THE ILLINOIZE: What are Davis and Kinzinger thinking?...Pritzker's plan to vaccinate kids...Electric vehicle, "Health Care Right of Conscience" language emerges ahead of veto session
October 26, 2021
Good morning and welcome to what we expect to be the final week of veto session in Springfield.
By the time you read this, I’ve probably already pulled out of the suburban ranch to head down to Springfield for the 10am House Redistricting hearing. We’ll see how it goes and report back.
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As always, drop me a note anytime at patrick@theillinoize.com with what’s on your mind. If you’re floating around the statehouse this week, come say hi. I’ll be the guy in the mask.
Also, a little programming note/life development update down at the bottom, so read on, please.
Let’s get to it.
DECISION TIME NEARS FOR DAVIS AND KINZINGER
As the General Assembly prepares to adopt a new congressional map this week, two Republican congressmen directly impacted by political gerrymandering have to decide to stay and fight, or seek to move up the ranks.
Let’s start with Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville), who was drawn out of his current 13th district and into the new 15th district. The 13th was drawn to be more likely won by a Democrat, stretching from Belleville and East St. Louis to Champaign-Urbana in a long, snaking district.
The proposed new 15th surrounds the new 13th, touching the Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana borders. Donald Trump won the district by some 39 percentage points in 2020, so the 51-year-old Davis would likely receive another decade in Congress and the potential opportunity to chair the House Transportation Committee or move into a top leadership post. Davis, though, has openly flirted with the idea of running for Governor in 2022, and numerous Republicans tell us adjustments made to the congressional map appear to be an attempt by Democrats to keep Davis out of the race against Governor JB Pritzker.
Davis also appears to be the preferred candidate of Ken Griffin, the richest Illinoisan, who could help Davis go dollar to dollar against the billionaire Pritzker on the airwaves next fall.
Davis keeps a notoriously close circle and is considered a political figure who tends to follow his gut more than the advice of others. His campaign says he’s waiting for the final version of the congressional map to pass, but Davis hasn’t responded to my messages since the weekend, so he’s either not sure, or not willing to say where he stands at this point.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) has become a pariah among many Republicans for his outspoken opposition to former President Donald Trump. Saturday’s latest version of the map moves Kinzinger into the new 16th district against fellow Republican Darin LaHood (R-Peoria).
Kinzinger would likely be considered a heavy underdog if he pursued a primary race against LaHood with a heavily pro-Trump constituency in the downstate-based district.
Kinzinger’s home lies around 3.5 miles south of the new 14th district, drawn to protect Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville). According to the fabulous Illinois Election Data site and twitter feed, Attorney General Kwame Raoul won the new 14th by around 8 points in 2018 and Comptroller Susana Mendoza won the district by slightly more than one point in 2016.
If Kinzinger pursues a race with Underwood, it could be a hotly-contested member vs. member race next November. He could also choose to pursue a U.S. Senate race against Democrat Tammy Duckworth in 2022, and Senate Republicans appear to be interested in Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot.
He issued a statement following the first map release last week seemingly hinting a U.S. Senate race was on the table, but hasn’t spoken publicly since the new map was introduced over the weekend.
Kinzinger has not returned multiple messages.
PRITZKER LAYS OUT PLANS TO VACCINATE KIDS
Not going to reinvent the wheel here, Capitol News Illinois on the Governor’s announcement yesterday:
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the department has begun planning events for the following week. There are 1.1 million Illinoisans in the age 5-11 range that will become eligible for vaccination should the CDC approve it.
“I firmly believe when we begin to vaccinate our younger residents of this state, the numbers will continue to drop for the cases and the hospitalizations statewide,” she said. “We use car seats and safety restraints in vehicles. We protect our kids from cigarette smoke and secondhand smoke. We monitor the toys that they play with, and we vaccinate against vaccine preventable diseases that literally save lives. Today, I'm asking you to add COVID to that list of vaccines.”
The governor’s office said more than 2,200 providers statewide are already enrolled to provide the vaccine to children, and the state expects to receive 306,000 doses, with another 73,000 going to the city of Chicago and 100,000 doses to pharmacies.
The outreach effort will also go directly to schools, Pritzker said.
“We will be reaching out to approximately 750 public school districts that teach elementary aged students to offer them the opportunity to host parent-approved clinics right on school grounds,” he said. “We will have a team ready to go at the request of any district.”
Parents hoping to get their children vaccinated by the holiday season should call their pediatricians as soon as possible, the governor said.
It’s pretty obvious to me, at least, that the issue getting past the pandemic isn’t going to be the people who get vaccinated, or even if the vaccine is 95, 85, or 75% effective. The issue is going to be people who refuse to get the vaccine.
With the holdout adults out there, you can only imagine the number of kids who won’t be allowed to receive the vaccine. The longer this drags out, the more possibility we have for mutations and new variations that can render the (incredibly effective) vaccine we’ve received useless.
VETO SESSION DEVELOPMENTS
The legislature returns today for the final week of veto session in Springfield. After failing to accomplish much of anything last week, there is the a lot left to get to. Obviously, we’re talking about the congressional map, but there was little movement last week on repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion law or a host of other big issues.
Yesterday, though, language came forward on a major tax credit for electric vehicle manufacturing and to change the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, the rarely-invoked state law some are attempting to use to get out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates from employers.
Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) filed language yesterday to change the HCRCA, reading in part:
“It is not a violation of this Act to enforce such measures or requirements, including by terminating employment or excluding individuals from a school, a place of employment, or public or private premises in response to noncompliance.”
Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) also filed legislation (an amendment to an existing bill, to be exact) to provide tax breaks to electric vehicle manufacturers, as well as makers of electric vehicle component parts, and batteries for electric cars.
Stadelman is attempting to save production at the longtime Chrysler, now Fiat Chrysler, Belvidere Assembly Plant, which has faced numerous shutdowns this year due to microchip and staff shortages. The company that owns the plant, Stellantis, signaled earlier this year it may put $35 million in renovations into the facility for electric vehicle production, and Stadelman’s legislation appears to boost that effort. It would also likely give a boost to Bloomington-Normal electric vechicle maker Rivian, which brought a fully electric pickup to market last month.
A COUPLE OF INTERESTING LINKS
I haven’t had time to dig into these much or write anything on them, but I wanted to share them your way:
A Ukrainian Oligarch Bought a Harvard, IL Factory and Let it Rot. What Was Really Going On? (Politico Magazine)
What a shrinking newspaper costs a community (Illinois Public Radio)
There will apparently be a pro-life rally at the statehouse against the Parental Notification of Abortion repeal proposal (Chicago Tribune)
Our redistricting conversation with Rep. Tim Butler (The Illinoize)
Opinion: Dems come up with another plan to elect more judges (Champaign News-Gazette)
For what it’s worth, we still haven’t heard a peep out of the redistricting committee about about where and how subcircuits could be created. I’ll be asking Rep. Hernandez that today if she’s made available to lowlifes like me.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
My wife is due with our first baby here in a couple of weeks and I want to be able to step back a little bit to spend more time paying attention to our new little boy and less time glued to this computer until all hours of the night.
In the meantime, we’ll be asking some guest hosts to share some interesting stories and insights with you and, pending any last minute changes of plan, our friend Ben Garbarek will be sharing the Monday and Thursday Free for All e-mails with you.
I’m planning to still be around for a couple of more weeks, but you never know when these things can happen, so I just wanted to give you a heads up when I disappear for a couple of weeks.
If you’re feeling giving and want to help me buy some diapers, you can buy a subscription here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Former Congressman David Phelps, UIS Fundraising Queen Pam Hulten
Thursday: Former Senate President John Cullerton, former Rep. Jim Meyer
Friday: Former Sen. Judy Myers, a true diamond of Danville, former Rep. Mike Rotello, former Rep. Brent Hassert
Saturday: Former Congressman and 1998 Democrat nominee for Governor Glenn Poshard, Sen. Steve Stadelman,
Sunday: Former Sen. Willie Delgado (65), Champaign School Board President Amy Armstrong (Facebook lists her as 107 years old, but I don’t think that’s quite right.)
BEFORE WE GO…