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Campaign updates (Updated)
Friday, Nov 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Politico…
* The Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles has this piece today: “Stratton vows to not take corporate PAC money in Senate bid, but has history of getting corporate backing.” Her story included this important bit of context…
[From Rich: One of the other big problems that Poshard faced was that when he tried to get around his contribution restrictions, he was portrayed as the bad guy in the race. As this story shows, it could happen to Stratton this time around as well.] * Raja Krishnamoorthi rolled out another batch of endorsements…
* Dan Biss’ campaign released a poll this month that is more recent than the independent poll we talked about earlier today. Biss’ poll was taken November 4-9. From the memo…
* Moving to the Comptroller race, Rep. Margaret Croke has announced a new round of endorsements…
* Another Democratic candidate for Comptroller, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim also announced an endorsement…
* Republican candidate for Comptroller, Bryan Drew…
* Sen. Lakesia Collins endorses José “Che-Che” Wilson for 12th District Cook County Commissioner. Press release…
Interesting. …Adding… The Burg…
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Independent poll shows Biss, Abughazaleh tied; Pritzker hugely popular in the district
Friday, Nov 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Evanston Now…
* Head to heads…  * Major issues…  Candidates better get on the Democratic voter bandwagon. * Pritzker, of course, is very popular in the district…  The problem is, Pritzker still holds a grudge against Biss for his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. I’m not kidding. The governor still petulantly reminds even very powerful Democrats about their support for Biss back in the day (the dude has a severe case of what we in the biz call “Irish Alzheimer’s” - when you only remember the slights). I doubt he’ll say anything about this race, even though he lived in Evanston for a very long time. Whatever, the numbers clearly show that the folks in that campaign ought to tie themselves to the governor as closely as they can. …Adding… When I wrote this last night, I meant for it to come off as a bit cheeky. I read it again this morning, and it’s not cheeky. Oops. Pritzker does give people guff about their support for Biss, but he did endorse Biss for mayor earlier this year.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Nov 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s morning briefing (Updated)
Thursday, Nov 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: 7th Circuit stays judge’s order restricting immigration agents’ use of riot control weapons. Capitol News Illinois…
- Wednesday’s ruling marks the second time the Chicago-based appellate court rebuked Ellis; last month the 7th Circuit blocked the judge’s demand that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino report to court every day for a week. - The appeals court’s decision comes as U.S. Department of Homeland Security has wound down its Chicago-area “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement campaign. * Related stories… …Added by Rich… Important point…
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* Capitol City Now | Petition-passing Pat Quinn is back: His latest idea is one which he says would save $4.5 billion for most Illinois property owners, and he would raise that money on the backs of those who make more than $1 million. This would be an extra three percent tax after you’ve earned your first million, via a Constitutional amendment which the legislature must approve for November 2026. “We need three-fifths of each house to vote it onto the ballot by May 3, and then we’ll have a referendum (campaign) for six months,” Quinn told a statehouse news conference Wednesday. * Alton Telegraph | Illinois Secretary of State workers charged with bribery: According to court documents, on July 2, the Edwardsville woman allegedly accepted a $25 bribe, and the East St. Louis woman accepted a $50 bribe to expedite the processing of identification. Court documents did not say what office the two worked out of. * WREX | Illinois high school seniors offered admission to state universities with new initiative: High school seniors from Illinois have been offered admission to several state colleges if they meet certain requirements. The Illinois State Board of Education announced on X the One Click College Admit program. The initiative is said to give all eligible high school seniors (the class of 2026) offers of general admission to Illinois public universities and their local community college, based on their GPA. * Capitol News Illinois | Comptroller candidates spar over taxes, experience in candidate forum: Each candidate proclaimed their support for a graduated income tax, which would require an amendment to the state constitution. Voters rejected such a proposal in 2020 despite its backing from Gov. JB Pritzker, but the candidates all said they support giving it another try. Villa argued the state needs more revenue to pay for progressive priorities and a graduated income tax, which has also been called the “progressive tax” or “fair tax,” would help. * Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey…
* Sun-Times | Budget chair claims Mayor Johnson’s corporate head tax isn’t dead yet: Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) told the City Club of Chicago Wednesday that Johnson could use his veto to thwart any budget proposal that eliminates his proposed head tax and replaces the $100 million in lost revenue with a property tax increase, higher garbage collection fees, and other alternate revenue sources. * Sun-Times | Johnson pledges to use head tax for youth programs, then wants to cut funding for proven mentoring efforts: Mayor Brandon Johnson has tried — and so far failed — to sell his corporate head tax by rebranding it as a “community safety surcharge” with $100 million in annual revenue for crime fighting and prevention programs that include summer jobs and mentoring for Black and Hispanic youth. And yet, in his proposed 2026 budget, the mayor wants to cut funding for one of Chicago’s most successful youth mentoring programs, and change city guidelines to disqualify school-based group counseling programs known as “Becoming a Man” (BAM) and “Working on Womanhood” (WOW). “It’s devastating. We have 1,400 young people benefiting from programs they get so much out of. Most of them are in the program because they’ve already been exposed to trauma. And we’re risking traumatizing them again by ripping these supports out in the middle of the school year,” said Michelle Adler-Morrison, CEO of Youth Guidance, which oversees BAM and WOW. * Crain’s | Alderman urges union concessions as budget tensions spike: O’Shea said the broader conversations haven’t happened because Johnson has been unwilling to take on unions that represent roughly 90% of city workers. “It’s an uncomfortable conversation, and it’s potentially a political problem, but that’s what leaders do in difficult times,” he said. “If you don’t ask them, they’re not going to volunteer. If I was running a union, I wouldn’t be volunteering unless they asked.” Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter…
* WTTW | CPD’s Increasing Use of Force Threatens Consent Decree Push: Illinois Attorney General: The significant increase in the number of times Chicago police officers have used force against Chicagoans since 2022 threatens the effort to reform the Chicago Police Department, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office told a federal judge on Tuesday. The coalition of police reform groups, which forced the city to agree to federal court oversight, told U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer in September that the number of times officers have shot, tased, struck and choked a member of the public violates the consent decree, the federal court order requiring officers to stop routinely violating Black and Latino residents’ constitutional rights. * NBC Chicago | ‘Spreading fast’: New, mutated flu strain has Chicago-area doctors ‘on guard’: The new variant, known as “Subclade K,” is part of the H3N2 parent group, or a type of Flu A. “This mutation has been associated with an increased rate of flu infections in countries that are already witnessing it and also in parts of the United States,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Arti Barnes. * WTTW | Ex-Aurora Mayor Backed $450K Line of Credit Without Council Approval; Nonprofit Leader Racked Up Charges at ATMs and Strip Clubs: OnLight Aurora, a city-supported nonprofit, aims to provide high speed internet to the west suburban community’s institutions, businesses and residents. The nonprofit, according to an analysis by local officials and documents reviewed by WTTW News, is nearly $1 million in the red, operating at a $27,000 monthly deficit with some $20,000 in monthly debt service payments. Those charges include tens of thousands of dollars in ATM cash withdrawals, additional thousands spent at strip clubs across the country and travel to places as far-flung as Madrid and Dublin, to name just a few. * Daily Herald | Aurora firefighters protest proposed budget cuts: The union representing Aurora’s firefighters is speaking out against Mayor John Laesch’s proposed 2026 budget, saying he and the fire chief are not being truthful when they say having fewer workers won’t hurt public safety. “It is misleading and factually inaccurate to suggest that eliminating 18 firefighters, three battalion chiefs, one training officer and two fire trucks, regardless of the method, will not affect emergency response, readiness or service delivery,” wrote union President Ron Deubel, in a statement Local 99 of the International Association of Firefighters posted on its website and Facebook page Wednesday morning. * Daily Herald | Elk Grove Village mayor announces prostate cancer diagnosis: “I’ve got four kids and 10 grandkids, with more grandkids coming. I want to see them grow up,” Johnson said at a village board meeting Tuesday night. “It’s not a death warrant. You can fight it. You can beat it. I plan on beating it.” It’s the third major health scare for the longtime mayor, who had double-bypass heart surgery in 2014 and was severely injured in a biking accident in 2010. * Fox 2 Now | Ameren Illinois rate hike cut by $55.8 million: On Wednesday, The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) slashed Ameren Illinois’ natural gas rate request by nearly half, cutting $55.8 million from the proposed $128.8 million increase. Commissioners said the decision was made to help balance utility needs with affordability. “The ICC’s responsibility is to balance the interests of Illinois’ utilities and their consumers,” ICC Chairman Doug Scott said in a statement. “The commission opted to strike excess charges and approve necessary and justified projects.” * 25 News Now | Concussion, broken bones: Women pay more than fines after East Peoria traffic stops: Two unrelated women are alleging excessive use of force by the same East Peoria police officer after traffic stops quickly turned violent and left them with lasting injuries. The stories share similarities. In both cases, the women are stopped for a traffic violation and forcefully arrested within a minute of Officer DeVonte Tincher’s approach. In both cases, the women complained to the East Peoria Police Department, and the department found no issues with the officer’s use of force. On July 30, 2025, Klein was arrested for resisting arrest about two minutes after she ran a red light. Klein was pulled to the ground from the driver’s seat of her car, breaking her humerus and scapula bones. * BND | Republicans at odds over error on Madison County clerk’s election paperwork: The objector, Harold Wathan Jr., president of the Madison County Conservative Caucus, pointed out that all of Andreas’ nominating petitions listed the wrong handwritten election date of March 17, 2025. “(The county clerk’s office) is charged with running elections,” he said after the hearing. “She’s supposed to make sure paperwork is correct. She counsels other people on what to do.” Ultimately, the board — comprised of State’s Attorney Tom Haine, Circuit Clerk Patrick McRae and Sheriff Jeff Connor, all Republicans — voted to allow Andreas’ name to remain on the ballot. * WICS | Ex-Champaign County deputy pleads guilty in $10K+ theft from Back the Blue fundraiser: A former Champaign County Sheriff’s Deputy has pled guilty to theft exceeding $10,000 in a fundraising scandal for the 10-78 Foundation (Back the Blue Champaign County). Matthew Stuckey, 40, was sentenced on Monday, November 17 to 36 months of supervised probation, 30 hours of community service, and financial penalties. Because the judge chose Withhold Judgment, Stuckey may avoid a felony conviction if he fully complies with all sentencing terms. * WSIL | SIU Launches Free Dual-Enrollment Program for 26 Southern Illinois High Schools: Beginning next semester, students at 26 Southern Illinois high schools will be able to take online, tuition-free college courses through Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s new Saluki Start Dual Enrollment Program. […] Students will take one SIU course per term, taught by university faculty, with credits applying toward a degree at SIU or transferable to other public institutions in Illinois. * WIFR | Parents worry Harlem School District’s plan to close schools could ‘dismantle’ families: On Monday, Harlem superintendent Terrell Yarbrough and administrators revealed a proposal to consolidate its elementary education. The plan would close Maple and Olson Park elementary schools, reduce the early childhood program, cut staff and more. […] He maintains the proposal doesn’t reflect on students, staff or leadership. Rather, the plan addresses declining enrollment due to a fall in birth rates in Winnebago County, under-utilization of buildings and a $3.1 million deficit. * WGLT | City of Bloomington Township provided $67,000 in food assistance during SNAP suspension: The township approved setting aside up to $150,000 for emergency assistance earlier this month after the Trump administration paused benefits. From Nov. 4-13, 521 residents completed the intake process, and a total of 496 family members received emergency food benefits. “Our small but dedicated team worked early mornings, through lunch hours and late into the evening to meet the needs of our community,” township supervisor Deb Skillrud said. “Their commitment meant that every eligible household with complete documentation received assistance without delay.” * PJ Star | Why Peoria’s police chief is in favor of new system for self-reporting some crimes: During the monthly meeting of the Peoria Advisory Committee on Police-Community Relations Monday night, Echevarria showed off the new system – the Citizen’s Online Reporting System – which allows citizens to report crimes such as assault, battery, criminal damage to property, vandalism and theft. He said that the system will reduce the workload of officers who would otherwise be distracted from more important tasks to complete reports for these crimes. * Defector | John Fetterman’s Memoir Is As Low-Effort As His Senate Tenure: There is no audience for Unfettered, and I do not think Crown will get its money’s worth on this memoir. The day after Fetterman’s book dropped, I called a handful of Barnes and Nobles and independent bookstores in Pennsylvania. The Barnes and Noble in York—where Fetterman was born and raised—had sold zero copies. The Barnes and Noble in Philadelphia had sold two copies. An independent store in Pittsburgh and an independent store in Philadelphia each told me they weren’t stocking Unfettered, at least not at the moment. Another independent store in Philadelphia described interest in Unfettered as lukewarm. * WBEZ | Newly released cache of Epstein emails reveal deeper ties with Thomas Pritzker, governor’s cousin: Pritzker, Gov. JB Pritzker’s cousin, exchanged at least 20 back-and-forth emails with Epstein that show the two remarking on current events and making plans to see each other, according to a review of some of the 20,000 pages of documents released by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform committee last week. […] Thomas Pritzker has not been accused of any wrongdoing, nor has he been named in any investigation into Epstein’s crimes. Thomas Pritzker declined to comment on the newly released documents through a spokesperson for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where he currently serves as executive chairman. * The Harvard Crimson | Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties: On Monday, Summers — who served as United States Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration — said he would step back from all public commitments, while continuing to teach undergraduate and graduate students and leading the Mossavar-Rahmani center, according to a spokesperson. But by Wednesday night — just one day after Harvard announced that it would probe his ties to Epstein — he had changed his mind amid mounting pressure. University spokesperson Jason A. Newton confirmed in a Wednesday statement that Summers had communicated his decision to Harvard.
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