Illinois Politics

Under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration and a GOP-controlled Congress, the Illinois Republican is hoping to fix problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Granite City Electoral Board ruled in favor of a local resident who had filed objections against Baumgartner and a second mayoral candidate, Kim Benda, for violating the Illinois Election Code.

The biggest political guessing game in Illinois is whether Durbin will seek a sixth term in 2026.

Budzinski, a Springfield Democrat who was elected to the 13th Congressional District seat in 2022, was called to testify about a scheme in which Madigan allegedly agreed to help then-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis secure a paid seat on a government board in 2018 and 2019.

A ruling Thursday by the federal appeals court in Chicago allows the law to remain in place while the legal controversy it’s generated continues to work its way through the courts.

Budzinski, who now represents much of the Metro East in Congress, is a former aide to Gov. JB Pritzker. Prosecutors said they plan to call members of the governor's staff to show that Madigan regularly made recommendations about appointments.

Madison County in the Metro East began flipping red in the 2010 election, and the GOP’s support has only gotten stronger. But local Democrats don’t see neighboring St. Clair County flipping anytime soon.

If signed by Gov. Pritzker, the measure would end federal minimum wage exemption in Illinois by 2030.

“I think people express their frustrations in a variety of ways,” Prtizker said during a visit to the Metro East on Thursday. “This is not something that will actually make any change in the state of Illinois.”

The nonbinding advisory referendums, which include Madison County, are seen by advocates as a way to quantify discontent with the direction of Illinois’ state government. Critics say actually forming a new state is far-fetched.