EFFINGHAM — The cost of living isn’t cheap in Illinois. For many, energy costs are a particular concern this summer with hot weather and high inflation. Some constituents are looking for answers. “I had a disabled veteran call me the other day…and he said his electric bill from Ameren went from in round numbers…$200 a
The Illinois governor said he wouldn’t oppose President Joe Biden, and he lacks the name recognition of other potential candidates. But he’s hitting the national circuits. It’s the summer of 2024. The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago. President Joe Biden, after vowing to seek a second term, dropped his re-election plans because voters turned
SPRINGFIELD – Four months before the general election, six incumbent state lawmakers appeared primed for an early rejection by voters based on unofficial tallies this week. The longest-serving of the incumbents to lose their primary election was Democratic Rep. Mike Zalewski, of Riverside, a founding member of the House’s “Mod Squad” of moderate Democrats. He
On July 1, Governor J.B. Pritzker froze a proposed gas tax hike, while suspending the grocery tax on certain items. These were two of many initiatives meant to quell rising inflation. Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, described inflation as a time when “most prices are rising,” as
DECATUR – Decatur business owner Regan Deering won the 13th Congressional district Republican primary on Tuesday after a close race. In November, she will face former aide to President Joe Biden, Nikki Budzinski, who secured a decisive victory in the district’s Democratic primary. Budzinski said she anticipated a challenge in November, despite her advantage in
TAYLORVILLE – A decade-long career in Congress will soon come to an end for central Illinois’ Rodney Davis. Last night, Davis conceded to primary challenger Mary Miller, whose campaign leaned on her ties to former President Donald Trump. In a 15th district race that was expected to be a nail-biter, Congresswoman Miller ousted Congressman Davis
Griffin, who was the state’s richest man, reaped a weak return on his millions. But packaging magnate Dick Uihlein’s support for gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey paid off. CHICAGO — A big chunk of money from the state’s richest man could not buy much Republican primary love for conservative businessman Ken Griffin’s slate of candidates in
State Sen. Darren Bailey, who gained statewide notoriety challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s pandemic executive order authority in court, will be the incumbent’s challenger in the November general election. As of about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Bailey had carried over 55 percent of the GOP vote from a field of six candidates, while tallies were unofficial. “Tonight
12:40 a.m.: SPRINGFIELD — Suburban Chicago personal injury lawyer Kathy Salvi has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Illinois. Salvi topped a field of seven candidates Tuesday to win the nod to take on first-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth in November. Duckworth is a veteran of the Iraq War and is very
MENDON – On a sweltering day in Adams County, Illinois, former President Donald Trump spoke in front of thousands of exuberant supporters, highlighting his endorsement of first-term Congresswoman Mary Miller and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. Supporters of former president Trump and Congresswoman Miller were energized after the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Miller called it
URBANA — Friday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was met with impassioned backlash in Champaign County. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Champaign organized a 100 person-plus rally Friday evening in support of abortion-rights. Abortion-rights supporters circled downtown Urbana and the edge of the University of Illinois. They put a halt
SPRINGFIELD – Republican voters in Illinois will choose from six candidates to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in the upcoming June 28 primary. The field includes a conservative farmer and state lawmakers who is the recent polling frontrunner, the mayor of Illinois’ second largest city, a former state senator and three political newcomers. Darren Bailey,
QUINCY – Former President Donald Trump came to west-central Illinois Saturday to deliver his “complete and total endorsement” for state Sen. Darren Bailey, giving the ultraconservative downstate lawmaker gold-plated momentum heading into Tuesday’s six-way gubernatorial primary. Trump also reiterated his stamp of approval for “ultra-MAGA” downstate Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller in her closely watched primary against
With less than a week until the primary election in Illinois, the buzz in the state’s newly redrawn 15th Congressional District is centered on a “Save America” rally this Saturday (June 25) at the Adams County Fairgrounds, northeast of Quincy, with former President Donald Trump and Congresswoman Mary Miller. Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln
URBANA – The next U.S. House select committee hearing on the events of Jan. 6 will be in July, following the June 23 hearing. But two members of Congress competing in next week’s Illinois Republican primary — Rodney Davis and Mary Miller — aren’t paying much attention to the committee’s findings. Dr. John Jackson, a