Totaling the unsustainable tax increases and windfall revenue during Pritzker Administration – Wirepoints
May 26, 2026
23 Comments
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn’t you deliver a few bond upgrades, too
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A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Looking at the republican primary results for Gov at the NYT’s, first I see Mendrick and Heidner bled off 100k votes, or about 18%. Also I believe many Democrats voted for Bailey in Peoria metro and Springfield metro. I believe this as I know a number and that’s what they told me. I did see Ted and Heidner on YouTube a fair amount. Bailey was largely AWOL – just got a postcard from him. I know when Rauner won big, he advertised a LOT and his ads were him wearing a Carhartt jacket and driving a beat up minivan. People… Read more »
This: “Human Events” editor Jack Posobiec talks about the rise of urban conservatism and the “coalition taking place between rural conservatives and city conservatives.” “City cons are not rural cons, because it’s simply like this: when you have seen hell, it changes you. A right-winger from a blue area just hits different,” he said. “Right-wingers from blue areas are not the same. They’re not built the same. They are built different.” “There’s a new archetype that’s emerged on the new right, and that’s the city con: the city conservative, the disaffected conservative trapped behind enemy lines in a blue-state metropolis.… Read more »
A couple things I would quibble with here. The author says Ted focused on “financial issues” and that that was a mistake for downstate voters. I don’t think so. More precisely, Ted focused on affordability, which in IL is really affordability/taxes. Polls overwhelmingly said to do that, so Bailey’s focus, too, was on that. Same for most local candidates. The author also prioritizes the cultural identity matters as key. That mattered, but not so much. Ted has always connected well with downstate voters who he met or who were familiar with him. But they weren’t familiar with him, and that’s… Read more »
People need to get out and vote. If Republicans were to have a large turnout maybe Bailey could win. People are a disappointment.
Mark, Ted supposedly outraised Bailey, and had Dick Uhlien’s money behind him. I know it’s probably fiscally/logistically impossible to send a piece to Every Republican Primary voter in IL, but for Ted to lose Every County in IL that wasn’t around Chicago (except East St. Louis) is baffling and maddening.
Agreed. I was surprised at the size of the loss downstate, too. Over the years, I’ve seen Ted interact very well with downstate voters and downstate lawmakers. We’ve often commented to each other about how much more pleasant they are to talk to, even our opponents. And people there overwhelmingly agree with us on the issues. But he lost hugely there, with many counties going upwards of 70% against him.
Maybe Ted lost because Downstate voters were uncomfortable with someone from Chicago, versus Bailey, who is clearly one of them.
Do you really even need an election to know what the outcome will be?
Unfortunate, Ted was the man to run.