John Edward Porter, former US Representative for Illinois!”10th Congressional District, died the evening of Friday, June 3, after a recent hospitalization. He turned 87 this past Wednesday and passed peacefully in the presence of family members.
Congressman Porter, who represented Illinois!”10th District in the US House of Representatives from 1980-2000, previously served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1973-1979. In the US House, he was one of the prestigious #cardinals” of the Appropriations Committee, serving as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education.
Born on June 1, 1935, in Evanston, Illinois, Mr. Porter attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with a B.A. degree from Northwestern University, subsequently earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Michigan. A military veteran, he served in the US Army Reserve from 1958-1964.
He was a nationally prominent legislator known in particular for his tireless advocacy of biomedical research; the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, named in his honor, was dedicated in March 2014. That same year, he was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the
Academy!s highest honor.
Mr. Porter is survived by his spouse, Amy, children and stepchildren John, David, Annie, Robyn, Donna, McKay and Michelle, and 14 grandchildren. Services will be held later this month in Virginia and the family is planning services in Illinois sometime later this summer.
His former chief of staff and protégé Mark Kirk described the Evanston native as someone who was “complete class” and respectful to everybody.
“The whole rough-and-tumble of classless politics was anathema to his character,” said Kirk, who succeeded Porter in the U.S. House before being elected U.S. Senator in 2010. “He was representing the best-educated district in the country. The district wanted an independent leader, and he was that independent leader.”
Porter represented Illinois’ 10th District in Congress from 1980 to 2001, establishing a record as a fiscal conservative who supported human rights efforts across the globe and efforts to protect the environment at home. He also was a strong advocate for scientific and biomedical research.
“His main legacy is in doubling funding for the National Institutes of Health and funding the unlocking of the human genome,” said Kirk, who first served in Porter’s office as an intern before rising to its chief of staff. “These days, when we talk about human genomic therapy, that all came from John Porter’s work.”
It was through Porter that funding for the National Institutes of Health doubled within five years, helping to lay the groundwork for the mapping of the human genome project as well as in increased research for cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. […]
In March 2014, the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health was named in his honor. Also that year, he was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the academy’s highest honor.
Porter founded and co-chaired the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, a voluntary association which at the time had more than 250 members of Congress working to identify, monitor and end human rights violations worldwide. He co-authored landmark legislation creating Radio Free Asia to broadcast into China and he was chairman of the Global Legislators Organized for a Balanced Environment, known as GLOBE USA.
Porter supported the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Wilderness Protection Act, the National Park Protection Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He also voted for the Endangered Species Act and against the inhumane use of animals in product testing and the use of leghold traps. He sought to tie U.S. foreign lending to developing nations to their efforts to protect tropical rainforests and wetlands.
[Illinois Supreme Court candidate Nancy Rotering], in an interview, concedes that she never has been in court as a litigator and that her last employment as an attorney at law came a quarter century ago, when she left as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery to focus on raising a sick child. However, she adds, she’s been a practicing attorney for 30 years who used her skills to, for instance, help draft the Highland Park ordinance banning the possession of assault weapons that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Both Kim and another candidate, former Cook County prosecutor David Shestokas, say they would ramp up the attorney general’s role in fighting violent crime. Kim says he would ensure resource-strained counties get the help they need to prosecute violent crimes, and would “use the bully pulpit to go after state’s attorneys” seen as lax in prosecuting violent criminals. Shestokas wants to go one step further. He would set up an attorney general hotline for police officials to call when those officials feel their local state’s attorney isn’t aggressive enough in prosecuting serious crimes. We understand Shestokas’ passion, but we think collaboration between the attorney general’s office and local prosecutors is the better way to go.
We’re also troubled by Shestokas’ role in “Lawyers for Trump” during the 2020 presidential election. Shestokas says he spent five weeks in Pennsylvania as part of Trump’s legal team scouring for evidence of election fraud. “We don’t know what the correct result was,” Shestokas told us. “I don’t know who won.”
* The Tribune takes a quick look at why Marie Newman and Sean Casten were drawn into the same district…
One Democrat who worked on the Illinois congressional maps following both the 2010 and 2020 censuses said there was a confluence of competing political factors that set the stage for officials to put together the map as it is.
For one thing, first-termer Newman “lacked the political clout” to stop herself from getting mapped out of her 3rd District seat, said the Democrat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. And her defeat of Lipinski made it easier for lawmakers to de-anchor the 3rd from the Lipinski family’s political stronghold around Midway Airport, the Democratic insider said.
“With Dan Lipinski gone, it opened up the mapmaking to create a new Latino influence district, as well as protecting existing Black South Side districts and the Latino majority district of … Garcia,” the Democrat said. […]
The 6th District now includes Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood and areas near Midway, and southwest suburban towns including Orland Park and Alsip. It also sweeps through the west suburbs, taking in all or parts of Burr Ridge, Darien, Elmhurst, Hickory Hills, Oakbrook Terrace, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Western Springs, Willowbrook and Worth, and extends north to Villa Park and west to Downers Grove.
* Because… Madigan…
* CD13…
Today, the Nikki Budzinski for Congress campaign is launching its first TV and radio ads of the election. The TV ad, titled “Rebuild,” is in Budzinski’s own voice and focuses on the core economic issues voters in the district are facing. The radio ads, recorded by State Senator Chris Belt and Urbana City Councilwoman Chaundra Bishop, will run in the Metro East and Urbana-Champaign markets respectively.
Budzinski tells voters about her history of fighting for working people in the labor movement, her track record on issues like helping lead the effort to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour, and her focus on tackling inflation to rebuild the middle class.
Budzinski is the first candidate in IL13 of either party to go up on broadcast television. The six-figure media buy will run heavily in the Champaign-Decatur-Springfield market in the lead-up to the June 28th primary. The ad can be viewed here.
* More…
* Karin Norington-Reaves Endorsed by Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson: Today, Democratic candidate for Congress, Karin Norington-Reaves, received the endorsement of Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson. Mayor Denson witnessed Norington-Reaves’ leadership as the CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, creating over 100,000 good-paying jobs and providing critical resources to working adults. Her track record of uplifting Chicagoland communities solidified the Mayor’s endorsement and support of her campaign. * Jeff Regnier for Congress: 4 weeks out from a very important election and it was discovered that one of my opponents possessed a criminal record of sexual assaults against women. He was convicted and was a registered sex offender.
* Newman campaign email mischaracterizes group backing rival Casten: When asked about the inaccurate labeling of the Democratic Majority for Israel as conservative, Uniejewski said the group supports moderate and conservative Democrats. But the email didn’t make that distinction.
* 11th District GOP candidates divided on humans’ climate impact: Three Republican candidates in Illinois’ 11th Congressional District believe the global climate is changing and that humanity contributes to the problem — but two others expressed doubts. … Heeg refused to return a candidate questionnaire or be interviewed; Lauf and Tanner Miller didn’t participate in the interview.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart today urged lawmakers to finally close a loophole that allows thousands of individuals with revoked gun permits to still buy ammunition.
“A gun is only dangerous if it is loaded. Right now, there are thousands of individuals in Cook County who can walk into a gun shop and buy ammunition even if their gun permit is revoked for being a felon or they are facing a domestic violence charge. That makes no sense,” Sheriff Dart said. “Lawmakers must close this loophole and help make gun regulations work in Illinois.”
In Cook County, 32,492 Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards have been revoked. But nearly 60% of them, or 19,238, have not turned in their cards as required under the law. Even more, 24,421 have failed to transfer their weapons to police or a legal gun owner as required.
FOID cards are revoked under the law for incredibly serious reasons. For example, of those who have not turned in their card in Cook County, 6,168 had a felony indictment, 4,318 had an order of protection against them, 4,108 had a mental health concern, and 153 were considered a fugitive from justice.
Before selling a firearm in Illinois, gun dealers are required by law to check the validity of a buyer’s FOID card and run a background check. Yet, they are not required by law to do the same when selling ammunition. That means someone with a revoked FOID could buy ammunition simply by presenting the card, even though it is invalid.
Sheriff Dart and state Rep. La Shawn Ford introduced legislation (HB5380) earlier this year to require ammunition sales meet the same level of scrutiny as gun sales.
“This loophole must be closed. We can’t have people charged with serious crimes or deemed a danger to others allowed to easily buy deadly bullets,” said state Rep. Ford. “This is not really debatable. It is common sense.”
State Sen. Jacqueline Collins is supporting the bill in the state Senate.
“It is scary to think about the thousands of people who have had their gun permits revoked, yet who can still buy ammunition at any gun dealer in Illinois,” said state Sen. Collins. “This is outrageous, and we must fix this.”
* The Question: Should ammunition sales meet the same FOID scrutiny as gun sales? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
* I saw this expressway sign the other day and asked former Senate President John Cullerton how he came up with the design. He said it’s a copy of a Parky Cullerton billboard from 1957 which “won a number of awards”…
Officials at the Chicago Board of Elections say 73 precincts throughout the city won’t be operating for the June 28 primary, and officials are clamoring to locate new polling sites for the November General Election.
The precinct vacuum affects 120,000 registered voters across the city, including voters from nine precincts in the 42nd Ward, generally considered a high-voting area. The city has more than 2,000 precincts spread across 50 wards.
A circuit court ruling Friday allows the Elections Board to contact residents in the 73 precincts to inform them about their voting options, including using their Ward Early Vote sites open on Election Day and voting by mail.
Why precincts are closed: Since the pandemic, numerous buildings and restaurants have decided not to serve as polling sites. They don’t want the hassle. “Our polling places division has seen a wave of new opt-outs from traditional precinct polling places during the Covid pandemic over the last two years,” Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever told Playbook. […]
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough says suburban voting districts aren’t having a problem. Some locations backed out “but we were able to replace them,” she told Playbook.
They’re just realizing this three weeks out? Just ridiculous, but par for the course. Can you imagine if an elections board in the South had pulled this nonsense so close to the election?
Proft said on his show this morning that the same pollster had Irvin up by 6 points a few weeks ago. Fabrizio, Lee and Associates is Donald Trump’s pollster.
On May 24th, 8:07 pm. Officers are called to this Aurora marijuana store where police reports say a drunk woman has punched and kicked a security guard. The woman threatens ‘I’m going to call my boyfriend. He’s the mayor of Aurora.’ Minutes later, Richard Irvin arrives. And the official police report says Irvin assured his girlfriend that quote, ‘The charges would be taken care of.’ Richard Irvin, the more we learn the worse it gets.
You know it’s aimed at Republican primary voters because they use the phrase “marijuana store.” /s
But text messages written by Irvin in 2018 during the middle of the Trump presidency, and obtained by WTTW News, appear to show Irvin has very strong feelings about Trump, and they are not positive. The messages offer some insight into aspects of Irvin’s political beliefs his campaign has been reticent to address.
“And I hate Trump too!” Irvin wrote. “He’s an idiot!!!”
Shortly after, Irvin added, “and a bigoted racist.” […]
Irvin then clarifies his position on Trump once again: “And although I don’t hate Trump the man, I do hate what he stands for.”
Well, Jim Niedelman reminded Irvin about the texts and asked “Are you afraid of the consequences that could come with taking a stand against Donald Trump?” Irvin’s response…
Listen, I don’t remember sending those texts since 2018 or 2019. What I can say is, that I disagree with certain parts of that administration. However, you know, I think everybody can agree and I agree wholeheartedly that that administration has done great things for Americans and for America. You know, reducing taxes, making sure we had economic development when he created opportunity zones and employed economic development in areas that need it most. And supporting our men and women of law enforcement.
We’ve used all those tools in the city of Aurora. You know, I have used all those tools in the city of Aurora as mayor, to effectively to help push our city forward. And that’s exactly what JB Pritzker is scared of. He’s scared of someone who’s actually effectively got great results.
And if you compare us, about comparing records, if you compare my record of success to JB Pritzker’s record of failure, there’s nothing to say about it. We have the answer of who the next Governor of the state should be. Which is why he’s spending so much money in a Republican primary to make sure that me as a candidate doesn’t doesn’t face him in the general because he knows that I’ll beat him, and he knows that we’ll change how government works in the state of Illinois and will get us back on track to take our state back.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* From a candidates’ forum in McHenry County featuring Darren Bailey and Gary Rabine and a surrogate for Paul Schimpf…
Irvin seemed to receive the most criticism from the other candidates. Bailey reiterated recent barbs directed at Irvin, calling him a “corrupt Democrat.” Solomon said any of the Republican candidates, minus Irvin, would make a good governor.
The candidates’ thoughts on immigration was discussed seemingly more than any other topic, covering almost half of the entire forum. Candidates expressed an interest in allowing counties to continue to detain immigrants in partnership with the Immigration Customs Enforcement agency, and also ending sanctuary cities.
McHenry County in particular had one such contract with ICE, until a state law required the county to release its detainees and cancel the agreement.
Bailey, Rabine and Solomon all expressed support in building a wall at the country’s southern border.
You can thank Pleasantdale Middle School fifth graders for making sure Illinois had an official state rock. And you can also thank them for making sure coal was not chosen for said state rock.
Yes, coal was in the running, according to now sixth grader Matej Naunov.
“One of our main reasons as to why coal was dropped was because you get coal on Christmas when you’re not good,” he said matter-of-factly.
Pleasantdale teacher Jennifer Lauermann’s former students sat in the school’s music room recently, remembering their advocacy efforts to get a bill on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk designating a state rock, a goal they achieved as a group during the pandemic. The youths are now waiting for Pritzker’s signature to make dolostone as the official rock of the state of Illinois.
* Today…
— Governor JB Pritzker today joined legislators, students, and teachers at the Morton Arboretum to designate Dolostone as the official rock of the State of Illinois.
House Bill 4261 began as an initiative led by a group of elementary school students from Pleasantdale Middle School in Burr Ridge and Maplebrook Elementary School in Naperville. After the students discovered that Illinois did not have a state rock, they created a ballot and had students across the state vote for a winner. The chosen rock was Dolostone.
Dolostone, a form of limestone, forms the majority of Illinois’s bedrock, establishing a foundation for the state’s other natural terrain. Its name comes from its original discovery in the Dolomite Alps
Illinois recognizes several other official symbols of the state, including; state bird- the Northern Red Cardinal, state flower- the violet, state tree- the white oak, and state fish- the bluegill. More officially designated state flora and fauna can be found on the Illinois DNR website.
“Seeing young people use their voices and the democratic process to make change in our state is truly inspiring,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These young leaders have a bright future of organizing and civic engagement that I am excited to watch. They could not have picked a better rock to represent the strength and stability of Illinois.”
“Students developed and drove this legislation,” said State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Bloomingdale). “It was not only a fantastic learning experience for them, but an opportunity to show others of any age that they have power in Springfield. I encourage Illinoisans to learn more about Dolostone.”
“With today’s bill signing, we’re not only establishing an official state rock with a long history of economic and geological significance to Illinois, we’re building the foundation for a new generation of lifelong learners who are civically engaged and ready to contribute to their communities,” said State Representative Yang Rohr, (D-Naperville).
Dolomite, also known as “dolostone” and “dolomite rock,” is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. Dolomite is found in sedimentary basins worldwide. It is thought to form by the postdepositional alteration of lime mud and limestone by magnesium-rich groundwater.
Dolomite and limestone are very similar rocks. They share the same color ranges of white-to-gray and white-to-light brown (although other colors such as red, green, and black are possible). They are approximately the same hardness, and they are both soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid. They are both crushed and cut for use as construction materials and used for their ability to neutralize acids.
After a third police officer was shot in less than a week, the trend of heightened violence and brazen disregard for police shows just how empowered criminals really are in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois. Yesterday’s shooting comes just days after another officer was shot in the same neighborhood and a U.S. Marshal and his K-9 dog were shot while serving an arrest warrant.
During a press conference Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown noted a 500 percent increase in offenders shooting at Chicago police officers over the last two-and-a-half years.
A total of five people were killed and 28 people, including the police officer, a two-year-old and a six-year-old, were wounded by shootings across Chicago this weekend. These alarming statistics come after the most violent Memorial Day weekend in the last five years rocked Chicago: nine people were killed and 42 others wounded in the city.
“Criminals are emboldened to the point that they fear no consequences for their actions, even if it comes to shooting police officers,” said Eleni Demertzis, Irvin for Illinois spokesperson. “Unlike the current governor’s weak leadership, Richard Irvin has stood up for and stood with our police, and that is why he has earned their overwhelming support. Our men and women who wear the badge are critical in getting us out of this public safety crisis in Illinois, and Irvin is the best choice to lead them in this dangerous and difficult pursuit.”
The state’s political world may have been shocked, but I doubt many in that world were surprised at the level of vitriol in Rep. Sam Yingling’s, D-Grayslake, press release last week that claimed he’d been “attacked” by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Pritzker’s “offense” was endorsing Yingling’s Democratic primary opponent Mary Edly-Allen in the race to replace retiring state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake.
Edly-Allen is a former Democratic state representative and is also backed by Bush. She had a pretty good couple of weeks leading up to the Pritzker endorsement. Edly-Allen had by then reported raising about $266,000 just since the middle of May, including $25,000 reported last week from the Illinois Pipe Trades PAC. Yingling started the second quarter with more money (his $109,000 compared to her $11,000) but has struggled ever since, reporting just $38,000 in contributions to date.
Pritzker has yet to give any legislator more than $5,000 in campaign contributions during the primary, but Edly-Allen clearly has the funds to get the word out about his support. And while there is no polling that I could lay my hands on in that district about Pritzker, he’s generally polling very well among Democrats. So, the nod will likely help.
I privately thought going into this Senate contest that Yingling had a decent edge, but if Edly-Allen is working like she did when she first won a House race in 2018, along with all this money and numerous important endorsements, well, I may have been very wrong.
And then Yingling let loose on the governor. “As a gay man, I am used to being bullied,” Yingling was quoted as saying in his press release after Pritzker announced his decision. “But, I did not expect to be attacked on the first day of PRIDE month by a fellow Democrat.”
The press release issued by the governor’s campaign did not contain a single reference to Yingling. It was all about Edly-Allen’s positive traits.
I’m told the governor made his decision to endorse Edly-Allen the week earlier, but there was reportedly some Senate Democratic involvement in the decision to hand the story to a suburban newspaper over the Memorial Day weekend. The short-staffed and possibly disinterested paper didn’t run it.
So, the announcement was pushed out the door Tuesday evening in a wide blast. No thought was apparently given to the fact that the following day would be the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
The reason most in the political world probably won’t be surprised by his reaction is that Yingling, plain and simple, does not work well with others.
Since January 2021, for instance, Yingling has introduced 183 bills and not a single one of them has made it to the governor’s desk. Just four have passed the House. The Senate, where Yingling is trying to land, has taken up none of them. The four bills never even made it out of the Assignments Committee.
Yingling has sent out four mailers that I could find. Three of them were negative.
One mailer paired Edly-Allen with former House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Yingling also mentioned the Madigan connection in his press release. Madigan did not originally back Yingling for the House, but he sent plenty of foot soldiers to the district to keep him there. Madigan’s committees also directly gave Yingling $1.75 million over the years, and Madigan’s allies in the House and organized labor gave him millions more.
Yingling did not join colleagues to call for Madigan’s ouster until after the November 2020 election was over and his Republican opponent was vanquished with the help of about $300,000 in contributions from Madigan’s Democratic Majority PAC and the Democratic Party of Illinois.
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But using Madigan as a cudgel against a primary opponent after taking help like that, while Yingling is clearly demonstrating he is having a difficult time raising money on his own without backing from a party caucus, is a bit much.
Pritzker’s campaign had no comment about Yingling’s remarks. Coincidentally or not, the governor appeared the following day with two prominent LGBTQ+ state legislators, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, “to tour LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood and kick off PRIDE Month.” He was not asked by reporters about Yingling’s statement.
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois announced the creation of Organize Illinois 2022, a coordinated campaign to elect Democrats up and down the ballot this November. Organize Illinois 2022 is chaired by Secretary of State Jesse White and will support the candidacies of Democratic federal, state, and local nominees by engaging voters around the issues that matter most in the upcoming midterm elections.
“Illinois Democrats are fighting to lower costs, get our state’s fiscal house in order, defend reproductive freedom, combat the gun violence epidemic, protect the environment, expand access to the ballot box, and more—and Republicans only want to drag us backwards,” said Organize Illinois 2022 Chair and Secretary of State Jesse White. “The upcoming midterm elections are absolutely crucial to ensuring our state continues on the right track, and Organize Illinois 2022 is ready to support our Democratic nominees as we get voters to the polls this November. This coordinated campaign will benefit all Democratic nominees by efficiently using shared resources, data, and messaging to ensure Illinois remains a beacon for our shared values. We’ve all seen just how extreme Illinois Republicans have become. Illinois Democrats can and will fight back with a united front at every level.”
Organize Illinois 2022 will be housed within the Democratic Party of Illinois. The effort has been endorsed by the DPI, Gov. JB Pritzker, Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Democrats for the Illinois House, Senate President Don Harmon and the Illinois Senate Democrats, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Treasurer Michael Frerichs, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The program is also expected to support our Secretary of State and Congressional Democratic nominees, once the primary election has concluded.
The Organize Illinois 2022 coordinated campaign allows Democratic nominees to strategically collaborate on voter communications to efficiently campaign across the state. The coordinated campaign is expected to focus on voter engagement strategies to target and turn out voters in support of Democratic candidates up and down the ticket.
Under Madigan, the state party became a largely insular institution in which its primary goal was to elect House Democrats who would support him staying on as speaker. Other Democratic candidates, meanwhile, were often left to fend for themselves for any campaign coordination. The party’s most valuable asset under Madigan was its bulk-rate postage meter, which non-House candidates had to pay to use for lower-cost campaign mailings.
But since Madigan left, the party has sought to reorganize itself and create a structure more in line with other state Democratic organizations. That work started under the party’s new chair, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson, who took over in March of last year. […]
The program is notable not only for being launched in advance of the primary, but also for being signed off on by all of the major Democrats as a state party operation under Kelly.
Pritzker, the billionaire entrepreneur and an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is expected to fund the operation under Kelly, though last year she was not his choice for state Democratic chair. Pritzker has given indications he may not support Kelly for a full term as party chair when the Democratic State Central Committee meets after the primary.
