THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Speaker Welch and the First Amendment...Cook County State's Attorney down to the wire
March 25, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
I’m filling in on the WMAY morning show in Springfield today from 6am-9am. We’ll be joined by Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune (see below), Rep. Bill Hauter (R-Morton), and Robert Rosenthal, who writes IlliniBoard, and, Lord knows, all I want to talk about right now is Illinois basketball.
Tune in on the radio in Springfield or listen online at www.wmay.com.
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With the General Assembly out this week, we’re kind of expecting things to slow down a little. Add an Illini game Thursday, and we’ll probably skip a newsletter Friday ahead of Easter, but we’ll let you know.
There’s nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule today.
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)
Illinois Speaker Welch apologizes for memo ordering Democratic lawmakers not to answer Tribune questions (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch apologized to Chicago Tribune reporters and the Statehouse press corps Saturday, saying an order his office issued instructing members of his Democratic majority not to speak to a Tribune reporter about “political matters” at the State Capitol or elsewhere was a “mistake.”
The order was issued Thursday in a blast email to House Democrats after Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner questioned members of the speaker’s leadership team about tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that they made supporting the candidacy of Michael Crawford. Crawford was the successful Welch-backed candidate who defeated Democratic state Rep. Mary Flowers of Chicago, the longest serving Black House member, in Tuesday’s primary.
The memo warned that Gorner was asking questions “that were explicitly political” and stated that “it is inappropriate to discuss campaign related matters on the Capitol grounds.” It further instructed Democratic members not to “call him back or give him a number for him to reach you to discuss political matters as it is also ethically dubious.”
In a Tribune story published online Friday providing details about the memo, the order was immediately assailed by one former Statehouse veteran reporter and journalism professor as a “goofy” and “stupid” effort to restrain legitimate newsgathering, while Tribune editor Mitch Pugh said, “this wrong-headed memo was an attempt to stifle our reporter’s constitutional right to do his job.”
Welch’s office initially defended the issuance of the order based on the highly dubious rationale that lawmakers engaging in such conversations could create an ethical breach — even though such discussions are constitutionally protected First Amendment free speech and the speaker’s staff could produce no statutory prohibitions on lawmakers answering questions from reporters at the State Capitol or elsewhere.
The only statutory campaign prohibitions prevent lawmakers from being offered or accepting campaign contributions inside the Capitol and a ban on lawmakers and legislative candidates from holding campaign fundraisers on session days in Sangamon County, where Springfield and the Illinois State Capitol are located.
[note from Patrick: they’re also not allowed to ask for contributions on state property. Duh, but it isn’t mentioned.]
On Saturday, Welch, who is in his third year as House speaker and now with a 78-member supermajority, said the order was issued in error.
Related: Illinois House speaker’s office orders Democratic lawmakers to remain silent over Tribune questions (Chicago Tribune)
These stories hadn’t been updated after yesterday’s count, but it’s getting closer:
Amid Election Board fumble, state's attorney candidates urge calm (Crain’s Chicago Business)
The Cook County state’s attorney election has transformed from a relatively sleepy race to the nail-biter of the primary — and a snafu at the Board of Elections has only intensified the drama.
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke’s lead over University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III narrowed over the weekend as ballots continued to be counted..
The latest batch of nearly 9,400 ballots cast in the state’s attorney race dropped from the Chicago Board of Election just before 7 p.m. on March 23, five days after voters went to the polls. Harris won 61% of those votes counted, closing in on Burke. By that time Burke and Harris were neck and neck, with the Associated Press reporting 50.5% and 49.5% respectively.
Neither the AP nor the candidates have called the race.
That hasn’t stopped some voters from getting angry over the pace of counting mail-in ballots, which have tipped in Harris’ favor.
The skepticism over the counting process veered into allegations of election fraud on Saturday night, as users on the social media site X expressed doubt over the Chicago Board of Elections' activities. One of those users included Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, who hours later deleted a tweet that said, “After counting what was ostensibly the remaining mail-in ballots, Eileen O’Neill Burke maintains a lead of more than 4,000. BUT…election staff now say they have ‘found’ thousands of ballots with no postmarks, that were placed in dropboxes. They intend to count them tomorrow.”
Hopkins issued a correction following a statement that evening from Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever that he had erred in reporting the number of ballots.
“In adding up the total number of Vote By Mail ballots the Board had received back so far, I mistakenly left out additional ballots that had been received back via USPS the evening of Monday, March 18,” Bever wrote on X. “I traded speed for accuracy in reporting out numbers this week as quickly as I could. I truly regret this error on my part and for the confusion that it has caused the voters of Chicago. I will share updated numbers only when they are accurate and verified. Poll watchers from the campaigns for both Democratic candidates for Cook County State’s Attorney have been informed and are present throughout additional counting tomorrow, Sunday, March 24.”
Rather than assuage concerns, the board’s admission of its mistake only further stoked conspiracy theories online about the tabulation process.
The number of “stolen election” theories running amok on Twitter this weekend are out of this world.
Related: Mail ballots trickling in cut Eileen O’Neill Burke’s lead over Clayton Harris in Cook County state’s attorney race (Chicago Sun-Times)
Harris and Burke nearly neck-and-neck for state’s attorney as more mail-in ballots are added to the count (Chicago Tribune)
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POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Officials say state veterans homes have reformed after deadly 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, but staffing challenges remain (Capitol News Illinois)
State lawmakers consider measures aimed at blocking e-cigarettes from young people (Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker heads to California to promote Illinois film industry, fundraise for convention and abortion rights (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois poised to become a haven for out-of-state IVF patients amid conservative backlash (Chicago Tribune)
And then there were four: A look at the races for the 6th and 11th district congressional seats (Daily Herald)
Mike Bost wins, but GOP can’t rid itself of Darren Bailey (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Bring Chicago Home referendum voted down, AP says (Chicago Tribune)
New Bears lakefront stadium could come with hotel, sports museum — and $1B campus revamp (Chicago Sun-Times)
Judge excoriates ex-Gov. Blago******’s federal lawsuit as publicity stunt that ‘ends with a whimper’ (Chicago Tribune) [Note: we don’t say his name around here]
Editorial: Blago*****’s impotent populism (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Brandon Johnson offers up scapegoats for Bring Chicago Home’s demise. Please. (Chicago Tribune)
Holmes: Why I’m sponsoring legislation for medical aid in dying (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Gambling expansion continues to pay off for Illinois (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Illinois Supreme Court embarrasses itself again with Edward Burke decision (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Tipped workers in Illinois deserve the full minimum wage (Chicago Sun-Times)
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