* I scheduled mine for next week…
* From Brian’s interview…
We were overwhelmed on Tuesday, and I believe greatly because people look at Republicans as extremist, and also they associate Republicans with Donald Trump, and also the US Supreme Court. I mean, there was a lot of factors that were in play. But at the end of the day, Illinois voters rejected us. And it was a, it was a tough night. And we, I hope we learned something from this, that you have to be able to expand and not just, you know, disqualify somebody because he may have a different position than most, than conservative Republicans on the Second Amendment, reproductive rights, or even same sex marriage and gay and lesbian rights. I mean, we’re losing a lot of people, a lot of people who otherwise thoroughly believe in the Republican positions on public safety, spending our budget, spending in our budget, but we’ve completely turned our back on them because we disagree with them on social issues. And you know what? It’s addition, it’s not subtraction. And if we continue on with this approach, and just nominate people in the most important races that appeal to the far right. We’re going to be in the same, we’ll be, we’ll be having the same elections over and over again.
Discuss.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Finally, a post about the Associated Press that isn’t negative. Hooray! AP Votecaster interviewed voters all over the country, including in Illinois. It’s not actually an “exit poll” because it was conducted over eight days…
AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for Fox News, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, USA Today Network, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. The survey was conducted for eight days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The survey is based on interviews with a random sample of registered voters drawn from state voter files. Participants were contacted by phone, mail and online, and had the opportunity to take the survey by phone or online. All surveys are subject to multiple sources of error, including sampling, question wording and order, and nonresponse.
* From the AP’s interactive tool…
The AP’s survey of national congressional races found that 43 percent of men backed Democratic candidates while 53 percent of men backed Republican candidates. That wasn’t the case here. Pritzker won men four years ago, too.
* The Question: After clicking here and looking at the results in the governor’s race and the US Senate contest, and after clicking here and looking at the congressional results, what stood out the most? Explain.
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Post-campaign notebook
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
In January, a record number of Democrats are set to be sworn in as state representatives in the Illinois House, giving Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch a supermajority not even enjoyed by his notorious predecessor and claiming its first political victim — now-outgoing House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.
Aided by a newly drawn map of district boundaries, Welch’s Democrats say they racked up wins in as many as 77, and possibly 78, of the House’s 118 seats. That would best the modern high-water mark of 74 seats set in 2018 by Democrats led at the time by now-indicted ex-Speaker Michael Madigan, the longest-serving state House speaker in American history. […]
The final tally will likely reduce Harmon’s current Democratic majority from 41 of 59 senators to about 39 or 40, depending on when results are confirmed over the coming days. Democrats will easily exceed the 71 votes needed to control a supermajority in the House and the 36 in the Senate to exercise on issues ranging from borrowing money to overriding a veto to putting proposed constitutional amendments before voters.
Meanwhile, the AP sticks to its outdated numbers and spreads misinformation…
According to vote tabulations by The Associated Press, by Wednesday afternoon, House Democrats had picked up one seat, matching their 2021-22 total of 74 votes
As another example, on election night, the AP was only reporting suburban Cook County numbers in Sen. Bill Cunningham’s race. They finally incorporated the Chicago results, but have since appear to have stopped counting. The AP claims that with “99% of precincts reporting,” Cunningham (D-Chicago) leads Christine Shanahan McGovern 53-47. He’s actually ahead 59-41.
If you’re gonna set yourself up as the ultimate factual authority, then, please, put the work in, or at least run a disclaimer.
* Yep…
The AP still has Sheehan ahead by 68 votes.
* Speaking of mail, what DeVore fails to mention is that Donald Trump has actively discouraged mail-in ballots for years. The Illinois Republican Party pioneered mail-in voting years ago. It was jettisoned because rank-and-file voters now hate it. It’s truly hurting their party’s candidates and they need to get over themselves…
Also, with or without mail-in ballots, DeVore woulda got clobbered. I mean, c’mon.
* Politico on the scramble to replace retiring House GOP Leader Jim Durkin…
State Rep. Tim Ozinga, who was elected in 2020 and has been angling for the position for months, has already caused concern among some Republicans. Ozinga committed to helping the House Republican Majority)this cycle as finance chair and said he would personally give $2 million to the fund, according to a person familiar with the arrangement.
But Ozinga didn’t end up committing anything after all. He gave more to the Senate Republicans than he did to the House Republicans.
Ozinga, whose family runs a well-known concrete company, sat on the sidelines at a time when Republican candidates could have used the financial help. But he did create something he calls the “Big Tent Coalition,” which provides candidates with services on the campaign trail. Ozinga charged a 15 percent fee for the work.
The day before the election, Ozinga also deposited $1 million into his political account, maybe in an effort to show members he has money to share. But some saw it as an insult because it wasn’t used to help any candidates win office.
Another potential candidate for GOP House leader is state Rep. Martin McLaughin. He’s also been in the House since 2020 and before that was a Barrington Village president. Away from his public job, he runs a pension firm, a position that could put him under some scrutiny. He has opposed pension consolidation legislation and has employed a lobbyist in Springfield for his business in order to influence legislation for his firm’s benefit.
Yikes.
* Golden Horsehoe winner Candy Dogood in comments…
Speaking of 2024 speculation, it’d be nice if reporters would recognize that JB cannot state his intention to run for president without triggering an immediate requirement to file with the FEC and to comply with quite a few laws regarding what he can do, how he can do it, and how he spends money.
So, he can’t answer in the affirmative. There’s also no legal difference between an “exploratory committee” and a regular presidential campaign committee, they just call it exploratory so it’s less embarrassing when the candidate decides not to run.
JB benefits from others talking about the possibility both in Illinois and nationally, but it’s not hard hitting journalism to ask him a question that he can’t legally answer in the affirmative at this time.
If he is ever planning on running for President a random reporter at a political event is not getting the scoop by pressing him on the issue and a state governor giving a non answer about running for president isn’t news and isn’t important. It’s also lazy to keep asking him about it.
If a journalist wants to have fun with this topic, the questions should tie back into his administration, “Do you think that the staffing difficulties and contempt of court charges at your Department of Children and Family services could detract from your national image if it was reported on nationwide?”
Asking him a yes or no question solely about running for president is a waste of everyone’s time.
It is also very unlikely that Biden would ditch his VP, and if Biden decides not to run we probably won’t hear about that affirmatively for at least another 12 months.
The Governor has a lot that needs to he addressed that his administration is directly responsible for, let’s press him on those issues and why they seem to be lingering with no one being held accountable for the failure to address them.
* Last February, Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor, elected four years ago as a Democrat, announced she was switching parties to run as a Republican. She’s losing 54-46 to Democrat Anthony Vega. All countywide Democrats are winning. And only 5 of 19 seemingly victorious county board candidates are Republicans. JB Pritzker won the county with 51 percent in 2018. He’s winning the county this year with 59 percent.
Pritzker won DuPage County four years ago by two points, with 48 percent. He’s winning it this year by 15 points, 56-41.
Pritzker lost McHenry County four years ago by 10 points and he’s cutting his losing margin this year in half.
One potential kinda/sorta bright spot for Bailey is Will County, which Pritzker won 50-44 four years ago. Pritzker’s winning by a lesser amount so far this year, 50-47.
* Sen. Darren Bailey is currently leading in one Chicago ward, the 41st, way up on the city’s Northwest Side. The ward is the home to a lot of first responders. But the lead is small, 9,022-8,964, so that could get wiped out when more mail-in/provisional ballots are counted. Pritzker won the 41st Ward four years ago 51-43.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* ADDED: Rep. Theresa Mah | Asian Americans are making a big mark in Illinois politics: With these numbers, Asian Americans come closer to equitable representation for the state’s fastest-growing population. We’ll be able to advocate for our communities so that it will not be possible to make policies “about us without us” and we will more effectively fight for resources our constituents need.
* NBC 5 | ‘Ok Then’: Pritzker Details What Was Said in His Election Night Call With Bailey: “I got on the phone… I said, ‘Senator Bailey,’ he said, ‘Governor, I want to congratulate you.’ And I said, ‘Well, thank you very much. That’s very kind of you.’ And he said, ‘Okay, then.’”
* Daily Herald | No red wave here: Democratic congressional candidates won big in the suburbs: Despite projections of a red wave that would push Republicans into office in Illinois and across the country, Democrats — nearly all of them incumbents — swept all eight suburban congressional seats in Tuesday’s election.
* Daily Herald | Syed’s defeat of Bos in 51st House District bucked trend of incumbent victories in Northwest suburbs : “I’m feeling very, very grateful,” she said Wednesday. “I think we laid it all out there. We communicated our message. We wanted to let constituents in this district know what exactly I would fight for in the state legislature, in our suburban district and the place that I’ve called home, and a place that I was born and raised in, and I have a lot of care for this community.”
* WTTW | South Side Voters Speak Up for Trees in Jackson Park and South Shore. Is Anyone Listening?: Should the city of Chicago stop cutting down trees in Jackson Park and the area surrounding the South Shore Cultural Center? […] An overwhelming number of ballots — 82% — were cast in the affirmative, according to unofficial totals from the Chicago Board of Elections.
* Tribune | Progressive challenger Brandon Johnson lands another big union endorsement: An influential labor group with ties to the Chicago Teachers Union announced its endorsement of Brandon Johnson for mayor on Wednesday, adding to the list of labor organizations opting to back the Cook County commissioner over other progressives, including U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García.
* Jerusalem Post | Alarming rise in American Jewish children’s complaints of antisemitism at schools: The Israeli-American Council’s (IAC) School Watch initiative reported a rise of hundreds of percent of complaints on behalf of Jewish children on antisemitism in schools, one year after the watchdog’s founding. School Watch was designed to “contribute to a safe school environment and reduce incidents of antisemitism, anti-Zionism, national origin discrimination and hate,” according to its mission statement.
* The Daily Beast | The Six Biggest Takeaways From Musk’s Groveling Call With Twitter Advertisers:Amid a mass exodus of advertisers, “Chief Twit” Elon Musk took to his newly purchased social media platform on Wednesday to assure companies that Twitter will remain a safe space for their brands. In an hour-long livestream, known as a “Twitter Space,” Musk cajoled advertisers with promises of robust content moderation and account verification practices. The billionaire faces a formidable challenge: shoring up Twitter’s revenues without alienating the highly vocal band of right-wing users who initially celebrated the acquisition.
* Politico | Crypto kingpin bet a fortune on Democrats. Now he’s lost it all.: Crypto megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried helped bankroll Democrats’ overperformance in the midterms. But any friends he may have had in Washington won’t be there for him as his crumbling business empire threatens to torpedo the entire digital currency market.
* FiveThirtyEight | Abortion Rights Are Reshaping American Politics: Results are still pending in some key states like Arizona, but Democrats won many contests that will shape abortion access for the next few years — and in some cases, much longer. Abortion-rights supporters managed to enshrine the right to abortion in three state constitutions, including the crucial state of Michigan, where a near-total ban on abortion from 1931 has been tangled up in court battles for months. And supporters notched another consequential win in Kentucky, where a majority of the state’s voters opposed a ballot measure that would have explicitly clarified that abortion rights was not protected under the state constitution.
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* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced that $8.75 million in Direct Forgivable Loans fully financed by the State will be made available to all conditionally-approved social equity loan applicants in order to provide immediate access to capital. Pending the completion of a simplified documentation process, forgivable loan amounts between $50,000-$500,000 will be released immediately.
“Equity has always been at the core of our cannabis legalization process. It’s why we expunged hundreds of thousands low-level cannabis charges and instituted the Cannabis Social Equity Loan Program. But I know that if we want to create a truly equitable cannabis industry in Illinois, we must give our business owners the resources they need to grow—both figuratively and literally,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “That’s why we are launching this Direct Forgivable Loan Program to provide a much-needed jumpstart for social equity applicants who’ve faced hurdles in pursuit of capital funding. This $8.75 million will help our social equity licensees open their doors for business—a major step towards creating a prosperous cannabis industry here in Illinois.”
The Cannabis Social Equity Loan Program is a first-of-its-kind program that launched in the summer of 2021 with the goal of providing low-interest loans to social equity licensees through a partnership with lending institutions. Program participants have encountered significant delays in receiving capital through financial institutions due to the complexities of navigating a new industry that remains illegal under federal law, as well as institutions’ fiduciary, regulatory responsibilities and underwriting standards that are set independent of the program.
In response to feedback from participants, and out of an unwavering commitment to increasing equity in the cannabis industry, DCEO’s new Direct Forgivable Loan Program will make funding from the state available to all eligible program participants regardless of their original loan application status with a lending partner. Interested participants can continue to pursue funding through the original loan program, while also receiving the new Direct Forgivable Loan.
“In Illinois, we are striving to create an ecosystem for cannabis entrepreneurs that prioritizes those who have been adversely impacted by the war on drugs,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “The creation of the Direct Forgivable Loan Program is a critical step in that mission. We are forging ahead to support social equity licensees’ businesses so that Illinoisans can thrive alongside this growing industry.”
“Creating a more equitable cannabis industry in Illinois is the driving force behind the State’s loan programs and today’s announcement will accelerate our vision by making immediate capital available to social equity licensees,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “Looking ahead we will continue working closely with licensees as we implement the new Direct Forgivable Loan Program and incorporate program improvements for future rounds of funding.”
A total of $8.75 million will be available through the new Direct Forgivable Loan Program. The following loan amounts are available per participant based on the business type:
• Craft Growers: $500,000
• Infusers: $250,000
• Transporters: $50,000
Because DCEO has already received significant documentation from program participants, the additional documentation requirements for a direct forgivable loan are minimal to allow for prompt disbursal of funds. The forgivable loan has an 18-month grace period with no payments or interest accrued to provide businesses with flexibility.
Loan forgiveness will be provided to recipients upon receiving documentation of a broad array of eligible expenses currently accrued or accrued during the loan period, including rent, payroll, utilities, inventory, debt, regulatory expenses, legal fees, equipment and much more. The main differences between the programs are as follows:
Looking Ahead: Continued Collaboration with Licensees
Through the original loan program, social equity applicants were conditionally approved to pursue loan funding directly with lender partners. While conditional approval did not guarantee funding through the financial institutions, the program was designed to incentivize lending to social equity licensees to the greatest extent possible. As part of the structure, DCEO committed to funding a portion of each loan– thereby assuming a portion of the risk and making lending more attractive to lenders.
With many applicants still in the process of seeking loans through the original program, DCEO will continue to work closely with partners in an effort to secure loan funding for applicants who wish to complete the loan application process. Any loan funding provided through the original program would be in addition to the Direct Forgivable Loan funded by the State. In addition to providing additional capital, securing a loan from a financial institution can help add to the legitimacy of the social equity applicant’s business model and help attract capital from additional investors.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced today it has issued the first full adult use cannabis dispensing organization licenses to social equity applicants. IDFPR issued a social equity applicant license to Ivy Hall, located at 1720 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago in Cook County, which is 61% African American owned. IDFPR issued a second social equity applicant license to Green Rose, located at 612 North Wells Street in Chicago, which is 15% Latino-owned and 2.5% African American owned.
“In the coming months, Illinois is set to more than double the number of cannabis dispensaries, with every single new license holder being a social equity applicant,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With equity as our north star, today marks the first step for retail cannabis operations to begin repairing the devastating harm caused by the failed War on Drugs on communities of color. Congratulations to Green Rose and Ivy Hall – and we look forward to welcoming many more social equity-owned dispensaries to our great state.”
“This is but the first two of almost 200 new full dispensary licenses IDFPR anticipates issuing in the coming months, and we’re proud to welcome Green Rose and Ivy Hall to the most equitable cannabis market of any state in the country,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “IDFPR is committed to ensuring a diverse and well-regulated cannabis industry in Illinois, and we look forward to welcoming even more entrepreneurs in the time ahead.”
To date, IDFPR has issued 192 conditional adult use cannabis dispensing organization licenses from a series of lotteries in 2021 and 2022. Full licenses will be issued as the Department receives and reviews the applications for the full licenses, before completing the mandatory on-site inspection as required by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Of the businesses selected through the lottery process, 41% are majority Black-owned, 7% are majority White-owned, and 4% are majority Latino-owned, while 38% of awardees did not disclose the race of their owners. To open, applicants still need to receive agent and agent-in-charge badges, create an account with the state traceability system, and place their first order for cannabis products.
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What’s next for the SAFE-T Act?
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NBC 5…
The SAFE-T act may not have been on the ballot during the 2022 Midterm Election, but it played a big role. Now that Election Day is over in Illinois, attention is turning to the new law set to take effect early next year, but what exactly it will look like by then remains unclear.
Facing mounting criticism from a variety of groups and officials over provisions of the “SAFE-T Act” that will ban cash bail in the state beginning on Jan. 1, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said changes could soon be in store.
“There’s a lot of work that’s been done by the General Assembly over the last number of months and working groups,” he told reporters Wednesday, one day after securing his second term in office. “And so they’re going to bring that to the veto session and I’ll be watching carefully. I’ve made my thoughts clear. And we’ll see if we can get something done during the veto session to address the changes that we ought to be making.”
* The People’s Lobby and some allies pushed back hard on that TV news framing…
Midterm elections in Illinois have shown that the majority of voters were not swayed by far-right Republican fear mongering around the SAFE-T Act and the end of money bond in Illinois.
Not only did Governor Pritzker win a resounding victory over State Senator Darren Bailey, who made attacking Pritzker on crime central to his campaign, but suburban seats that republicans were trying to flip remained blue: State Senator Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights), State Senator Ellman (D-Naperville) and State Representative Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) all beat their republican opponents.
Despite facing a deluge of racist disinformation ads funded by Florida resident Dan Proft and billionaire Trump supporter Richard Uihlein about the “end of days” that would come as a result of the end of money bond, voters weren’t fooled. Illinoisans voted in record numbers during this midterm election and they overwhelmingly showed their support for candidates who prioritize public safety and are committed to creating a more just pretrial system.
“My constituents are concerned about crime, but they understand that the current system isn’t working,” said State Senator Gillespie. “Criminalizing poverty hasn’t made us safer–if anything it’s made things worse by feeding the cycle of incarceration, joblessness and poverty.”
“Republicans know the facts and data about pretrial incarceration are on our side, so they tried to win people over by stoking fear and outrage,” said State Rep. Stava-Murray. “What they don’t understand is that Trumpian tactics don’t work in the suburbs. Here, people want politicians to give it to them straight, and the truth is that we all want to feel safe in our communities and we’ll continue to work with all stakeholders to achieve that goal. We all know we aren’t made any safer when a person accused of a crime languishes in jail because they can’t afford to pay a low bond or when wealth can buy the freedom of someone who may hurt someone while out on bond.”
The People’s Lobby supported Gillespie, Ellman and Stava-Murray on the ground, talking to voters at the doors for months leading up to the election. We knocked on the doors of 6,800 people and called 9,600 people. What we heard across communities was largely the same: once people understood more about how the current system of pretrial incarceration works, and heard more about what the Pretrial Fairness Act actually does, they supported the end of money bond.
“I’ve lived in Arlington Heights for 20 years, and I know what safety looks like for my community: it’s fully funded mental health programs, affordable housing, and thriving schools. It is not locking people up and throwing away the key,” said People’s Lobby member and longtime Arlington Heights resident Peg Lane. “Over the last few months, I have knocked hundreds of doors, and tonight’s results have confirmed what I already knew: my neighbors and I can see right through the fake newspapers and internet ads that have been bombarding us. We support the Pretrial Fairness Act provision of the SAFE-T Act and the legislators who voted for it.“
“Four years ago, the suburbs saw democrats’ win as part of the Blue Wave that grew in response to the election of Donald Trump,” said State Senator Ellman. “We rejected his views then, and we rejected them again in these midterms. Despite dark money churning out misinformation and fear, voters clearly weren’t fooled.”
They’re having a press conference today.
* Meanwhile…
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office was selected as lead counsel on SAFE-T Act litigation.
The selection came from the 62 other state’s attorneys who had filed similar suits challenging the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act to litigate on their behalf.
Also selected as lead counsel were Kankakee County, Kendall County, Sangamon County, Vermillion County, and Will County.
As the case will be decided on legal issues, the parties have agreed to an expedited briefing schedule on cross-motions for summary judgment. A summary judgment occurs when a court decides the outcome of a case based on legal arguments without empaneling a jury, swearing in witnesses, or hearing evidence in open court.
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Do better, AP
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve been grumpily informing subscribers about the Associated Press’ performance for two days, but if you go to the New York Times site and pull up its list of the county-by-county vote on the proposed constitutional amendment and scroll down, you’ll see a bunch of counties that have not yet been tabulated by the Associated Press…
If you go to Kane County’s website, the results are there. The AP is just not reporting them.
* The AP’s coverage of this year’s election results has been shoddy, at best. It’s far behind in way too many contests. They have, for instance, Kane County results for some local races and other top statewide races, but not for the proposed amendment.
They are also claiming that 100 percent of precincts are reporting in the 45th House District and that GOP Rep. Deanne Mazzochi is ahead by 157 votes. As of right around 9 o’clock this morning, Rep. Mazzochi was trailing by 6 votes. In an age when election denial is so intense, the AP has got to stop doing stuff like this.
It’s not a new problem, either. Back in 2014, you may recall, the AP stopped posting updated tallies in the super-tight state treasurer’s race. Scott Kennedy was generating up to the minute numbers, which I posted here, but no other reporters used them so their stories were just plain wrong for weeks. It was embarrassing to watch.
* Back to the Workers’ Rights Amendment…
If the union total is correct, then the Workers’ Rights Amendment has enough votes to win.
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* I’ve been getting several emails from Google lately…
xxxx (xxxx@gmail.com) is requesting access to a file via an old link, which is no longer valid due to a security update. Share the file with this person directly, or copy and send the new link in sharing settings.
The link is to this image…
* I’m pretty sure the interest in that older map has something to do with this story…
Illinois residents wanting to separate their communities from Chicago and Cook County is nothing new in the political world, but three counties took things one step further during the midterm elections, passing non-binding resolutions indicating that they want their elected officials to potentially explore seceding from the state.
These so-called “separation referendums” were on the ballot in Brown and Hardin counties, as well as a portion of Madison County.
The thrust behind the referendums was to allow the county board of each area to coordinate with other county boards to explore the possibility of seceding from Illinois due to the influence Chicago and Cook County have on the state’s political decisions.
Brown County, located in western Illinois, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the non-binding ballot question, with nearly three-in-four voters approving it. […]
Hardin County, located in southeastern Illinois, also voted on a similar measure and passed it. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a population of 3,649 residents, making it the least-populated county in the state.
More…
The [Brown] county board’s vice chairman Mike Yingling said a group of citizens petitioned to put the measure on the ballot. The decision directs the county to seek to join other counties who wish to cast off the influence of Cook County.
“If I recall, one of the proposals was that parts of downstate Illinois would become part of Iowa,” Yingling said. “And parts would become part of Missouri and parts become parts of Indiana and not a separate state.”
Since it passed, Yingling said the board now has more to add to its agenda.
“We’ll have to research that and see what that referendum mandates us to do,” Yingling said. “Which obviously just passed yesterday so we don’t know exactly what our requirements are going to be.”
Darren Bailey won Brown County with 82 percent of the vote. Sounds like a bunch of sore losers.
* From 2018…
Longstanding political dialogue in Illinois is that downstate Illinois does not receive its fair share when it comes to a return on state funding and resources.
While there is not an equal funding distribution across the state, research by the Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows that despite heavy rhetoric, the downstate region receives more than it pays into the state coffers. The best deals are received in central Illinois and Southern Illinois. […]
The research breaks the state’s 102 counties into six specific regions, including Cook County, a five-county suburban section that surrounds Cook County, and the 96 remaining downstate regions, which are subdivided into north, central, southwest and southern regions.
The research shows the south region receives $2.81 in state funds for every $1 generated. The central Illinois region of 50 counties receives $1.87 back for every $1.00 sent to Springfield. All of the downstate regions receive more from the state budget than they pay in taxes. By comparison, Cook County receives 90 cents for every $1, and the suburban counties only 53 cents for every $1 generated.
The study is here. And here’s the map…
Discuss.
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* Background is here if you need it. From House Speaker Chris Welch…
I want to congratulate and thank Leader Durkin on nine years of leading the Republicans in the Illinois House of Representatives. As leaders of our own respective parties, we of course have fundamental differences on policy, but we love Illinois the same and I know Leader Durkin worked passionately on behalf of those who elected him to serve.
I look forward to working with a new Republican leader as we head into the 103rd General Assembly. I’m hopeful to find opportunities to reach across the aisle, to mend some of the relationships that have been strained in this political climate, and to build on our common purpose as public servants for the people of Illinois.
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Open thread
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* How are y’all doing today? Any Veterans Day plans?
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Morning briefing
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* A 2024 preview?…
* Here’s a roundup to start your day…
* NBC 5 | After Election, Attention Turns to SAFE-T Act. Here’s What Pritzker Said is Next: Facing mounting criticism from a variety of groups and officials over provisions of the “SAFE-T Act” that will ban cash bail in the state beginning on Jan. 1, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said changes could soon be in store
* Sun-Times | Workers’ rights amendment has an edge, but the outcome could be close: Returns from the Associated Press, which estimated it has received 91% of votes cast, show the amendment being favored by 1.948 million voters. AP does not track the total number of votes cast, but it shows that 3.874 million votes were cast in the governor’s race.
* Block Club Chicago | Jesus ‘Chuy’ García Announces Run For Mayor, Challenging Lori Lightfoot: García’s announcement comes on the 40th anniversary of the day his ally, former Mayor Harold Washington, made his own campaign announcement.
* Sun-Times | Roe v. Wade, Kilbride, Bailey wind up wild cards in Republicans’ failed play to take over state Supreme Court: Instead of looking forward to their own majority, Republicans are now facing a 5-2 deficit on the court after Democrats Elizabeth Rochford and Mary K. O’Brien pulled out hard fought victories for two open suburban seats indirectly created by Kilbride’s ouster.
* WCIA | State Board of Elections looking for more evidence behind Champaign cyber-attacks: “We don’t have enough evidence now to say whether, was this an external intruder trying to break in and slowing the system down?” Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the Board, said.
* ABC 7 | Illinois State Rep. Deb Conroy makes history as first woman elected DuPage County Board Chairman: “We’re elated,” Conroy said. “I mean, we made history. First woman. We are still debating exactly how long it’s been or if there has been a Democrat, so it’s been at least a century.”
* WCF | Marron Believes He Has Won 104th District Race: GOP Incumbent Mike Marron believes he has the victory against challenger Cynthia Cunningham in the 104th Illinois House District. Returns on this one were slow due largely to the voting machine problems in Champaign County, but as of about 3:30 Wednesday afternoon, Marron felt quite sure.
* DesPlaines Valley News | Porfirio rolls to victory in 11th Senate District: According to unofficial totals with 100 percent (73 of 73) precincts in the suburban portion of the district reporting, Porfirio received 15,250 votes (67 percent) to McGill’s 7,668 votes (33 percent). He was well ahead in the city portion as well with 11,140 votes to 6,134 with 63 of 70 precincts reporting.
* Riverside-Brookfield Landmark | Historic win for state rep-elect Rashid in 21st District: Rashid defeated Schultz by a margin of nearly 2-to-1, capturing 65.2 percent of the vote in a district that runs from Cicero to Justice and includes Riverside north of the Burlington Northern Railroad-Santa Fe Railroad tracks and significant portions of southern Brookfield.
* Daily Journal | Joyce gets by Nagel, retains Senate seat: Joyce, of Essex, collected 35,114 votes to Nagel’s 29,398. Joyce collected just over 54% of the vote to gain the two-year term.
* Washington Post | 5 big GOP narratives just went down in flames: In the Senate races, John Fetterman triumphed in Pennsylvania, Sen. Mark Kelly is favored to prevail in Arizona with more than half the votes counted, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto trails in Nevada, but the makeup of outstanding ballots gives her a plausible shot.
* Bond Buyer | Moody’s upgrade mends relationship with Chicago: With its investment grade status restored, Chicago plans to ask Moody’s Investors Service to rate its upcoming general obligation deal, bringing an end to a schism that followed the rating agency’s decision to cut the city to junk.
* NBC Chicago | Will Illinois Schools Require COVID Vaccines for Students? Pritzker Weighs In: “[The Illinois Department of Public Health meets] on a regular basis to look at vaccines and… what requirements there ought to be,” Pritzker told reporters. “There are no policies or plans to expand to include a COVID-19 vaccine in those requirements.”
* And Mr. Bigger has gone Hollywood on us…
More to come!
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Live coverage
Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Gov. Pritzker’s presser today…
Reporter: What did Senator Bailey say during your call last night?
Pritzker: He said very few words. I got on the phone. I said ‘Senator Bailey.’ He said, ‘Governor, I want to congratulate you.’ And I said, ‘Well, thank you very much. That’s very kind of you’. And he said, ‘Okay then.’ That’s the entire call.
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* The governor’s speech last night got a lot of tongues wagging…
* And he was asked repeatedly about it today at a press conference…
Reporter: Was it cost-efficient to spend 150? million? And how much do you plan to spend on a presidential run?
Pritzker: Let’s put that last part aside for a moment and just say Illinois is worth it. As you know that we had two MAGA billionaires who were coming against us, attacking everything that we stand for. They spent over $100 million. And we’re not just going to sit and get pummeled by them, we’re going to defend ourselves and tell people what we stand for and fight back. And so that’s what we did. And we did so in a way that let everybody know what we stand for, and why Illinois needs to move in the direction that it will. And overwhelmingly Illinois agreed with us.
Reporter: You haven’t answered that presidential run. How much time do you have to think about it before you make that decision?
Pritzker: I am not focused on that at all. I am focused on serving as governor for the next four years, it’s really the most important thing to me is we have a lot of challenges that Illinois needs to overcome, we’ve got to work hard on it. And I’ll be doing that. […]
Reporter: …That was a national level speech. You were addressing national issues. You didn’t mention your opponent once, you referred to Trump twice, referred to MAGA a couple of times. I mean, this seemed to go down the contours of the Great River on one side and the Great Lake on the other side.
Pritzker: I was expressing my values, these are my values. You know that I helped to build a Holocaust museum here, you know that I have fought against hate really for my entire life. I really believe that the Republican Party and that especially includes the Illinois Republican Party, who nominated Darren Bailey, that they stand for the MAGA Republican ideas, Donald Trump. That party has been taken over entirely. Clearly. And so I wanted to make clear what I stand for. That’s all. Look, I’m an Illinoisan through and through. I want to be the governor of Illinois for the next four years. And I’m excited to make sure that we’re accomplishing things for the people of Illinois and expressing our values. I really think the majority of people in Illinois agree that we should be standing up against hate. […]
[Asked if he would commit to serving out his entire four-year term]: I commit to you that I’m planning to be the governor for the next four years. We have too many things that we need to accomplish for the state. I think we all know what that list is, or at least you all have a pretty good idea what that list is. And we’re going to continue to do it. And again, principal among them is we’ve got to stop being irresponsible about our fiscal situation in the state like my predecessor was, and like was proposed by my opponent during this latest campaign, and actually focus on solving the real fiscal challenges of Illinois. I know that sometimes sounds boring to people when you talk about budgets, paying debt, you know, dealing with those fiscal challenges. It’s not as exciting as you know, some other things, but I think it’s vitally important that all of us focus on that both parties, and I think that’s something in a bipartisan way we should continue to work on.
Reporter: So there’s no group behind the scenes. Because commit to you planning to be governor will be dissected.
Pritzker: [Laughs] I don’t know what…
Reporter: So there’s nobody behind the scenes of your campaign team that…
Pritzker: No. There was some story that I think appeared, I think you tweeted it, about, I guess Reuters put it out, saying there were some number of people on the national level who were talking to staff. That’s absolutely untrue. I was not talking, I have not talked to any staff outside of my own staff. And so no, there’s no, like I said, there’s no plan to do anything other than be governor for the next four years.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Meanwhile…
From the presser…
Reporter: What should we think about that photo of you yesterday, shaking hands alongside Chuy Garcia? Are you going to endorse anyone?
Pritzker: Well, you apparently didn’t see the pictures of me with Kam Buckner or with Alderman Eugene Sawyer
Reporter: They were big groups.
Pritzker: Well, I had a group of people together, and you’re making more of it than it is. Look, he’s the congressman from the area where I was shaking hands at the Orange Line stop. [Cross talk] And he’s a good man. I am not taking sides in the mayoral race. I am focused on the job that I have ahead of me, in my second term.
A couple of policy questions were asked. Pritzker repeated what he’s said before about tweaks to the SAFE-T Act (the legislature is working on it) and making tax cuts permanent (he said he’d like to if the budget can be balanced).
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WSIU…
Inflation and the war in Ukraine are packing a one-two wallop when it comes to prices paid for agricultural commodities and consumer goods — including alcohol. Together, Ukraine and Russia produce around 30% of the barley in the world, and Ukraine alone produces 16% of the world’s corn supply. With craft brewers reporting up to 100% price increases on barley, local artisans are struggling to keep prices low while retaining their niche in the local dining and entertainment market. […]
The reasons Illinois specialty farmers are slow to embrace hops production include a high risk for crop failure — no federal crop insurance is offered to cover hops production in Illinois — and an underdeveloped statewide market for their harvested crop. This is according to University of Illinois Extension’s David McCarty, a local food and small farm educator who acted as a point of contact for Midwest hops growers from 2015 until 2019.
“One of the challenges with hops is finding your buyers and markets while recognizing that all of the breweries near you may not want to buy your cones,” McCarty said. “It’s also a crop that can be affected strongly by insect pests-diseases (and get hit hard) and also needs water (a drought year is tough) in which cone quality suffers. For inexperienced growers/individuals without growing experience, this can be hard to translate from learning about in a classroom to actually seeing in your field.” […]
Startup costs can also be a major hurdle for young or beginning farmers who want to invest in hops to overcome. A single acre of hops can require an investment of $10,000 to $12,000 per acre, according to some hops farmers.
* Virginia also lacks infrastructure for prospective barley farmers. WVTF…
The craft brewing industry is driving up demand for barley, which can be used to make malt, one of the main ingredients to make beer. A new effort is underway to help more farmers grow malt barley in southwest Virginia.
According to the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild Association, there are currently over 300 breweries in the state, but very few use grains that were grown locally. Most malt barley is grown in the Midwest. […]
In order to help more farmers scale up, they need more infrastructure to help them clean, market and ship their barley to local buyers, said Amy Byington, a Virginia Tech extension agent in Lee County. She’s working on a project to build a new storage facility in Wise County, funded by a grant from the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program.
“It will have grain cleaners, it will have storage. It will have the capability to handle grain, which is our problem right now, we don’t have any infrastructure. All of it was basically destroyed whenever flour mills left our area.”
* The Times-Call…
That’s emblematic of one of the many issues facing the craft-brewing industry today: a worldwide shortage and price inflation of CO2 that is limiting the ability of brewers to get an adequate supply of one of the most essential ingredients in the brewing process. Combine that with general supply-chain problems and commodity price inflation, and the craft beer industry is facing disruption on multiple fronts.
“Our business is, to some degree, under siege,” Left Hand co-founder and president Eric Wallace said.
CO2 is one of the most vital parts of the brewing process. It is used not only to add carbonation to the beer, but also to clean fermentation tanks and keep them free of oxygen before they’re refilled.
According to data from Bart Watson, chief economist for the Boulder-based Brewers Association, CO2 has seen steeper producer price index inflation than any other brewing input cost, including malt, paperboard, aluminum and shipping. This time of year usually has some kind of CO2 shortage, Watson said, but this year is far worse.
Support your local craft brewery! The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has a handy list to track down a location from the over 200 breweries in Illinois.
* More…
* The Question: Do you have a favorite brewery? Explain.
My personal favorite is Scratch Brewing in Ava.
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* I told subscribers about this earlier today. Tribune…
A spokesperson for Justice Michael Burke, a Republican who has served on the court since 2020, said Wednesday that the justice has conceded his race to his Democratic challenger, Appellate Court Justice Mary Kay O’Brien
Justice O’Brien declared victory today. That means the Democrats (and pro-choicers) will have a 5-2 majority on the top court. A majority of justices will also be women for the first time.
* Dan Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC didn’t just lose the governor’s race by a huge margin (after circulating at least one highly questionable poll). He also spent money on several down-ballot contests. I asked Isabel to do the math. Most of these were House candidates, but one (Nagel) was a Senate candidate and another (Moody) was a candidate for sheriff. Independent expenditures since the beginning of October...
* Speaking of the Proft/Bailey race, here’s the Huffington Post…
Throughout the late spring and into the summer, Democratic operatives made a series of risky choices to elevate Republican candidates who wholeheartedly embraced former President Donald Trump’s cornucopia of lies about the 2020 presidential election.
In Republican primary after Republican primary, Democrats aired ads serving two purposes: promoting seemingly unelectable candidates to the GOP base while attacking them for a general election audience. The ads noted how close the Republican candidates were to Trump, played up their support for strict restrictions or bans on abortion and other things the GOP base loved but general election voters hated.
On election night, those risky bets paid off. All six of the election-denying candidates on the ballot whom Democrats boosted ― three gubernatorial candidates, two House candidates and a Senate candidate ― lost, most of them resoundingly.
One of those was, of course, Darren Bailey.
* WQAD last night…
Illinois voters decided Tuesday to amend their state constitution to guarantee the right to bargain collectively.
Labor unions declared victory last night, but they haven’t yet provided the numbers to buttress their case. It’s short of the 60 percent required for outright passage and, by my quick count, also appears to be just shy of the majority of all persons voting. More votes will be counted, however, so stay tuned.
This thing is gonna get really complicated and involved. I’ve already been in one long back and forth today about how over/under votes will factor into the equation.
* Many naysayers believed the Democrats had gone too far when they drew their new congressional maps. No way could they win 14 districts out of 17. Well, Democrat Nikki Budzinski won yesterday and Republican Esther Joy King conceded today…
Democrat Eric Sorensen will be headed to Congress after Republican Esther Joy King called to concede the race Wednesday morning.
Sorensen is a longtime meteorologist while King is trained as a lawyer and JAG Officer in the Army Reserve.
The 17th Congressional District seat opened up ater U.S Rep. Cheri Bustos (D) retired. King previously ran against Bustos in 2020 but was narrowly defeated.
* Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie’s Democratic opponent refuses to concede…
As votes continue to come in, the Maria Peterson and Dan McConchie race is still not decided. The election results that have been reported so far are showing that Maria Peterson has 41,415 votes and Dan McConchie has 43,353 votes. However, this does not include votes that have been mailed in on or before Election Day and provisional ballots. Peterson said, “We are looking forward to the next few weeks and the arrival of the rest of the ballots to the clerks’ offices so that each and every vote can be counted and the voice of each voter heard. According to voter file information, there are possibly as many as 6,500 ballots that were requested and are outstanding.
* Greg Hinz…
Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans kept his job despite a quiet effort by some in his party to deny him retention to the bench.
* Illinois Supreme Court candidate Mark Curran last month…
I’m Catholic, and I’m, I’m sort of pro-life.
WTTW last night…
[Republican Illinois Supreme Court candidate Mark Curran] gave a concession speech in front of his supporters late Tuesday night, in which he repeatedly pointed to his faith and said his opponent ran against him solely on the abortion issue.
“The bulk of Illinois voted on killing babies,” he said. “Now, if you asked me would I like to switch my position on that so that I could win (an) election and spend the rest of eternity in hell, I’d say no way.”
…Adding… Oops. Forgot to put this one in, but it’s noteworthy…
She also worked constantly.
Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington) also won a House seat last night, expanding the Asian American legislative caucus to 9. And according to Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago), two Asian Americans won seats on the DuPage County Board and one won a seat on the Will County Board representing Bolingbrook.
It’s more than just a trend.
…Adding… Another big D win…
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* The Senate Republicans picked up one (Erica Conway Harris defeated appointed Sen. Kris Tharp), maybe two (Sen. Michael Hastings trails by a sliver) seats. So, the SDems’ super majority goes from 41 down to 40 40 or possibly 39. With that in mind…
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie released the below statement following a productive night for the Senate Republican Caucus:
“Thousands of voters across the state have said ‘enough’ to the Democrats’ call for more power. Thanks to their resiliency, the Illinois Senate will be adding to the strength of the Caucus and will continue to serve as strong voices for the people of Illinois, who are dissatisfied with the failed policies that have come out of Springfield and want to see change.
“Unfortunately, the Democrats’ rigged system, which created some of the most gerrymandered districts we’ve ever seen, disproportionately benefits them and leaves thousands across the state without a real voice in their elections. To those people who were silenced, we will fight for you. We will be your voice when you weren’t given one. We haven’t given up, neither should you.
“The Senate Republican Caucus is ready to work on behalf of the people of this great state and will continue to advocate for policies that root out corruption, help families and businesses thrive, and keep our communities safe.”
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Somebody has some explaining to do
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday, we discussed the claim by Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons that “repeated D-DOS attacks” were to blame for slow voting issues in the county. Clerk Ammons said the attacks had been happening for a month and were part of a “strategic and coordinated effort to undermine and destabilize our democratic process.”
But was there an attack? Some commenters were initially skeptical. As it turns out, an official with CISA, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the clerk’s own vendor say nothing had been reported. Sam Sabin is an Axios cybersecurity reporter…
That tweet was published more than 2 hours after the county clerk posted a statement on Facebook about the claimed attack.
Also, you endure a month-long, sustained DDoS attack and don’t report it and the vendor doesn’t know anything?
I say this every couple of years, but I truly believe we need to get all county clerks out of the business of running elections.
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Legislative leaders declare victory
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The House Democrats appear to be netting an increase to their super majority, possibly to 77-41. Here’s Speaker Welch…
Tonight, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Democrats for the Illinois House maintained the Democratic supermajority in the Illinois State House and continued turning previously red districts blue.
This election cycle, Democrats for the Illinois House ran 67 contested House races, the most in its history. Yet, tonight’s results show that the battle has only strengthened House Democrats.
“We know that when we fight, we win — and tonight, that couldn’t be more true,” said Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “House Democrats have fought tirelessly for working families and have secured important legislative wins to protect reproductive rights, rebuild our infrastructure, fund critical public safety initiatives, and so much more. With our supermajority stronger than ever, we’ll build on our incredible progress to keep our state moving forward and continue delivering for working families in communities across Illinois.”
“Our Democratic supermajority in the House has delivered real results for Illinoisans in communities across our state — from codifying reproductive rights to balancing the budget to investing in community safety. I’m thrilled that by maintaining this critical supermajority, we’ll continue to move Illinois forward,” said Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “This is a win for working families and communities in every corner of our state — and Democrats in the State House are just getting started.”
* Senate President Don Harmon…
Elections results appear to show the Illinois Senate Democrats will hold a super majority in the next General Assembly. Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement.
“The people have spoken. Now it’s time to get to work governing.
Illinois Senate Democrats are committed to responsible state budgets that prioritize funding for schools, health care and public safety; meaningful ethics reforms; and equality of opportunity for all Illinoisans through job creation and community investment.
These principles guide our caucus through thick and thin. With the help of our allies throughout this great state we have produced balanced budgets, dynamic investment in public education, a record-setting string of credit rating improvements and newfound commitment to social justice.
I look forward to new opportunities to work together to find consensus on solving problems, righting wrongs and moving Illinois forward.”
Your thoughts on what they should do?
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Rep. Conroy declares victory in DuPage County
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
State Rep. Deb Conroy is poised to become the first woman to lead the DuPage County Board, an office held only by Republican men for generations.
On a strong night for DuPage Democrats, Conroy jumped out ahead early and maintained a comfortable lead over Hinsdale Republican Greg Hart in a hard-fought and expensive race for county board chair.
Just before 11 p.m., Conroy had collected 165,668 votes, or 50.8% of the total, unofficial results show. Hart had 160,227, or 49%.
If the results hold, Conroy, 60, will replace outgoing county board Chairman Dan Cronin, an Elmhurst Republican, who did not seek a fourth term.
“We’re celebrating. We made history,” Conroy said late Tuesday.
Rep. Conroy said this morning that Hart “graciously conceded last night.” The mail-in ballots were 3-1 Democratic, she said.
Democratic DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek also won yesterday, defeating former GOP Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti.
Any other local races you’d like to talk about?
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Morning briefing
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Proft makes his move “Twitter official”…
* A roundup to start your day…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker scores double-digit win over Bailey — vowing MAGA right wingers ‘will never get an inch of Illinois’: In prewritten remarks sent to reporters, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was prepared to say Bailey had conceded, and it was a sign that democracy works. That appeared to be a rosy scenario. Bailey did not concede until nearly 90 minutes after the governor spoke.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker secures a second term with easy win over Republican Darren Bailey: With 95% of the state’s precincts counted, Pritzker had 54% of the vote to 43% for Bailey amid indications Democrats had more than overcome concerns at the statewide level of a potential surge of anti-incumbent attitudes fueling Republicans, according to unofficial results. Pritzker also had significant leads in the Chicago area and among suburban voters who are a key determinant in statewide elections.
* NBC 5 | Illinois Democrats Appear to Retain Supermajorities in State House, Senate: With all 118 seats in the House and 59 seats up in the Senate, Democrats say they have won enough competitive races to retain their supermajorities in both chambers, with their two-thirds majority allowing them to pass legislation in both regular session and in veto session.
* Sun-Times | Democrats hold on to majority on Illinois Supreme Court as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declares victory: Rochford thanked her supporters about 10:30 p.m. after her Republican opponent, Mark Curran, called to concede in the newly drawn suburban 2nd District.
* NBC 5 | Dan Brady Concedes to Alexi Giannoulias in Illinois Secretary of State Race: Brady conceded the race in a phone call to Giannoulias on Tuesday night, his campaign said in a press release.
* Patch | Mazzochi Vs. Douglass: Incumbent’s Lead Slim But Growing: The two candidates raised more than $600,000 in the contest. The district includes Elmhurst, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills.
* Tribune | Rep. Sean Casten declares victory against GOP challenger Keith Pekau as Democrats sweep Chicago congressional districts: With votes still being tallied but with 96% of precincts reporting in the 6th Congressional District, Casten was holding onto a lead with about 54% of the vote, compared with about 46% for Pekau, who conceded the race to Casten late Thursday.
* Shaw Local | Davis, Yednock claim state rep victories: Davis announced his win in the election on Instagram on Tuesday night. He is a trustee of the village of Newark and board president of Parkview Christian Academy in Yorkville. According to unofficial results as of 10:55 p.m., Davis held a 21,690 to 14,046 vote lead.
* Tribune | Illinois Democrats say they’ve held onto big legislative majorities in first general election without ex-Speaker Madigan: The post-Madigan election represented a major test of the political skills of the rookie speaker and Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, because they led the once-a-decade overhaul of legislative district boundaries following the federal census and worked to hold or build on their lopsided numbers in both chambers.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s victory speech spurs presidential speculation: In a speech unsparing in its attacks on the GOP with contours that went far beyond Illinois’ parochial borders, the billionaire progressive Democrat and Hyatt Hotel heir called himself a “warrior” ready to take on former Republican President Donald Trump and Trump allies in the years ahead.
* Block Club | Some Voters Received Inaccurate Calls About Problems With Their Vote-By-Mail Ballots: There have been false-alarm phone calls to people about issues with vote-by-mail ballots when there weren’t any, an elections board spokesperson said.
* Post-Tribune | Highland poll worker charged with battery after allegedly hitting another worker with an extension cord in dispute: Officers were summoned to Southridge Elementary School at around 5:17 p.m. Monday to take a battery report, Highland Police spokesman Commander John Banasiak said in an email Tuesday. They first spoke to a woman who told them she was setting up election equipment in the school gym when she and other workers started arguing about the set-up, and a man holding an orange extension cord came up to her and started pointing in her face, he said.
* Naperville Sun | Small property tax increase included in Naperville Park District’s proposed budget for 2023: The proposed spending plan, which will be reviewed Thursday by the Naperville Park Board, calls for $47.1 million in expenditures. That’s $2.7 million more than the $44.5 million budgeted for 2022, or an increase of 6%.
* Tribune || Toni Preckwinkle declares victory in Cook County Board president race, while Forest Preserve celebrates yes vote on tax hike: Toni Preckwinkle declared victory in her bid for a fourth term as Cook County Board president in a race that landed voters in familiar territory: a rematch with Bob Fioretti. Other Democrats running for countywide seats similarly held strong leads Tuesday night, while the campaign pushing for a referendum raising property taxes to help bolster the Cook County Forest Preserve District’s budget hailed a “yes” vote.
* Sun-Times | Reserved tickets for next summer’s NASCAR races on Chicago streets go on sale this week — ranging from $465 to $4,30: The course covers 2.2 miles and is expected to tie up part of Grant Park for two weeks for preparation and related events — a prospect that has some alderpersons grumbling. NASCAR’s Xfinity Series race will be held on July 1 and its signature Cup Series will be on July 2.
* Chalkbeat | Nearly 3,700 migrants have been bused to Chicago from Texas. 425 are school-aged children.: State records indicate these students have enrolled in 12 different school districts, including Chicago Public Schools and several suburban districts. Data on children under age 5 was not provided, but a spokesperson for the Illinois governor’s office said they are being offered child care and access to early learning programs.
* Sun-Times | Kash Gustafson, 8, appears to have caught the Illinois and world record shovelnose sturgeon: Kash Gustafson gave a brief account of dinosaur-aged critters — from bugs to fish — and added: ‘‘T. rexes used to eat sturgeon. That’s why they have spikes on their backs.’’
The freshly re-elected governor will be at the Marriott Marquis at 11 a.m. to give post-election remarks.
* More to come!
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* Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin press release…
“The House Republicans ran on the message of fighting for lower taxes and safer communities for families and businesses across the state, and I am proud of all our campaigns who fought hard over the last year. I congratulate all of the Republicans who will now represent these important voices in the General Assembly and fight against the Democratic Party of Illinois. While I am not pleased with the results, I will accept them.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Leader of the House Republican caucus, but it’s time for the Illinois Republican Party to rebuild with new leaders who can bring independents back to the party that are needed to bring change to the state. With that, I will not be seeking re-election as minority leader. I am proud of the work the House Republican caucus has accomplished under my tenure, and thank everyone who played a part along the way. I began this journey as a voice of moderation and conclude this journey the same way I started, a voice of moderation.
To the people of Illinois disappointed with these results, don’t give up hope. Tomorrow is a new day.”
*** UPDATE *** Gov. Pritzker was asked about Durkin’s decision today…
Q: Governor, Jim Durkin announced this morning that he will not seek another term as the House GOP Leader. What’s your reaction to that? And obviously, that’s someone that you’re used to working with. Are you concerned that someone who’s much more conservative, someone from the MAGA wing of the GOP might get that job?
A: I’m only concerned if someone takes the job who’s unwilling to sit down and actually talk about what we might do together. If they’re unwilling to talk, if they reject the idea of bipartisanship, that would not be good for the state of Illinois.
Q: Is Durkin a loss?
A: I obviously got to know the Minority Leader in my first year in office, when we worked together on so many issues, and again, passed a bipartisan budget together. I think someone who has served as many years as he has, admirably, honorably, is someone that is probably a loss for the Republicans because he’s decided not to run for leader again. And so, I look forward to whoever the new Minority Leader is sitting at the table and getting things done with them. I just remind you that everybody at that table has now changed since I’ve been in office. And so, you know, we’ve worked as best we could, together with the folks on the other side of the aisle. But we’ve gotten a whole lot done.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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