Taylor Avery
“The judge has created a tremendous amount of confusion, even in the way she wrote her decision,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. But Republican challenger Gary Rabine argued, “This chaos is the sole responsibility of failed Governor, J.B. Pritzker.”
The other four contenders in the crowded GOP gubernatorial primary have already firmed up their tickets, allowing them to begin circulating the petitions required to get them on the ballot. “It takes time to vet candidates,” Sullivan said of the delay.
Illinois logged another 6,664 COVID-19 cases on Monday – the lowest daily caseload in seven weeks. Hospitalizations and the number of deaths from the virus also dropped yet again. But that encouraging news was tempered a bit by a report of the first case of the Omicron subvariant in Illinois.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin put his first round of cash to use with a television ad portraying himself as a law-and-order candidate who “shut down the riots” as mayor amid 2020 civil unrest in Aurora, claiming he “called in the guard” to quell looting — although in reality, that power is reserved for the governor.
Although patients hospitalized with COVID-19 remained high at 5,238 occupied beds — a daily total reached last year on only a handful of days — it still meant 2,100 fewer patients hospitalized with the virus than when Illinois hit its record high on Jan. 12.
Nearly 700 fewer COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Illinois Monday night than the state’s all-time record of 7,380 set on Jan. 12. Deaths dipped, too. Although hopeful, Northwestern Medicine’s Dr. Sajal Tanna warned, “I wouldn’t let my guard down.”
Launching his campaign on the first day candidates can start gathering signatures for nominating petitions, Steve Kim became the third Republican in as many days to announce a run for statewide office in the June primary.
It’s been nearly a year since Mike Madigan left the Illinois political stage, but the once powerful Southwest Side Democrat remains a major GOP campaign theme. Republican Shannon Teresi launched her bid for comptroller with more mentions of Madigan than Democratic rival Susana Mendoza.
Calling himself a “proven fiscal watchdog,” the Republican state legislator slammed his Democratic opponent as a member of the “tax-and-spend Springfield crowd” and part of the “Springfield machine.” “Let’s speak plainly. Springfield is broken,” Demmer says in his campaign video.