THE ILLINOIZE: Dems soften on Bears stadium plan...In the Field: 53rd Senate candidates differ on how to "get things done"...Campaign finance updates

March 12, 2024

Good morning, Illinois.

Happy one week to primary day. There are 15 House districts with a Democratic primary and nine House districts with a Republican primary. Just one district, the 76th, has both a GOP and Democratic primary.

There are four Republican and two Democrat primaries in the Senate.

Probably won’t hear any TV stations in Chicagoland talking about them.

We’re tentatively planning a primary preview live stream show this Friday morning. Probably at 11am, but we’ll let you know when we have it all hammered out. And we’ll let you in on our Tuesday plans soon, too. Stay tuned, as they say. (Does anybody still say that?

The House and Senate are in at noon today. The Governor is skipping session to be on a “sustainability panel” at the Aspen Ideas Climate Summit.

Thanks for all of your support. Let’s get to it.

CHICAGO LAWMAKERS ‘MORE RECEPTIVE’ TO BEARS PROPOSAL

The Chicago Bears have confirmed the team is willing to pony up some $2 billion as part of a proposal to build a new stadium just south of the current Soldier Field site along the Chicago lakefront.

“The future stadium of the Chicago Bears will bring a transformative opportunity to our region, boosting the economy, creating jobs, facilitating mega events and generating millions in tax revenue,” Bears President Kevin Warren said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more information when our plans are finalized.”

The project will still require overcoming significant political and legal hurdles.