THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Pritzker/Mitchell...State revenue growing?
July 3, 2025
Good morning, Illinois.
No newsletter tomorrow, subscribers. Enjoy your Independence Day holiday. We’ll be back next week.
If you want to get the same kind of news paid subscribers do, you should join us today.
Governor JB Pritzker doesn’t have anything on his public schedule today.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Gov. JB Pritzker’s running mate is a fellow Chicagoan, but says he will ‘represent all of Illinois’ (Chicago Tribune)
During an appearance at a Bronzeville restaurant on Wednesday with his new running mate, Gov. JB Pritzker dismissed any suggestion that he was ignoring other areas of the state when he chose a fellow Chicagoan for his 2026 reelection bid.
The governor a day earlier announced he had selected Christian Mitchell, a former state representative for parts of the South Side and a former deputy governor, to run as lieutenant governor, and their visit to Peach’s restaurant on 47th Street was their first public joint appearance.
“When you’re a state rep, you don’t just represent the people in your district. You are also are voting on things that are good for people all across the state,” Pritzker said, standing next to Mitchell by a case of sweet drinks and cake in the crowded restaurant. “We have passed bills that have been highly beneficial to job creation, expansion of health care, funding of education for people who live in — whether it’s Anna, Carbondale or Quincy or Champaign.”
Pritzker’s partner in his first two terms, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, is running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, which left the position open. Stratton and Mitchell are both Black and live on the South Side, bringing a different perspective to the ticket than the governor.
The Chicago versus downstate dynamic in has been an source of friction in state politics for years, and Pritzker’s choice figures to play into that issue going forward. For his part, Mitchell, 38, said he is ready to meet people from all over Illinois.
“In a tavern, at a bar, at a coffee shop, I’m willing to go anywhere, because my goal is to represent all of Illinois,” he said, after he and Pritzker spent about a half hour greeting a crowd of supporters and early lunch customers at Peach’s, whose website features a photo of former President Barack Obama at the restaurant’s counter.
Mitchell’s agenda as a legislator meshed closely with Pritzker’s initiatives during the governor’s two terms. Mitchell was among a group of legislators who called for a task force to study the possible legalization of recreational marijuana, and he introduced a proposal to eliminate cash bail — both ideas that eventually became reality after Pritzker became governor.
During the 2018 election cycle, Mitchell also served as executive director of the Illinois Democratic Party, becoming the first African American to hold the position. He was a deputy governor in the Pritzker administration from 2019 to 2023 and a lead strategist on energy issues, including the landmark 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
Since 2023, he’s overseen government relations and other offices at the University of Chicago, his alma mater.
Pritzker has repeatedly said the next lieutenant governor will have to fill the legacy being left by Stratton.
Related: Gov. JB Pritzker taps running mate with experience in government and a life story different from his own (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker taps Christian Mitchell as lieutenant governor pick in campaign for third term (Chicago Sun-Times)
Pritzker selects former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell as running mate (Capitol News Illinois)
Pritzker names former state lawmaker as running mate (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Editorial: Why Gov. Pritzker’s choice for his second-in-command really matters this time (Chicago Tribune)
State ends fiscal year with record revenue (Capitol News Illinois)
Despite uncertainty over the economy and federal funding during the second half of fiscal year 2025, the year closed on June 30 with the state setting a new record for annual revenue.
Numbers compiled by the independent Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability show FY25 concluded with $54 billion in revenue, the most the state has ever received in a fiscal year. The state also brought in $717 million more in revenue than lawmakers originally budgeted for when they passed a $53.3 billion budget in May 2024.
All told, the final revenue numbers track closely with projections made in May by both COGFA and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget that formed the basis of the FY26 budget. In other words, June revenues produced no surprises, and lawmakers aren’t sitting on any substantial surplus as the new fiscal year begins.
The record revenues also don’t alleviate any uncertainty for the current or future fiscal years as Congress considers drastic reductions to the social safety net and aid to states.
Strong personal income tax growth drove the revenue increase in FY25, largely thanks to a “true up” conducted by the Department of Revenue that reallocated business related income tax revenue into the personal income tax category. Personal income tax revenue was 10% higher than in FY24, but corporate income taxes declined by 9.5%.
Some other revenue sources also saw minimal growth. Sales tax revenue grew by less than 1%, though COGFA noted it increased by nearly 3% in the second half of FY25 after a weak start last summer as gas prices dropped and people cut back on large purchases amid growing economic uncertainty.
Federal income was also down 4.6% in FY25, even when excluding one-time pandemic relief funds the state received in FY24. But in a bright spot for the state, COGFA found that state revenue sources grew more than anticipated to offset the $178 million decline in federal revenue.
Despite solid revenue growth this year, questions remain about how well it will perform in FY26.
Related: Editorial: Drivers, sports bettors, vapers and Airbnb users won’t be toasting this fiscal new year in Illinois (Chicago Tribune)
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Pritzker signs health care legislation (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois joins 20 states suing after Trump administration releases private Medicaid data to deportation officials (Chicago Tribune)
The cost of entry is crushing Illinois' cannabis entrepreneurs (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Fundraising leader Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi adds $3.1 million to massive Senate war chest (Chicago Sun-Times)
Republican state lawmaker won’t run for Congress in 14th District after all (Daily Herald)
State Rep. Hoan Huynh joins crowded race to replace Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Drivers, sports bettors, vapers and Airbnb users won’t be toasting this fiscal new year in Illinois (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: The cost of entry is crushing Illinois' cannabis entrepreneurs (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Michelle Obama is quitting politics. Or is she? (Crain’s Chicago Business)
JOIN US