Rigging the Map 

On Monday, April 20, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch filed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 (HJRCA 28), a proposal to amend the state constitution and redefine how legislative and congressional districts are drawn.

After suspending the rules to fast-track this legislation, House Democrats moved the measure out of committee on a partisan vote. It was quickly moved to the House floor where the Democrats voted 74 to 38 to pass it.… Continue Reading

In his excellent history of the 20th century, Modern Times, Paul Johnson quotes one of Stalin’s economists: “Our task is not to study economics but to change it. We are bound by no laws.” I believe this describes the general tenor of the Democratic regime that rules Chicago and Illinois. They are people who believe that they can transcend the order and laws God has established, hence their support for abortion, the mutilation of children, and a host of other evils.… Continue Reading

Last week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker raised the possibility of redrawing the state’s congressional map before the 2026 midterm elections, positioning it as a direct response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.

Pritzker, who has his eyes set on becoming the next Democratic nominee for the White House, hosted a delegation of Texas Democratic lawmakers in Illinois, offering political support and strategic coordination with fellow Democratic governor Gavin Newsom of California.… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Action was contacted by another dad, whose story deepened our concerns about the race for Illinois Supreme Court and about the Democrat Candidate, Judge Elizabeth Rochford.

A third person has reached out, unsolicited and previously unknown to us, who felt compelled to share their story of injustice and bias, at the hands of Judge Rochford. (The same Elizabeth Rochford who donated to corrupt and indicted Chicago Alderman, Ed Burke and is getting millions from Governor J.B.… Continue Reading

The Democratic Party is firmly in control of both federal and Illinois government – now what do we do? Former Illinois state representative, Jeanne Ives, addresses that question in part two of our Spotlight conversation (listen to part one here). We discuss an alarming proposal by liberal, secular Democrats to “restore constitutional secularism and patriotic pluralism” and Jeanne details how we can and must fight against this assault on religious freedom.… Continue Reading

Where do we go from here? Our state is currently suffocating under the weight of massive debt and failed Democratic policies. Yet, former state representative Jeanne Ives says there is hope for Illinois conservatives. She suggests the Republican Party focus on promoting truth, electing conservatives to local governing bodies and boards, and insisting on competency from candidates and government – some TLC, if you will. Jeanne also details the three big issues on which Republicans must stand in unity and gives insight on the compensation Illinois taxpayers pay our public “servants” (warning, you might need to monitor your blood pressure).… Continue Reading

The final results of this week’s election may remain unknown for days or weeks with five or more states still counting ballots. Our continued prayers are needed today and throughout the upcoming week for honesty and fairness to prevail. Pray that voter fraud of any type would be exposed. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 20:23 that the Lord hates unequal scales.

We should not be surprised to learn how wrong the predictions of the establishment media and pollsters have been again.… Continue Reading

Even if you live outside of Illinois Senate District 25, this edition of Spotlight presents information every voter needs to know. Republican candidate for senator, Jeanette Ward, joins me and Monte Larrick to talk about her candidacy as well as some of the critical issues facing our state. Jeanette shares the biblical values and common-sense principles regarding freedom, faith, and family that will inform her service if she is elected.… Continue Reading

David Smith welcomes State Representative Darren Bailey (R-Louivlle) to this edition of the IFA Spotlight podcast as they continue their conversation on political corruption in Illinois. In case you missed the memo: Illinois is Michael Madigan’s playground and he just lets us PAY in it. Standing in stark contrast to Speaker Madigan and his minions, Rep. Bailey is a first-term, stalwart Christian statesman who represents the 109th district who just announced that he plans to run for the 55th State Senate District in 2020 to replace the retiring Republican incumbent.… Continue Reading

Yesterday afternoon, the Illinois House Democrat Caucus met for 2-3 hours to discuss, among other things, the grotesquely misnamed “Reproductive Health Act.” If passed into law, this legislation would dramatically expand abortion–including Medicaid abortions–and usurp parental rights. We expect that the original proposal will be amended and a new (shell) bill number assigned.

Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, the ACLU of Illinois, along with State Representatives Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) are pushing hard to revive this deadly measure before they adjourn for the summer on May 31st.… Continue Reading

Another election has come and gone. A number of states saw a noticeable political shake-up. For pro-life/pro-family conservatives in Illinois, things went from bad to worse.

As promised last week, Monte Larrick and I are once again joined by Richard Hartian, Chairman of Illinois Family Action, for this episode of Spotlight.

Moving on from the post-mortem of What went wrong? to a discussion of Where do we go from here? – Hartian, Smith, and Larrick consider what Illinois might look like under a Democrat-controlled statehouse led by J.B.… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Action wants to provide an update regarding the upcoming leadership vote tomorrow of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee (SCC).

The Illinois GOP SCC is the state party’s governing board, with one member chosen from each congressional district. Those elections took place last month at county party conventions across the state. Tomorrow, the SCC will meet to elect a party chairman for a four-year term.

The reason this committee and the party chairman is important is that the quality of messaging, candidate recruitment, and support are dependent on the quality of the party leaders.… Continue Reading

In a previous article, we covered the crowded Democratic Party primary for Illinois Attorney General, so now we turn to the two-way race for Republicans.

As with the Democrats, the Republicans are talking a lot about using the office to combat corruption — something the 4-term incumbent Lisa Madigan has been roundly criticized for failing to do. As noted previously, the fact that her father is Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is often seen as the reason for that seeming lack of effort.… Continue Reading

The 2018 Republican primary for Illinois governor is unique when you consider the ideological differences between the candidates and the dramatic difference in the size of their bank accounts.

Bruce Rauner is a social policy Leftist, Jeannie Ives is a pro-family conservative. Bruce Rauner has tens of millions of his own money to spend on his campaign. Jeannie Ives must raise every dollar she can to compete.

During the founding era of our country, the flow of information was obviously all word of mouth — neighbors talking to neighbors, friends to friends.… Continue Reading

There are more Democratic Party candidates for attorney general (8) than there are for governor (6). Speaker Michael Madigan’s daughter, Lisa Madigan, retiring after the end of her fourth term, has held the office since first being elected in 2002.

The candidates are State Rep. Scott Drury, Sharon Fairley, Aaron Goldstein, Renato Mariotti, State Sen. Kwame Raoul, Nancy Rotering, Jesse Ruiz, and former governor Pat Quinn.… Continue Reading

Joining Monte Larrick to talk about this ominous legislation is State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard), an Illinois House GOP floor leader and a pro-life leader in his own right.  Rep. Breen has been one of the most outspoken Republicans against HB 40.

Discussed in this bonus podcast: the implications of the bill, what we can do to mitigate its effects, the governors inability to outmaneuver House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), and the question many Illinois conservatives are asking: should Governor Rauner be challenged in the March 2018 Primary Election?… Continue Reading

Earlier this month, the Illinois General Assembly approved a school funding bill compromise that Governor Bruce Rauner supports. The Illinois News Network reports:

“For far too long, too many low-income students in our state have been trapped in underfunded, failing schools,” Rauner said in a statement. “The system needed to change. We have changed it. We have put aside our differences and put our kids first. It’s a historic day for Illinois.”

The Illinois News Network reported some big news about a new national “political power” record that was set this week:

Illinois’ longest serving House speaker is now the United State’s longest serving statehouse speaker.

The title was held for years by a South Carolina politician from the 1970s, but the title now goes to Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan.

Madigan has been speaker of the Illinois House every year since 1983, except for two years in the 1990s when Republicans were in the majority.

The above headline is from an informative short post by Dennis Bryne over at the “Barbershop.” The topic is “gerrymandering,” the now 200-year-old fight over how legislative district lines are drawn.

Every ten years it’s big news here in Illinois — and, of course — around the country. Following each U.S. census, legislative districts are reapportioned and district lines are redrawn.

Whichever party happens to be in power has the chance to create districts that favor their own candidates.… Continue Reading

As you know by now, over the Independence Day weekend, the Illinois General Assembly passed a massive tax hike for families and businesses. When Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed the proposal, the Illinois Senate and House quickly overrode his veto. What does that mean for taxpayers? Well, the personal income tax rate has now increased by 32 percent, surging from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent, and the corporate rate has jumped from 5.25 percent to 7 percent.… Continue Reading

Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) of Illinois believes that his state is on the verge of “banana republic territory” because the state faces an imminent financial crisis. As described in a story published by The Fiscal Times on June 12:

Last week, the state marked the second full year in which Gov. Bruce Rauner and a combative Democratic legislature were unable to agree on a new operating budget. The state Senate the week before rejected a House-passed budget measure premised on a $7 billion revenue shortfall after Rauner threatened to veto it.

Written by Carol Ostrow

Even as Gov. Bruce Rauner continues to strive toward a potential state budget solution, House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) “delays and offers nothing,” the Chicago Tribune recently reported while continuing its coverage of Illinois’ hemorrhaging finances.

Editors at the newspaper have bemoaned the probability that the ringing in of the spring legislative session means “still more menacing news to Illinois,” stating that the newest proof of systemic breakdown lies neither in the impotent stopgap spending plan, nor in the recent mass outmigration from the Land of Lincoln, where population losses recently exceeded those of any other state.

Written by Pat Hughes

It’s bad enough that, after decades of Mike Madigan’s leadership, the state can’t pay its bills. But now, his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, wants to take away the ability of state workers to pay their own bills.

Throughout the bitter dispute over the state budget, Madigan-Nemesis Governor Bruce Rauner has worked to keep the state government running so that core services are not completely shut down. The Governor has made clear that paying state workers for work that they do, while working to pass a balanced budget, is a top priority.… Continue Reading

Written by the Chicago City Wire

Several Illinois legislators have responded to the House’s latest capitulation to longtime Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), decrying the body’s utter lack of independence or apparent motivation to value representation of home jurisdictions over the speaker’s sway.

Following the state House’s vote, Madigan’s standard menu of mandates was approved yet again as he keeps a three-fifths majority in the House. The results incited strong reactions among officials and members of both political parties.

Monte Larrick, David Smith, John Biver, and Ralph Rivera reconvene to continue discussing the recent general election.  In this episode, they review the four now-red House seats, the future of life and bathroom legislation, and how voters can influence an election beyond the ballot box.… Continue Reading

Written by Austin Berg

In a 4-3 ruling, the Illinois Supreme Court erased from November ballots a referendum on legislative mapmaking, and handed a major victory to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan Aug. 25.

In its ruling, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the July 20 decision from Cook County Circuit Court Judge Diane Larsen.

This stands as the second time in the last three years that Madigan’s top lawyer, Michael Kasper, has successfully sued to stop mapmaking reform in its tracks.

Written by David From, Americans for Prosperity Illinois

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is at it again, attempting to raise taxes.  He’s again proposing a constitutional amendment, HJRCA 26, his so-called “Millionaire’s Tax.”  This same proposal was defeated in 2014 and last year, and for good reason.  This measure could be voted on as early as today so please click here to contact your legislators and urge them to oppose the Madigan Tax …again!

When Madigan suggested this in 2014, the non-partisan Tax Foundation wrote, “a large share of Illinois employers would be impacted by this legislation, since 61% of employers in (Illinois) are pass-through entities.… Continue Reading

Written by Russ Stewart

The outcome of Illinois’ gubernatorial race proves anew that any mother’s son can grow up to be governor, provided that he can self-fund $28 million and raise another $60 million.

Republican Bruce Rauner‘s win also reaffirms another pearl of wisdom: Bad always gets worse. If Illinoisans thought that state government was incompetent and leadership was dysfunctional under the Quinn-Madigan-Cullerton Democratic regime, they ain’t seen nothing yet.

The 2018 campaign for governor started on Nov.… Continue Reading

Written by Russ Stewart

Michael Madigan is a political genius, a durable Democratic leader, a successful and wealthy lawyer, and a horrendously dysfunctional speaker of the Illinois House.

Mayor Richard J. Daley once babbled some nonsense that “Good government is good politics.” He should have known better, as he spent a decade in Springfield, where the operative philosophy is “good politics may be good government, but if it’s not, so what?” Grasping, clutching and holding power is endemic.… Continue Reading

Written by Luke Hamilton

Did Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kick over another lantern??

Why are residents and businesses streaming out of Illinois in alarming numbers? Over the past several years, dozens of companies have left Illinois; either shifting corporate HQ to more favorable tax climates or moving the entire company itself. Organizations like Jelly Belly, OfficeMax, Baxter International, Jimmy John’s, FatWallet.com, Hostess Brands, Sony Biotechnology, and State Farm Insurance have moved out of the state or have announced their intention to do so in the near future.… Continue Reading

Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has been Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives for over 30 years. In that time he has molded a state constitution that all but guarantees the powerful stay powerful and the rest of us? Well, you know….

… Continue Reading

Written by Kathy Valente

A lawsuit filed by a Democratic Party attorney seeks to prevent term limits and political redistricting questions from appearing on Illinois’ ballot in November.

The lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court argues that the state Board of Elections shouldn’t spend public funds on two proposals to amend the Illinois constitution that it calls invalid.

The first would establish term limits for lawmakers and is led by GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. The second would create an independent commission to draw legislative district lines.… Continue Reading

Written by David E. Smith

An Associated Press report claiming that the challenge to Illinois House incumbents who voted for marriage redefinition has fizzled is utterly misleading. According to our information, eight of the nine Chicago Democrats challenging Democratic incumbents would have voted no or present on SB 10, the same-sex “marriage” legislation sponsored by homosexual State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago).

This is an astounding fact that should not be lost on readers. Not one, not two, not three, but eight pro-marriage Chicago Democrats are challenging Democratic incumbents in the March 18, 2014 primary election.… Continue Reading

Written by Lennie Jarratt, ChampionNews.net

Late Friday night, the GOP Central Committee canceled their meeting to oust Pat Brady. In an email from 10th Congressional District Committeeman Mark Shaw, the reason provided was the lack of response from Chairman Pat Brady on whether he would attend the meeting in person or by phone.

From: Mark Shaw
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2013 10:17 PM
To: Illinois Republican State Central Committee
Subject: Rescheduling of March 9, 2013 State Central Committee Meeting

Dear GOP Leaders:

The March 9, 2013 State Central Committee Meeting is being rescheduled because the State Chairman has not responded to our request that he be present in person or by telephone for the meeting.

Almost all of those who have emailed us following our exposé of Dr. Arie Friedman’s pro-abortion position have expressed shock about his views, which he does not include on his website and which we have learned are even more extreme than we realized.

Although Friedman did not return IFI’s survey on his positions or the survey sent out by Illinois Citizens for Life, he did express his views to the Buffalo Grove Patch in June:

“Friedman indicated he supports a women’s right to choose.