THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All... Irvin, tax revenue up, abortion, Buttigieg, DNC to Chicago?
May 5, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
I was not watching the Cubs and White Sox game last night because I’m a very sad and bitter little Cubs fan, but I was sent a couple of texts that Aurora Mayor and GOP candidate for Governor Richard Irvin and his son were sitting front row with GOP National Committeeman Richard Porter.
After I tweeted the photo last night, a Republican operative texted me “his first appearance in weeks!”
Also, we told you Tuesday the Auditor General would release a scathing report on the Pritzker administration’s handling of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. The Auditor confirmed yesterday the report will be released this morning. (Affirmation, baby!)
If you aren’t one of our paid subscribers yet, I just want to point out they received three e-mails yesterday. The first was a regular Wednesday subscriber newsletter and a follow up when I was actually able to capture the TV ads I discussed in the initial newsletter. In the afternoon, we received a poll on the GOP race for Governor and subscribers got the first crack at it.
It’s the kind of information that keeps you ahead of the ballgame. It’s just $99 per year or $9.99 per month to join us. I hope you’ll join us by clicking below.
If you have any questions, please drop me a note with any questions or comments you have at patrick@theillinoize.com.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Poll: Irvin leading GOP race for Governor (The Illinoize)
Suburban GOP consulting firm Cor Strategies has released a new poll showing Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin with a 12 point lead in the race for the GOP nomination for Governor.
Venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan is at 10% at and suburban businessman Gary Rabine is at 7%.
Irvin’s challengers either need to unite or individually dominate the remainder of this race if they are to have any hope of overcoming his lead.
Related: Irvin Airing New Ads with False or Disputed Claims (The Illinoize)
Illinois tax revenue soared in April (Crain’s Chicago Business)
It may be the last big gush of money before the numbers shift, but state of Illinois tax revenues absolutely soared last month compared to a year ago.
Personal income tax receipts in April, still the state’s largest tax-paying month, hit $5.440 billion, up 99.9% from the $2.721 billion collected in April 2021.
While reporting the good news, COGFA warned it may not continue much longer, with some of the revenue boost due to one-time factors.
Bottom line: The party’s not over yet. But the state might want to cancel that order for more booze, at least now.
Abortions for out-of-state women are climbing in Illinois -- and that's sure to grow (Daily Herald)
As abortion access elsewhere has become more restrictive, Illinois providers have seen a dramatic rise in residents from neighboring states seeking the procedure here.
In 2020 alone, nearly 21% of all abortions performed in Illinois were for residents of other states, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records. Six years earlier, out-of-state residents made up 8.1% of all abortions in Illinois.
"It can be a challenge to keep up with the demand for care," said Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. "We offer many different health care services, but we are seeing an increase in patients seeking abortions who live outside the state."
The vast majority of those out-of-state patients who come to Illinois for abortion services are residents of Missouri -- 6,578 of them just in 2020. Abortion services in Missouri became so restrictive that Planned Parenthood of Missouri opened a clinic on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area, in Fairview Heights.
Related: Illinois will remain ‘beacon of hope’ for women, Pritzker vows after leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion (Chicago Sun-Times)
Abortion rights now loom as a key factor in Illinois politics in wake of Supreme Court leak (Chicago Sun-Times)
With abortion rights threatened, Illinois Democrats go on offense with eye towards November (Lee Newspapers)
Illinois has tangled history with abortion despite recent liberal push (Capitol News Illinois)
GOP governor candidates see ‘hope for Illinois’ in expected reversal of Roe v. Wade (Chicago Sun-Times)
Regarding Irvin and abortion (FOX 32)
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins local officials to hail new Joliet transit hub for Pace, Metra and Amtrak (Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he could “feel the alignment” of city, county, state and federal leaders at the new Joliet Gateway Center, a stop on his Wednesday visit to the Chicago area to discuss President Joe Biden’s bipartisan federal infrastructure bill.
A hub for Pace buses and both Metra and Amtrak trains, the center “touches one of the most basic and important parts of our daily lives,” the commute to and from work, Buttigieg said. For underserved communities lacking adequate public transportation, generations of disinvestment have meant people’s workdays “began on unpleasant terms,” he said.
Joined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, Buttigieg helped officially open the Joliet Gateway Center after a 10-year, $9.7 million face-lift. The transit hub was built around the city’s old Union Station, which was decommissioned in 2014.
Related: Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg highlights new Pace bus station in Joliet (Shaw Media)
Chicago is bidding for the 2024 Democratic National Convention (WBEZ)
Chicago’s bid to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention is official.
A nearly three-minute promotional video narrated by rapper, actor, and Chicago-native Common rotates through iconic imagery from most of the city’s 77 neighborhoods, casting the city as a diverse metropolis leading the way on many of the Democratic Party’s priorities: raising the minimum wage, protecting reproductive choice, and investing in clean energy.
“I’m proud to invite the nation to explore the Land of Lincoln and Obama and enjoy everything from our world-class museums and theaters, to our spectacular lakefront, world renowned sports teams and award-winning restaurants,” Gov Pritzker said in a statement.
The United Center played host to the 1996 DNC Convention. Before that, Chicago hadn’t hosted since 1968.
SOME TOP LINKS FROM THE WEEK SO FAR
Roe vs. Wade Ruling Would Make Little Difference in Illinois
Auditor General Report to Slam Pritzker Administration Over Handling of LaSalle COVID Deaths
New Poll Shows Irvin with 12-point Lead in GOP Primary for Governor
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