Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears at an event for law enforcement officers on Feb. 20, 2023, in Elmhurst. (WTTW News)

The Chicago area was DeSantis’ third stop after visiting New York and Philadelphia, so the tour will certainly be cast as part of his early exploration of a White House run.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the law Tuesday night , hours after it passed the legislature on the final day of the General Assembly’s session, and roughly six months since the July 4 mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade.

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On Monday evening, the Illinois state Senate passed an assault weapons bill with some changes to the version passed by the House on Friday. The bill will now return to the House for a concurring vote before heading to the governor’s desk.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks to the media on Nov. 9, 2022. (WTTW News)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is not only the party figurehead. He’s also a billionaire, who over the past two years, has spent at least $150 million on his and other Democrats’ campaigns.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks the day after his re-election on Nov. 9, 2022. (Alonzo Stallings / WTTW News)

Just minutes after polls closed in Illinois, the Associated Press called the race for the incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Voters line up to cast their ballots during early voting on Nov. 7, 2022, in Chicago. (WTTW News)

Illinois voters on Tuesday will decide races ranging from who will be the next governor and secretary of state, to whether the state will amend its constitution. We break down the races. 

State Sen. Darren Baily, the GOP nominee for governor, speaks at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 18, 2022. (WTTW News)
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Scott Lennox bragged to friends about sending the message, according to Cook County prosecutors, which led to Darren Bailey requesting additional security for himself and his family and to a soft lockdown at the school Bailey runs with his wife.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey debate on Oct. 18, 2022. (Credit: WGN)

The final debate in the race for governor turns out to be short on substance but high on name-calling. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot uses her 2023 budget to show off progressive policies, despite being at odds with Chicago’s progressive political community. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

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Early voting begins in Chicago on Friday, but voters will have fewer opportunities to be informed about the positions of those on the ballot because there are fewer debates. It’s a national trend, though one that’s difficult to measure.

Pastor Brian Phillips, Darren Bailey and Cindy Bailey at the Grove Fellowship in Poplar Grove on Aug. 21, 2022. (Credit: The Grove Fellowship / Facebook)

Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for Illinois governor, has campaigned with two pastors who were on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the riots on Jan. 6. Bailey appeared on stage with one of them during a service last Sunday.

State Sen. Darren Baily, the GOP nominee for governor, speaks at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 18, 2022. (WTTW News)

In Illinois, where Democrats hold both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats, all statewide executive offices and super-majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, GOP nominee for governor, state Senator and farmer Darren Bailey is hoping to ride in on a tractor.

Darren Bailey appears in a 2017 social media video. (Facebook)

The Republican nominee for Illinois governor, Darren Bailey, is feeling the backlash from both sides of the aisle for comparing abortion to the Holocaust. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

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Monday’s shooting in Highland Park has sparked discussions about what Illinois can and should be doing in terms of gun control, especially given the state issued a firearm owners identification card to the alleged shooter even after police filed a “clear and present danger” report on him.

State Sen. Darren Bailey and Gov. J.B. Pritzker. (WTTW News)

Fresh off an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, downstate farmer and state Sen. Darren Bailey appears to have coasted to a win the six-way Republican contest for Illinois governor. We take a look at the statewide election results and what they mean for November. 

Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey speaks to voters during a campaign stop in Athens, Ill., June 14, 2022. (AP Photo / John O'Connor, File)

In the Republican race for governor in Illinois, Darren Bailey, a farmer endorsed by former President Donald Trump, wants to end the state’s right to abortion except for instances in which the mother’s life is in danger. He doesn’t support exceptions for rape or incest. His opponent, Richard Irvin, has said he would allow abortions in instances of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is at risk.