THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Pritzker, Quigley, Schakowsky, Budzinski on Biden...Pritzker's business pitch...More pro-Palestine activists target Schneider
July 8, 2024
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There is nothing on Governor Pritzker's public schedule today. He hasn't taken questions at a public event since June 26
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)
Gov tough love? Biden finds Pritzker, other Democratic governors complimentary and critical in White House meeting (Chicago Sun-Times)
President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Gov. J.B. Pritzker and 23 other Democratic governors that he has no plans to drop out of the presidential race and downplayed poor poll numbers after a damaging debate performance that has set off a wave of panic in the party.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the governors, along with Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, in an hour-long White House discussion described by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association, as “honest and open” and by Pritzker as “candid.”
But the president, who is facing calls to drop out from some congressional Democrats, also heard comments and questions that ranged from complimentary to “a little targeted.” Some questions were “critical,” according to a source with direct knowledge of the meeting. There were also questions about Biden’s strategy over the coming weeks.
Negative poll numbers were brought up by governors but were downplayed by Biden, the source said. Biden reiterated to governors he’s in the race and told them, “We’ll get through this,’” the source said. Harris largely echoed that both were “in it to win it” and talked about the administration’s accomplishments.
The meeting came hours after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Biden is “absolutely not” considering stepping down. And it followed the president himself on a Democratic National Committee call telling staffers, “I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out,” according to a top aide who posted his comment on the social media platform [Twitter].
Still, a New York Times and Siena College poll released on Wednesday showed former President Donald Trump now leading Biden 49% to 43% among likely voters nationally — a three-percentage-point dip for Biden from a week earlier. Trump has taken his largest lead — 49% to 41% — among all registered voters, regardless of how likely they are to vote, the poll found.
A campaign spokeswoman for Pritzker said the governor called the meeting “candid” and said “he appreciated hearing directly from the president.” He did not post a statement of support for Biden on social media Wednesday night.
[note: as of Sunday night, Pritzker still had not expressed further support for Biden.]
Appearing on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” on Tuesday, Pritzker said he wanted to hear more from Biden and that it was important for the president to communicate not just with Democratic leaders but “generally, the nation.”
Pritzker sidestepped questions about whether he could take Biden’s place in the CNN interview: “Look, right now, Joe Biden is our nominee and I’m 100% on board with supporting him as our nominee unless he makes some other decision.”
Related: Democratic governors, including J.B. Pritzker, meet with Biden, who insists he’s in the race to stay (Chicago Tribune)
Quigley calls on Biden to step aside (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Quigley becomes first top Illinois Democrat to call on Biden to step aside for a stronger candidate (Chicago Sun-Times)
US Rep. Mike Quigley calls on Biden to exit presidential race: ‘Let someone else do this’ (Chicago Tribune)
What President Biden told Rep. Jan Schakowsky about his staying in the race (Chicago Sun-Times)
Budzinski says Biden had 'terrible' debate, stops short of calling for president to drop out (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Behind the Pritzker administration's quest to signal Illinois is 'open for business' (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker could tell he had a tough crowd.
By the time the owners of family-run, Decatur-based T/CCI Manufacturing sat down with him in 2021, they were eyeing Tennessee to build a production facility for electric compressors, a growing part of their global business as federal policies incentivize the electrification of the transportation sector.
They already had a site selected and a "great" incentive package on the table there, said Kara Demirjian Huss, the company’s senior vice president of global marketing, sustainability and public affairs.
But at the suggestion of Deputy Gov. Andy Manar, Demirjian Huss and her family allowed the businessman-turned-governor to make his pitch for the company to invest in Illinois.
"The sense I had in that meeting was that they started out real skeptical because the history for companies in Illinois has been like 'state government doesn't help,'" Pritzker told Lee Enterprises in an interview. "And I think they came at least out of that first meeting, saying, 'maybe, maybe,' as opposed to where they came in, which was, 'no, this is not going to work.'"
Pritzker made clear that he wanted to help. After all, he was already seeking to rev up Illinois’ economic engine and change a decades-long perception — and often reality — that the state was unfriendly for business.
Conversations continued and by the end of 2021, Pritzker had signed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV) Act, a new tax incentive program for companies like T/CCI.
Related: Illinois notches one win, one loss in feds' contest for big research grants (Crain’s Chicago Business)
‘We’ve got to be better’: Schneider discusses protests, vandalism with constituents (Daily Herald)
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider met with constituents at a Buffalo Grove restaurant Sunday, when he discussed recent protests outside his Highland Park home and vandalism outside his Capitol Hill office.
Those who attended the meeting at the Original Bagel & Bialy showed their support with signs reading “We stand with Brad.”
“The support has been overwhelming,” said Schneider, a Democrat whose 10th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.
Schneider has been targeted over the last two weeks because of his staunch support of Israel. That included about 40 protesters marching outside his home in the middle of the night June 29 chanting pro-Palestinian and antisemitic messages, according to Highland Park officials.
Then last week, vandals tore down from outside his Washington, D.C. office flyers featuring the names and photos of more than 100 people held hostage in Gaza.
Schneider said Sunday he supports the right to protest, and his office is open to anyone who wants to make an appointment to meet with him.
“(But) their intent was not to petition me, but to terrorize my neighborhood. There needs to be consequences for that,” he said. “We've got to be better at making sure that people are going to be held to account for their actions.
“These are not pro-Palestinian, pro-peace protesters. They are anti-Israel,” he added.
Schneider also discussed the presidential race in the wake of a poor debate showing from President Joe Biden that has some of his congressional colleagues, including fellow Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley, calling for the incumbent to step aside.
“The debate was a debacle,” Schneider said. “There is no question about that.”
Schneider said he is talking with his colleagues and leadership about next steps.
“My commitment is to do everything we need to do to ensure that we win in November, that Trump is not reelected to the White House.”
Related: Posters of Gaza hostages vandalized outside US Rep. Brad Schneider’s Capitol office (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: Protesters targeting Schneider in the middle of the night went too far (Daily Herald)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Battle over Illinois' assault weapon ban will continue after Supreme Court declines to get involved (Chicago Sun-Times)
Sen. Dave Koehler lauds education investments (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Pritzker signs election bill to increase party power in primary elections (Capitol News Illinois)
Ballot challenges filed against RFK Jr., Springfield congressional candidate (State Journal-Register)
Chicago pension debt climbs to $37.2 billion (Chicago Tribune)
The DNC's deadbeat Chicago landlord (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Our state treasurer, Biden and Trump have something in common. They like to take credit for market booms. (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: 13th District Green Party congressional candidate likely to be booted from ballot (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Good business starts with good education (Daily Herald)
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