Early voting in the Illinois General Election began last Thursday. With that in mind, the crack staff here at Heretic, Rebel a Thing to Flout have completed their investigations and consultations to present our endorsements. As is our custom here, we will drill down from the top-of-the-ticket state-wide races down through Congressional Races in McHenry County, to county-wide and County Board Races.
We make no apologies for endorsing a straight Democratic ticket. In this hour of national emergency threatening the future of Democracy itself and innumerable outrages, voting is a critical and essential act of Resistance. Republicans at every level are either Trump cultists, MAGA fanatics, enablers, or dupes. None can whistle-by-the-graveyard and claim to be uninvolved. Their very insistence on remaining Republican legitimizes the naked edge of Fascism.
U.S. Senate
Lt. Governor Julia Stratton is an easy pick over Dan Tracy, a former Republican State Chair who previously was whooped by Tammy Duckworth ten years ago. She will continue the steady leadership of retiring Senator Dick Durban and be a powerful advocate of Illinois's progressive values.
Governor and Lt. Governor
J.B. Pritzker has earned re-election to a third term. He took over a state mired in debt and badly mismanaged under his Republican predecessor and managed to slash the debt and repeatedly restore the Illinois bond ratings saving taxpayers multi-millions while increasing essential services and acting to protect vulnerable targets of MAGA rage--immigrants, reproductive rights, ballot access, LGBTQ+ rights, especially threatened Trans youth. He has emerged as one of the leading critics of Donald Trump and is widely considered a possible top contender for the 2028 Presidential nomination. His opponent is folky Down State agribusiness operator Christian Nationalist Darren Bailey whose positions are so extreme that Pritzker trounced him four years ago. This time the Governor's campaign just re-rolled out the same TV ads they used for years ago to ridicule his stand on abortions rights, slavish devotion to Trump, and his endorsement of Biblical literalism in education, including his belief the dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time.
Former State Representative and Pritzker's Deputy Governor Chistian Mitchel is on the Ticket for Lt. Governor.
Attorney General
In his two terms as Kwami Raoul has become a recognized leader of Democratic Attorney Generals in challenging the depredations of the national maladministration and corporate pillagers. He has ardently defended ballot access and election integrity. His opponent is political gad fly and former Democratic Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti.
Comptroller
Margaret Croke is Gov. Pritzker's hand-picked choice for state Comptroller. She currently represents Chicago neighborhoods in the General Assembly and had previous experience as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and was a key political operative in Hillary Clinton's 2016 Illinois campaign, for former Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel and the Governor himself. She narrowly won the most hotly contested race in the Spring Primary and faces obscure Republican non-entity and sacrificial lamb, Bryan Drew.
Treasurer
Michael W. Frerichs is the very tall two-term state Treasurer. Like most of the rest of the state-wide office holders he would like to climb the ladder to higher office, but advancement is blocked as long as Pritzker remains governor. He will faithfully continue in his current job until the log jam breaks. His popularity is attested by no Republican opponent in his re-election bid.
The very high-profile Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is one of those ambitious pols but didn't just wait patiently in line. He is not only running for re-election to his current job,but is one of the leading candidates to challenge Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago next spring. Highlighting "actually standing up to Donald Trump" and backed by deep pockets in the Greek-American Community he has flooded the airways with TV ads for both offices. It is often difficult to distinguish which office the spots are for. Perhaps it doesn't matter. More voters will know his name than anyone on either ballot except Pritzker. Diane Harris is his nominal Republican opponent for re-election.
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