Rich Miller

Mike Madigan knew for a very long time that the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI badly wanted to put his head on a spike.

The latest report from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected Illinois is facing a $3.2 billion deficit in fiscal 2026.

To many Statehouse types, some of last week’s news out of Washington, D.C., felt eerily familiar.

The Illinois legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability recently released an eye-popping actuarial analysis of a union-backed pension reform plan.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan should’ve known better than to have ever worked with then-Chicago Alderman Danny Solis. He brought all this on himself.

Every now and then you get a story that helps explain the Statehouse power dynamic. The saga of the “intoxicating hemp” regulation bill is one of those stories.

We’re less than nine months from when candidates can begin circulating petitions for the 2026 election, so we’re rapidly approaching the time when major figures will need to decide whether to run or not.

Trouble is, the governor committed to the House Speaker and Senate President not to spend that money until all three could agree what it would be spent on.

Whenever someone assures you that another person you’re both dealing with “understands” the “quid pro quo,” you’d be wise to run away as fast as you can and never look back.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s national victory and his losing margin dropping to 11 points in Illinois from 17 in two prior races, state legislative Democrats have different views on how their party should proceed.

The Democratic legislative leaders are still trying to figure out what their members want to do in the wake of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and whether that can be done.

As usual, plenty of false claims have been made during this state legislative election cycle.

One of the most important legislative debates next year will be about reforming, restructuring and finding a way to fund northeast Illinois’ public transportation system.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon continues piling up campaign money. His latest quarterly report for his personal campaign committee showed Harmon had $13.4 million in the bank, up almost $2 million from the previous quarter.

“Some of the same individuals who claim to support an elected representative school board only got the gospel once I became mayor of Chicago,” Mayor Johnson told reporters during one of the most combative and counter-productive press conferences I have ever seen.