Page 23 - November 2020

Winners and losers — an election roundup
Once again, Illinois and the country experi- enced a very interesting election. As of this writ- ing, the presidential election has not yet been de- cided, but it does look as if the Republicans will hold the U.S. Senate and the Democrats will hold the House.
In Illinois, as most anticipated, the Illinois Fair Tax Constitutional Amend- ment failed. This was a major piece of Governor Pritzker’s plan, so it means
going back to the drawing board for state govern-
ment as they craft a path through our financial trou- bles. The state will have to look at other options for revenue. This will no doubt turn into quite a contentious battle of state spending and revenue decisions.
In the Illinois House, there were about a dozen hotly con- tested races going on. The Republicans won two House seats in downstate Illinois, and surprisingly the House GOP will most likely win one or two seats in the Chicago suburban area while losing two other suburban seats. The most close- ly watched House race in Chicago was on the Northwest Side between Brad Stephens and Michelle Darbro. Most observers thought that competition would be close, but Representative Stephens won easily. It is interesting to note that most thought that the Democrats would pick up a net of several seats in the
House, but as it turned out, the Republicans have most likely gained a net seat or two.
There were really only three Senate races that appear to be much of a contest: one in the Aurora area, one in Peoria, and finally Senator Robert Martwick’s race on the Northwest Side. While the Martwick race was much closer than people thought, the Democrats won all three seats for a net gain of one seat for the Democrats in the Illinois Senate. The Democrats have supermajori- ties in both the House and the Senate currently, and
they will retain that status after the election.
On the legislative front, we continue to work with all interested parties on the racial justice proposals being dis- cussed. The Black Caucus has been holding regular meetings to discuss a variety of topics, from policing to economic poli- cies to healthcare to education. These matters will continue to be worked on this fall and next year. The legislature is sched- uled to go into session later in November, but the pandemic
may alter those plans.
The Senate has already seated one new member. As you
know, Lake County Democrat Senator Terry Link has resigned his seat after he was indicted on federal tax issues. The new senator in Lake County is Adriane Johnson.
DAVE SULLIVAN
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