Politics – Rich Miller

The Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access panel set up by the Democratic Party earlier this year released its final recommendations last week. The AHEA panel wants the state’s political parties to make their funding of candidates contingent on campaigns adopting specific policies and training. The panel was created in the wake of numerous sexual harassment allegations […]

The first gubernatorial debate of the 2018 general election was almost all heat and no light. Instead of talking about where they want to take the state, the candidates focused mainly on delivering rehearsed zingers at other people in the race. Gov. Bruce Rauner and Sen. Sam McCann, the Conservative Party candidate, crafted some of […]

 Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign-reset speech last week has been described as “contrite,” a “mea culpa” and even an “apology.” I actually do believe, as Rauner claimed, that he’s “grown” in office. He had to be dragged kicking and screaming into it, but he’s grown some. After losing the budget and tax hike veto battle last […]

 The J.B. Pritzker campaign slapped a new label on Gov. Bruce Rauner the other day, calling him “Governor Veto” because he’s vetoed several bills that the Democratic candidate supports. Since the legislative session ended, Gov. Rauner has vetoed 75 bills. By my count, 44 passed with veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers. The governor issued […]

I’ve told you about the non-binding referendums to be held in dozens of Downstate counties designed to entice pro-gun voters to the polls, but that’s not the end of the story. “Shall the [local county board] pass a resolution that opposes any gun control legislation in the Illinois General Assembly?” most of the Downstate ballot […]

 If you were wondering whether the latest NBC/Marist poll showing Gov. Bruce Rauner trailing JB Pritzker by 16 points was enough to take the wind out of the incumbent, you only had to look to an event last week for an answer. Rauner, along with other major statewide candidates, spoke to the Illinois Agricultural Legislative […]

The Democratic Party of Illinois has sent out what could wind up being the most unintentionally hilarious campaign mailer of the season. “Mica Freeman’s Plan: No Budget, No Pay,” the DPI mailer blares on behalf of the Democratic candidate challenging Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield). “If politicians in Springfield don’t do their job and balance the […]

 Lake County politics has been rocked to the core this month by the abrupt resignation of state Rep. Nick Sauer (R-Lake Barrington) and the announcement by Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor that he is dropping out of his re-election campaign after earlier disclosing that he was suffering from drug addiction. It’s really a mess […]

 Last month, Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) was interviewed by Chicago Public Radio about his new role as interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Mitchell was asked at one point about what the state party planned to do to counter Dan Proft’s newspaper empire. Proft, a conservative activist and radio talk show host, […]

President Donald Trump visited an Illinois county last week which was once considered a Democratic Party bastion but has been slipping away to the Republicans throughout this decade. Madison County, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, has been known for two things for as long as most can remember: union workers and trial […]

 A couple of years ago, a little more than 1,400 voters took Democratic primary ballots in sparsely populated Warren County, which is about an hour west of Peoria. Almost twice that many took Republican ballots. The Warren County Democratic Central Committee is not exactly a campaign powerhouse. The organization officially opened its PAC with $923.72 […]

Right up front, let’s just stipulate that the recent appointment of state Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ interim executive director will not usher in an immediate sea change. First, this is a temporary, part-time gig. Rep. Mitchell told me he has no interest in staying on after the election and […]