In this combination photo, President Joe Biden speaks May 2, 2024, in Wilmington, N.C., left, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, May 1, 2024, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo)

Exactly six months before Election Day, Biden and Trump are locked in the first contest in 112 years with a current and former president competing for the White House. It’s a race that is at once deeply entrenched and highly in flux. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pictured on the state House floor on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)
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State legislators would need to vote by May 5 to place a question on the November ballot, and key players indicate there’s no effort to do so despite earlier talk at state government’s highest levels after Roe v. Wade was dismantled by the U.S. Supreme Court almost two years ago.

The Illinois State Board of Elections building is pictured in Springfield. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

Voter turnout for the March 19 Illinois primary election was 19.07%, the lowest in at least the last 50 years, according to official vote totals certified Friday by state election officials.

A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen, May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, File)

Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.

Joe Walsh, left, and Fred Guttenberg appear on “Chicago Tonight” on April 8, 2024. (WTTW News)

Joe Walsh, former Republican congressman for Illinois, and Fred Guttenberg, a gun safety advocate whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was murdered in the Parkland school shooting in 2018, have come together for their ‘Two Dads Defending Democracy' tour.

President Joe Biden, center, arrives on Air Force One at Dane County Regional Airport for an event on student loan debt at Madison College, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden said Monday that college graduates would see “life-changing” relief from his new plan to ease debt burdens for more than 30 million borrowers, the latest attempt by the Democratic president to make good on a campaign promise that could buoy his standing with young voters.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks Sept. 22, 2020, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon, File)

As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a third time, he is being vigorously opposed by a vocal contingent of former officials who are stridently warning against his return to power and offering dire predictions for the country and the rule of law if his campaign succeeds.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at a rally in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo / Mike Roemer)
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In an unusual order, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had asked prosecutors and defense lawyers to formulate proposed jury instructions for most of the charges even though it remains unclear when the case might reach trial.

Challenger Sharon Waller bested incumbent Daniel “Pogo” Pogorzelski in the Democratic race to claim a seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s board of commissioners. (Provided)

Challenger Sharon Waller has bested incumbent Daniel “Pogo” Pogorzelski in the Democratic race to claim a seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s board of commissioners, according to unofficial results from the Chicago Board of Elections released Tuesday evening.

Eileen O’Neill Burke celebrates her victory in the Democratic contest for Cook County state's attorney at the headquarters of the Plumbers' and Technical Engineers Local Union 130 on April 1, 2024. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris conceded about an hour after Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory Friday afternoon after the latest vote count showed her leading by 1,566 votes in a race where more than 527,000 votes were cast.

Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory in the Democratic race for Cook County state’s attorney. (Provided)

Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory Friday afternoon after the latest vote count showed her leading by 1,566 votes in a race where more than 527,000 votes were cast. O’Neill Burke said she had a “mathematically insurmountable lead.”

A Chicago polling place on March 19, 2024. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

According to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College, Hispanic voters could be favoring former President Donald J. Trump over President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election, but sample size limits exact conclusions about the support. 

The Illinois State Board of Elections building is pictured in Springfield. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

A panel of federal judges seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law.

Eileen O’Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III. (WTTW News)

The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 48 hours.

(WTTW News)

Nearly 80% of voters in two precincts of the 7th Ward endorsed a referendum asking whether Ald. Greg Mitchell and Mayor Brandon Johnson should support “a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance to prevent the displacement of renters, condo & home owners in South Shore in light of the impact of the Obama Center and growing development in the area.”

Eileen O’Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III. (WTTW News)

For the first time since Election Day, Eileen O’Neill Burke widened her lead slightly over Clayton Harris III as election officials in Chicago and suburban Cook County counted ballots. The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 24 hours.