* Politico…

A crush of petition challenges put Illinois’ election machinery into high gear this week as hearings began to examine the validity of signatures — a process that could knock some candidates off the 2026 ballot.

By the numbers: Despite a crowded field in the U.S. Senate and congressional races, the volume of challenges to petition signatures is relatively stable this year, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. The board has logged 78 objections — only slightly higher than the 75 filed ahead of the 2022 midterms.

Ready for duty: To keep pace, the Board of Elections is “running three, three-hour shifts daily with 13 staff members in each shift,” said board spokesperson Matt Dietrich. Chicago and Cook County election officials are conducting the same painstaking signature-verification process on stacks of nominating petitions.

Election attorney Burt Odelson says the number of questionable signatures is up this year for two reasons. First, “there are more professional and semi-professional people circulating petitions, and they’re from out of state — not just Indiana or Wisconsin. We’re seeing people hired from California, Oregon and Georgia,” he said. That’s a problem, he said, because “they’re not loyal to the candidate. They’re only in it for the money.”

* 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…

In the 1998 Democratic primary for governor, then-U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard, a conservative Democrat from Marion, vowed to continue his streak of not accepting contributions from PACs.

His strategy was to take the moral high ground — win the lion’s share of the downstate vote and about a fourth of the vote in the Chicago area, and have his rivals split the rest. And it worked, at least in the primary.

In the general election, he opted to double his self-imposed limits on campaign donations, allowing individual contributions of up to $4,000 and political candidate contributions of up to $50,000 — but still no PACs.

His loss to then-Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan was partly influenced by hamstringing himself with the no-PAC-money pledge, with Ryan outspending him fourfold. It kept him from being able to afford an aggressive advertising effort to highlight Ryan’s ties to the 1994 vehicle crash that killed six of Scott and Janet Willis’ children and the ensuing corruption probe that ultimately landed Ryan in federal prison. The state Democratic Party helped fund one ad on the Willis tragedy — but the lack of money and his inability to, as an anti-abortion and pro-gun candidate, rally Democrats ultimately alienated him from his base.

[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…

In a major show of statewide momentum, 11 Democratic County Chairs from across Illinois have announced their endorsement of Raja Krishnamoorthi for U.S. Senate. The announcement marks a powerful moment of unity among the region’s influential Democratic leaders and signals the rapidly growing downstate coalition lining up behind Raja. […]

Illinois Democratic County Chairs Supporting Raja Include:

- Chair Jay Briney, Mason County
- Chair John Spencer, Clay County
- Chair Jackie Knackmus, Edwards County
- Chair Russell Knight, Fayette County
- Chair Dennis Austin, Hardin County
- Chair Robert Alexander, Jasper County
- Chair Jason Hulbert, Jefferson County
- Chair Roy Pesch, Lawrence County
- Chair Sandra Cummings, Pope County
- Chair Tami Smith, Shelby County
- Chair Len Piasecki, Washington County

These leaders join the following Downstate Democratic County Chairs who have already formally endorsed Raja’s bid for Senate:

- Chair Andy Asadorian, Madison County
- Chair Cindy Given, Richland County
- Chair Jacob Brisbin, Tazewell County
- Chair Ross Clymer, Woodford County

The Chairs’ unified endorsement sends a clear and unmistakable message: Raja is the downstate candidate in this race. His Peoria roots and years of delivering tangible results for working families show he understands what every Illinoisans are up against. This summer, Raja embarked on a downstate listening tour that included events in the Quad Cities, Rockford, Petersburg, Bloomington, Springfield, Metro East, Carbondale, and more. These leaders know he will go to the mat for the towns, rural areas, and small cities too often left out of the conversation in Washington.

* The Center Square…

Despite having to push through a potentially crowded primary field, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy says Illinoisans need a statewide Republican to bring balance.

Twenty-two candidates that have filed to get their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Springfield Democrat Dick Durbin. Petition objections are being considered for six of the 14 Democrats running. Two of the eight Republican candidates face petition objections. […]

Illinois hasn’t had a statewide Republican officeholder since former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Tracy said that needs to change.

“We need to make this a two party state again,” he said “And the way to start that is by electing an Illinois Republican, for this open US Senate seat. And that would be me.”

* 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…

Democratic primary voters know and like Daniel Biss more than any other candidate. He’s known to three-quarters (74%) of the Democratic primary electorate, of whom nearly all are favorable (61% favorable / 13% unfavorable). His favorability rating and name recognition is the highest in the field, above Kat Abughazaleh (39% favorable / 19% unfavorable), Laura Fine (35% favorable / 11% unfavorable), Hoan Huynh (25% favorable / 6% unfavorable), Bushra Amiwala (24% favorable / 7% unfavorable), Mike Simmons (23% favorable / 6% unfavorable), and Phil Andrew (7% favorable / 2% unfavorable).

• Biss is the clear leader in the Democratic primary with a double-digit advantage over the field. In a crowded field, only Biss has been able to break away from the pack, consolidating 31% of the vote when no other candidate breaks 20 percent (31% Biss / 17% Abughazaleh / 10% Fine / 6% Simmons / 4% Huynh / 3% Amiwala / 3% Andrew / 3% other undecided.)

* Moving to the Comptroller race, Rep. Margaret Croke has announced a new round of endorsements…

Today, State Rep. Margaret Croke’s campaign announced new endorsements from prominent Will County leaders in her race to become Illinois’s next State Comptroller. These endorsements include:

● Will County Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant
● Will County Democratic Central Committee Chair Burke Schuster
● Will County Democratic Central Committee Vice Chair Billy Morgan
● State Representative Natalie Manley
● State Representative Larry Walsh

* Another Democratic candidate for Comptroller, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim also announced an endorsement…

Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) today announced his endorsement of Holly Kim for Illinois State Comptroller, citing her record of fiscal responsibility, accessibility and dedication to hardworking families across the state.

“Holly Kim delivers for Lake County, the third-largest county in Illinois and a core part of the district I represent,” said Congressman Schneider, who represents the North Shore and northern suburbs, including Highland Park, Winnetka, Waukegan and Antioch. “I’ve seen firsthand how respected she is and how consistently she shows up in every corner of the county. Holly brings real experience managing county finances, protecting taxpayer dollars, and ensuring transparency. Her lived experience as a young mom who put herself through college keeps her grounded in the challenges families face. Holly’s record and integrity make her exactly the Comptroller Illinois needs.”

Schneider serves as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate, centrist Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives focused on finding common ground and pragmatic solutions to policy issues. He praised Kim’s ability to deliver results that transcend partisanship.

* Republican candidate for Comptroller, Bryan Drew…

When Democrats hear “no more tax hikes” from voters, they don’t stop. The four frontrunner Democrat candidates for Comptroller present at a candidate forum on Tuesday announced their support for reviving efforts to institute a progressive tax in Illinois through a state constitution amendment—the same progressive tax Illinois voters overwhelmingly opposed in 2020 even after Governor Pritzker spent nearly $60 million to sell it.

This on top of claiming the record-high $55.1 billion budget they recently passed didn’t spend enough and didn’t include enough tax hikes.

Independent small businessman and attorney Bryan Drew, the Republican candidate for Comptroller, says this should be disqualifying.

“People are being crushed by taxes and expenses. Working families can’t afford to live in Illinois. Yet the Democrats running for Comptroller want to raise their taxes even more,” said Drew. “I’m sick and tired of Springfield politicians using struggling working families, single parents, and seniors as their ATM. It’s time Illinois government learned to live within its means.

“Clearly, none of these politicians would be an independent check-and-balance on the tax-and-spend agenda in Springfield. The taxpayers of Illinois deserve a leader who will stop government waste and hold politicians accountable for how they spend our tax dollars. As Comptroller, I will protect the public’s tax dollars.”

* Sen. Lakesia Collins endorses José “Che-Che” Wilson for 12th District Cook County Commissioner. Press release…

State Senator Lakesia Collins today announced her endorsement of José “Che-Che” Wilson for Cook County Commissioner in the 12th District, joining a diverse coalition of key community leaders who are now backing his candidacy. Collins will appear with Wilson as the featured guest at a major campaign gathering—underscoring the momentum behind his run.

“I’m proud to endorse José Che-Che Wilson for Cook County Commissioner for the 12th District because he does the work,” said Senator Collins. “Rooted in community and driven by the voices of the people, Che-Che understands the struggles our families face and I trust him to continue fighting for our communities to make their lives better.”

* The Daily Southtown…

Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Republican, announced Thursday he will not run for reelection next year, leaving former Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman as the only Republican candidate for his seat.

Morrison has represented the 17th District, which includes a wide swath of the southwest suburbs including Orland Park, Palos Heights and Lemont, since 2015. He was appointed to replace Gorman, who held the position from 2002 to 2015 before resigning to accept a job at an accounting firm in the private sector. Gorman supported Morrison as her successor.

In a statement announcing his decision, Morrison said the choice was driven partly by his belief in the importance of term limits. […]

Morrison was reelected in 2018 and 2022. Gorman ran to unseat Morrison once before in 2022, but lost in the primary. With Morrison dropping out and the filing deadline past, she will run uncontested in the primary.

Interesting.

…Adding… The Burg…

Former Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez endorsed former Independent Alderman Bob Fioretti for Illinois Attorney General today, citing a need for party unity.

Cervantez, who served as Jackson County State’s Attorney from 2020 to 2024, said after campaigning around the state for several months, he decided “we need to spend time and resources debating the incumbent and not each other. Bob Fioretti has the political and legal experience to not only win the Attorney General’s office in November, but also to be an outstanding Attorney General.”

A former US Marine combat veteran, Cervantez pledged to actively campaign for Fioretti, including helping with fundraising and organizing southern and central Illinois. Fioretti said Cervantez’ show of party unity is an example for others. “Joe is a veteran and former prosecutor whose legal ability is admired on both sides of the aisle,” Fioretti said. “Together, we’ll make a great team, and with his endorsement, we have an opportunity to do something rarely achieved in recent history: a united Illinois Republican Party focused on targeting the extremists of the Democratic Party, and not each other.”