* Arno Rosenfeld at Forward…
Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois governor, said in a video posted to Facebook in 2017 that the Holocaust “doesn’t even compare” to abortion on the scale of human atrocities.
“I believe that abortion is one of the greatest atrocities of our day and I believe it’s one of the greatest atrocities probably forever,” Bailey said in the video. “The attempted extermination of the Jews of World War II doesn’t even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion since its legalization.”
Bailey made the comments about abortion during a Facebook livestream posted during his successful campaign for the state house, when he defeated a seven-term incumbent. He cited Psalms 139 as evidence that God believes life begins at conception, and said that if elected he would “not compromise” on abortion.
Bailey’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The video…
Join us now as we go live to discuss the House Bill 40! 🇺🇸 #RestoreIllinois
Posted by Darren Bailey for Governor on Thursday, October 12, 2017
Relevant comments start at about the six-minute mark.
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* Press release…
Governor Pritzker issued a proclamation today declaring the monkeypox virus a public health emergency and declaring the state of Illinois a disaster area regarding the disease. The declaration, which applies to the entire state, will allow the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to utilize resources for coordinating logistics across state agencies, quickly and efficiently aid in the distribution of vaccines and in the prevention and treatment of the disease. The proclamation will also assist state agencies in coordinating response with the federal government.
“MPV is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “That’s why I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure smooth coordination between state agencies and all levels of government, thereby increasing our ability to prevent and treat the disease quickly. We have seen this virus disproportionately impact the LGBTQ+ community in its initial spread. Here in Illinois we will ensure our LGBTQ+ community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring members are not stigmatized as they access critical health care.”
Declaring a state of disaster expands the resources and coordination efforts of state agencies in responding to, treating, and preventing the spread of monkeypox. Proclaiming a state of disaster will allow IDPH to expand vaccine and testing capacities with the help of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and via state and federal recovery and assistance funds. This proclamation will aid in facilitating the complicated logistics and transportation of vaccines across the state to reach the most impacted communities efficiently.
The declaration also authorizes emergency procurements to facilitate the state’s response. The proclamation takes effect immediately and is in place for 30 days.
The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, and the Center for Disease Control has been closely monitoring and consulting with states in addressing the outbreak across the United States. Illinois currently has reported 520 cases of confirmed or presumptive monkeypox virus, the third most in the country. The state has received more than 7,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government, with 13,000 additional doses expected in the near future. Governor Pritzker called on the Department of Health and Human Services to increase Illinois’ vaccine allotment last month in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
“A comprehensive and swift response is key when containing a disease outbreak,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “These measures will allow the state to deploy all our resources in fighting this disease and will open efficient lines of communication and cooperation across state lines, an essential step in tracking monkeypox and improving tools and processes to prevent and address it.”
There are many causes of rash illness. However, if someone has a rash illness that they are concerned about they should talk with, or see, a health care provider about their symptoms. They should not have close contact with other individuals until they have seen a health provider if monkeypox is suspected. In general, people should avoid close, skin to skin contact with people who have a rash that might be monkeypox. More information is available at www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox.
* News you can use…
“I want to emphasize that monkey pox is not COVID,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said. “We’ve all been paying attention to COVID for a number of years now. You’ll hear some more details, but this really does take, based on everything we know now, close and generally intimate contact.”
She added that “most cases where we’re seeing this are coming from much more intimate skin to skin contact or kissing.”
According to Dr. Sharon Welbel, director of hospital epidemiology and infection control at Cook County Health, the virus does not typically spread simply from “bumping up against somebody.”
“The way it typically seems to happen is that there is a lesion and it bursts or its opened up and it gets into a scratch or something one can’t even see but a crack in the skin,” she said. “It is not by bumping up against somebody, being in the same room as somebody, sharing a seat with somebody.”
She noted that it “general takes prolonged contact.”
More info here.
* Once again, the federal government is under fire…
The government agency charged with helping Americans obtain treatment for monkeypox may once again be allowing red tape to stand between doctors and the treatment their patients need.
As the global monkeypox outbreak continues to grow across Europe and the United States, public health authorities have consistently been several steps behind an illness that has infected at least 5,000 Americans in the past three months. Now, with access to the nation’s vaccine supply finally loosened after months of bureaucratic back-and-forth kept hundreds of thousands of doses trapped overseas, epidemiologists, physicians, elected officials and advocates for LGBTQ communities say that red tape is still restricting their ability to actually treat the virus.
Tecovirimat—also known as TPOXX—an antiviral drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration four years ago for the treatment of smallpox, has quickly become one of the most important tools in treating monkeypox infections. The disease, which causes deeply painful blisters in addition to flu-like symptoms, is the same genus as smallpox, which has prompted physicians to prescribe it as an off-label treatment for severe cases.
But TPOXX was only approved to treat smallpox infections under animal studies rather than human trials, which are impossible to conduct, given its global extinction four decades ago. Without human trials for monkeypox, TPOXX’s use must be conducted only by doctors who are part of a hospital’s internal review board, each of whom is required to fill out dozens of pages of paperwork in order to secure TPOXX for their patients. With some cities seeing scores of new cases on a daily basis, doctors are facing an increasingly unmanageable patient backlog.
* Related…
* He discovered the origin of the monkeypox outbreak — and tried to warn the world
* It May Be Too Late to Stop Monkeypox Becoming Endemic in the U.S. and Europe: But if American or European rodents catch the pox, the outbreak will escalate into something much worse. A newly endemic disease. One that’s all but impossible to eradicate.
* Of Course Biden Has Rebound COVID: All of the doctors I spoke with said that they’re still erring on the side of prescribing Paxlovid, thanks to its lack of debilitating side effects.
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* Institute of Government and Public Affairs…
The University of Illinois Flash Index for July declined significantly, falling to 104.9 from its 105.5 reading in June.
“The contradictory economic indicators continue with negative growth in the U. S. GDP the last two quarters (based on preliminary estimates) and slowing growth of Illinois tax receipts accompanied by still low unemployment rates both nationally and in the state with a high level of inflation,” said University of Illinois economist J. Fred Giertz, who compiles the monthly index for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. “It should be noted that a slowing index does not mean the Illinois economy is in decline since a reading above 100 indicates growth.”
Giertz indicates that this situation has been characterized as a supply-induced slowdown as compared to the usual one resulting from deficient demand. This is explained by the Federal Reserve’s imposition of tighter monetary policy to address inflation concerns along with waning federal stimulus activity and continued supply chain issues exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
“Illinois tax revenues are returning to a more normal pattern after more than two years of unexpectedly robust growth during the recovery from the Covid crisis. Individual income tax and sales tax receipts have not kept pace with inflation over the last three months while corporate tax receipts remain strong.”
The question at hand is whether the economy is in a recession. A recession is traditionally determined after the fact by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a respected private research group. While recessions are often defined as two-quarters of negative growth, the actual recession call is a more complex decision, especially in the current environment with both slowing growth and low unemployment. Clearly, the risk of a recession has increased, but it is too early to label this a recession. See the full Flash Index archive.
The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending, and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail sales taxes. These revenues are adjusted for inflation before growth rates are calculated. The growth rate for each component is then calculated for the 12-month period using data through July 31, 2022. After more than two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, ad hoc adjustments are still needed because of the timing of the tax receipts resulting from state and Federal changes in payment dates.
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Question of the day
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jordan Perkins…
One of Chicago’s iconic pieces of public art will be getting a new home.
French artist Jean Dubuffet’s sculpture “Monument with Standing Beast,” in place in front of the Thompson Center since the building opened in 1985, is moving to a different spot in the Loop.
With the state of Illinois selling the building to Google, the sculpture, once dubbed “Snoopy in a Blender,” will move to the former BMO Harris Bank building at 115 S. LaSalle St. That building was recently purchased by the state to replace some of the office space lost with the Thompson Center sale. […]
“Monument with Standing Beast” has four elements, meant to represent an animal, a tree, a portal and a monument.
* David Roeder…
For the state, the sale to Google is a cleaner deal than the one Pritzker hatched last December. It called for selling most of the Thompson Center to developer Michael Reschke of the Prime Group but keeping some government offices there, making the state liable for a share of the rehab costs.
With the straight sale to Google for $105 million, state government gets out of that burden. It then buys for $75 million from Reschke the building at 115 S. La Salle St., once BMO Harris’ headquarters, and consolidates its downtown leases there. […]
Everybody hopes Google will do for downtown what it did for Fulton Market when it moved there in 2015, landing with fanfare to show the old meatpacking district is A-OK for hip employers. Its executives saw something in the idea of moving into an old cold storage warehouse. Job growth ensued for Google.
Now, Karen Sauder, Google’s head of Chicago operations, sees similar potential with the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center, a postmodern flight of fancy that never got executed right. Maybe Google’s money can fix that. […]
And at Pritzker’s event last week, [Karen Sauder, Google’s head of Chicago operations] said, “Chicago isn’t just a world-class city, it’s also an incredibly important and attractive place for Google to deepen our roots in. We’ve been fortunate to call it our home since 2000 and have loved being part of Chicago’s diverse and vibrant community. Googlers love Chicago and all this city has to offer.
* The Question: What should Google name its new real estate purchase?
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A quick look at some judicial races
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Emily Hoerner at the Tribune…
Former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran has eked out a win in the Republican primary race for an open Illinois Supreme Court seat after the Illinois State Board of Elections certified ballots Friday. […]
With provisional and mail-in ballots counted, Curran prevailed with roughly 1,400 more votes than Shanes. […]
Shanes’ campaign committee had raised far more money than Curran’s in the buildup to the primary election. Shanes also had support from an independent expenditure committee largely funded by billionaire Ken Griffin. The group, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, had spent roughly $50,000 to oppose Curran’s bid and another $170,000 in support of Shanes.
That’s about a point and a half difference.
* Speaking of Curran, here’s Steve Sadin…
Keith Brin, a former clerk of the Circuit Court of Lake County, is the new chairman of the Lake County Republican Central Committee, while the former chair, Mark Shaw, moves into a leadership role with Mark Curran’s campaign for a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court.
Brin was elected party chairman by acclamation at the organization’s biennial convention Wednesday in Round Lake Beach, with a vision to help the party regain some of the offices it lost in the 2018 and 2020 elections. […]
The only countywide GOP officeholder left — Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Karner — is running as a Democrat in the Nov. 8 general election. Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor, elected as a Democrat in 2018, is seeking reelection as a Republican this fall. […]
Shaw unanimously retained his position as his party’s state central committeeman for the 10th Congressional District at the convention. He will now devote time to helping Curran, a former Lake County sheriff, become a state Supreme Court justice. He hopes to help bring a GOP majority to the court.
* WJBD…
Fourth District Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney of Salem has won the Republican primary to become a Justice on the Appellate Court at Mt. Vernon. […]
“I believe the voters are fed up. I think this was their message to the establishment that we’re going to take our state back and we’re going to take our country back and we’re going to do it one race, one election, and one case at a time.”
McHaney won by 13 points. He touted his rulings against Gov. Pritzker’s COVID mandates during his campaign. One of his litigants was Sen. Darren Bailey. Here are the two recently…
 
And here he is acting all judicial…
* From April…
Sonni Choi Williams says if she’s elected to the 3rd District Appellate Court, she’ll be the first Asian American on an appellate court in Illinois. She says it’s important for the judiciary to look like the rest of the people. Williams says she went into law, because when her parents needed a business lawyer, they couldn’t find any who were Asian.
Williams is the city attorney for Lockport and worked as a lawyer for the city of Peoria. She’s one of two candidates asking for the Democratic nomination in the newly redrawn 3rd appellate court district.
She won by six points against James Murphy. Asian-American candidates continue making big inroads here.
* And here’s Bob Skolnik…
ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nicholas Kantas are on their way to the bench. They both won their respective Democratic primaries for two vacancies in in the 4th Judicial Subcircuit on June 28 — and they’ll face no Republican opponents in the November general election.
Raines-Welch, who is married to Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, won a four-way race in the Democratic primary with 34.89 percent of the vote with all but three precincts reporting.
Riverside resident Chloe Pedersen, who is the niece of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, finished second with 27.17 percent of the vote, 1,807 votes behind Raines-Welch, according to unofficial totals posted by the Cook County Clerk on June 29.
Former Brookfield resident Jerry Barrido, a public defender, finished third with 23.61 percent of the vote. Patrick Campanelli finished fourth with 14.33 percent of the vote.
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* Alicia Fabbre at the Daily Herald last week…
In what is believed to be a first-of-a-kind proposal in the state, the Kendall County jail would close and arrestees picked up in Kendall County would be sent to the Kane County jail if they need to be held.
The proposal, announced by Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird Wednesday during a news conference, could save Kendall County as much as $1.5 million and bring in around the same in additional revenue in Kane County. […]
“The fact is, our jail populations are down from where they were five years ago,” Baird said, noting that he has seen the Kendall County inmate population drop from an average of more than 70 in 2014 to current levels of around 50. Hain said when he first took office in 2018, the Kane County jail was averaging about 500 inmates daily. On Wednesday, the jail had 320 in custody. […]
Under the proposed plan, up to 30 corrections officers positions would be eliminated in Kendall County. However, both Hain and Baird noted Kendall County corrections officers could find positions in neighboring counties.
* The Daily Herald editorial board approves…
Illinois, you might recall, has more units of government than any other state — even though it’s only the sixth most populous state. And that means government in Illinois provides some things other states do not — or it hasn’t figured out how to do the same things more efficiently — without overlapping the duties of other taxing bodies.
We’ve long been proponents of governmental consolidation where it makes sense to do so.
And, no offense to Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain or Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird, but sharing a jail in this case is a no-brainer. […]
But starting Jan. 1, 2023, the SAFE-T Act goes into effect, creating a cashless bail system. That is expected to drastically reduce the overall inmate count in both Kane and Kendall jails. In Kendall, the sheriff’s review predicts it no longer makes sense to run a jail.
When Kane County moved to its current facility in 2007, it had 640 beds and 750 inmates, Hain said. It now averages 315 detainees with that same capacity.
* NBC News…
Opponents argue that relaxing the bail system leads to more crime. In Illinois, Pritzker’s Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, said he plans to make bail reform a central platform of his campaign and use it to attack the governor in ads. Bailey, who has the support of former President Donald Trump, does not want to end money bail and plans to repeal the SAFE-T Act should he be elected, his spokesman Joe DeBose said. DeBose referred to the bill as the “coddle the criminals acts” and said that Bailey “will empower police, put more cops on the streets to stop crimes and ensure safer communities for every Illinoisan.” […]
But research calls those claims into question. A Nov. 2020 analysis from the Prison Policy Initiative that studied research from 12 jurisdictions where pretrial amendments had taken place — including New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and San Francisco — found no evidence that crime increased as a result. A March report by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said that “pretrial re-arrest rates remained nearly identical pre- and post-bail reform.” And a 2022 review by The Civic Federation found that 80.4% of people charged with felonies in Cook County attend all of their scheduled court hearings and that 81.8% of people do not commit new crimes while on pretrial release.
And although many areas are reporting higher crime rates, Scott Hechinger, a civil rights attorney and the founder of Zealous — a national criminal justice and advocacy organization — said it’s misleading to tie bail changes to crime surges because “reforms happened in very few places, rising crime happened everywhere.”
Thoughts?
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General election season is almost upon us
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
Aug. 10 is the first day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. Aug. 26 is when the state elections board will certify the November election ballot to include all independent or new party candidates. Early voting starts Sept. 29. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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* This news release was sent out during the break…
The Illinois State Police (ISP), under the direction of Governor Pritzker, submitted an emergency rule change to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office implementing broader use of clear and present danger reports that can bar applicants from receiving a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card or revoke a current FOID card. The rule change allows for the use and maintenance of historic clear and present danger information even if the subject was not actively seeking or holding a FOID card at the time a Clear and Present Danger report was made and allows for use of these reports in possible future evaluations.
Since 2013, administrative rules have unnecessarily limited and complicated the ability of the Illinois State Police to consider Clear and Present Danger information over time. For example, the former administrative rule required a Clear and Present Danger to be “impending”, “imminent”, “substantial” or “significant.” Clear and Present Danger under state law however is more broadly defined requiring “physical or verbal behavior, such as violent, suicidal, or assaultive threats, actions, or other behavior…” This emergency rule will now allow the Illinois State Police to consider a broader range of information by simply applying the statutory definition of Clear and Present Danger. These emergency rules also will clarify ISP’s authority to use and retain Clear and Present Danger reports to the fullest extent allowed by state and federal law.
“For the sake of public safety, any FOID applicant with prior clear and present danger information needs to have that considered when having their application processed,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These changes will immediately allow ISP to see a fuller picture of an applicant’s history and keep the people of Illinois safe from those who should not be in possession of firearms. I want to thank the members of the Joint Committee and Director Kelly for taking up this important issue and protecting Illinoisans.”
“These modifications to administrative law will immediately give the ISP the legal authority to consider more evidence when determining whether to issue or revoke a FOID card and will strengthen the ISP’s ability to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly.
Emergency rules may be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) when an agency determines a threat to public interest, safety, or welfare requires rules to be adopted in less time than would be needed to complete the full proposed rule process. Emergency rules go into effect within ten days of filing but remain in effect for no more than 150 days. The Illinois State Police plans to submit these changes under the JCAR proposed rule process as well, with the intention of making these amendments permanent.
Clear and present danger reports are made by physicians, clinical psychologists, qualified examiners, school administrators, and law enforcement. This law is distinct from the Firearms Restraining Order. The Firearms Restraining Order is a court ordered restriction on firearms possession. Clear and Present Danger status is only one of many factors that can result in the revocation and denial of a FOID card. Other factors can include criminal records, mental health prohibitors, and other orders of protection.
* Context from Capitol News Illinois…
The change is meant to address gaps in the process that were identified in the wake of the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park. The alleged shooter in that case had been the subject of a clear and present danger investigation, but under standards used at that time, ISP determined there was insufficient evidence to support such a determination. […]
ISP took the rulemaking action in response to the July 4 shooting in Highland Park after authorities announced the local police department had several interactions with the alleged Highland Park gunman that predated his application for a FOID card. ISP did not judge any of those interactions as disqualifying for firearm ownership under the previous administrative rules.
In September 2019, according to ISP, the Highland Park Police Department filed a clear and present danger report regarding the man who is now the suspect in the July 4 mass shooting, Robert Crimo III. The report indicated Crimo had made threats to his family.
When police went to Crimo’s house, both he and his mother denied there had been any threat of violence and Crimo told police he did not feel like hurting himself or others. The reviewing officer concluded there was insufficient evidence, under the standards in place, to support a clear and present danger determination.
* Sun-Times…
Nearly 20,000 Cook County residents are walking around with revoked firearm owner’s identification cards, with illegal guns presumably in their homes. […]
Since 2013, a team of six officers and one sergeant have gone to the homes of those whose FOID cards have been revoked, recovering 881 guns in those efforts. […]
The Cook County Sheriff’s office said of the nearly 20,000 with revoked cards, a little over 1,800 are subjects of “clear and present danger” reports compiled by the Illinois State Police. Those reports can bar applicants from receiving a FOID card or be used to revoke a current one.
And of the 30,000, nearly 25,000 have not accounted for their weapons, neglecting to file a disposition record that asserts they no longer possess weapons.
And now with the new rules on “clear and present danger” reports, there’s gonna be even more enforcement needed.
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* Dave McKinney and Tina Sfondeles…
One month after staging a primary upset, Republican Darren Bailey is struggling to reel in supporters of a top Republican primary rival and has yet to log a six- or seven-figure campaign contribution in his fall fight against billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Compounding Bailey’s troubles, hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who put $50 million into the failed candidacy of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, doesn’t intend to write any checks to the downstate Republican state senator in his battle to unseat the Democratic governor.
“Ken will not be backing Darren Bailey,” Griffin spokesman Zia Ahmed told WBEZ. “He believes Richard Irvin was the best candidate for governor of Illinois.” […]
Some signs point to the possibility Irvin himself will endorse Bailey soon. […]
“Quite frankly, I’ve never met Sen. Bailey, so that’s an issue. I generally don’t support people I don’t know,” said Gidwitz, finance chair of Donald Trump’s 2020 Illinois presidential campaign and the former Trump-appointed ambassador to Belgium.
* Mike Miletich…
The Pritzker campaign says Bailey is happy to use police officers when it is convenient, but the senator’s voting record shows he has done little to benefit law enforcement.
Still, Illinois FOP President Chris Southwood said his organization is considering endorsing Bailey in the governor’s race. Southwood said Bailey has done everything he can to alleviate concerns from members. He explained Bailey wants to protect police pensions and pledged to support union agreements for the FOP.
Controversial Chicago Lodge 7 President John Catanzara said Bailey admitted he doesn’t know everything and needed to be informed by law enforcement to know what they needed. Catanzara stressed that change needs to occur in Springfield and Chicago to address rising crime. He claimed Illinois has been a nightmare since the SAFE-T Act took effect and Democrats passed the plan from a “50,000-foot overview” because it was all about emotions.
“I can tell you Sen. Bailey has been more involved in trying to understand what the problems are, what needs to be addressed in that than every other politician that helped craft it, pass it, and sign it.”
* WBBM…
The head of Chicago’s police union is throwing support behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey — and traveled to southern Illinois to do it.
“One of the first conversations we’ve had was about pensions and the concerns about pensions — and promises made need to be promises kept,” John Catanzara, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said at an appearance Wednesday with the state senator in O’Fallon.
Catanzara said Bailey admitted to him he need to learn more about the issues, a candor that’s unusual in politics.
* Jerry Nowicki…
A new poll from the firm Morning Consult showed Gov. JB Pritzker’s approval rating at 51 percent among Illinois voters, or seven points “above water” in polling lingo.
It’s the latest quarterly poll from the firm, and data included 14,258 registered voters polled from April 1 through June 30.
While it’s a truism of polling that any poll is just a “snapshot in time,” Pritzker’s numbers have been remarkably consistent in the Morning Consult measurements since January 2021. His approval has ranged from 50 to 51 percent while disapproval ranged from 43 to 44 percent.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating in Illinois as measured by the same firm, however, is an example of how quickly public sentiment can change.
Morning Consult distributed the polling results under the headline “Democratic Governors Facing Re-Election Are Resisting Biden’s Drag Effect.” The firm measured Biden’s approval at 47 percent in Illinois while disapproval measured at 50 percent.
…Adding… WCIA…
According to a poll released Friday by Chicago-based polling company Victory Research, Governor J.B. Pritzker fell below 50% approval while leading against Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey by nearly 10%.
The poll found that 48.9% of respondents said they would vote for Pritzker, while 39.0% said Bailey had their vote.
The poll also found that 47.3% of respondents said Pritzker deserved a second term. Victory Research previously found in January 51.7% said Governor Pritzker deserved a second term.
* Meanwhile, Bailey has an op-ed in the Tribune…
Chicago is still a great city, but it is a city in decline. The good news is that enacting better policies will stop the decline and reverse the current trends.
School choice would force public schools to fight for students and funding and end the complacency that hurts our kids. Instead, let’s empower parents to choose where to send their kids to school. Let’s enable kids in crisis to escape failing schools and get the education they deserve. Consigning kids to failing schools based on where they live is cruel and wrong. We must end these destructive policies and stand up for our kids as a compassionate society. Reducing crime begins with giving families a real choice in education.
But…
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DPI coverage roundup
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez was unanimously elected to lead the state Democratic Party on Saturday, a day after U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly dropped her bid for a full four-year term.
The vote by the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee at a plumbers union hall in Springfield took place quickly, but followed weeks of intense lobbying of the 34-member panel by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who backed Hernandez, and by allies of Kelly.
With Hernandez’s election as the party’s first Latina chair, the first-term governor gained control of the state party apparatus after being rebuffed a year earlier when Kelly was elected over his preferred candidate. […]
While the challenge to Kelly was motivated by her limited fundraising ability as a federal officeholder, race and ethnicity quickly came to play a role in the campaign.
Kelly, a five-term congresswoman from Matteson, was prohibited from raising money for state candidates — the bulk of the party’s activity — because as a member of Congress she is subject to federal campaign finance laws that are more restrictive than state law on how much money can be contributed and what entities are allowed to donate.
* Sun-Times…
Pritzker said that federal rules that bar Kelly from raising funds for state-level candidates have limited the party’s fund-raising potential.
“If you look over the last 16 months, you see it hasn’t worked,” Pritzker said.
Kelly quitting the contest ends a contentious battle by Pritzker and his team to take control of the party. Pritzker donated at least $350,000 to candidates running for party posts.
Last Friday, the Sun-Times reported that Hernandez was recruited by Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff, and Pritzker campaign manager Mike Ollen, in a move supported by Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside.
* Capitol News Illinois…
State Rep. Will Davis, a Hazel Crest Democrat and member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, said he didn’t like how the race played out on racial lines, and how the governor worked so hard to sway support to oust Kelly, the party’s first Black woman chair.
“Of course I’m still concerned about where it takes the party, and I shared this with the new chair, that you know, there’s still some race issues that need to be addressed and she’s going to have to work hard and figure out how to mend those fences,” he said.
Pritzker’s camp maintained throughout the race that his opposition to Kelly’s re-election centered on the fact that she was a federal officeholder, which meant she wasn’t legally allowed to raise funds to directly support state candidates. […]
Davis accused the governor of “twisting arms,” saying that while “money and politics reared its ugly head,” Democrats now must work to unify to support candidates in November.
* NPR Illinois…
In the 23 years Madigan controlled the state party, the former speaker was a prolific fundraiser, leaning hard on core constituencies like labor unions and trial lawyers to build up campaign coffers he mostly used to maintain a Democratic majority in the House, which would, in turn, re-elect him speaker every other January. Except for two years in the 1990s when a GOP wave made the Democratic caucus a minority, Madigan retained speakership from 1983 to early 2021 — the longest-tenured legislative leader in U.S. history.
And while Illinois Democrats have largely been freed of an albatross that hung heaviest in the last few years before Madigan’s ouster, while the former speaker was under a cloud of suspicion as federal prosecutors inched ever-closer to his inner circle, the state party has not been able to match the fundraising in a post-Madigan era.
“It wasn’t anywhere close to what we need,” former Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) told NPR Illinois.
Kelly supporters touted the party’s embrace of small-dollar fundraising made possible by technology like ActBlue, a campaign tool Democrats in other states have used for several cycles now. 80 percent of donors to the party under Kelly’s leadership have been first-time donors. But Cullerton, who spent years engaging in serious fundraising for his Senate majority, said building up a party war chest requires a different — big-dollar — fundraising approach than for individual candidates.
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Open thread
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Running way behind on my first morning back. Vacation was great. How have you been?
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LIVE COVERAGE
Monday, Aug 1, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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