THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...All politics is national...Madigan trial...
November 4, 2024
Good morning. Happy Election Eve, boys and girls.
I spent the weekend crisscrossing the state to give you an on the ground look at some of the major campaigns around the state. You can see all of our stories below.
We’ll be out in the suburbs today and will have more for you either tonight or in the morning.
We’ll have our missive from the road yesterday for paid subscribers a little later this morning.
If hitting the road for almost 900 miles this weekend to give you the story on the ground, I don’t know what is. Will you join us?
House GOP Leader Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savana) is scheduled to join me on the radio at 8:19. Listen live here. We planned to offer a slot to House Democrats but their campaign arm hasn’t returned our calls or texts in months.
We’ll also have lots of subscriber only updates throughout the day tomorrow and breaking news throughout the night tomorrow, so keep your e-mail app open.
There’s nothing on the Governor’s official public schedule today. We asked his campaign where he would be today but we haven’t heard back.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
All politics is national. Illinois may be flyover country for presidential candidates, but their campaign themes dominate local races. (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois has been flyover territory for the nation’s presidential candidates, its preference for Democrats assured since 1992 when it chose Bill Clinton over George H.W. Bush, who had won the state and the election four years earlier.
But some of the themes Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have emphasized heading into Tuesday’s election are being echoed in campaigns throughout Illinois’ down ballot contests.
While local issues do surface, they are often drowned out by the outsized attention of the race for the White House, with local candidates following the lead of their top ballot contenders — another sign of the increased nationalization and polarization of the country’s politics.
With no statewide races other than the presidency up for election, local contests make up the bulk of the Illinois ballot. Voters will cast their choices for all 17 congressional seats, all 118 Illinois House seats and 24 of the 59 Illinois Senate seats. There are also several county offices up for election and, for the first time, an election for the Chicago Board of Education in which 10 members of what will eventually be a 21-member board will be elected.
There are a host of hyperlocal issues in those contests, yet frequent campaign refrains have included crime, immigration, transgenderism and the economy, all of which echo Republican national talking points. For their part, Democrats are using both Trump’s unpopular persona in Illinois and the Trump-led GOP’s curbs on abortion rights as motivators.
So intent are Democrats on driving the abortion message in legislative races that state Rep. Tony McCombie of Savanna, the Republican leader of the Illinois House, issued a statement decrying the opposition party for focusing on “the narrow confines of abortion” when it comes to women.
“To reduce women’s concerns to a single talking point demeans every woman in this state,” McCombie said, accusing Democrats of “consistently” injecting abortion “into the political arena to score points.”
“Illinois already has some of the most expansive abortion laws in the country,” she said. “Like it or not, it’s the law and this election cycle will not change that. Here’s the truth: abortion access is not under threat in Illinois.”
But McCombie’s statement belies the fact that it has been Republicans under Trump who have pushed to curb abortion rights and it was Democrats who enshrined a right to abortion in state law. No current GOP member of the legislature supports abortion rights and a federal ban on the procedure could nullify Illinois law.
Related: Powerful suburban Chicago political operation fueled by Uihlein money spends millions on far right causes (Chicago Sun-Times)
Access to IVF in Illinois is unequal. A ballot referendum could help change that. (WBEZ) [note: a good time to remind you the referendum has no effect of law]
Madigan jurors hear how allies quietly raised money for aide ousted by sexual harassment allegations (Chicago Sun-Times)
Six months after a 2018 scandal erupted over sexual harassment allegations in Springfield, a longtime ally of then-House Speaker Michael J. Madigan got on the phone with another to float an idea: He wanted to find money for the accused, who had lost his job.
“I’ve tried to put some guys together to kick in a grand each … for six months,” Michael McClain told lobbyist Will Cousineau in August 2018.
McClain wanted to help Kevin Quinn, a Madigan aide and brother of Ald. Marty Quinn (13th). McClain told Cousineau that “except for the people that are signing on, uh, no one else even knows about it.
“Except for our friend,” McClain said on Aug. 28, 2018.
Now Madigan and McClain are on trial for a racketeering conspiracy. The jury hearing the case listened to a secret recording of that phone call Thursday. They’ve already been told that McClain used “our friend” as code for Madigan. And from the witness stand, Cousineau told them that was his understanding, as well.
Prosecutors used Cousineau’s testimony to wade into the controversy over Kevin Quinn, the man at the center of a 2018 firestorm after political consultant Alaina Hampton accused him of sexual harassment.
But before testimony ended for the week, Madigan defense attorney Dan Collins also tried to chip away at the feds’ case, cross-examining Cousineau and prompting an emotional moment by asking about his bond with Madigan as fellow “adoptive fathers.”
Cousineau struggled to speak, and he eventually reached for a tissue.
Collins only had an hour to spend with Cousineau before U.S. District Judge John Blakey sent the jury home early for trick-or-treating, though. One juror wore a gray skull-patterned sweater and a spider ring in honor of the Halloween session.
Collins will continue his cross-examination of Cousineau on Monday.
Related: Testimony from ex-campaign worker who sparked Madigan’s #MeToo moment could add intrigue to corruption trial (Chicago Tribune)
Wiretaps show McClain arranging checks for Madigan loyalist fired after #MeToo allegations (Capitol News Illinois)
TOP STORIES LAST WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
Democrats Look to Pull Upset in Kankakee-area House District
Candidates Make Last Minute Push in Champaign-Danville House District
GOP Hopes to Overcome Cash and Time to In Search of Metro East Upset
Budzinski Confident in Dem Chances to Win House, White House
2024 Dem Candidate Switches Parties, Gives Cash to GOP Candidates
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois officials take first step toward construction of 2 new prisons (Associated Press)
Statewide effort planned to boost student math scores (Capitol News Illinois)
War of words erupts between McHenry County’s top prosecutor and SAFE-T Act advocates (Daily Herald)
Illinois volunteers try to tip presidential race in swing states Wisconsin and Michigan (Chicago Tribune)
‘I’m going to defend democracy’ — Who the boots on the ground are for Democrat, GOP campaigns (Daily Herald)
Illinois Democratic elected officials hit the campaign trail for Harris (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Battle for control of U.S. House includes suburban matchups (Daily Herald)
Where 3rd District rivals Booras, Ramirez stand on Ukraine, Israel/Hamas wars (Daily Herald)
GOP congressional candidate says terrorism is ‘fundamental’ to Palestinian society (Daily Herald)
Marter alleges fraud in U.S. elections, but Underwood insists they’re secure (Daily Herald)
Joe McGraw campaigns on border crisis, 'transgender agenda' in battleground Illinois race (Rockford Register Star)
Candidates in the 49th discuss cashless bail, gun safety (Daily Herald)
Stava-Murray, Porter discuss criminal justice reform, mandated driving tests (Daily Herald)
DuPage County State’s Attorney, clerk’s office to monitor polling places (Shaw Media)
Johnson was in the dark on CPS board pick's comments because of a vetting 'gap' (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Utility assistance applications open for low-income Illinoisans (Capitol News Illinois)
Editorial: CTU backers’ huffing and puffing over the money in Chicago’s school board races is rich (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: New confidential service in Illinois should bring help to victims of hate crimes (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Mayor Brandon Johnson did the right thing in axing Rev. Mitchell Johnson from the Chicago School Board (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Brenden Moore’s Election Day forecast (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Opinion: Flag contest provides chance to experience different voting system (Shaw Media)
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