Chicago is renowned as a city where dead people and fictitious people often vote. Their cosmic, insatiable impulse to perform their civic duty overcomes the temporary impediment of burial or non-existence.
State Representative Deb Mell (D-40) is neither dead nor fictitious, but she cannot vote – an unfortunate happenstance which threatens to put her fledgling political career in the proverbial dumpster.
A candidate for public or party office need only fulfill three requirements: Have a pulse. Have a residence. And be a “qualified” – meaning registered – voter. The latter two must …

The Illinois Senate’s Republican minority, numbering just 22 of 59, gets no respect.
After 2000, Republicans had a 37-22 majority. Democrats controlled the 2001 remap. In four subsequent elections – 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 – Democrats won 11 Republican-held seats, and lost just one.
With the Democrats’ current 37-22 super-majority, Republicans are wholly irrelevant. Even in overtime sessions, when a three-fifths majority (36) is necessary to pass bills or override a gubernatorial veto, Democrats have the votes.
Among big states, Republicans hold state senate majorities in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania …

There are two gubernatorial races this off off year (2009): New Jersey and Virginia.  Republicans will obviously try to make these a referendum on President Obama and a harbinger of things to come.
I hadn’t intended to write anything on this subject, but having been in Virginia last week for several days I thought I’d like to weigh in.  Illinois was actually once part of Virginia, but that’s not the reason I’m writing this.
The Democratic Primary is next Tuesday, June 9 and I never thought I’d say this,  but I hope …

It’s a prospective “Battle of Titans.” It’s the past versus the future. It’s the 19th Ward Irish versus Chicago Hispanics. It’s Hynes versus Madigan.
And it’s Round Three in the blood feud between Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan and Board of Review Commissioner Joe Berrios.
According to party sources, Berrios, who is also the county Democratic chairman, 31st Ward Democratic committeeman, and a powerful Hispanic in Chicago politics, is seriously contemplating a primary challenge to Houlihan in 2010.
Houlihan is a protégé of Tom Hynes, the former assessor and 19th Ward boss. Berrios …

On Saturday afternoon, in the midst of Chicago’s famous St. Patrick’s Day celebration with its tradition of turning of the Chicago River green, a cadre of concerned Republicans met to plan a way to capture the Congressional seat of Chicago’s 5th District, the one being vacated by Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
The candidate charged with this task is Rosanna Pulido and she only has about three weeks to do it. The special election for Emanuel’s seat is to be held as soon as April 7th.
Read more at Red State

Remember the old pop song lyric: “Everybody loves somebody sometime”? That, in a nutshell, explains the March 3 Democratic primary in the 5th congressional district.  I mistakenly said John Fritchey would likely win…but hey, I just wrote that to see if you were paying attention.  Back to the song title.
The “Big Four” – John Fritchey and Sara Feigenholtz, both state representatives, County Commissioner Mike Quigley, and Alderman Pat O’Connor (40th) – spent a combined $1,911,485, got a cumulative 37,467 votes, but didn’t generate much “love.” Quigley eked out a victory …

Which would you rather have—a government controlled by the current lineup of Illinois political bosses, or a government controlled by pure chance?
Actually, on one critical dimension of politics, you’ve already got both. Legislative districts are contrived to protect incumbents, and which party gets to draw those districts is a toss of the dice.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday issued another ruling on the reach of the Voting Rights Act in assuring fair representation for minorities. This ruling doubtless will provoke more litigation during the redistricting that will follow the 2010 …

Could this be the end of governors appointing senators to serve until the next general election?
The end of the Burris problem?
The end of New York’s dicey blue-dog Democrat problem?
The end of Blagojevichian backroom dealings?
The beginning of real democracy in filling senate vacancies?
A federal lawsuit filed by Tom Geoghegan and former Ald. Marty Oberman six days before the special congressional election in Illinois’ 5th Congressional District may have a local and national impact far beyond the results of the primary.
In essence it says that the Constitution requires special elections to fill …