, HB 4118, which makes funding the Rainy Day fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund an annual obligation.
This responsible budgeting will send exactly the right message to the bond rating agencies that Illinois remains a good investment and is serious about restoring our fiscal health.
It’s prudent to be cautious about the impact inflationary pressures from the national/international economies can have on Illinois government. The report notes the Federal Reserve tries to mitigate these pressures, encouraging less spending and more savings. Likewise, with state government, Illinois should heed this direction to spend less and to save more and must better prepare for economic downturns that could hamper our ability to meet state obligations. This is why continuing to build the state’s Rainy Day Fund is essential. It is also the best path to further bond rating upgrades.
I urge legislators to get behind Governor Pritzker’s proposals to put more money in the Rainy Day Fund and toward the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, including funds to address technology funding shortages. Any urge to spend one-time revenues on new programs must be resisted. Now is not the time to spend. It is time to shore up our reserves and continue exhibiting strong fiscal discipline.
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* Tweet…
Spreadsheet with the data is here.
…Adding… Election results from the Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights folks are here.
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Republicans assess the damage
Monday, Nov 14, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jake Griffin at the Daily Herald…
“Everybody said this election was about crime and inflation,” said Tim Schneider, the state GOP chairman from 2014 to 2021. “But suburban women voted pro-choice, and they voted on the abortion issue, which I believe sunk us.” […]
“Until so many Republican voters stop looking as if they accept Trump as their savior, these elections are destined to go down the toilet for us,” said Arlen Gould, a former staffer on many high-profile Illinois GOP campaigns. “And it’s never going to come back as long as we’re a party of election deniers and grievances.” […]
Gould believes in many cases, any stigma attached to the Republican Party was earned by many of the party’s long-held platforms.
“We’re on the wrong side of history with abortion, gay marriage and LGBTQ rights. We’re wrong,” he said. “And what are we offering now? What are our programs? What do we stand for other than negativity?”
* Rick Pearson at the Tribune…
The GOP losses symbolize a political party that has failed to adapt to the changing diverse demographics of the suburbs, moving from a message of social moderation and fiscal conservatism to a rigid-right ideology that is aging along with its dwindling base. […]
”We had lots of really great candidates” who were “constantly attacked by the Democrats on abortion, made-up issues and alleged extremism,” [ILGOP Chair Don Tracy] said. “In the coming days/weeks, we will be doing a deeper analysis on the elections and will share our thoughts on how best to move forward.” […]
Unofficial returns showed Bailey received about 37.5% of the vote in Lake County while the official count showed Rauner got 58% of the county’s ballots eight years ago. This year, Pritzker got nearly 60% of the county’s votes, according to unofficial returns.
An AP VoteCast survey of Illinois general election voters found suburban voters representing 49% of the state’s vote and supporting Pritzker 57% to 37% for Bailey. Suburban women, always a key demographic in statewide races, cast 26% of Illinois’ votes for governor and they went 61% to 31% for Pritzker, the survey showed. […]
Durkin noted his votes in favor of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and a previous proposal to ban assault weapons as examples of positions on “commonsense issues” in the voter-rich and increasingly Democratic-leaning suburbs.
Leader Durkin still doesn’t get it, or isn’t publicly admitting it. His party’s official hardcore stance on abortion has ruined them in the suburbs. And that started well before Donald Trump was elected president.
…Adding… I didn’t see this story, so I stand corrected on Durkin…
Durkin specifically urged Illinois Republicans to rethink the politics of guns, abortion, and gay rights.
“Whoever succeeds me, we need to do more to not take these strident positions on issues related to firearms, to issues of reproductive health, issues relating to the gay and lesbian community. There are many people who feel very strong about those issues who would vote for Republicans,” Durkin said.
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Live coverage
Monday, Nov 14, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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* Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) appears to have 23 votes for House Republican Leader, which is more than enough to win the spot. She’s also backed by retiring Leader Jim Durkin…
Eastern Bloc member Rep. Dan Caulkins issued a statement yesterday claiming this was all fake news and then demanded a more open process.
* Meanwhile, Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) is sending canvassers to what appear to be Democrats who are on record as voting by mail to ask them if they really did vote by mail. If they say they didn’t vote by mail, then they’re asked to sign an affidavit attesting to that. Trouble is, if they do sign that affidavit, they or someone in their household might ultimately be subjected to prosecution for voter fraud. As we saw with the David Krupa case, people can be convinced to sign forms that they don’t quite understand…
Mazzochi is currently trailing Democrat Jenn Ladisch Douglass by 174 votes, 21,572 to 21,398. The trend is not her friend, hence the affidavit push.
Check out the third dot point in the instructions excerpt…
A few days ago, Douglass claimed on Facebook that Mazzochi’s supporters were attempting to disrupt the counting process…
I have heard reports that supporters of my opponent are trying to disrupt the DuPage County Clerk’s office while they do their very important work of counting every properly cast vote. I ran for this office because people want rational, common-sense leadership. We do not need local extremists taking a page out of former President Trump’s failed handbook by disrupting and disputing the vote-counting process and need to let the Clerk’s office do their work without interference from protestors or my opponent.
*** UPDATE *** House Speaker Chris Welch’s committee…
Mazzochi Campaign Working to Disenfranchise Voters in Dupage County
Democrats in the Illinois House released the following statement regarding trick tactics on behalf of Republicans to discount votes:
It has come to our attention that Deanne Mazzochi and DuPage County Republicans are taking a page directly from Donald Trump’s election denier playbook by attempting to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters by tricking them into signing an affidavit indicating they did not vote by mail. They are disguising themselves as volunteers who are assessing the effectiveness of vote-by-mail in DuPage County, and have been instructed to not overtly tell the voter that they are working for a Republican candidate. This is a disgusting and despicable attempt by Deanne Mazzochi to disenfranchise voters.
“We want to warn all voters who live in the 45th District to be on the lookout for this scam. If someone comes to your door presenting themselves in this manner, you should immediately call the DuPage County Clerk.
“Democrats for the Illinois House is calling on Representative Mazzochi and DuPage County Republicans to immediately halt their Trumpian tactics to overturn legal votes, and instead commit to accepting the results whatever they may be.
In the meantime, there are voters who had their vote-by-mail ballots rejected, and they will need to sign an affidavit to have those ballots restored and counted. We hope those voters are given an opportunity to have their votes counted.
* In other legislative campaign news…
The Associated Press has called three of the four state House races in southwest Illinois. The AP has not called the Rep. LaToya Greenwood-Kevin Schmidt race. Schmidt, a Republican, was leading Greenwood, the Democratic incumbent, by about 6,000 votes with 71% of the precincts reporting in the House of Representatives 114th District, according to unofficial returns reported by the AP.
Schmidt has claimed the victory based on complete but unofficial results reported by St. Clair County and East St. Louis, according to Travis Akin, the campaign manager for Schmidt. […]
Schmidt had 18,949 votes and Greenwood had 16,627 votes in 111 precincts, according to election results reviewed by the News-Democrat. In 86 precincts in the St. Clair County election results, Schmidt had 18,758 votes and Greenwood had 11,716. In 25 precincts in the East St. Louis election results, Schmidt had 191 votes and Greenwood had 4,911.
One pickup for the House Republicans and it was in the East St. Louis district. You may recall, however, that some Black leaders in that area filed suit against the district’s new map.
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* I was told this morning that Rep. McCombie currently has enough votes…
Note the time stamp on Tina’s tweet from last night. Somebody else claimed a scoop on the story this morning, several hours after Sfondeles popped it.
* Also, since I saw it mentioned online today, subscribers were told yesterday that Sen. John Curran has rounded up more than enough votes to depose current Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie.
* Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) announced early this morning that he plans to “resign from the House before the start of the 103rd General Assembly to work full-time with the Illinois Railroad Association.” Flashback…
* Tina Sfondeles with an update on SAFE-T Act negotiations…
So far, the sponsors and supporters are not interested in “massive substantial changes,” another source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told the Sun-Times.
Supporters of the bill are working to clarify provisions they claim have been “willfully misinterpreted,” including some drafting errors.
The working group met for three hours on Wednesday and again on Thursday. Gordon-Booth said the conversations are “robust.”
“A lot of areas, we have a consensus,” Gordon-Booth said. “On some other areas, there’s some work left to do.”
The reforms have already been signed into law, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic lawmakers had pledged to look at any “clarifications” they needed to make in the veto session. […]
“Many of the things that were said about the SAFE-T Act were lies. Hard stop. Flat out lies,” Gordon-Booth said. “All the while, we’re still working with law enforcement to strengthen and clarify what is the intent of the original language from January 2021.”
The only way we’d have seen “massive” changes would’ve been if Republicans had swept. Instead, the GOP endlessly flogged the issue (oftentimes untruthfully) and still got thumped almost everywhere except for one seat in the Illinois Senate and one in the House. Also, I wouldn’t expect any floor action next week in either chamber.
…Adding… I was asked by the Conference of Women Legislators to post this flier…
…Adding… DeVore waited far too long to criticize Proft, but here we go…
Let them fight.
* A few more…
* Black voters in North Lawndale scaled mountains of inconvenience and confusion to vote: Article III of the Illinois Constitution pledges that all elections shall be free and equal, and that laws governing voter registration and conduct of elections shall be general and uniform. However, it’s hard for me to fathom that what I experienced as an election judge in the 24th Ward on Tuesday was free or equal. It’s even harder for me to believe that my experience was similar to the experiences of North Side neighborhoods with more wealth and resources.
* Illinois labor groups declare victory in Worker’s Rights Amendment: The bulk of outstanding mail-in ballots come from counties that voted heavily in favor of changing the Illinois Constitution to protect collective bargaining rights
* The suburban prosecutors taking the lead in the legal battle to topple the SAFE-T Act: On Wednesday, they filed a 35-page motion for summary judgment, asking Kankakee County Judge Thomas W. Cunningham to find the law unconstitutional and issue a restraining order preventing the state from implementing it.
* Man in the middle: Departing state House GOP Leader Durkin says Trump so ‘harmful’ to nation that RINO tag is ‘badge of honor’: Many believe a Durkin stay in the House is unlikely. But for now, he said he’s prepared to be a voice for Republicans in their fight against the criminal justice package known as the SAFE-T Act, which will see at least some revisions during a veto session that begins next week.
* Illinois GOP fundraising base has badly eroded over the years: It’s either jump into the far-right political bed with billionaire Richard Uihlein, or deal with the GOP’s stark fiscal reality and scramble every day to raise a few bucks here and there.
* Editorial: Illinois GOP needs to seek middle ground: Somehow, Republicans have to reshape the conversation to acknowledge that good government can exist and it needs involvement from the moderating influences Republicans provide. The alternative is to have no influence at all.
* Democrat Alexi Giannoulias seeking ideas as he announces transition team days after secretary of state win
* Illinois House of Representatives District 104: Mike Marron defeats Cynthia Cunningham
* Sun-Times obituary writer Maureen O’Donnell farewell to daily reporting column: In a way, I’ve been writing goodbyes for 13 years. That’s how long I’ve been the Sun-Times’ obituary writer. But this goodbye — from reporting for the Sun-Times — is hard. I’ve written too many obituaries of people who died in their 20s and 30s or died just days after retirement, their dreams of an African safari — or just the chance to clean out that garage — unrealized. I might contribute to the Sun-Times from time to time, but right now I’m planning to retire and travel.
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