In this week’s edition of Spotlight Politics:
Political intrigue as Democrats have their day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday. But Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate Leader Don Harmon were all notably absent at the main event, which marks the unofficial kickoff to campaign season.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, says he is not ruling out a run for reelection, provided the Democrats don’t draw him out of the new congressional map. Davis has for months been touted as a possible candidate to run against Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022, but says his preference would be to return to Congress.
A trial date has been set for members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle in the ComEd bribery scandal.
A WTTW News analysis finds that the Chicago City Council committee led by indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th Ward) spent more and did less than nearly every other committee in 2020.
An indoor mask mandate for Chicago residents ages 2 and up returns Friday as the city’s fourth surge in COVID-19 infections, driven by the delta variant, shows no sign of slowing.
And the Chicago Teachers Union says it has not reached a deal with Chicago Public Schools on safety precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19 ahead of a return to in-person learning, set for Aug. 30.
Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone takes on those stories and more.
