THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Pritzker made $18.5 million last year...The New Jersey model for cash bail?...Uihlein's support for election deniers...
October 17, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
I’m prepared to cast my vote for governor for Bret Bielema. He has Illinois football 6-1 and up to #18 in the latest AP poll. Not bad for a kid from Prophetstown, IL.
There are 22 days to the November 8 General Election and 1 day until the candidates for governor debate again. They’ll duke it out tomorrow night at 7 at the WGN-TV studio in Chicago. I’ll be on WGN’s online pregame show with Paul Lisnek and Chip Brewster tomorrow at 6:30. I’ll share the link tomorrow.
Governor JB Pritzker does not have anything on his public schedule. The Bailey campaign has not released a public schedule.
I won’t spend too much time begging you to become a paid subscriber as you’ve heard the pitch by now. But I hope you know your subscriptions are how we continue to keep the lights on around here, and we could use your support, either with a monthly or yearly subscription. I truly appreciate each and every one of you who takes the time and spends the money to support what we’re doing here.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets)
Tax returns show Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife took in $18.5 million in 2021 — the most since 2017 (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker reported $18.5 million in state taxable income last year, more than three times what they reported in 2020 and the most they’ve earned since 2017, according to tax returns released Friday.
Pritzker does not take a salary as governor, and the couple’s income comes largely from investments that have been placed in trusts. Most of the income, $11.3 million, was from capital gains, the returns show. The Pritzkers paid $4.7 million in personal income tax to the federal government and $883,789 to the state, the returns show.
The tax documents released Friday — the top pages of his federal and state returns — offer only a partial picture of Pritzker’s vast personal wealth, which Forbes estimated at $3.6 billion as of Friday.
Much of Pritzker’s wealth is held in domestic and offshore trusts, many of which were set up in the Bahamas by his grandfather. Pritzker has repeatedly declined to release his full tax returns or any records related to the trusts. Pritzker defended the practice in an interview this month, saying that “the broader picture” is covered in the economic interest disclosures he files annually with the state.
Related: Downstate downfall? Bailey’s backyard showing fails to cut into Pritzker’s double-digit lead (Chicago Sun-Times)
Pritzker releases 2021 tax returns (State Journal-Register) [note: the story implies something is being hidden by Pritzker releasing his returns later than Bailey. Pritzker (like many of us, including me), filed an extension, which meant his return wasn’t due until today.]
Bailey's final pitch: Cut spending and taxes, repeal SAFE-T Act (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Watch Bailey's meeting with Crain's editorial board (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Darren Bailey skirts questions about PAC cash being used on his campaign (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Why some see New Jersey as a model for bail reform in Illinois (Daily Herald)
There are two key differences in New Jersey's approach and the one set to take place here on New Year's Day.
First, nearly any crime is detainable in New Jersey, so long as a judge believes the defendant may be a danger to the community, will not appear in court as required, or will attempt to obstruct justice or intimidate a witness or juror.
Illinois' law places stricter limits on those who can be denied release and the reasons why.
Only those facing charges that carry a mandatory prison sentence -- first-degree murder, criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated arson among them -- can be denied pretrial release outright.
Related: Why sheriffs and prosecutors are so concerned about the Safe-T Act in Illinois (Peoria Journal Star)
Vermilion County state's attorney: SAFE-T Act an unconstitutional 'nightmare' (Champaign News-Gazette)
Officials ‘grinding to the bone’ to prepare for cash-bail reform amid what they call misinformation, politicization (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: SAFE-T law's problems require gubernatorial action (Champaign News-Gazette)
Dollars to doubters? Megadonor Uihlein kicks in millions to help elect Republicans who question election results (Chicago Sun-Times)
Lake Forest megadonors Dick Uihlein and his wife Liz have directly contributed more than $6.4 million this election cycle to help pack Congress with Republicans who either cast doubt on the legitimacy of the last presidential election or voted against certifying the results, Federal Election Commission records show.
The couple, prolific GOP donors and founders of the shipping company Uline, are of course attempting to win seats at a pivotal time in American politics — but they are also overwhelmingly fighting to fill those seats with candidates who have played a role in denying the results of the 2020 election, in word or by deed.
More than half of the 105 congressional candidates they’re supporting in the midterms fit that category. And even more significantly, 92% of the total $6,930,033.34 they contributed directly to candidates went to the 59 who have cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
That includes $3,830,300 to support Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s reelection bid — $3 million from Dick Uihlein and $500,000 from Liz Uihlein to Wisconsin Truth PAC, in addition to contributions to the Ron Johnson Victory Fund and Johnson’s campaign itself.
In November 2020, [Illinois gubernatorial nominee Darren] Bailey discussed the election in a Facebook video, saying there was “fraudulent activity” that he found “absolutely disgusting.” The downstate farmer also said that he found the idea that Trump should concede to be “appalling.”
But pressed by reporters in August, Bailey told reporters he believes Biden is the “duly elected president.”
If people like Uihlein and Dan Proft realized voters rolled their eyes at election deniers, they may understand why they’re going to lose so many races in November.
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Poll: Pritzker’s ‘coattails’ pull other, lesser-known statewide Democrats along for the ride (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Vote "No" in referendum on Amendment 1 (Daily Herald)
Tammy Duckworth's war chest dwarfs rivals in U.S. Senate campaign (Rockford Register Star)
Battle between Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Thomas DeVore shifts from courtroom to polling booth (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: For Illinois attorney general, the clear choice is Kwame Raoul (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois secretary of state (Chicago Tribune)
Candidates make their case for how they would represent sprawling, Latino-centric district (Daily Herald)
Endorsement: Delia Ramirez for Congress (Daily Herald)
Endorsement: Casten for Congress (Daily Herald)
Budzinski, Deering face off in Illinois' 13th Congressional District (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Underwood, Gryder both support Israel -- but they differ in the details (Daily Herald)
Opinion: Lauren Underwood endorsed for reelection (Daily Herald)
In their own words: Meet the candidates running to replace Cheri Bustos (WQAD)
Weatherman Sorensen, attorney King face off to join US Congress (Rockford Register Star)
Prodded by Pritzker to step down, Southland Sen. Michael Hastings faces first general election foe in a decade (Daily Southtown)
Endorsement: McConchie for state Senate Dist. 26 (Daily Herald)
Endorsement: Costa Howard for House Dist. 42 (Daily Herald)
Survey: Azam Nizamuddin, candidate for Illinois House 48th District (Daily Herald)
Survey: Jennifer Sanalitro, candidate for Illinois House 48th District (Daily Herald)
Endorsement: Hirschauer for 49th House district (Daily Herald)
Endorsement: Bos for House Dist. 51 (Daily Herald)
Stava-Murray, Leong both favor gun control, but issue remains contentious in 81st House race (Daily Herald)
Opinion: Wheeler for Illinois' 83rd House district (Daily Herald)
Supreme Court 2nd District race could determine partisan makeup of state’s high court (Capitol News Illinois)
Feds expand case against Madigan to include alleged scheme with AT&T Illinois, which will pay $23 million fine (Chicago Sun-Times)
SOME TOP LINKS FROM LAST WEEK
Schuyler County Error Leaves GOP Senate Candidate Off Ballots
JOIN US