* Pritzker dipping into the trust fund to get around the spending caps…

You gotta figure Elizabeth Rochford will get that as well.

* Speaking of contribution caps, DeVore busted his with a loan to himself, then has bitterly and repeatedly complained about a large contribution to his opponent…

This is about my favorite Devoreism. Raises spending cap, complains about Raoul campaign spending for the rest of the election cycle. pic.twitter.com/OM2PzgAkXC

— ROSIE RIVETED (@ROSIERIVETED1) October 30, 2022

* Speaking of DeVore…

@TPUSA Students and I had the opportunity to join Republican Women of Park Ridge for brunch today, as well as hear from speakers Attorney Tom Devore, Attorney Kathy Salvi, and Stephanie Trussel! pic.twitter.com/M2wVFeasvq

— Peter Christos (@peterchristos) October 29, 2022

A little background on Mr. Christos…

Prosecutors charged the suspected gunman in the shooting rampage at a Fourth of July parade in this Chicago suburb with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday, hoping to put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said that, if convicted, Robert E. “Bobby'’ Crimo III faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. […]

Crimo can be seen in a widely circulated Chicago Tribune photo of a Trump rally. The man standing to Crimo’s right in the photo is Peter Christos, 18, according to Deerfield resident Natalie Reed, 18, who attended school with Christos at Glenbrook North.

“He’s very anti-mask, anti-vaccine,” Reed said of Christos. “He would kind of harass other students for wearing masks. He rallied up a bunch of people and did a lot of Trump rallies. He’s the one who got people together for most of them in Northbrook.”

Democratic oppo file on Christos is here. He was close to the Bailey campaign for a while and Bailey’s running mate was reportedly at that Republican Women of Park Ridge event.

* Speaking of the far right, here’s Politico…

Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15) is the only member of the state’s Republican congressional delegation not to condemn last week’s violent attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The silence from Miller shows how divided politics has become, especially since Jan. 6 when protesters stormed the Capitol calling out for Pelosi.

Others in the GOP spoke up: Congressmen Mike Bost (IL-12), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) and Darin LaHood (IL-18) all expressed outrage at the assault. They followed the lead of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Vice President Mike Pence, who also condemned the attack.

* Illinois early vote totals…

The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/31/22):
Total VBM requested: 841,270
Total VBM returned: 400,385
Total VBM outstanding: 440,885
Return Rate: 48%
Total Early Vote: 290,868
Total Grace Period: 3,770
Total Already Voted: 695,023https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq

— IL Election Data (@ILElectionData) October 31, 2022

* Chicago early vote totals…

The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Sunday, October 30, 2022.

The Early Vote total stands at 52,599 ballots cast.

Additionally, 61,643 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 203,119.

The grand total is 114,242 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.

Chicago has about 21 percent of the state’s population, but turnout so far is only about 16 percent of the statewide total. That’s up from before, but not there yet.

…Adding… Ahead of 2018, but people are getting accustomed to the process…

per @ILElectionData, here's early/mail voting turnout in Illinois eight days before election day in 2018 (left) vs. 2022 (right) pic.twitter.com/wcMnIuK9ZT

— Jake Lewis (@jake____lewis) October 31, 2022

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Judge allows GOP AG candidate Thomas DeVore’s defamation lawsuit against girlfriend’s mom to proceed: In his decision, Christian County Associate Judge Kevin Parker wrote that he couldn’t properly evaluate whether DeVore’s lawsuit fell under the state law without first determining whether Craig wrote or helped publish the article in question. “At this pleading stage of the case, that material fact is in no way settled,” Parker wrote.

* Vote no on the Workers’ Rights Amendment: As Crain’s business columnist Joe Cahill pointed out on Oct. 3, if the WRA passes, Illinois will stand out for giving broader constitutional protections to organized labor than any other state. The amendment bars any legislation that interferes with unions’ bargaining rights, and—going further than any of the handful of states that constitutionally protect collective bargaining—explicitly prohibits “right-to-work laws” like those recently adopted by neighboring states.

* Tulsi Gabbard endorses Bailey for governor: “It’s time for new leadership, and I urge you to elect Darren Bailey as your next governor,” Gabbard said. “He is a farmer who knows what it means to put in an honest day’s work, puts people first and is not beholden to the political insiders who have corrupted the Illinois government.” Gabbard will speak at a Bailey campaign rally with Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy Monday night in Glen Ellyn. The downstate lawmaker said Gabbard understands that Illinois voters need to stand up to extremists, put people ahead of politics and do what’s right. Bailey said he can unite Illinoisans by focusing on tax relief, safer streets and improving schools.

* RTMD offering free rides to the polls in southern Illinois: Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD) is offering free rides to the polls for the General Election on Tuesday, November 8. The transportation company says it is offering the free rides on their regular routes in southern Illinois.

* Kifowit, West square off in Illinois House 84th District race: If re-elected, Kifowit said she hopes to continue serving as the chair of Veterans Affairs and serve as a voice for veterans as the only female veteran in the House. She also looks to focus on ensuring mental health is on par with physical health for residents, working toward more ethics reforms and balancing the state’s budget, she said.

…Adding… From Dan Proft’s PAC…

Former Democrat, congresswoman, and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard appeared on Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson Monday morning before scheduled appearances with Illinois GOP candidate Darren Bailey later in the day in both Palatine and Glen Ellyn.

The whole interview can be listened to here:
http://morninganswerchicago.com/2022/10/31/fmr-us-rep-tulsi-gabbard-on-her-exit-from-the-democratic-party/

Gabbard: “I just came from being with [GOP gubernatorial candidate] Tudor Dixon over the weekend in Michigan, and I know a lot of the same challenges that people are frustrated with and feeling in Michigan are the same things that Darren is telling me folks are frustrated with here in Illinois. Things obviously, like incredibly-rising crime rates…heavily restricted controls by the government throughout the COVID pandemic…parents being told ‘Hey you don’t have a right to have a say in what your child is being taught in school.’ These are all things that aren’t Democrat or Republican, they are issues that are affecting every person and every family in this state, and that this governor, Governor Pritzker, has failed on.”

She went on to say: “My message to voters here in the state of Illinois:…Do you feel like our economy is working for you? Do you feel like you are being honored and empowered as parents with policies that actually strengthen families, rather than trying to tear us apart? And if the answer to any of those is NO then I urge you to really take a hard look and consider casting your vote for [DARREN BAILEY] because he is a man of the people.”

Dan Proft is president of People Who Play By The Rules PAC.