Illinois
Illinois politicians divided: Here's who has and hasn't endorsed VP Kamala Harris
ILLINOIS – Several Illinois politicians are divided on whether Vice President Kamala Harris should be the Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek reelection.
Biden shared his decision on social media Sunday afternoon and gave his endorsement to Harris.
Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris
Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Dick Durbin and a few others haven’t voiced their support for Harris. However, some have already endorsed her.
Here are the Illinois politicians who have endorsed Harris:
Rep. Delia Ramirez:
“We must defeat Donald Trump. VP Kamala Harris is the proven, qualified leader ready to move our country forward. She has my endorsement. I look forward to working with her to realize a permanent ceasefire, immigration reform, and a bold agenda that centers working families.
“We must unite to defeat Project 2025 and Donald Trump’s extremist and hateful agenda. A second Trump presidency is an existential threat and we must do everything in our power to protect our democratic institutions.
“President Biden has led us through some of our darkest times. He is a statesman that has put our country and democracy first. I thank him for having the courage to do so again today.”
Rep. Brad Scheider:
“Now, we must come together, build on the legacy of the Biden administration and show voters that Democrats up and down the ballot are improving the lives of all Americans. I’m confident that, with Vice President Kamala Harris at the helm of the Democratic ticket, we can do exactly that. We will defeat Donald Trump.”
Rep. Sean Casten:
“The coming election is a referendum on the future of American democracy. The stakes of this election could not be higher. Donald Trump remains a twice-impeached convicted felon and adjudicated rapist who has promised to be a dictator on day one. Vice President Kamala Harris will beat him this November, and I’m proud to endorse her for President of the United States.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson:
“Vice President Harris is the visionary leader that we need now to defeat the threat of another Trump presidency. She has now proven herself as a fearless defender of our democracy. I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure she becomes our next President.”
Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia:
“As we move forward, it’s crucial that we unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris and continue the progress we’ve made. Defeating the resurgence of Trumpism is essential for the future of our democracy. Thank you, President Biden, for your unwavering dedication and service to our nation.”
Rep. Robin Kelly:
“President Biden is one of the most impactful leaders of my lifetime, and he will continue to serve the American people well. In the last four years, President Biden saved our country from a pandemic, brought back our economy better than before, and passed historic legislation for working people. He defeated an extremist in 2020, and I had full confidence that he would do it again. I am heartbroken that he felt he had to step down as the nominee, and many of my constituents feel the same way.
“However, as President Biden said, now is the time to come together. The Democratic Party must unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee. Together, we will beat Trump.”
Here are the Illinois politicians who have not endorsed Harris:
Governor JB Pritzker:
“President Joe Biden has dedicated his life in service to this nation, and its citizens are all the better for it. His is a storied political career culminating in one of the most accomplished and effective presidencies of our lifetime. As President of the United States he led us through a recovery from a devastating pandemic and shepherded our economy away from a recession to prosperity. He worked across the aisle to pass some of the most consequential legislation in decades to rebuild our roads and bridges while investing in the infrastructure and jobs of the 21st century. Perhaps most consequentially, President Biden restored dignity to the Oval Office, bringing the statesmanship and honor that have been the hallmarks of his years of service, back to the White House.
“As we extend our gratitude to President Biden and reflect on his many accomplishments, we must not ignore the threat posed by Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House. Donald Trump is a 34 time convicted felon, adjudicated to have committed sexual assault, a racist, homophobe and misogynist. Trump brags about taking away a woman’s right to choose, wants to rip healthcare away from tens of millions of people, proposes economic policies that will cost the middle class thousands of dollars a year, and threatens the fundamental American ideals we hold dear. I will work every day to ensure that he does not win in November.”
Senator Dick Durbin:
“Throughout his public career, Joe Biden always put country first. His four years as President made it clear that he was determined to put our country back on track and restore the soul of our nation. America will be forever grateful for all he has given to this country.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth:
“No one has done more for working Americans than Joe Biden—and so many of us owe him a debt of gratitude for everything he’s done to improve our country.
“Over more than 50 years in public service, he’s built an unparalleled record of accomplishments. From helping write the Violence Against Women Act in the Senate to shepherding the Affordable Care Act into law as Vice President and from helping guide our nation out of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic to overseeing historic wage and job growth during his Presidency, Joe Biden has always put our country first and worked to change so many aspects of our lives for the better.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank him for his effective and successful leadership and for, once again, putting our country before himself. This difficult decision ensures that Democrats can focus on the goal that unites each and every one of us: defeating Donald Trump and preventing another four years of his destructive chaos and corruption.”
Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi:
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of lies from the Biden White House and Democrats shaming anyone who questioned the fitness of President Biden. Democrats are divided, torn apart by their own duplicity trying to pass off President Biden’s inability to fulfill his role, while Republicans stand united behind President Trump and an agenda of freedom, prosperity, and safety. Democrats have become the party of self-service while Republicans have become the voice of this nation. We as Illinois Republicans must continue to call attention to JB Pritzker’s tax-and-spend, pro-criminal agenda that drives families away from this state to protect the rest of the nation.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle:
“I am deeply grateful for President Biden’s unwavering and selfless commitment and service to our country. Cook County, along with this entire nation, is better and stronger because of the power of his effective leadership and policies. President Biden’s impact on our nation has been profound, far-reaching and historic.
“Your legacy is already cemented, Mr. President. Thank you, Joe Biden.”
Rep. Mike Quigley:
“President Joe Biden has been one of the most successful presidents of our lifetime. He led our nation out of the darkness of Jan. 6, oversaw our nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, signed into law the first gun violence prevention legislation in over 30 years, and fulfilled the promises of previous presidents by passing bipartisan infrastructure legislation. Throughout his lifetime of service, he has always put our country first.
“Today, President Biden secured his legacy by making this difficult, selfless decision. We owe him an incredible debt of gratitude.”
We’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.
Illinois politicians react to President Biden’s decision to drop out of 2024 presidential race
The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday requiring frontier AI labs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind to have their safety practices audited by a third party. If signed into law, AI safety experts tell WIRED, it would be the nation’s leading check on the power of major AI companies.
The bill, SB 315, now heads to governor JB Pritzker’s desk. In a post on social media on Wednesday, Pritzker said he plans to sign the bill, citing a need to hold Big Tech accountable.
Since Congress has yet to pass any meaningful AI safety legislation, state lawmakers have happily stepped up in recent years to promote bills that show their constituents they’re keeping Silicon Valley in check. As AI tools become increasingly popular, and the companies behind them race toward massive IPOs, polls show that American voters are looking for more AI regulation.
As a result, safety advocates and tech companies have zeroed in on state legislatures as the primary battleground to hash out how these laws should look. OpenAI’s chief of global affairs, Chris Lehane, told WIRED last week that the company’s AI policy is now oriented around passing a series of similar state laws.
California and New York have the strongest AI safety laws, requiring tech companies to provide information about model guardrails and to publish reports on safety incidents as they occur. Illinois’ bill goes a step further, requiring independent auditors to verify that an AI lab is adhering to its own safety standards. Previously, no independent body was required to keep an AI lab accountable to its own safety claims.
“We’re in a situation where the AI companies grade their own homework,” says Scott Wisor, policy director at Secure AI Project, a nonprofit that supports SB 315. “Should SB 315 become law, Illinois would require an independent auditor to check whether the AI labs in fact adhere to their safety commitments.”
Wisor says it’s broadly expected that, under SB 315, AI labs could use the Big Four accounting and auditing firms—Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC—to audit their safety practices. He also says it’s possible that AI labs could tap members of the AI Evaluator Forum—a coalition of smaller research organizations including METR, Transluce, and Averi—to assess adherence to safety standards.
Illinois state representative Daniel Didech, a sponsor of SB 315, tells WIRED that state legislatures are playing an important role by shaping America’s AI policy and acting as a testing ground for any federal laws that might come in the future. “Laws like this create a world where it’s more likely for the federal government to pass something,” Didech says.
Corporate Interests
Illinois has emerged as a major arena in the ongoing fight over state AI laws. OpenAI previously supported a bill in Illinois that would let AI labs dodge liability if their models caused catastrophic harm. However, Lehane has since said the company’s blanket support for the bill was an oversight, and it never supported the liability shield in the bill. More recently, OpenAI endorsed SB 315.
“The Illinois General Assembly has shown real bipartisan leadership in advancing SB 315 and developing a thoughtful framework for frontier AI safety. As AI systems become more capable, clear expectations around safety, transparency, incident reporting, and accountability matter,” Lehane said in a statement to WIRED.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KFVS) – The Illinois General Assembly will be honoring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin at the State Capitol in Springfield on Wednesday, May 27.
Members of the Illinois House and Senate will meet in a rare joint session to salute Sen. Durbin’s nearly 44 years in Congress.
Governor JB Pritzker will also be attending.
During the joint session beginning at 12 p.m., Durbin will give a special address.
He is set to retire after his current term.
In April 2025, Durbin announced that he was not seeking re-election in 2026.
Durbin, a Democrat, was first elected to the U.S. Senate on November 5, 1996. He filled the seat left vacant after the retirement of U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
He also serves as the Senate Democratic Whip. He has been elected to that position every two years since 2005.
According to Durbin’s office, he’s the longest-serving senator in Illinois.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
CHICAGO (WLS) — There are new questions on Tuesday about how taxpayers could be impacted by the so-called “mega-projects” bill.
Lawmakers this week are finalizing the bill, which would provide tax breaks for developers of big projects, including a new Bears stadium.
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is hoping a new report will give lawmakers something to think about as they work on the bill that could determine if the Bears stay in Illinois or move across the border to Indiana.
The Bears’ campaign for a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights hinges on legislative support for a bill that would provide them with property tax certainty over the next 40 years.
“It’s a complicated situation, because it’s not finalized, and there are hundreds of unanswered questions in this, but the primary question is, ‘What happens to Joe Homeowner?’ And there’s no fiscal impact study here,” Pappas said.
So, researchers from Pappas’ office looked into what impact the “mega-projects” bill would have, asking the question: How will taxpayers benefit if there’s no expansion of the property tax base and only limited sales tax benefit?
Their report says the tax on the current undeveloped property in Arlington Heights was $3.6 million in 2024.
Under the “mega-projects” bill, the tax would be frozen at that level with annual increase based on inflation. It would be coupled with a special annual payment to local taxing bodies estimated to be around $10 million.
Based on the estimated value of a new stadium, the Bears would get an annual tax break of $39 million.
Pappas’ message to Springfield is, “Put the brakes on and say, ‘What’s the fiscal impact, and what does that mean?’ That means, how much is the homeowner going to have to pick up if somebody gets a billion-and-a-half tax break?”
Before the end of the legislative session on Sunday night, lawmakers are trying to balance helping the Bears and taxpayers to avoid the possibility that the team gives up on Arlington Heights and instead leaves Soldier Field for the offer from Indiana to build a stadium in Hammond, which is the only other site the team says it is considering.
“The real comparison is between a negotiated payment on a real development versus zero taxes on a vacant or stalled site. I wish someone would do a report on that, because that’s the real question for Illinois people, Illinois taxpayers, to have to answer,” said Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago.
The governor’s office reiterated on Tuesday that his goal is to pass something that encourages large developments and protects the taxpayers.
While the clock is ticking for lawmakers to revise and pass a megaprojects bill, in Springfield terms, there always seems to be enough time to get done the things that need to get done.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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