Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x1 - Duckworth raises $1.8 million in Q3 *** News from the campaign trail

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

A campaign official for Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said this week there is “no way” the mayor will join the race for governor.

Dennis Cook, a campaign spokesman who has served as Irvin’s campaign manager in his races for mayor, said this week an online video interview that named Irvin as a potential candidate in the Republican primary was likely “just wishful thinking.”

“No, he’s not running for governor,” Cook told The Beacon-News. “Richard just got re-elected in April. We have a job to do.” […]

Irvin himself did not address the rumors, and referred questions about it to Cook.

* Today’s quotable from Sen. Darren Bailey…

He ran for the House and was elected. He then ran for the Senate and is serving there, even when he’s being asked to leave because he refuses to wear a mask. Now, he’s running for governor.

“God’s opening these doors and we’re being obedient in walking through these doors, that’s all we’re doing,” Bailey said. “A message of hope, standing up for the people, that’s something different and unique to Illinois.”

He’s not fond of career politicians, saying, “As soon as people get elected, they try to figure out to get re-elected and when they do that, then you’ve got to start pleasing everyone. It’s that simple. George Washington served to terms and stepped aside, that was the example.”

So, instead of trying to get re-elected he just keeps running for another office. Got it.

* We’ll see if he can raise any money…

Jonathan Logemann is a soldier, a high school teacher, a family man and a Rockford alderman.

He would like to add congressman to the list.

Logemann, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that he is running to represent the 17th Congressional District. It is the seat U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Moline has announced she is retiring from in January 2023 following her fifth term. […]

Re-elected to a seventh term in an uncontested race in April, Alderwoman Linda McNeely, D-13, has also said she plans to run for the seat.

Illinois Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, also said he is considering a run for the seat, but is waiting to see final district boundaries before announcing his candidacy.

His promise to not be one of the fighters in DC may not go over too well in a primary, however. And defeating Stadelman on his own turf could be pretty tough. But, hey, we have zero idea yet what the district will look like.

* Politico…

The Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus has formed a political action committee that will be chaired by Reps. Nick Smith and Lakesia Collins.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a few years, and it took some time to put it together,” Smith told Playbook of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus PAC.

Black legislators have for years relied on the Black Caucus Foundation to help boost civic and philanthropic efforts in members’ communities. “We felt we needed something to support the caucus politically, too,” Smith said.

The goal, said Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Kam Buckner, “is to raise funds, mobilize volunteers, and have an effective apparatus to elect and re-elect members of the Black Caucus.”

Creating the PAC comes as the Democratic Party shifts its operations under new leadership. Party members can no longer rely on former House Speaker Michael Madigan to open the purse strings for campaigns. New party Chair Robin Kelly has created a separate fundraising arm for state and local campaigns, while she focuses on fundraising for federal positions.

“Speaker Welch is doing a great job but he’s focused on his entire caucus. And it’s too early to tell how the party’s local [fundraising] committee will do,” Smith said. “There’s a vacuum with Michael Madigan gone, and we see an opportunity to fundraise to help fill that hole.”

Smith is right. Also, If Rep. Buckner really does want to run for mayor, he’ll need some significant fundraising experience.

* Press release…

Today, Congressman Sean Casten announced he has raised over $473,000 in the third quarter of 2021. The campaign’s impressive fundraising haul brings its total cash on hand to $1.05 million.

Campaign Spokesman Jacob Vurpillat released the following statement:

“These impressive fundraising numbers reflect a wide surge of support for Rep. Casten and everything he has accomplished so far this Congress, like passing critical legislation to safeguard our economy from the devastating effects of the climate crisis. People in the 6th District have sent a loud and clear message—Rep. Sean Casten is the best person to represent their values and interests in Congress.”

* And here’s a press release I didn’t post earlier…

Nikki Budzinski, a labor activist, Chief of Staff at President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget and former senior advisor to Governor JB Pritzker, announced her campaign has raised 455k since entering the race on August 24th.

Budzinski made the following statement: “I’m humbled and grateful for the support that my friends, family, and supporters in Illinois have shown me since we announced this campaign. I’m eager to continue working to build a broad coalition of support to win the 13th Congressional district for working families.”

This total raised in just over 5 weeks places Budzinski in a strong position as one of the highest-raising Congressional candidates in the country this quarter.

Pretty darned good haul.

*** UPDATE *** Speaking of good hauls…

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) reelection campaign announced today that it raised more than $1.8 million in the third quarter of 2021, with more than 43,000 individual contributions averaging under $35 each. Of those contributions, 98% were $100 or less. The campaign, which ended the quarter with nearly $5.8 million cash on hand, issued the following statement regarding this announcement:

“These impressive numbers reiterate how eager Illinoisans are to keep Tammy’s unique and powerful voice in the United States Senate. We’re energized by having this many early supporters and are well into our efforts to build a robust campaign that can reach Illinoisans in every corner of our state and help ensure Tammy can continue executing her mission of advocating for working families, new parents, small businesses, servicemembers and Veterans as our Senator for years to come.”

22 Comments

COVID-19 roundup

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Lisa Donovan…

U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says the disappointing jobs report released in recent days points not only to fears among eligible workers about COVID-19′s highly contagious delta variant, but also an attitude shift in the American workforce.

“I think that we’re seeing people still living with the concern and maybe fear of the pandemic. Maybe their health is not necessarily the best and then they’re worried about their personal health,” Walsh said in a phone interview with the Tribune. The former Boston mayor, whose political star began to rise as a labor leader, said he’s also hearing from employers ranging from health care to financial institutions to construction who say some employees have reconsidered their professional path amid the pandemic and “have just left the job market because of their work-life balance.”

The U.S. logged 194,000 new jobs in September, according to monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday. That’s less than half the 500,000 jobs economists were predicting would be added to the economy as enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired and a new school year brought the promise of a raft of teacher and support staff hires, which typically boost fall jobs numbers.

Neither scenario played out. Walsh said it’s clear to him the special federal unemployment benefits, which ended early last month, weren’t keeping people out of the workforce — an argument that picked up political steam as the pandemic wore on — or “we would have seen different numbers” in the recent jobs report.

* WMIX…

A group of parents are suing a school district in southern Illinois over who has the right to issue a mask mandate. The suit, in the Triad district, hopes to overturn mask mandates in schools, arguing that the State Board of Education doesn’t have the right to issue one.

Governor JB Pritzker says groups like those are working against the best interests of everyone connected to a school.

Transcript…

There are people who are irresponsible, extraordinarily irresponsible, who are going around the state suing because they basically want to make schools less safe. That’s not right. I mean, we are not at a moment when this pandemic is over.

* Wirepoints…

The Delta variant and its limited impact on Illinois children

Response from the governor’s office…

Misinformation is killing people and putting the wellbeing and safety of communities at risk. The administration, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health have worked closely with school districts to require masks, establish a vaccine mandate for teachers and staff, and ensure students have access to learning. The pandemic is still here, and it will be irresponsibly prolonged by those twisting data and spreading misinformation.

Also…

The CDC found that the odds of a school-associated COVID-19 outbreak in schools without a mask requirement were 3.5 times higher than those in schools with an early mask requirement.

* Meanwhile, to the north of us…

Minnesota on Tuesday reported a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 8.3% that is the highest in the vaccine era and a level of hospitalizations that hasn’t been seen since the first shots against the coronavirus were administered in mid-December.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota reached 960 on Monday and included 254 people needing intensive care because of breathing problems or other complications. While that is below the record 1,864 hospitalizations on Nov. 29, it is the highest in 2021 and combines with patients with trauma and other illnesses to fill up 96% of available intensive care beds and 93% of non-ICU beds. […]

Minnesota hospitals continue to report observational findings about COVID-19 patients that match recent vaccine research.

While vaccines might be losing some effectiveness at preventing any infections, studies show they remain protective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.

* More…

* COVID-19 update: 2,913 new cases, 39 additional deaths, 1,615 hospitalizations: The state’s positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is 2.1% based on a seven-day average, up a notch from 2% on Tuesday.

* New COVID-19 cases drop by 27% on average in October, yes to mingling flu and COVID shots

* Downtown office vacancy hits new record as delta variant slows leasing

* Illinois Told to Prepare to Vaccinate Young Children by November, White House Says

* Who Can Get a COVID Booster Shot Right Now? A Breakdown of Who is Eligible

* With a booster vaccine, should we expect the same kind of side effects?: Dr. John Segreti, medical director of infection control and prevention at Rush University Medical Center, said this is something we will continue to study, and it’s possible that side effects might be similar to initial vaccinations.

* Former Mass Vaccination Center to Reopen in DuPage County for Booster Shots

* 2 Peoria TV stations tell employees to get vaccinated against COVID or get terminated: However, at WEEK-TV and HOIC ABC, all union employees complied to the vaccination edict, Collins said. Further, he said, the company demand does not violate the union contract.

* Do We Really Need to Meet In Person? Videoconferencing is flawed, but it’s still better than the alternative.

* ADDED: Danville Veterans Administration nursing home where 11 residents died didn’t follow COVID guidelines, report finds

26 Comments

It’s just a bill

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We’ll see if this actually comes to fruition…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been working to change the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which some have invoked in the fight against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The 1998 Health Right of Conscience Act bans discrimination because of such persons’ refusal to receive or participate in any way in any particular form of healthcare services contrary to his or her conscience.

Some have said the law allows people to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine and evade Pritzker’s executive order mandating vaccination or regularly testing for health care workers, educators and other state employees.

Ameri Klafeta, of the ACLU of Illinois, said people are abusing the 1998 law and using it in a way that was not intended.

“The cases that have been brought under this law have always involved health care professionals,” Klafeta said. “This was never a law for individual citizens.” […]

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said last month that addressing the HCRCA through legislation would be the first major action Democrats have taken on policies concerning COVID-19.

“I don’t think they want to be put in that vice-like position, but the governor’s pushing it,” Rose said.

Democrats too often allow themselves to be spooked by a tiny and vocal minority. It’s a big reason why they’ve sat on the sidelines for so long.

* CBS 2…

All over Illinois, said State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-101st) people are outraged by the rash of catalytic converter thefts, sold to scrap metal operators and used car parts dealers for cash.

“So right now, if I have a catalytic converter, I can go into a company and sell it to the scrap yard and they don’t ask any questions.”

Ford has introduced a new Illinois law that would require catalytic converter sellers to shows buyers a drivers license or state ID. Buyers would then have to log that personal information. […]

The hope to dry up the market for the stolen parts. Similar laws have been passed in other states, including legislation in California in 2019. But State Farm Insurance said its customers claims for catalytic converter thefts jumped a 175% in California between June of 2020 and June of this year.

…Adding… From a bill passed and signed into law in 2012…

Prohibits the sale and purchase of catalytic converters not attached to motor vehicles unless the seller is a licensed automotive parts recycler or scrap processor.

* Press release…

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart and Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins on Thursday will announce proposed state legislation to ban the possession and sale of guns without serial numbers, known as “ghost guns,” and the unserialized gun kits used to make them. Ghost guns are homemade firearms that cannot be traced. The kits used to build ghost guns do not require background checks, which allows anyone – even individuals prohibited from owning a firearm – to purchase them.

Who: Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins, and Delphine Cherry, of Brady Illinois

When: 10 a.m. Thursday, October 14, 2021

Where: Cook County Sheriff’s Police Headquarters – 1401 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, 60153

We are requesting pool coverage. Proper COVID-19 precautions will be observed, including social distancing, appropriate use of face masks, and hand sanitization.

* More…

* Medical marijuana, more popular than ever, could still cost you your job in Illinois: Morgan has introduced legislation to challenge Illinois law so most workers or job seekers would not be punished after testing positive for low levels of marijuana, whether recreational or medical.”This law would change the burden in the sense that the individual who fails a drug test alone should not lose their job, and should not be refused an opportunity to work someplace” he explained. “Unless you show impairment, you can’t be discriminated against in the workplace.”

* After The SAFE-T Act, What’s Next For Criminal Justice Reform In Illinois?

…Adding… Sports betting license…

The Chicago Sky gets a new bill dropped leading into Veto. https://t.co/5pN9IOyeu6

— Steve Brubaker (@SteveBrubaker) October 13, 2021