Illinois Politics & News
The Daily Signal examines Illinois’ political landscape, fiscal crises, pension problems, and the stark divide between Chicago’s progressive leadership and conservative priorities statewide.
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Good Riddance to Kim Foxx, Chicago’s Soros-Backed Rogue Prosecutor
The first big city, George Soros-backed rogue prosecutor, Chicago’s Kim Foxx, announced Tuesday that she won’t seek reelection next year as the state’s attorney of Cook County, Illinois. In a defensive, rambling speech at the City Club of Chicago, the controversial Foxx, a Democrat, claimed that she never wanted to make a career out of…Cully Stimson -
Promoting Lawlessness in Chicago
“As long as there exist stupid people supporting stupid governments in their countries, people living in those countries will continue fluttering badly in the cesspool created by this utter foolishness!”—Turkish playwright Mehmet Murat ildan That didn’t take long. The mayor-elect of Chicago, Democrat Brandon Johnson, responded to a group of teenagers who attacked cars and…Cal Thomas -
In Chicago, Good People Must Fend for Themselves in Heart of City
During the riotous mayhem that hit the Chicago downtown Loop last weekend, mobs of young people looted stores and injured innocent bystanders. A woman was savagely beaten. The car of an Indianapolis couple was attacked while they were inside. The husband was hospitalized with minor injuries. All of this was just the mob action caught…Jarrett Stepman -
Crime-Ridden Chicago Term-Limits Failed Mayor Lori Lightfoot With Landslide Loss
A Democratic mayor in a big, blue city with escalating crime, civil dysfunction, and a crumbling economy lost an election Tuesday night. Can you guess what her excuse for defeat was? I’m sure you can guess. It was racism and sexism that brought down Chicago’s black, lesbian mayor—who won her initial election with more than…Jarrett Stepman -
Voting With Their Feet: People Leaving Illinois by Tens of Thousands
Lots of people complain. But when they’re really fed up, they “vote with their feet.” And by that metric, Illinois is one of the most unpopular states in the nation. The latest Census Bureau data show that the Land of Lincoln is hemorrhaging people at an astonishing rate—and public policy there is likely to blame. From July…EJ Antoni -
Growing List of Illinois Counties Vote to Leave Illinois, Form New State
A growing list of Illinois counties disenfranchised with the goings-on in Cook County have voted in nonbinding resolutions to leave Illinois and form a new state. Residents in three more counties—Brown, Hardin, and a portion of Madison County—voted in favor of a nonbinding resolution allowing their county board to explore the possibility of leaving the…Kevin Bessler -
Chicago Requires COVID-19 Vaccinations for Election Workers During Early Voting
Chicago is requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination for election workers at early voting sites, but the move won’t affect poll watchers on Election Day, the city’s election board says. The requirement is “contradictory, arbitrary, and downright silly,” said Carol Davis, chairman of the Illinois Conservative Union. Davis noted that rumors are flying and she…Fred Lucas -
How Gender Ideology Cost a Chicago Mother Custody of Her Child
Jeannette Cooper never imagined she’d lose custody of her only child. A Chicago resident and lifelong educator who spent her entire adult life surrounded by children, Cooper considered herself a loving and responsible mother. After she and her husband divorced in 2015, she won custody of their daughter six days and seven nights a week. …Kelsey Bolar -
A Company Flees Illinois for Florida, Showing Red States’ Appeal
In late June, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker traveled to New Hampshire to be the keynote speaker at New Hampshire’s Democratic Party state convention. Officially, he was there to “help other Democratic governors get elected” and to lobby for Chicago as the site of the party’s 2024 presidential convention. Unofficially, there was buzz that Pritzker…Karol Markowicz -
Chicago Schools Tell Teachers Sex Is ‘Socially Constructed,’ Tell Them to Hide Students’ Gender Pronouns From Parents
A Chicago Public Schools training program tells teachers that sex is a “socially constructed” phenomenon and instructs them to hide students’ gender pronouns from their parents, Fox News reported. Chicago Public Schools told teachers that “gender and sex” are social constructs that have been “created and enforced” by society and threatened retaliatory measures if they…Kendall Tietz -
Chicago Public Schools Forced to Cancel School After Teachers Union Votes to Move to Remote Learning
The Chicago Teachers Union voted Tuesday to move to remote learning Wednesday, citing concerns over safety amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the union said in a press release. The Chicago Teachers Union’s elected House of Delegates voted in favor (88%) of a resolution to return to remote education amid the surge of COVID-19 cases and the…Kendall Tietz -
Chicago Public Schools’ New ‘Gender Equity’ Restroom Policy Ignores Biology, Invades Students’ Privacy
Chicago Public Schools are now requiring schools in the district to ensure all restrooms are “gender-neutral,” erasing single-sex spaces for males and females alike. That will be not only harmful to the safety and privacy of young people, it’s also yet another disheartening decision to ignore biological differences between the sexes and to create an…Nicole Russell -
Illinois School District Violates Civil Rights Law, Calls It ‘Equity’
According to a lawsuit filed by the Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of teacher Stacy Deemar, the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 in northern Illinois has been forcing its teachers and students to engage in programming that discriminates against individuals on the basis of race in violation of both federal civil rights law and the U.S….Sarah Parshall Perry -
Chicago Mayor ‘Absolutely’ Would Deny Interviews Again to White Reporters
Judicial Watch announced Tuesday that it has amended its lawsuit against Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat who claims to be “unapologetic” about her previous policy of granting interviews only to journalists of color. Lightfoot told The New York Times for a podcast released Monday that she “would absolutely” implement the interview policy again. “I’m…Steven Hall -
Chicago Schools to Give Free Birth Control to Fifth Graders
Chicago Public Schools’ top doctor, Kenneth Fox, has been a pediatrician for 30 years. As Chicago schools move to make condoms available to students in the name of “prevention,” Fox is leading the way. According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times, Fox believes, “Young people have the right to accurate and clear information to…Meg Kilgannon -
Illinois Needs Meaningful Election Reform
Questionable electoral practices in Illinois—especially in Chicago—have been a long-running plot line in American politics. Need a few extra votes? Better check Cook County again. That’s what makes Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s endorsement of, and signature on, Illinois’ recent election bill so inexplicable. He said that “Illinois is proud to stand up for a strong, secure, and accessible democracy.” Nice words, if they were…Hans von Spakovsky -
Illinois Democrats Launch a Cultural Revolution in the Classroom
In these head-spinning times, first principles about government are all in play: what it’s for, and how it relates to the people. Not long ago, Democrat and Republican politicians and activists differed over priorities: More guns or more butter? Today, the parties differ more fundamentally over the purpose, role, and function of government itself. The foundational…Don Tracy -
US Civil Rights Commissioner Slams Chicago Mayor for Barring White Reporters From Interviews
Peter Kirsanow, a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, blasted Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s policy that barred white reporters from interviewing her in a letter Monday. The Daily Caller News Foundation and Judicial Watch sued Lightfoot after she announced her policy on Twitter May 19. Thomas Catenacci, a foundation reporter, was denied…Andrew Trunsky -
Chicago Public Schools Teachers Paid $2.3 Billion Even Though They Refused Classroom Teaching
For the first time since March 2020, 20,927 full-time teachers in the Chicago Public Schools system may be headed into Chicago classrooms, after approximately 13,000 Chicago Teachers Union members voted to go back. In 2020, Chicago taxpayers spent $2.3 billion on teacher payroll, while 347,476 enrolled Chicago Public Schools schoolchildren logged on from home. That’s an average annual teacher compensation package…Adam Andrzejewski -
National Guard Moves Into Chicago to Quell Possible Election Unrest
Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has mobilized the National Guard to Chicago in preparation for potential unrest in the days following the 2020 general election. Pritzker said he’s putting the military personnel “in state of readiness,” as he claimed the election results for the state may not be available until “Wednesday, or Thursday, or even…Jake Dima