Illinois Primaries Kick Off, and They’re Not Just Presidential 👉 Updatem News

Real estate transfer taxes, the Israel-Gaza war, and competing allegations of ethics violations are worth watching in Chicago and the Land of Lincoln.

Illinois is holding primaries this Tuesday, March 19—and while the presidential contests are now of less interest, they won’t be the only races that day in the Land of Lincoln.

That day’s contests saw President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secure delegate majorities to their respective party conventions. Both men are now presumptive nominees for the presidency.

“We now have to go on to victory because our country’s in serious trouble,” Mr. Trump said in a victory speech after the races.

President Trump’s last serious rival in the GOP, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, dropped out after delegate-heavy contests on March 5, Super Tuesday.

She won a single state, Vermont, during that set of races. Ms. Haley has not yet endorsed President Trump.

Other Illinois Races and Referenda

The Illinois State Board of Elections has a list of all offices up for election across the state on March 19, ranging from the Prairie Dupont Levee and Sanitary District, near St. Louis, to circuit and subcircuit judgeships in various districts.

Voters can choose between the Democrat and Republican primary ballots.

Chicagoans will be able to choose nominees for U.S. representative, state senator, state representative, Water Reclamation District commissioner, Cook County circuit court clerk, Cook County state’s attorney, Cook County commissioner, Board of Review commissioner, Illinois Supreme Court judge, Illinois Appellate Court judge, circuit court judge, and subcircuit judge.

In addition, they will be able to vote on their ward committeeperson and both regular and alternate delegates to their party’s national convention.

Chicagoans will also be able to vote on various referenda, some localized to specific precincts within particular wards.

For example, voters in the Ward 7’s 8th precinct will be able to weigh in on a possible community benefits agreement (CBA) “to prevent the displacement of renters, condo and home owners in South Shore in light of the impact of the Obama Center.”

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker speaks during a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Sept. 28, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

One major ballot question in the Windy City is on the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum, an initiative supported by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

It proposes to raise taxes on real estate transfers of more than $1,000,000 to fund “permanent affordable housing and the services necessary to obtain and maintain permanent housing in the City of Chicago” for the homeless.

It would also lower taxes on real estate transfers of less than $1,000,000.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled on March 13 that votes on the measure will be counted.

That upholds an appellate court decision overturning a Cook County judge’s decision to discount votes on the measure, which has drawn opposition from the real estate industry.

There will be referenda on various other issues on ballots across the state, such as school funding.

Noteworthy Races

One key primary will be the Democrats’ contest in Illinois’ 6th District. The district covers parts of Cook and DuPage counties, encompassing heavily Arab American sections of the southwestern suburbs.

Incumbent Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), born in Ireland to American energy recycling entrepreneur Thomas Casten, is facing two challengers, Nicor Gas operations technician Charles Hughes and public health administrator Mahnoor Ahmad.

Pakistan-born Ms. Ahmad is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while Mr. Hughes, born in Chicago, advocates a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine problem.

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 8, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Every part of the world is rising up and turning against what Israel is doing. We cannot go on like this. It is unsustainable to be with the status quo right now,” Ms. Ahmad said in a December 2023 interview with Ray Hanania on US Arab Radio.

Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) will also face numerous Democrat primary challengers for his 7th District seat, which covers much of the West and South Sides of Chicago.

The Intercept reported that Mr. Davis allegedly used money from his office for campaign advertising, according to a complaint from a constituent to the House Ethics Committee.

One of his opponents, Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the wife of 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin, has dealt with ethics-related scrutiny, too.

In late 2023, the Chicago Board of Ethics ratified a determination from City of Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg that the treasurer fired a pair of city workers after they warned her she was violating ethical guidelines by using official resources to promote a prayer meeting.

The city reached a $100,000 settlement with the employees preventing them from discussing their experiences, according to the Chicago Tribune.

WTTW reported that a scheduled March 11 Ethics Board meeting investigating Ms. Conyears-Ervin did not convene because a majority of the board couldn’t attend.

Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin listens as her press secretary, Yolanda Joe, speaks during an interview at Conyears-Ervin’s office in City Hall in Chicago, on Nov. 21, 2019. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Mr. Davis’s opponents on March 19 also include Kina Collins, a community organizer who has run for his seat twice before.

She came within striking distance in the 2022 Democratic primary, receiving 45.7 percent of the vote to Mr. Davis’s 51.9 percent.

Educator Nikhil Bhatia and Kouri Marshall, deputy director of personnel for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, are in the running too.

The Republican primary contest in Illinois’ 17th District, ranked competitive but “Lean Democrat” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, also deserves some attention.

First-term incumbent Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), a former television meteorologist, isn’t facing any challengers within his party in the primary.

But he only won his seat by four percent in the 2022 general election, besting Republican and U.S. Army reservist Esther Joy King 52 percent to 48 percent.

That suggests the winner of the March 19 Republican contest could give Mr. Sorensen a serious challenge several months from now, particularly if the national party concentrates more of its attention and resources on not losing the House.

Farmer Scott Crowl, who formerly led the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, is facing retired Judge Joe McGraw.

Illinois state Sen. Darin LaHood speaks on Sept. 10, 2015, in Peoria, Ill. (Ron Johnson/Journal Star via AP)

Both men have emphasized their concern with the situation at the United States’ southern border.

Mr. McGraw boasts endorsements from a slew of local and even national political leaders, including Reps. Darrin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).

Mr. Crowl’s campaign website doesn’t have endorsements on par with Mr. McGraw’s. It does describe him as “an American First Republican.”

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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