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* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer goes to the crowd favorite Anne Caprara…
No disrespect to the other nominees, there are quite a few good ones here, but part of this conversation has to be the difficulty of the job. Caprara is too often times written off. She is constantly underestimated. Too many people root for her to fail. She rarely fails and has made her boss one of the most successful Governor’s in the country and one of the most successful in state history (in the first term). Whether you like her or not is immaterial to this question. She is a leader through and through.
* The 2022 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to GOMB’s Alexis Sturm…
I’ll 4th the nomination for Alexis Sturm at GOMB, who deserves more credit than she gets for crafting these ever-improving budgets that could bog down and start losing votes if she did not skillfully put all the pieces together.
Congrats to both!
* Today’s categories…
Best Statewide Officeholder
As always, do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count. The statewide officeholder can be a federal or state constitutional official. [I deleted “spokesperson” because I forgot that I already did that one. Oops!]
* And after you cast your votes, please click here and donate to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to help buy presents for foster kids. More about what LSSI does…
We care for children who have been removed from their home by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) due to abuse and/or neglect. We place these children with caring foster families who receive training, licensing, and support from LSSI. The children in our care, and their biological parents, also receive support. In addition to its traditional foster care program, LSSI offers a Therapeutic Foster Care Program for children with histories of severe trauma and emotional/behavioral needs.
Working with LSSI’s child welfare staff, foster parents are part of a team offering loving, safe homes for children. Foster parents support each child’s connection to their family by helping with visits between siblings and biological parents.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 9:34 am
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Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
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Office holder: Susana Mendoza. She’s the sweetest person in the world and she has done an incredible job. She pushes for fiscally responsible policies that lawmakers in both parties can get behind and the transparency of the state’s finances under her is refreshing.
US Rep: Brad Schneider. His voice of moderation and ability to get meaningful things done deserves more attention. He represents his district well is a good example of what a member of Congress should be in this period of insanity.
Honorable mention goes to Rodney Davis. He also represents his district well and has served with integrity. He cares more about his district than social media fame. He’ll be missed with insurrectionist Mary Miller taking over
Comment by Golden Comment Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 9:52 am
US Representative is a hard job to evaluate, because they have so little individual power. It’s not easy to distinguish oneself, especially without a mountain of seniority. So it’s kind of a baseball metric question of who’s performing above the level of a generic replacement from the same party. By that measure, the answer is clearly Adam Kinzinger. I don’t agree with him on policy much, and I think he’s grown a little too fond of cameras. But at the end of the day, he has provided infinitely more value in that seat than a median Republican would have. He told hard truths, stood by his principles, and accepted that he’d be giving up his job to do so. Of the 5 Illinois members leaving Congress, his absence will be the most dramatic change.
For statewide office holder, the people are clearly happiest with Susanna Mendoza. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but she went from the worst-performing statewide Dem to the best in only a few years. She has run a seemingly scandal-free office and carried herself righteously through the legislative back-pay lawsuit. She has found a great balance by communicating effectively without seeming desperate for attention. She’s deserving of the recognition this year.
Comment by vern Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 10:08 am
Best US Representative- Raja, he has made himself a valuable member of Congress and found his way on to some powerful committees.
Best Statewide Officeholder- Jesse White. Enough said!
Comment by Boone's is Back Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 10:09 am
The best Congresscritter may not be one for much longer- it’s Chuy. Nationally, he doesn’t show off or cause trouble, he just quietly votes for good bills. And back home, he has ushered in a new generation of local leadership while somehow not making the old guard declare war on him. He flexed once and created a second Latino seat in Congress. He flexed again and got Ramirez in it (And mark my words, she’s gonna win this award in the future).
Plus, in these trying times, he has a mustache that we can rely on.
The best statewide office holder is JB Pritzker. He’s the first Governor to be elected to two terms since 2006, he has a list of accomplishments as long as your arm, and he has an excellent sense of the long game. During COVID, he made sure that he moved fast…but never first. During his re-election campaign, he recognized that he’d have to prime the pump for people to believe the good news about the state after decades of misery.
And, of course, he picked the right opponent for himself (with quite a bit of help from Republicans themselves).
Democrats blew the doors off the place in November, but JB’s campaign was at the center of it all.
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 10:20 am
Statewide—Susana Mendoza. Runs a tight ship at the IOC that has been able weather a lot of storms and come out ahead. She works tremendously hard. Kudos on being aggressive about the need for a rainy day fund.
US Rep—Darin LaHood. Able to be manage the uber-right side of his party. Delivers for he district and works well with others. A far cry from most of his GOP colleagues, sadly.
Comment by Terrance Dactyl Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 10:23 am
US Rep: Sean Casten. He has become a national leader on climate change and clean energy policy. It take a special kind of public servant who is able to take an incredibly obscure but incredibly important agency and turn it into a pop culture hit with his “Hot FERC summer.” Serious, thoughtful and as able to work through the most horrific family tragedy. Can’t imagine a better choice.
Office holder: This one’s easy. JB has blown away expectations and won converts of skeptics. He’s become a national leader and rightly so. All he does is work hard and pass big stuff, all while dramatically changing the trajectory of the state. This one is easy.
Comment by New Day Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 10:38 am
I’ll second Adam Kinzinger’s nomination. The guy stood up for the principles he believes in and was rewarded by his Republican party with censure and scorn. We hear calls for principled, conservative leadership, but when it happens (all too rarely), the Republicans booed him out of their club.
We need more like Kinzinger, in both parties, people who are willing to sacrifice their careers to do what needs to be done, to say what needs to be said. I applaud his courage and think that stands out enough to be recognized with this distinction. As insiders, we know (or ought to know) how right he was to speak up and how wrong his party was to throw him under the bus.
Best statewide is Susana Mendoza. For reasons better stated above, but with the added nod to her making Illinois’ very own, Dick Bigger, Jr., a national name. It shocks and saddens me that without her ad, I might never have known about Mr. Bigger and my political knowledge of Illinois would be poorer because of it. In these sometimes dark political and civic times, we need more heroes like Dick Bigger, Jr.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:04 am
Rep. - Kinzinger. Walked the talk putting country before party at great personal loss.
Statewide - Mendoza. Runs an efficient office, travels all over the State, has opened up the State’s finances on her website, and helped get our finances in order.
Comment by Original Rambler Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:04 am
US Rep - Sean Casten. Proved a lot of critics wrong and getting almost all of the Congressional delegation to endorse him over Newman in this year’s primary means he has impressed his colleagues (or it says something about Newman I guess).
Statewide - JB Pritzker. Has done more to impact this state than anyone else by fixing the Rauner budget mess and disproved his critics by relating well to people of all backgrounds. One of the few politicians who made promises and then stood by them instead of changing his positions once he got elected. Has shown a ruthless streak when need be and his campaign basically ensured a statewide Dem sweep by defeating Irvin in the primary and depriving Republicans of tens of millions of dollars in Griffin money that they were counting on.
Comment by uialum Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:08 am
STATEWIDE: Susana Mendoza — the proof is in the votes. She is the type who will close the event, not leaving until every constituent is heard (and usually hugged.) She is action oriented and collaborates with legislators for bills to fix problems either directly related to her office or that she hears of while traveling the state — which she does extensively. Hard to imagine any other statewide officer spends more time in SO. IL than she. She’s relentlessly energetic and full of vision for how to continue the state’s comeback.
US REP: Lauren Underwood has a strong future ahead of her & has her head on straight when it comes to priorities, as her committee assignments reflect. With her nursing and public health background, she’s especially valuable.
Comment by pony shoe Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:17 am
Statewide- It is close but Mendoza. She is a bit of a bulldog and I like that characteristic. She made an important stand against Rauner and has continued good fiscal practices. I think she will be governor one day (and I like Pritzker).
Congress- I like what Casten has brought to the table. In a state where our reps include the empty vapor of a person in LaHood and the crazy MMiller, Casten is a voice of thoughtful reason trying to serve Illinois.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:18 am
Best US representative: I don’t know how it cannot be Adam Kinzinger. As someone mentioned above, given that there are 435 members, it is difficult for 1 congress-critter to make a big difference. But Adam stood up for the entire country when he called out Trump and his insurrectionists for what they are. He was 1 of 2 republicans on the January 6th Committee, thus giving the committee some bipartisan legitimacy. Illinois has some really good representatives in Congress, but not one of them can come close to what Adam did, not just for Illinois, but the entire country.
Best Statewide Officer: while Mendoza is great, she doesn’t have the burden of Governor Pritzker. (No one went after Mendoza’s kids over her Covid position). I would give it to JB because he has a much higher bar to clear - and he still cleared it.
Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:20 am
Best US Representative
I don’t need to pontificate or become so wordy to my nominee. In the simplest and with the most vigor and support behind it, I nominate Adam Kinzinger for Best US Representative for the real reason he put his country before the party and this state party turned its back on him, for doing the right thing.
I’m still waiting to hear back from him…
Best Statewide Officeholder
This is one where so little needs to be said. The office and those around the officeholder do the necessary work to continually show how she has taken that office and herself to a higher level of measure, a measure seen at the ballot box, a reward to the hard work.
I nominate Susana Mendoza for Best Statewide Officeholder.
The work and words for my nomination are found in the work product that she and her office produces, and that work was rewarded by voters seeing how she is at the top.
As a sidebar, my thought was to nominate Secretary White, I’d like to here have recognized that Jesse White, this year and all years, is authentic, and I’ll miss the authentic Jesse White.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:29 am
best congresscritter: i no longer live in illinois and really shouldn’t have a vote but, from my perspective across the potomac, robin kelly still continues to amaze and stay relevant, both to her constituents, her fellow members of congress and to this administration. not that long ago, i had a conversation with someone in the white house and kelly’s name came up. the best way to characterize our observations was amazement. robin kelly has maintained her commitment to do good and be good, to just be nice to those with whom she works. not a lot of that in congress nowadays. her ability to push her ideas and her district’s interest without tearing down others in *THIS* environment remains notable. now we (the two people participating in that discussion) have made no such commitment and both of us have been called a**holes by others, which makes kelly’s ability to continue to be invited to the table and get what she says listened to all the more notable. i am always surprised when someone here brings kelly’s name up because she doesn’t go around promoting (or isn’t effective at promoting???) her efforts to do good work.
best statewide: there is simply no better statewide official in illinois than jesse white. he just has gone beyond the call of duty. when i lived there, i heard a kid (maybe high school) say he wanted to grow up to be just like jesse white. not sure we hear a lot of that nowadays. that memory alone makes me say that jesse should be honored for the role he has played in illinois history, not just politics or even society.
Comment by bored now Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:46 am
Best US Representative- Easy choice of Adam Kinzinger. There’s only a small handful in my Party willing to speak out consistently against what happened on 1-6-21. Kinzinger deserves this award for his willingness to speak out and do so forcefully and unapologetically. History will be on his side.
Best statewide- Governor Pritzker. His political savvy in “assisting” in the GOP primary for Governor likely helped Bailey score a few additional points against his GOP rivals. The Governor easily won re-election and has set himself up as a future Presidential contender.
Comment by SuburbanRepublican Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:48 am
A note on Caprara: I love this awardee, but some people might not “like” her? I find her ability to call BS when she hears it, regardless of who’s talking, is one of her greatest strengths. She’s critical to the Gov’s and the states’ successes.
Best Statewide office holder: Dick Durbin for running the committee that is rebuilding the bench of Federal judges. His impact on this alone will pay dividends for decades to come.
Best Congress: Add me to Sean Casten fans. He sometimes appears too smart to waste his time in that wasteland of good ideas, but thank God he decides to use his talents for the public good.
Comment by walker Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:51 am
Best US Representative: Yes, it is Adam Kinzinger’s year, for profiles in courage. What made Kinzinger so distinctive, is he didn’t have to do any of this. He might still be chugging along in the GOP caucus next year, if he had just kept his head down like so many others. Or he could have been like other House Republicans, initially outraged but then pressing the mute button fast. A lot of suspicion that Kinzinger did this just so “he could get a lot of media acclaim” but there’s not much you can do with that critique, after a point: his rare show of GOP political courage did in fact lead many in the media to say nice things about him, and I think he deserves one more spotlight moment here.
Best Statewide Office Holder: JB. The Great Khan almost made it look easy, by the end, but it was not, to crush his enemies and see them run before him.
Comment by ZC Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:53 am
Susana Mendoza for best statewide official.
If there were a category for downstate Republican US reps who had basically good instincts regarding constituent service and representing the varied economic interests of his districts, I would consider Rodney Davis. But his talk of bipartisanship looked like a facade when he tried to stir up ill will against state government, “Chicago Democrat values” and other bogeymen. In the end he was caught between a rock and a hard place (imho), and he lost out to a real far-right insurrectionary.
So my nomination goes to Adam Kinzinger. I didn’t agree with many of his values, but he stood up for them.
Comment by olddog Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:57 am
Best Rep.: Hands down, Adam Kinzinger. He pointed out that what’s going on with the GOP is not normal. That may seem obvious to millions, but too many angry old white men think Trump walks on water. Then Kinzinger had the fortitude to go after the truth on the 1/6 committee. Twenty years from now, millions of Trump supporters will ask, “What were we thinking?” Kinzinger saw that the Emperor indeed has no clothes.
Statewide: Susana Mendoza has proven herself to be Jesse White-like in her work ethic, citizen service, and innovative approach to government. An inspiration to young women throughout Illinois and beyond.
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:14 pm
Best Statewide Officeholder: To paraphrase Seinfeld, “Anyone can take a reservation, the whole point of the reservation is keeping it.” The metric in this category, I think, is who has done the best job of fullfilling the duties of their office.
While Pritzker is the headliner and he has done much, his office has been beset by operational problems too numerous to recount. IDES, DCFS, Pontiac, Choate, LaSalle, and cannabis licensing all come to mind.
Two statwide officeholder, however, have turned in perfect 10.0 performances in my book: Mendoza and Duckworth. I dont think you can point to a single element of their responsibilities where they did not deliver. The voters certainly agreed.
Best Congresscritter: Unfortunately it is hard to point to anyone in Congress on either side who really delivered for their district, owing to the deep divisions in Congress. But “off the field” and back home, I think we have to commend the incredible character and personal sacrifice of both Congressmen Kinzinger and Congressman Casten.
Kinzinger suffered the most unimaginable slings and arrows from members of the GOP for simply exercising and speaking his conscience and beliefs, that core right which so many of his party claim to value so deeply, except of course when they disagree with the beliefs.
Casten weathered horrific personal attacks during the primary from his own party, the death of his child, and then even more outrageous attacks during the general election. He was bent, but never buckled, battered yet never broken, and found the strength to stand and lead with unyielding determination.
Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:16 pm
Statewide: Governor Pritzker. The man delivers. The state is as far removed from the Rauner days as it could possibly be. That is saying something.
Congress: Cheri Bustos. Going to be hard to lose her.
Comment by JP Altgeld Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:17 pm
Best Representative - Adam Kinzinger. Profiles in Courage worthy.
Best Statewide Officeholder - Dick Durbin. Mendoza’s had a some first rate years, but Durbin has a career of consistently doing noteworthy things. Such as getting federal $ when local governments can’t make the match for a worthwhile project in a place where he’s not popular / going be the local winner. Such as getting federal $ for the “urban hermits” in Springfield Township who kept one segment of Dirksen 2 lanes for far too long.
Railroad Relocation. Moved to Springfield just after Madison Ave. opened to vehicle traffic, the local consensus rail relocation projects were over. When there is a dedication, there are Federal, State, & Local representatives, and both parties are present - even in the era of T****.
Finally, he has my everlasting gratitude … for getting smoking off airliners … .
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:21 pm
Best Statewide: Hands down, Jesse White. I can’t imagine next year when letterhead and signage won’t contain his name. It’s become such a household name in Illinois. Students learn in middle school when they’re exposed to the Illinois and US Constitution tests. He served the office well. He’s been the highest vote getter for how many cycles? Simply put, he’s Illinois’ most recognizable Secretary of State. Kudos to a long career, and Godspeed to the next chapter in your life!
Best U.S. Representative: Rodney Davis. The DCCC tried many times to topple him in a district drawn for a Democrat, but they were unsuccessful. Davis fought the MAGA machine, and unfortunately lost to a carpetbagger who proclaimed the Dobbs decision was a “victory for white life.” Davis voted for the recent Respect for Marriage Act, bucking the majority of his party. Farewell, good sir, and good luck to the next chapter in your life!
Comment by The Duke of DuPage Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:22 pm
Marie Newman for best US Representative. She was an original co-sponsor of Medicare for All, supported legislation to hold big oil accountable, the Green New Deal, and free college. She lost the primary due to all the corporate money backing Casten to spread misinformation about her. Casten opposes Medicare for All and accepts donations from United Health, Humana, and Cigna. He opposes any climate action that does not benefit big corporations and accepts donations from BP, Chevron, and Exxon. He opposes free college and accepts donations from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and CIBC.
Comment by Early voter Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:28 pm
Should you need to attack another, if your nominee is the best?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 12:35 pm
Don’t feed the trolls and move along, please.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 1:24 pm
Best Congressperson: I’m a vote for Raja. He works hard, knows how to flex his influence and when to sit back, and always keeps his eye on the political ball. I’ve also found him to be personable and charismatic one on one.
Best statewide office holder: No contest on this one - Governor JB Pritzker. Genuinely not trying to insult anyone else nominate but this a difference between the person doing the work and some who are drafting off the work. He has the hardest job in the state and he does it with a lot of success and a great attitude. He handles the day to day, unattractive work with enthusiasm and skill. The state’s current solid fiscal picture is 90% his success. He hires good people and he listens to them. No state government is perfect and there are always places where things can be improved but I really have to shake my head when I see people on here trying to insinuate JB is failing bc he hasn’t solved every single long term intractable issue the state has. Of course he hasn’t - but man he has made progress on every problem
Illinois has.
JB also used his popularity and resources to run a campaign that lifted up every other Democrat on the ticket this year. Don’t let anyone tell you that the success Illinois Dems had in November was due to anything more than the strength of the top of the ticket.
He’s the best Illinois Governor in my lifetime and it’s not even close.
(Jesse White is a strong second place!)
Comment by Real Talk Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 1:25 pm
Susan Mendoza. she’s doing a good job.
Mike Bost. yuck. but obviously he represents his district in the manner most of his constituents want.
Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 1:29 pm
Best US Representative: Adam Kinzinger (R) for having the courage to fight the Trumpist delusion taking hold in his party, especially post-J6 Insurrection.
Honorable Mention: Lauren Underwood (D). She won in a competitive district and is future House leadership material.
Statewide: Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D) for being efficient.
Comment by Justin Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 1:45 pm
Best Statewide
Mendoza - i’m going with the voters of Illinois and a high five for her work ethic in every region and her can-do approach.
Runner ups: Sen Durbin, Gov Pritzker, Treasurer Frerichs
Best Member of Congress - I’m going with Kinzinger for courage, with runner-up nods to Robin Kelly and Cheri Bustos (work ethic)
Comment by Here we go Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 1:55 pm
Best U.S. Rep: Adam Kinzinger chose to do the right thing, knowing it would kill whatever re-election chances he had left, and for that, Americans of both parties should be grateful. He put country ahead of party and personal interest.
Best Statewide Officeholder: No contest: Susana Mendoza is everywhere in Illinois, leading the ticket and proving to Republicans and Democrats that they can come together to support responsible budgeting; paying bills quickly; putting money aside for a rainy day; and not letting hypocritical ex-legislators claw back raises they voted to decline.
Comment by Strategy Geek Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 2:24 pm
Since they are both still in office for another month or so ….
US Representative: Adam Kinzinger. It is very difficult to fight against your enemies but it is much harder to stand up against those who are not your enemy. Adam did not backdown in anyway against any Republican because he knew he was correct. I respect the man greatly. And sadly, the young man cannot return to politics because he will not be forgiven to the point of winning a GOP primary.
Statewide: Jesse White. I am admittedly biased against a Democrat but I honestly light up when I am around Jesse. I could go on and on but to say it simply, I think he is a great soul.
Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:02 pm
Statewide officeholder - when you look at the totality of what’s been accomplished during another difficult and challenging time, no one else is even in competition with the governor.
U.S. congress - got to go with Kinzinger on this one given his leadership on January 6 committee and trying to hold his party and leadership accountable for looking the other way with Trump and efforts to undermine our democracy.
Comment by Shytown Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:07 pm
Statewide– JB Pritzker - no contest. He’s got it all - the accomplishments, the staff, the charisma. He helped turnaround the Democratic Party of Illinois and has supported so many candidates for re-election by putting his money and his feet where his mouth is. He is a true leader.
US Rep–Casten shows up and does a great job representing his district
Comment by Jean Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:45 pm
Best US Representative: Adam Kinzinger. He took the tougher road and spoke the truth when too many R’s found it easier to take a pass or join the fray to save his/her seat. Adam took the path that not many men or women have the courage nowawdays to take.
Best Statewide Officeholder: JB Pritzker. The Governor has lead the state through a global pandemic, gotten our financial house in order through smart legislation and building a team that works all the issues to continue making Illinois a leader in clean energy, women’s rights and community safety.
A strong second for Jesse White - really going to miss him.
Comment by SPI_Transplant Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:47 pm
JB for Best Statewide, though Mendoza is great, the job of governor is so much harder, but JB just keeps rolling, and demonstrating to fellow Dems how to do it.
I would support Kinzinger- he stood up for democracy when it mattered. For sure that ain’t nothing. On other issues we would not agree, but when our country was/is on the line, he is there.
Comment by Banish Misfortune Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:49 pm
Us rep- Kingzinger from someone who I couldn’t stand to someone I admired. He put country over party.
Best statewide- Governor Pritzker hands down. He’s lead every single day since taking office and I’m excited to see where the state is going under his direction
Comment by Gohawks123 Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:51 pm
Best statewide officeholder: Governor JB Pritzker, no question. He’s navigated the state through extremely difficult times, while also getting more done than any governor has.
US Rep: Kinzinger. I don’t agree with him on much, but he’s stood up for what’s right time and again.
Comment by coop Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:52 pm
Best Statewide - Gov. Pritzker, hands down. Sets BIG goals and continues to meet them, uses his money not only to help himself, but the entire party, and a leader who listens and cares. Proud to call him our Governor.
Best Congresscritter - Cheri Bustos kept working till the end, even bringing the newly elected leader of the House Dems, Hakeem Jeffries to Springfield for her going away party. Class act till the end.
Comment by FIREDup! Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:56 pm
Rep: It has to be Raja. He gets big things done while staying above the fray. Nice to work with, too.
Statewide: JB. We have some great folks in statewide leadership positions and we’ll miss Jesse White dearly but without JB getting it done every day, the rest of the statewide slate would find it much harder to succeed in their respective roles.
Comment by Campaign Boy Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 3:59 pm
My vote goes the big guy Pritzker. Need an adult in the room to get spending under control and credit upgrades. Mendoza just signs checks, more relevant under Rauner now not so much.
Favorite member of congress: Rostenkowski
Comment by Full-Size American Sedan Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 4:08 pm
Governor Pritzker is the only choice here. I know a lot of people were skeptical of Pritzker in 2018, but he’s more than proven himself in his first term I give him a lot of credit for his response to the COVID 19 pandemic, and his record of completed campaign promises can’t be ignored.
Best Rep: Cheri Bustos, always a fierce advocate for the specific issues facing her constituents and a loss to the delegation
Comment by Barty Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 4:25 pm
Congress–Raja. Presses the powerful without going overboard.
Statewide–Boring office, boring choice
… Mendoza. She has done a good enough job to give pause to the narrative that Illinois is completely screwed up financially. That was strong. Her management behind the scenes and communications effort crushed that.
Comment by Torco Sign Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 5:14 pm
Best Statewide- AG Kwame Raoul. His genuine concern for the people of Illinois is well documented. His integrity, compassion and empathy leads him to making solid decisions. He has proven himself to be a great negotiator as he listens to all sides before jumping to conclusions. He’s the real deal
Comment by Flexible One Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 7:29 pm
In this year, and in this state, the best U.S. Representative can be nobody other than the Honorable Adam Kinzinger of Channahon.
So many articulate comments have already been made in this thread to show why he is deserving. The distinction is earned beyond any consideration to his ideology or political success but simply because he had done what so few politicians, in either party, do these days. He showed courage and do what is right, even at great personal and political cost, and the machinations of both parties to get him out of Congress.
Congressman Kinzinger has simply put his country first and for that people in this country and especially his state, regardless of what party we currently or have in the past associated with, should be proud of him.
History will regard him well and hopefully, he has many more contributions to give. I hope he will have had the opportunity to read this thread and know how many people respect him and how he makes a disillusioned conservative like myself not want to give up on the political process.
Comment by Anti-Trump Republican Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 9:09 pm
===Best US Representative===
As we approach the two year anniversary of the right wing terrorist attack on our nation’s Capitol lead and facilitated by Republican elected officials, and their ilk, henchmen, and lickers of their boots, I think it is important to give credit where credit is due. While some elected officials representing the People of Illinois chose to declare war on their fellow Americans that day the attack on our Capitol became a turning point for the person I want to nominate.
I second(ish) the nomination for Adam Kinzinger. I do not agree with the man politically. I do not agree with a great number of his votes and in spite of how little I stomach him and how little I think of his over all contribution to our civil society and body politic, I think it is appropriate to continue to recognizing him for the most important thing he has done with his career in public service: Making the right decision and putting justice and the well being of his nation above the seditious conspiracy of his colleagues.
JFK wrote Profiles in Courage on the topic of elected officials that did the right thing at the loss of their popularity and at the peril of their political careers. I am willing to presume Mr. Kinzinger competent enough to be aware of the downfall awaiting him for the actions that he took that so few of his colleagues could be bothered to find the strength to do. Perhaps he thought he could overcome it, but he certainly knew that doing the right thing would not set him upon an easy path for re-election. At the end of his current congressional career I think it is appropriate to recognize him for the single defining decision of entire career in congress. Should he never hold public office again he has made certain that the first line of his obituary will note that he stood hold Donald Trump accountable when so many members of congress sought to bury their own guilt and support for a violent attempt to end our constitutional republic.
While I will never find myself among Adam Kinzinger’s supporters and while I would never vote for him to represent me, he made the right call when it was critically important regardless of what the mob thought of his decision. He did what he was supposed to do and did it with opposition from his own congressional caucus. It was not an easy thing to do and because of him we have an example of a Republican who puts the GOP Illinois House caucus to shame as the feckless cowards they are.
===Best Statewide Officeholder===
“Doing better” is not best. And with that I want to second the nomination for Comptroller Mendoza who continues to effectively manage her office, her constitutional duties, and utilize the bully pulpit so well that her tenure in office may redefine how people see the role of Comptroller in Illinois.
Honorable Mention: Governor Pritzker. Illinois is on the right track and he helped it get there. There are a great many things his administration needs to address and while I’d be happy to join him for a horseshoe dinner I am concerned that he or at least some folks in his administration find themselves getting distracted by presidential ambitions when our hollowed out state government is at times barely staggering along.
Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:01 pm
Statewide has to be Susana. She takes the job of Comptroller very seriously and has gotten some excellent transparency bills passed since taking on the job (and this year was no different). On top of that, she shows up everywhere in the state, to support folks in time of need and to encourage and support folks seeking office (especially those from underrepresented groups). She’s fiesty and kind, takes no BS and gives straight answers. She’s the best.
Congressperson is tough, but Lauren Underwood is a rising star for sure. She got a big chunk of new district; so, she spent a lot of time getting to know her new constituents and it paid off with a nice win. Illinois and Congress are lucky to have such an excellent Rep.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Dec 14, 22 @ 11:28 pm