* Not unexpected, but I do hate to see him go…
November 5, 2021 - Following 10 terms of service to the people of the 15th District, State Representative John C. D’Amico announced he will retire from his seat effective today.
D’Amico has chaired the House Transportation: Vehicles and Safety Committee while working closely with Secretary of State Jesse White, D’Amico passed legislation that created the Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program for teens. The program increased the minimum number of practice driving hours to receive a GDL, and allows parents/guardians to view a minor’s driving record online. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the graduated driver’s license program has reduced teen driving deaths by 74%.
D’Amico also led a reform on distracted driving legislation that included restricting the use of cell phones by teens while driving, then a ban on the use of cell phones by drivers in all school and construction zones, the statewide ban on texting while driving, and ultimately the ban of handheld cellphones while driving.
To combat drunk driving, D’Amico sponsored legislation that requires repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenders to use Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices (BAIID), and closed loopholes that made it easy for offenders to get out of DUI charges on technicalities. As a result of this work Rep. D’Amico was awarded Legislator of the Year from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 2015.
Under D’Amico’s leadership, Illinois became a model state for transportation safety legislation providing the framework for many other local and state governments.
D’Amico remains committed to the great people of the 15th district and the State of Illinois and is ready to serve should the opportunity arise, “I have not ruled out running for office in the future,” D’Amico said. However, for now is looking forward to spending time with his wife and their three grown children. “I would be remiss if I did not thank my family for their love and support throughout my political career,” D’Amico said.
“It has been an honor and privilege to represent the people of the 15th District. None of my legislative efforts would have been possible without the vote of confidence from all the supporters sending me to Springfield,” D’Amico said. “I want to thank all of my colleagues who have helped create safer roadways for all Illinoisans.”
D’Amico is now the political director for the plumber’s union, but I don’t think he believed he could do either job totally effectively while he was doing both. Best of luck!
*** UPDATE *** Weighted vote…
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* Friday news dump…
Vahooman “The Shadow” Mirkhaef’s name was on the FBI’s search warrant of Sandoval’s Statehouse office…
Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef owns Cub Terminal LLC. His companies, including Cub Terminal, have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to political campaigns, with Sandoval being a beneficiary.
* From the charges…
Defendant VAHOOMAN MIRKHAEF operated a business known as Cub Terminal located in the Village of McCook. MIRKHAEF sought approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) for the purchase of property located adjacent to MIRKHAEF’s McCook business (the “McCook Property”).
State Senator A was an Illinois State Senator and the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. As Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, State Senator A was in a position to assist with obtaining IDOT approvals for MIRKHAEF’s purchase of the McCook Property, and was in a position to influence and advise IDOT officials concerning the sale of the McCook property. The State of Illinois was a government that received in excess of $10,000 in federal benefits during each year in 2018 and 2019. […]
On or about January 21, 2019, MIRKHAEF caused State Senator A to be paid in excess of $15,000 in cash.
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* Shruti Singh at Bloomberg…
Chicago’s police pension obligations could increase by another $3 billion total through 2055 if the state of Illinois passes a proposed law designed to force the city to acknowledge its probable liabilities for annual pay increases to retirees.
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick is preparing to push legislation in 2022 to change eligibility restrictions for cost of living adjustments for police retirees, saying current law understates the impact of those costs. The new law would bring rules for police in line with firefighters, and make the city’s future costs more transparent, he said.
“It’s making the unfunded liability reflect what the actual numbers are,” Martwick said in an interview regarding the bill he’s pressing for. “That will require the city to put in the necessary payment.”
Chicago officials oppose the measure, calling it a burden. The extra liabilities added would be “unaffordable,” said city Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett. […]
The legislation would remove a requirement that police retirees be born before 1966 to be eligible for a 3% automatic annual increase in payments. Martwick says the state legislature repeatedly has made the required birth date later to include more retirees, meaning the actual costs for Chicago end up being higher than expected.
Passing bills for firefighters these days is much easier than passing bills for police. So, we’ll see. Your thoughts?
* Related…
* Chicago Wins Stable Outlook Trio for First Time in Pandemic
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* Drudge posted this Fox New York story on his site…
When researchers in Iowa first began testing deer for COVID-19 in April of 2020, they didn’t find any signs of the virus for months. That changed in the fall when the first positives popped up in September and October.
Then in a seven-week period from just before Thanksgiving until January 10, 82.5% of the deer tested positive, signs that it was spreading rapidly among white-tailed deer.
The research by Penn State and the Iowa DNR is still in peer review, but they write it’s the first to show evidence of widespread dissemination of COVID-19 in wildlife and that it shows that deer have the potential to be a “major reservoir host” for the virus.
The threat for deer hunters is minimal. There is no evidence, yet, that COVID-19 can transmit from deer to humans. Also if deer meat is properly prepared and cooked, there’s no risk consuming venison.
But as we work through vaccinations to stop the spread in humans, the concerns and questions are the scientific what ifs — the potential that COVID survives in the wild and continues to mutate. If so, new strains, potentially more resistant to vaccines, could develop that could find a way to jump back to humans again.
* I asked Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office if IDNR had done any deer studies. She pointed me to this from the USDA…
[The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)] ccollected a total of 481 samples between January 2020 and March 2021 from Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. We detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 33 percent of those samples. The results varied by State (Illinois = 7 percent of 101 samples contained antibodies; Michigan = 67 percent of 113 samples; New York = 19 percent of 68 samples; and Pennsylvania = 31 percent of 199 samples). Although the results indicate that certain white-tailed deer populations in these States were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, they should not be extrapolated to represent the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the deer populations as a whole. […]
Did the deer get the virus from people, the environment, or other deer?
We do not know how the deer were exposed to SARS- CoV-2. It’s possible they were exposed through people, the environment, other deer, or another animal species.
Could the deer spread the virus to people?
There is no evidence that animals, including deer, are playing a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people. Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low.
Do deer show clinical signs of illness?
This was not the focus of our study. However, there were no reports of clinical illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 in the deer populations we surveyed, and clinical signs of SARS-CoV-2 have not been observed in wild white-tailed deer. In addition, captive deer experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2 as part of a USDA Agricultural Research Service study did not show clinical signs of illness. […]
Is hunter-harvested game meat safe to eat?
There is no evidence that people can get COVID-19 by preparing or eating meat from an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2, including wild game meat hunted in the United States. However, hunters can get infected with many other diseases when processing or eating game.
* Also from Jordan…
DNR will work with USDA to test between 500-1000 deer this winter for COVID.
As the USDA report pointed out, ARPA included money for testing animals and the feds would be working with states on how to do this.
Finding out if animals can spread the disease to humans, or which can do so, could be important to stopping the spread.
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COVID-19 roundup
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jake Griffin…
Illinois health officials are reporting a spike in the number of new COVID-19 cases among young children just as many have become eligible for the vaccine.
More than 16% of the new cases reported Thursday were in children ages 5 to 11, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records. Federal regulators this week approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for that age group.
* The case count is up by a few thousand over the past week, but there were 150,000 or so tests reported yesterday alone. The significant jump in the fully vaccinated rate is because the CDC is finally allowing states to submit their data corrections, according to the governor’s office. Sometimes, for instance, the person’s name who got the second shot wasn’t matched up to the first shot. Hospitalizations are still plateaued and up a bit from the day before…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 17,462 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 183 additional deaths since reporting last Friday, October 29, 2021. Of Illinois’ total population, 66% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and almost 61% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, IDPH adopted CDC’s recommendation for children ages 5 to 11 years to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years is a smaller dose (10 µg), a third of the dose for individuals 12 years and older (30 µg). The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, 3 weeks apart, for all eligible individuals.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,712,986 cases, including 25,948 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since reporting on Friday, October 29, 2021, laboratories have reported 820,983 specimens for a total of 36,109,599. As of last night, 1,257 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 282 patients were in the ICU and 148 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 29-November 4, 2021 is 2.1%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from October 29-November 4, 2021 is 2.5%.
A total of 15,911,477 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 52,670 doses. Since reporting on Friday, October 29, 2021, 368,687 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
* More…
* Cook County Department of Public Health now using 2020 census for COVID-19 vaccination rates, case counts
* Workers at big companies must be vaccinated or tested weekly as of Jan. 4
* Hanging on to employees is tougher than ever. Here’s how Chicago-area companies are navigating the Great Resignation: What’s driving workers out the door? Seventy-four percent of employers responding to a survey in July by Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said departing workers are seeking more flexibility, and nearly 60% pointed to burnout as the top reason. Perceived low-wages, child-care and COVID-19 concerns were also factors.
* Chicago kids ages 5-11 line up for COVID-19 vaccine: ‘It’s important because I don’t want to get anyone sick
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushes vaccines for kids and gives city workers time off for shots, but CPS criticized for not doing enough
* Pfizer says new antiviral COVID-19 pill cut hospital, death risk by 90%
* Britain authorizes Merck’s molnupiravir, the world’s first approval of oral covid-19 treatment pill
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Question of the day
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I asked yesterday whether you agreed or disagreed with this statement by Democratic Rep. Dan Didech…
We won’t lose a single Democrat because they voted for PNA repeal or they voted for the Black Caucus pillars. We will lose members if the national dynamics are insurmountable and if people don’t work their own districts.
* Email today from retiring Republican Rep. Mark Batinick…
Great question of the day yesterday. I do think Dan is kidding himself.
There was about a 20-point difference in partisan governor’s race results in my district between 2014 and 2018. Is it going to swing back 20 points? Likely not. But 10+? Maybe. You can overcome some things with hard work, but at some point things fall apart. I did about 13 points better than US Rep. Randy Hultgren in 2018. Let’s split that in half. I over-performed by 6.5 and he under-performed by 6.5. I had to work my rear off to do that. That might be near the limit.
Plus in 2018 I hadn’t taken any votes my district hated. And I went to a lot of doors where people hated Trump AND Madigan. It was easy for me to separate myself from what was going on nationally.
The state Dems are mirroring what is happening nationally. Crime is getting to be a problem here. Carjackings are happening in the suburbs. We have had increased issues in the 97th. Overdoses are up. Parent rights are a big deal.
So what is the Dem going to say at the door who voted for the crime bill, to decriminalize fentanyl, and take away parents rights? And why the heck would a suburban moderate appreciate giving the incarcerated the right to vote?
Most of the “bubble” reps have ridden the wave the last 3 cycles. It’s a lot different trying to survive one. They just have NO idea what it is like.
We can’t run on Madigan and they can’t run on Trump. I will be enjoying it all from the peanut gallery.
* The Question: Do you agree with Didech or Batinick? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
bike trail guide
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* Background is here if you need it. Alice Yin at the Tribune…
Cook County commissioners voted Thursday to amend a guns and ammunition tax that was found unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court, aiming to give the measure another lifeline by designating that money for violence prevention.
In a 12-2 vote, with three commissioners absent, the county board approved the amendment, which states all revenue from the firearm and ammunition tax must go toward programs or operations geared toward gun violence prevention. The passage follows an Oct. 21 ruling from the state’s highest court that found the levy was unconstitutional. […]
The board’s two Republican commissioners, Sean Morrison and Peter Silvestri, opposed the amendment. Before the vote, Morrison read a separate opinion from Illinois Supreme Court Justice Michael Burke that said, “The majority’s analysis wrongly leaves the door open for a municipality to enact a future tax on firearms or ammunition that is more narrowly tailored to the purpose of ameliorating the cost of gun violence.” […]
Commissioner Larry Suffredin, a Democrat and vocal gun control advocate, brushed off Morrison’s warnings. He noted that Burke was acting as a “lone justice” when he issued his opinion against future taxes with a narrower focus.
The court didn’t take up the 2nd Amendment issue because the tax issue was sufficient to strike down the ordinance. So, we’ll see what happens now, but you gotta figure they’re all going back to court.
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* I just do not yet believe anything he told CNN except the possible Quixotic run for the presidency and the possibility that there’s no place for him in his party…
Rep. Adam Kinzinger is actively weighing whether to seek his political fortunes in the Senate, the Illinois governor’s mansion or even the White House, despite serious questions about whether there’s any future at all for a Donald Trump critic like him in today’s GOP.
Acknowledging his potential career options and timeline for the first time since announcing his retirement from the House last week, Kinzinger told CNN he is considering at least a statewide run if not a presidential one, and that he’ll “probably” make his decision on whether to launch a bid for governor or senator by January.
“The key is, how do we restore the honor of the party in the country?” Kinzinger told CNN, adding that he “definitely” wouldn’t rule out a White House run in 2024.
A presidential bid would be a long shot for the Illinois Republican, who voted to impeach Trump and has become one of the most vociferous critics of the former President and his own party.
But a statewide race in Illinois could be just as much of an uphill climb. In either primary, Kinzinger would have to win over a base that is still very much beholden to Trump. In a general election, he’d be running in a fairly blue state, where few Republicans have won statewide races in the past decade or so, including former Gov. Bruce Rauner and former Sen. Mark Kirk.
This is getting tiring.
To my eyes, he’s hoping for an eventual TV gig and maybe some foundation stuff. A brief presidential bid could help that endeavor.
Nobody seems to want to challenge Duckworth, so he’d probably get through the primary. But the reason nobody wants to challenge Duckworth is that she’s very popular, so defeating her would be quite tough and losing a US Senate election wouldn’t help him get a TV gig.
Running for governor would take him out of the national spotlight entirely.
Maybe I’m wrong here, and I’ll fully admit it if I am, but just the other day Kinzinger was saying he didn’t have time to run for reelection because of the big national fight he wants to engage in. How’s he gonna run against Duckworth or Pritzker while fulfilling his promise to fight the MAGA elements in his party?
Again, this is getting tiring.
* On to a fundraising appeal from Marie Newman’s campaign manager Nick Uniejewski…
Richard,
Let’s break down what happened in the last week.
When the General Assembly drew a new congressional map and passed it shortly after midnight last Thursday, they tried to shut out a strong progressive champion from Congress.
I guess they don’t know Marie and our hundreds of volunteers.
Marie is the first woman to represent the Southwest Side and suburbs, and she’s been fighting for the people ever since she took office in January. Already, she’s tackled postal delivery issues, train delays, and is delivering real results for working families in all parts of the district.
But a powerful few still want to shut her out and protect the status quo.
We need Marie Newman to keep fighting for the people across Chicagoland. Can you chip in today so a strong progressive champion can fight off a tough primary challenge?
Throwing the General Assembly under the bus definitely has its political advantages.
* More…
* Rep. Mike Murphy set to become new Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
* State Sen. McClure to run in the 54th district
* Illinois Republicans feel new momentum following Virginia election; Democrats say they’ll keep state blue in 2022
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“It drives people crazy”
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave Dahl…
The twice-a-year changing of the clocks – as Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, giving us an extra hour – would come to an end, if some Illinois lawmakers have their way.
“It drives people crazy,” said State Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Chicago). “Parents with small kids are affected, and you’re physiologically affected, so i would be for one way or the other” between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time, as long as Illinois sticks to it year-round.
The argument for this rests not only on removing an annoyance but also on health grounds. At least one lawmaker, State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), says he would prefer Standard Time year-round, so people could get to school and get to work after sunrise.
Complaining about Daylight Saving Time is like complaining about the weather as long as nobody who actually runs things also takes up the cause. But I’d much rather “fall back” than “spring forward.” Gives us an extra hour of sleep.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I posted this for subscribers earlier today, but here’s Democratic state Rep. Dan Didech on this week’s election results…
We won’t lose a single Democrat because they voted for PNA repeal or they voted for the Black Caucus pillars. We will lose members if the national dynamics are insurmountable and if people don’t work their own districts.
* The Question: Do you agree or disagree with Rep. Didech? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey services
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* I told you yesterday that Republicans have a decent shot at holding on to retiring Rep. Mark Batinick’s seat. That’ll depend on who wins the primary. This guy? Maybe not…
One month after announcing plans to run against Meg Cappel in next year’s State Senate 49th District race, Tom McCullagh has switched gears.
McCullagh notified Joliet Patch’s editor on Wednesday that he now plans to run for the seat held by State Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield. An officeholder since 2014, Batinick announced that he will not seek re-election next year.
“I want to thank Mark Batinick for his almost eight years as a state rep providing great conservative leadership in the greater Plainfield area,” McCullagh remarked. “When looking at places to live, the Plainfield-Shorewood area stood out because Mark Batinick was the state rep. After hearing of his intent to not run again, I decided to run to fill the seat in the ‘22 cycle. I know I have a lot to live up to, but I intend to represent the people of the 97th district to the best of my ability.” […]
After learning of Batinick’s plans to retire, McCullagh had this to say: “I stand firmly behind advocating the removal of CRT and early age sex ed from our children’s curriculum, as well as being a strong advocate for parental rights and involvement with their children’s education. Mark is leaving big shoes to fill, but I am up to the task.”
* From last year when he ran for state Senate as an anti-corruption candidate…
* He also claimed Pritzker was planning to issue mitigation orders so he could get pension money from the feds…
“I firmly believe he’s trying to show the worst impact of COVID that he can so he can get the federal bailout he wants to address all the state’s other problems, like pensions,” McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. “He’s trying to politicize the moment by using people’s suffering to get the bailout that he wants.”
McCullagh lost by about 12.5 points.
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* Megan Valley at the BND…
Despite hardships from COVID-19, Illinois grew its teaching force and increased retention rates last school year, according to new state data.
The Illinois State Board of Education released statewide data from the 2020-2021 school year on Friday with the Illinois Report Card. The Report Card covers student and school staff data and provides one of the first high-level looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Illinois public schools.
Illinois added more than 2,000 teachers to its teaching force last school year. At the same time, the retention rate increased to 87.1%, which is the highest its been since the state board started publishing that data in 2014.
Wasn’t expecting that.
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Schimpf rejects pension magic beans fantasy
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tom Collins at Shaw Media…
[Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf] said he’s open to all measures to reduce the state’s pension shortfall (offering buyouts, for example) and criticized Pritzker for not allocating surplus revenues to address the shortfall. Yet, he promises no short-term solution.
“Anyone that’s telling you there’s a silver bullet or magic beans-type of solution that’s going to resolve this instantaneously is selling something,” he said. “The pension shortfall has been three decades in the making. We’re just going to have to be responsible and it’s probably going to take us about a decade to get our financial house in order.”
I’m not sure what surplus revenues he’s talking about, but the fact that he isn’t buying into the magic beans fantasy is heartening.
…Adding… The author of the story he went back and checked the audio recording and realized he made a mistake. Schimpf didn’t say “surplus.” Here’s the full quote…
One of the things I would have differently had I been governor instead of JB Pritzker is when we had record revenue coming in, I would have used that revenue to try to put our financial affairs in order rather than just increasing spending across the board like Gov. Pritzker did.
I don’t think that take of Schimpf’s is very accurate either. Whatever.
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Good guys don’t always finish last
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Statehouse lobbyist Randy Witter retired last month after 48 years. He is honest to a fault, considerate, kind and smart as all get-out. I just cannot say enough good things about him, but this Illinois Times profile by David Blanchette covers a lot of ground…
“I learned early on that if you treat everyone the same way, whether it’s the governor or the janitor, with the same respect, you’re going to get further ahead,” said the 72-year-old Witter. “You don’t necessarily have to get along with them, but you have to respect them.” […]
“I’ve seen God, flag, apple pie and motherhood all go down the drain and I’ve seen pieces of legislation I never thought would pass, get passed,” Witter said. “Most people don’t realize why we have the laws that we have, what goes into the final result.” […]
Witter admitted that many people consider “lobbyist” to be a four-letter word, but “it’s like used car salesmen or attorneys, you’re going to have good ones, bad ones, timid ones, bold ones, you’re going to have every kind.”
And lobbyists are not miracle workers.
“Sometimes the client comes up with a wish list and you have to tell them it is unrealistic, that we have to do something different,” Witter said. “I think it’s important to tell the client the bad news before you tell them the good news. The worst is a lobbyist who doesn’t communicate with the client.” […]
“The legislature is truly a representation of the population of Illinois as a whole. There are people in the legislature that you say, ‘Wow, they are so brilliant, what are they doing here, they could be doing all kinds of other stuff,’” Witter said. “Then there are other legislators that you’d say, ‘Wow, if their constituents only knew.’ And you have to get along with everybody.” […]
Witter plans to do pro bono work for the Illinois Innocence Project and “other causes I think are fair and just” now that he’s officially retired, but “I will avoid trying to get into politics. I’ve often said the Republicans think I’m too much of a Democrat and the Democrats think I’m too much of a Republican.”
Go read the whole thing.
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Budzinksi in voter registration flap
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I have seen congressional candidate Nikki Budzinski around Springfield regularly since the summer. She supposedly subleased an apartment while looking for a house to buy. So, this story was a surprise to me…
According to Sangamon County election records, Budzinksi, who voted in Chicago for each of the last five elections, attempted to register to vote at an apartment in Springfield a few days before she announced her campaign to run for Congress back in August. However, when the clerk’s office sent a voter identification notice to her listed apartment address, it came back “undeliverable.”
A follow-up letter from Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray’s office warned Budzinski to fill out her accurate residency information and submit it before a deadline of September 16th in order to avoid her registration being canceled. Suspended voter registrations are only canceled and removed from the voter rolls after two federal election cycles, a process that wouldn’t actually have taken place for another three years. However, until a voter clarifies their status, they are not allowed to vote while their registration is suspended.
“We’re required to send out a voter identification card, and a part of the securities and protection of voter registration lies within that card being delivered,” Gray explained. “If it’s delivered to the address, the assumption is that the person that registered to vote was at the proper address. If it is returned to our office, because it’s an unforwardable piece of mail, it starts a process of suspension.” […]
As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Budzinski’s voter registration was still listed as suspended, more than six weeks after the county’s deadline for her to correct the error. However, as soon as her campaign became aware that reporters were asking about her suspended voter registration status, she promptly went into the county building and provided documents to show that she’s in the process of buying a home in Springfield. Later on Wednesday night, the clerk’s office confirmed that she had indeed come in just before the end of the day to update her voter registration.
“Nikki owns a home in Springfield and is registered to vote there,” campaign manager Josh Roesch clarified hours after the suspended registration was brought to his attention.
* NRCC…
WCIA reports that a few days before Nikki Budzinski announced her run for Congress she attempted to register to vote at an apartment in Springfield.
Budzinski’s voter registration was then suspended after a voter identification notice sent to her listed apartment address came back “undeliverable.”
WCIA then went to the apartment Budzinski listed on her voter registration and nobody was there.
NRCC Comment: “It’s clear that Nikki Budzinski lied on official forms about where she lives. This is incredibly unethical, if not outright illegal.” – NRCC Spokesman Mike Berg
I dunno. I’m not sure we should be making a leap like that considering how horribly messed up the Post Office is these days. Even so, she’d been running a textbook campaign until now. Locking up support from all but one of the Metro East Democratic legislators in her district was quite a feat.
* Meanwhile, here’s a useful campaign roundup from Politico…
Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) is out of the gates with his re-election campaign now that boundaries are all but sown up for his district. The governor still needs to sign on to the newly released map. Bost has been endorsed by 20 Republican Central Committee leaders from across the newly mapped district, according to his campaign. Here are the 20 GOP leaders backing Bost. […]
— Appellate Judge Mary K. O’Brien formally kicks off her campaign for Illinois Supreme Court next week. Leading up to that she’s announcing more endorsements of elected officials, including a few who serve in Congress. Sen. Dick Durbin already announced his support. O’Brien, a former state legislator, is running in the 3rd District seat that includes DuPage and Will counties as well as Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties. She kicks her campaign off next week. Officials backing O’Brien
— Small business owner Maria Peterson has announced her run for the 26th District state Senate seat now held by Senate Republican Minority Leader Dan McConchie. Peterson, who lives in North Barrington, says she’s focused on “clean air, safe and affordable water, access to affordable health care including mental health, cleaner modes of transportation, and helping small businesses survive and thrive — the issues that impact the day-to-day lives of people.”
…Adding… Press release…
Today, the Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 (BAC) announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in the IL-13 Democratic primary. The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers has represented bricklayers, stone and marble masons, cement masons, plasterers, tile setters, terrazzo and mosaic workers, pointers, cleaners, caulkers, and other highly skilled trowel craftworkers across the United States and Canada for over 100 years. BAC Local 8 represents masonry and allied craftworkers in 65 counties across Illinois and are leading the way on innovations like more sustainable green and energy efficient materials, prefabricated masonry and modular construction units, and the use of robotics or material unit lift enhancers.
The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8’s endorsement is the latest in a broad coalition of support that Budzinski is building, including The UFCW Local 881, IBEW Locals 51, 146, 193, 309, 601 and 649, The Communications Workers of America (CWA), The Heat and Frost Insulators, The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), The Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI), State Senator Christopher Belt, Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, House Democratic Caucus Chair LaToya Greenwood, State Representative Katie Stuart, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Cheri Bustos, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Elect Democratic Women, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Pastor T. Ray McJunkins, County Chairs Bill Houlihan (Sangamon), Mark Pohlman (Jersey), Paul “Snow” Herkert (Calhoun), Ben Curtin (Christian) and Pam Monetti (Macoupin).
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