A 10-mile section of Illinois Route 49 was officially dedicated as the Roger “Buzz” Busby Memorial Highway in Brocton. State Rep. Adam Niemerg sponsored the legislation recognizing Busby’s lifetime of service.
DIETERICH - A stretch of Illinois Route 49 now bears the name of a longtime Edgar County community leader, following a dedication ceremony held Saturday morning in Brocton to honor the late Merritt Roger “Buzz” Busby.
State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich), who co-sponsored the legislation in the House, said the memorial highway recognizes Busby’s decades of service to both his country and his community. “A stretch of Illinois Route 49 now carries the name of a beloved community leader and is named the Roger ‘Buzz’ Busby Memorial Highway,” Niemerg said. “I was happy to sponsor the legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives with Rep. Chris Miller last year and am pleased to recognize a man who left an indelible mark on his community.”
The dedication, held at 10:30 a.m. at the American Legion & Auxiliary – Richard Willoughby Post 977, included remarks from Niemerg’s legislative assistant, Linda Lane, as well as tributes from retired Illinois State Police officer Terry Hackett and retired Edgar County Sheriff’s deputies David Neal and Ed Motley.
Busby, a U.S. Army veteran, spent much of his career in law enforcement and child welfare, serving as a deputy sheriff and later with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. He was deeply involved in civic organizations across the region, earning him the nickname “Mr. Edgar County.”
The memorial highway stretches 10 miles from U.S. Route 36 to Illinois Route 133 along the west side of Brocton, reflecting Busby’s lifelong commitment to the people of Edgar County.
Born Oct. 21, 1940, in Danville to Edwin and Nora Busby, Buzz Busby married Karon Platson Cornwell on Oct. 31, 1992, at the Brocton Christian Church. He passed away Aug. 30, 2013, at his home.
The full text of Senate Joint Resolution 17, which established the Roger “Buzz” Busby Memorial Highway, is available here.
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TAGS: Buzz Busby, Illinois Route 49, Edgar County dedication, Adam Niemerg, Community service, Highway memorial
Residents of the 102nd District can meet Rep. Adam Niemerg to discuss state programs and local concerns during Nov. 13 office hours.
ST. JOSEPH - Residents across East Central Illinois will have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with State Representative Adam Niemerg later this month as he brings his “Satellite Office Hours” to seven local communities. The outreach effort, set for Wednesday, Nov. 13, is part of the Republican lawmaker’s ongoing effort to make government services more accessible to constituents in the 102nd District.
“My satellite office hours provide convenient locations for constituents to get help closer to their home,” Niemerg said. “I encourage people to take advantage of these opportunities to get help with state programs or discuss state concerns.”
Throughout the day, Niemerg’s staff will be available to assist residents with questions or issues involving state agencies, programs, or legislation. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments can also be made by calling his Paris district office at (217) 712-2126 or by visiting RepNiemerg.com.
The Nov. 13 schedule includes stops in:
St. Joseph – Swearingen Memorial Library, 201 N. Third St., 9 to 10 a.m.
Homer – Village Hall, 500 E. Second St., 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Fairmount – Fire Department, 403 S. High St., 1 to 2 p.m.
Chrisman – Public Library, 108 N. Illinois St., 3 to 4 p.m.
A Teutopolis native, Niemerg lives in rural Dieterich (Bishop Township) with his wife, Trina, and their two young children. The family belongs to the St. Isidore Catholic Parish and attends St. Aloysius Church. A 2002 graduate of Teutopolis High School, Niemerg earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University before entering public service.
Representing the 102nd District—an area known for its strong farming roots—Niemerg said his family’s agricultural background helps him understand the challenges faced by rural communities. “My grandfather operated a small family farm,” he said. “That experience shaped my perspective on the issues that matter most to families and small businesses throughout our district.”
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Adam Niemerg, Illinois State Representative, Satellite Office Hours, 102nd District Illinois, East Central Illinois government
Governor JB Pritzker triggers $20 million in state aid to Illinois food banks even as a federal court weighs emergency funding for SNAP amid the shutdown.
by Maggie Dougherty Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO - Illinois mother of four and food delivery driver Aubrey Lewandowski says she immediately started rationing the food she had left after getting a text alerting her that her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits may not come through next month.
Lewandowski will be forced to choose between buying healthy food for her four children and paying rent and utility bills if the federal government does not allocate emergency funds by the Nov. 1 deadline.
Photo: Maggie Dougherty/Capitol News Illinois
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks on Oct. 30 with food assistance advocates and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients about the impact of a looming federal cutoff in SNAP funding.
She is one of roughly 1.9 million people in Illinois and 42 million across the country who depend on SNAP benefits each month. Illinois oversees the distribution of $350 million in federal SNAP benefits to qualifying low-income and disabled individuals and households each month.
Illinois and other states sued the Trump administration earlier this week, arguing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has the money to continue paying SNAP benefits using contingency funds appropriated by Congress for emergencies such as the government shutdown that began Oct. 1.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani indicated in court Thursday morning that she would issue a ruling later in the day. She appeared to favor arguments requiring the government to allocate billions of dollars in emergency funds for SNAP.
Pritzker’s executive order
While awaiting Talwani’s ruling, Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order allocating $20 million in state funding as a stopgap measure to support Illinois’s seven food banks, which supply over 2,600 food pantries across the state.
Half of the funding comes from the state’s Budget Reserve for Immediate Disbursements and Governmental Emergencies Fund, or BRIDGE, and the rest comes from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Lawmakers put $100 million into the BRIDGE fund last year to deal with emergencies caused by federal funding changes.
Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference Thursday morning that the federal government had decided to shut down the SNAP machines, meaning the state could not deposit funds directly into SNAP accounts even if it wanted to. He called the decision “insidious.”
Food assistance advocates and state officials acknowledged that the state funds to food banks would not be enough to fill the gap left by shutting off federal funds. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton called the funding “a drop in the bucket” at a news conference Thursday morning.
Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said food pantries in Cook County alone support more than 900,000 people, amounting to an estimated $45 to 50 million in weekly benefits for that area alone.
Nearly 400,000 additional people in Illinois may lose their SNAP benefits
To make the $20 million gift from the state go as far as possible, Maehr said the food banks will prioritize purchasing shelf-stable foods like dry rice and pasta.
In the previous 24 hours, Maehr said food banks in the area had received an uptick in phone calls from people asking how they could help. But she has also heard that donors are fatigued, with most food banks in the state now serving double the number of people they served prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last year, the seven food banks that serve Illinois all hit record numbers of monthly visits, according to Maehr.
She attributed that increase to rising costs of food and housing and disinvestments in people’s safety nets.
Even if SNAP funding is resumed immediately, Maehr said, another crisis looms. New rules going into effect on Dec. 1 will result in 17,000 legal immigrants having their SNAP benefits revoked, Maehr said. Nearly 400,000 additional people in Illinois may lose their SNAP benefits in March 2026 amid new paperwork requirements to demonstrate employment, according to the governor’s office.
“We are bracing ourselves,” Maehr said. “It’s not for one crisis, but for a series of crises.”
Advocates argue the ramifications for the state stretch beyond the direct hunger of SNAP recipients, but also to store owners, suppliers and ultimately Illinois farmers.
Grocer sees Catch 22
Liz Abunaw owns and operates Forty Acres Fresh Market, an independent grocery store in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, a west side area where years of disinvestment have made access to fresh and nutritious foods a challenge.
The market opened its doors less than two months ago, but Abunaw said it is already facing a crisis.
“SNAP accounts for up to 20% of our revenue,” Abunaw said. “So, what does that mean when our customers who use SNAP cannot shop at our store anymore?”
Like Lewandowski choosing between paying utility and other bills or buying food for her kids, Abunaw said she must make choices between payroll, rent and inventory.
It impacts the employees who she cannot afford to pay and the suppliers whose products she can no longer afford to buy, Abunaw said.
“This is a domino effect that will reverberate from families to grocery stores to suppliers all the way down to our farmers if this madness is not stopped,” Abunaw said.
Every dollar in SNAP assistance results in a $1.50 economic boost for communities, according to Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Dulce Quintero. That comes out to a $7.2 billion annual impact on the state’s economy.
The SNAP program, also known as food stamps, has been administered continuously by the federal government for over 60 years and has never halted benefits, even during a government shutdown, Quintero said. Stratton called it a “false choice” by the Trump administration.
“They are choosing to let SNAP funds run out,” Stratton said. “President Trump is deliberately letting families go hungry, taking food off of the tables of children and weaponizing hunger for political leverage.”
An estimated 45% of SNAP households include children, and 44% include a person with a disability.
For parents like Lewandowski, who has two children diagnosed with autism and one with sensory processing needs, SNAP benefits provide access to the foods that meet her son’s needs but are not always available at food banks or pantries.
While she does rely on those resources, Lewandowski said the fresh produce, cheese, eggs and milk that her children need to grow up healthy are not always available there.
“I want to be able to provide my children with the best nutrition they can have. Healthy children do better in school, and they don’t get sick,” Lewandowski said.
• Maggie Dougherty is a freelance reporter covering the Chicago area.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
TAGS: Illinois SNAP benefits halt 2025, food insecurity Illinois families, Illinois food banks funding crisis, impact of SNAP shutdown on Illinois grocers, emergency state funding food aid Illinois
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said federal agents who tamper with license plates are not above the law and could face fines or jail time.
by Maggie Dougherty Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO - As state officials continue seeking ways to counter aggressive immigration enforcement activity under President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” state Rep. Margaret Croke has drawn ire online for an email sharing details about ICE vehicles.
Recent posts by right-wing accounts including Libs of TikTok and Donald Trump For President on Facebook have called on the U.S. Department of Justice
to review an email they say was sent by comptroller candidate Croke to “dox” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
A screenshot of the email sent by Croke, D-Chicago, to constituents on Oct. 24 includes a “List of ICE Vehicles Seen Today,” including car makes, models and blacked out license plate numbers.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
State Rep. Margaret Croke talks to reporters outside the Illinois State Board of Elections building in Springfield on Monday, Oct. 27, as she waits to file her petitions to run for comptroller.State Rep. Margaret Croke talks to reporters outside the Illinois State Board of Elections building in Springfield on Monday, Oct. 27, as she waits to file her petitions to run for comptroller.
The screenshot also lists contact information for reporting ICE activity and connecting with other resources through the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights hotline.
“Just as we have witnessed in neighborhoods across our city, ICE is conducting their unlawful and undemocratic actions in the 12th House district, including the very block I reside on,” the screenshot reads.
It further encouraged people to record ICE detentions or use of force, as well as to run errands on behalf of individuals who are afraid to leave their homes due to ICE presence.
Capitol News Illinois confirmed that the email came from Croke’s office. A post on Croke’s Instagram shared some of the same language regarding ICE activity, hotlines and “Know Your Rights” resources but without the list of vehicles.
“I'm just doing what I think is right for my district,” Croke said in an interview with Capitol News Illinois. “I'm always going to keep fighting for my district. I'm always going to make sure that I'm doing the right thing, and I believe I'm on the right side of history.”
Another state legislator, Rep. Hoan Huynh, D-Chicago, recently said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents pulled a gun on him after acting on a tip about ICE activity in Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Huynh said he was in the area to educate residents about their rights. He said agents immediately surrounded and harassed him. One of the agents pointed a gun at him, he said, though it was not caught on the cellphone footage he shared.
Recording government officials when they are performing their duties in public is protected by the First Amendment
According to the Illinois Civil Liability for Doxing Act, doxing refers to intentionally publishing another person’s personally identifiable information without consent and with the intent to harm or harass with reckless disregard for the person’s safety.
Publishing information to report conduct “reasonably believed to be unlawful” is not considered doxing under the law.
Croke’s office sent the email out after recent actions by Gov. JB Pritzker and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to create official channels for the public to report and document ICE activity they say is unlawful.
Recording government officials when they are performing their duties in public is protected by the First Amendment, according to Edwin Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois. Attempts to criminalize such expression, Yohnka said, raise serious constitutional concerns.
“Government accountability is a cornerstone of democracy,” Yohnka said. “Photographs and videos — including those capturing license plates or identifying details of federal agents — can be vital tools for transparency and for families trying to locate detained loved ones.”
The Department is actively tracking these targeted assaults against our law enforcement and will hold offenders accountable
Posts online sharing the screenshot claimed that the Department of Homeland Security had referred the case to the DOJ for review, citing DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a post on X.
“Heinous. We will prosecute those who dox ICE law enforcement to the fullest extent of the law — State Rep Croke is no exception,” says the quote attributed to McLaughlin.
DHS confirmed the statement was made by McLaughlin. Anthony Coley, who heads DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs, says the Department is tracking cases such as this and issued a warning to public officials involved.
“The Department is actively tracking these targeted assaults against our law enforcement and will hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Coley said. “Any official encouraging reckless behavior should think twice before inciting further violence and putting federal agents in harm’s way.”
License plate hotline
The calls for charges against Croke came the same week as Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said federal agents may be subject to legal penalties for modifying and hiding state-issued license plates.
Giannoulias called on the public to help identify potential violations by making reports to a new “Plate Watch Hotline.”
Photo Illustration courtesy Capitol News Illinois
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces a new Plate Watch Hotline in a YouTube video, in which an ICE agent apparently says, “You can record all you want. We change the plates out every day.”
The move follows public accounts and past reporting that federal immigration agents have been driving unmarked cars and vehicles without proper license plates.
“Swapping out Illinois license plates on Illinois registered vehicles is illegal,” Giannoulias said in a video posted to YouTube. “As secretary of state, I have zero tolerance for this type of illegal activity.”
With the exception of motorcycles, trailers and some trucks, Illinois law requires all licensed vehicles to display two plates, on the front and back of the vehicle.
Giannoulias said his office was actively investigating alleged violations, including a video circulated on social media that appears to show an ICE officer saying, “You can record all you want. We change the plates out every day.”
Penalties for putting a license plate on a vehicle other than the one to which it was issued, obscuring or otherwise modifying plates include fines or potential jail time, according to a news release issued with the hotline announcement video.
The office also said it has the authority to suspend or revoke the vehicles’ license plates.
“Flipping license plates or altering them in any way to avoid detection is strictly prohibited in Illinois,” Giannoulias said. “No one, including a federal agent, is above the law.”
Individuals seeking to make reports of license plate violations can contact the Secretary of State’s Plate Watch Hotline at (312) 814-1730 or email platewatch@ilsos.gov.
ICE accountability actions
The day after Giannoulias’ announcement, Pritzker signed an executive order forming a commission to document and investigate misconduct by federal agents.
State officials argue these steps are necessary to hold federal agents accountable after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and ICE officials told U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis earlier this month that no agents had been disciplined for use of force while applying aggressive crowd control tactics on protesters.
Ellis extended a temporary restraining order earlier this month prohibiting immigration agents from using those tactics, including the use of chemical irritants, until Nov. 6.
A group of journalists and activists that sought the restraining order filed a notice to Ellis on Oct. 23 accusing Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino of violating the restraining order.
The notice alleges that Bovino that morning threw a tear gas canister “without justification” at protesters in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The filing cites video footage of the incident livestreamed on Facebook.
A federal judge last week ordered Bovino to testify in person about the incident in federal court on Tuesday.
In an interview with CBS News, Bovino defended the use of force at the Broadview facility, accusing protesters of attacking federal agents and calling agents’ actions “exemplary.”
“If someone strays into a pepper ball, then that’s on them,” Bovino said. “Don’t protest and don’t trespass.”
• Maggie Dougherty is a freelance reporter covering the Chicago area.
• Capitol News Illinois reporter Ben Szalinski contributed reporting to this story.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
TAGS: Bovino threw tear gas at protestors, Illinois officials want to hold Federal agents accountable, Swapping out Illinois license plates on Illinois registered vehicles is illegal, State officials encouraging reckless behavior should think twice
President Trump has ordered 300 Illinois National Guard troops to Chicago, overriding Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections. The deployment coincides with ICE raids and recent local shootings in the city.
by Hannah Meisel & Andrew Adams Capitol News Illinois
After weeks of threatening to do so, President Donald Trump is taking command of 300 Illinois National Guard troops and sending them to Chicago over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections, the governor announced Saturday.
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Andrew Adams
A few dozen protestors and reporters gathered outside an immigration enforcement facility in Broadview on Saturday, Oct. 4. The facility has become a focal point of protest since ICE officials expanded their immigration enforcement in Chicagoland.
The promised deployment comes as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, activity has ramped up in Chicago and its suburbs as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has so far resulted in more than 800 arrests according to the Department of Homeland Security.
There have also been two shootings, including one Saturday on the city’s Southwest Side.
Though the Trump administration insists ICE is targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds, reports have mounted of agents arresting those with no history of illegal activity, detaining children along with their parents and even handcuffing U.S. citizens. Immigrant and civil rights groups have alleged ICE is arresting people without warrants in violation of a federal consent decree.
The wave of raids and arrests has spurred large protests in recent weeks, especially outside of an ICE processing center in Broadview, a suburb eight miles west of Chicago. The demonstrations have spurred clashes between immigration agents and activists, leading to the arrests of several protestors last weekend on charges of resisting and assaulting officers. Agents have sprayed chemical agents and fired nonlethal rounds into the crowds outside the facility.
I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois
On Monday, Pritzker announced DHS was seeking 100 Illinois National Guard troops to protect ICE facilities and immigration agents in Illinois, warning the Trump administration would use any confrontation resulting from its Chicago-area immigration crackdown as a “pretext” for a military deployment.
On Saturday, the governor called the administration’s National Guard activation a ”manufactured performance” and not about protecting public safety.
“I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,“ Pritzker said, pointing to the Illinois State Police’s announcement this week that it had joined forces with Broadview Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to form a “Unified Command” to coordinate law enforcement activity outside the ICE facility.
One of ISP’s first acts in Broadview was designating demonstration areas, also known as “free speech zones.” Pritzker on Saturday said the combined efforts of state and local law enforcement protected “people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.”
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Andrew Adams
Protestors and reporters gathered outside an immigration enforcement facility in Broadview on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The Unified Command reported the arrests of at least five protesters on Friday, and five more on Saturday night, as of 8 p.m. The area was quiet Saturday afternoon with only about a dozen protesters gathered, at times outnumbered by members of the media.
“I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people,” the governor said in his statement.
But shortly before Pritzker’s announcement about the National Guard deployment Saturday, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot a woman in an altercation between immigration agents and protesters on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
According to reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times, the woman was alleged to have been driving one of 10 cars that “rammed” and “boxed in” nearly three dozen immigration agents in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood. Agents fired “defensive shots” when they saw the woman was allegedly “armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” according to the paper. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The woman was one of two people charged by federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois with using their vehicles to "assault, impede, and interfere with the work of federal agents in Chicago."
Trump and Pritzker have spent weeks trading barbs over the president’s threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, with the governor alleging Trump’s apparent backing off from the idea last month was a sign of dementia.
The governor has already vowed legal action against the Trump administration if and when the president activated the National Guard. After the president sent 1,400 National Guard troops to Los Angeles this summer — the first time since the 1960s that the feds deployed the National Guard without a governor’s consent — a federal judge last month ruled the move violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters. But the ruling only applies to California.
The National Guard’s presence in Los Angeles has dwindled to roughly 250, but there are still a couple thousand troops on assignment in Washington, D.C., where the federal government has more power over law enforcement. Since their August deployment to the nation’s capital, guardsmen have been reportedly picking up garbage, as they are only authorized to assist with arrests if asked by local law enforcement.
Trump has also threatened to federalize the National Guard in Portland, Oregon, though troops had not yet been sent as of Saturday evening. Tennessee’s Republican governor has welcomed the president’s recent suggestion that he’d deploy guardsmen to Memphis, but that has also yet to happen.
Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Washington, D.C. and Shelby County, Tennessee, where Memphis is situated, have all adopted so-called “sanctuary city” policies wherein local law enforcement are barred from assisting in federal immigration enforcement. Trump has targeted cities and states that have adopted such laws, and last week a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled the administration cannot withhold emergency funding from Illinois and other states based on those states’ refusal to participate in immigration enforcement.
...masked federal agents deployed a chemical irritant ...
But this week, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he learned of another attempt by the White House to divert disaster relief funding from Illinois with four days remaining in the fiscal year “without any notice or explanation.”
Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited Illinois again on Friday. Noem has traveled to the Chicago area and Springfield several times this year, including last month when she oversaw an early morning raid in Elgin, where at least one U.S. citizen was arrested.
“Secretary Noem should no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without any form of public accountability,” Pritzker said in a statement.
On Friday, Noem appeared with Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, at the Broadview ICE facility with a camera crew, according to Chicago’s ABC 7.
Late Friday, Pritzker also said he’s making state resources available to people affected by a Sept. 30 raid on a South Shore apartment building.
In Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, masked federal agents deployed a chemical irritant outside of a grocery store as people and cars lined up to block their advancement, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, condemned the action, which happened around the corner from an elementary school in her district. Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes also alleges she was handcuffed by immigration agents while questioning them at a Humboldt Park medical center.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
TAGS: Trump National Guard deployment, Illinois ICE raids, JB Pritzker reaction, Chicago protests, Operation Midway Blitz
The Social Security Tax Freedom Act is the second pillar of Chlebek’s MAGNA Agenda, which aims to reduce taxes, reward work, and restore opportunity. Property taxes remain a defining issue for Republican primary voters.
PARK RIDGE - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Casey Chlebek on Monday renewed his call for the Illinois General Assembly to place a statewide advisory referendum on the 2026 ballot that would give voters a direct say on abolishing property taxes.
A new campaign survey of 350 registered Republican voters across Illinois shows overwhelming support for reforming or abolishing the state’s property tax system. According to the results:
92% believe Illinois property taxes are too high.
83% report they or someone they know has been directly impacted by high property taxes—losing a home, being at risk of losing a home, or struggling to afford one.
86% want property tax reform to be a top issue in the 2026 elections.
63% support replacing property tax funding with alternative funding sources so that schools, police, and fire departments remain fully funded.
“These numbers confirm what I’ve been saying from the start: Illinois families are being crushed by the highest property taxes in America,” Chlebek said. “Homeownership should mean freedom—not perpetual rent to the government. Voters are demanding change, and I am the only candidate with a plan to deliver it while protecting schools, police, and fire services by exploring alternative funding options.”
Chlebek emphasized that only the legislature and the governor can authorize an advisory referendum but argued that Springfield has no excuse to delay when voters so clearly demand relief. His Property Tax Freedom Plan, the first pillar of his MAGNA Agenda (Making America the Greatest Nation Again), ensures that essential local services remain fully funded through replacement revenue while families finally get relief.
The survey results provide the clearest evidence yet that property taxes are not only a financial burden but also a defining campaign issue for Republican primary voters in Illinois.
Casey Chlebek, a business leader, public policy advocate, and proud Polish-American, has officially declared intention to be the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. His MAGNA Agenda also includes the Social Security Tax Freedom Act, the second of seven pillars designed to reduce taxes, reward work, and restore opportunity.
TAGS: Casey Chlebek property tax reform, Illinois Senate 2026, MAGNA Agenda tax plan, Republican primary Illinois, Property Tax Freedom Plan
Darren Bailey kicks off his second gubernatorial campaign with a renewed focus on Chicago and its suburbs.
by Ben Szalinski Capitol News Illinois
BLOOMINGTON - Darren Bailey’s second campaign for governor will take a different approach to Chicago and its suburbs following his unsuccessful 2022 bid, the downstate farmer and former Republican state lawmaker told supporters Thursday.
“This journey is going to look different than it did four years ago,” Bailey said at the second leg of a three-stop campaign kickoff tour in Bloomington. “We're out to win. We're on a mission.”
Bailey began the campaign in downstate Carterville before taking a helicopter owned and piloted by his son to Bloomington, then departing for his opening rally in Oak Brook later in the evening.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Ben Szalinski
Former Republican State Sen. Darren Bailey speaks to supporters at a rally in Bloomington to open his 2026 campaign for governor on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. Bailey named Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.
Bailey, who called Chicago a “hellhole” four years ago, is emphasizing that his campaign will focus more on the city and its suburbs than in 2022. He chose Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate, and his campaign logo now includes the skyline of Chicago. Bailey told reporters he believes voters in the Chicago area are more dissatisfied with Gov. JB Pritzker than in 2022.
“The people in Cook County, in Chicago are affected much more, I believe, than they were, you know, four years ago,” Bailey told reporters. “So staying on, you know, the message is really pretty simple and pretty obvious. I mean, taxes are too high. Opportunity doesn't exist. Our children are moving out of the state, and people just simply can't afford to be able to live and work here.”
Bailey argued he and Del Mar can relate more to an average person’s economic struggles than Pritzker — their billionaire opponent if they win the March 17 primary. They said affordability will be their top issue. Bailey pointed to a poll last month by a conservative policy organization that showed Pritzker’s approval rating below 50% for the first time. He said he believes there’s growing momentum for a Republican candidate, despite Pritzker winning the past two elections by double digits.
“The climate here in Illinois is a lot more obvious and conducive than it was three and four years ago,” he said. “People have woke up and they've realized that, ‘wow, why did we just go through these last three years?’ And that they're tired of it.”
Bailey owns and operates a more than 12,000-acre farm in Clay County south of Effingham.
After losing to Pritzker, Bailey lost a congressional primary in 2024. Democrats didn’t show any disappointment in seeing him on the ticket again. Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association President Mark Guethle said in a statement Bailey’s decision to run again is “fine by us!”
A new running mate
Bailey said he had not been planning to run for governor until a few weeks ago. Friends encouraged him to consider picking Del Mar as his running mate, he said, despite the pair’s history of disagreements. They met earlier this month to iron out their differences.
“We put it aside; we let the bygones be bygones,” Del Mar said. “And we came out and we said we're going to run together as a team. We're going to bring everybody from the southern area, from the country. We're going to bring everybody from the north.”
Del Mar has long been active in suburban Republican politics and was McHenry County businessman Gary Rabine’s running mate in the 2022 GOP primary for governor. He told Bailey’s supporters on Thursday that he had been planning to run for governor himself. Bailey’s 2022 running mate was Stephanie Trussell, a DuPage County resident and conservative radio host.
Who is Darren Bailey
Bailey owns and operates a more than 12,000-acre farm in Clay County south of Effingham. He’s made the farmer lifestyle a pillar of his statewide campaigns as he often discusses learning the values of hard work and family from the farm. In 2022, Bailey ran a TV ad about building his business by working with his hands. It drew a contrast to Pritzker who inherited wealth, though Pritzker also had a long philanthropic and business career before becoming governor.
He was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018, but his political profile exploded in 2020 after he filed lawsuits challenging Illinois’ stay-at-home and mask orders in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuits helped lionize Bailey among Illinois conservatives who believed the public health restrictions were illegal for the governor to impose.
Bailey won a race for Illinois Senate in 2020 and then launched his 2022 campaign for governor hoping to capitalize on his growing reputation as the most vocal opponent to pandemic mitigations in the legislature.
Bailey’s past results
Bailey cruised to victory in the 2022 Republican primary with 57% of the vote in a field of six candidates. He trounced the favored candidate of establishment Republicans, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who also had a fundraising advantage over Bailey.
But Irvin struggled to articulate his positions on issues while Bailey appealed to conservative voters. Some of that appeal came with the help of Pritzker’s campaign, who, along with the Democratic Governors Association, ran TV ads attacking Bailey during the primary as “too conservative” for Illinois.
The ads boosted Bailey’s conservative credentials in the partisan contest, helping Bailey win 100 of 102 counties. He struggled to gain traction in the general election against Pritzker, though. Bailey's tough-on-crime message failed to land with voters and Pritzker cruised to a 13-point victory that was called within minutes of the polls closing. Bailey won 42% of the vote, including just 24% of Cook County voters.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
State Sen. Darren Bailey appears at a news conference alongside law enforcement officers during his 2022 campaign for governor. Bailey plans a second run for Illinois governor in 2026 with Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.
Bailey came back to the campaign trail in 2024 and billed himself as a more conservative alternative to Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the 12th Congressional District across southern Illinois. Bost was an ally of President Donald Trump, who endorsed Bost over Bailey, despite endorsing Bailey’s candidacy for governor. Bailey came up about 2,700 votes short.
Bailey told reporters on Thursday he has not spoken with Trump but would consider seeking his endorsement. Bailey joins the Republican primary field of DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski and Lake Forest businessman Joe Severino.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
With strong early financial support, Ted Dabrowski announced his bid for Illinois governor in the 2026 Republican primary. His campaign focuses on conservative reform and moral clarity, setting him up as the GOP fundraising frontrunner.
SPRINGFIELD - Ted Dabrowski, the leader of a conservative research publication, officially announced Friday he will run for Illinois governor in the 2026 Republican primary.
Dabrowski’s Wirepoints.org publishes research and commentary on state policy issues and advocates for conservative solutions on pensions, taxes, governance and other public policy issues. Before joining Wirepoints in 2017, Dabrowski was vice president of policy for the conservative Illinois Policy Institute think tank after spending nearly 20 years in banking.
“I am not from the political system,” Dabrowski said from his Wilmette home. “I know the system; I know the players. I know how the sausage is made and why it tastes so bad. And I know that if we don't revitalize the Republican Party with strong executive leadership, we cannot resuscitate the state of Illinois.”
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
Ted Dabrowski talks to fellow Republicans at a State Central Committee meeting in Springfield on Aug. 14, 2025.
Though Dabrowski has built his reputation in Illinois politics by leaning into analytical, data-driven arguments, he signaled that his message on the campaign trail might be different.
“We will win this race by laying out a competing vision for Illinois, one rooted in conservative reform principles,” Dabrowski said. “And as much as I like charts and graphs, the main feature of my candidacy will be the moral clarity on those matters which impact the quality of life for productive Illinoisians who play by the rules.”
Dabrowski announced that his running mate will be Carrie Mendoza, an emergency room doctor from the Chicago area. She previously held a director position at the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, a group that has opposed lessons on gender in schools.
Dabrowski did not take questions from reporters following his announcement.
Fundraising leader
Dabrowski enters the race as the immediate leader in fundraising after first saying last month that he planned to run for governor.
Dabrowski has raised $1.2 million, including from his own seed money, in contributions of $1,000 or more.
State Board of Election records show Dabrowski loaned $250,000 to his campaign at the end of August — a move that eliminated fundraising restrictions for all candidates in the race.
Other contributions reported to the State Board of Elections over the last month show he has received several other large contributions of $100,000 or more from various people in finance and philanthropy in the Chicago area.
two candidates in the race have also not reported substantial fundraising.
The stiffest competition for Dabrowski and other Republican candidates for governor — former state Sen. Darren Bailey — is likely to officially enter the race in the coming days. Bailey was the party’s 2022 nominee for governor, and sources confirmed he’s planning a second run to try to beat Gov. JB Pritzker. He received 57% of the vote in the 2022 primary.
It’s still unclear who Bailey’s financial backers will be as he has not been actively fundraising for state office. He had just $2,800 in his campaign fund as of June 30. Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein was his primary funding source in 2022.
“I'm very aware of the skepticism about the Republican Party's prospects and Illinois' future, but we have a strong team, and we are and will be well-funded,” Dabrowski said. “Illinoisans have Pritzker fatigue, and they're looking for a credible alternative.”
The other two candidates in the race have also not reported substantial fundraising. DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick’s financial records show he had $100,588 on hand at the end of June and has reported $11,000 in contributions of $1,000 or more since then. Joe Severino, a Lake Forest resident who is also running for governor, has not reported any contributions to the State Board of Elections.
One of Dabrowski’s earliest supporters is Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, who is chair of his campaign.
“He has spent 15 years researching, digging and offering solutions, highlighting the failings,” Plummer said “A lot of people in the state may not know the name Ted Dabrowski yet, but I assure you they know his work. He has shed light on so many of our problems.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Bailey, who lost to JB Pritzker in 2022, re-enters the governor’s race with new campaign strategy.
SPRINGFIELD - Darren Bailey plans to run for governor for a second time in 2026, Capitol News Illinois confirmed with sources close to the campaign.
The former state senator and farmer from Clay County would become the highest-profile Republican to enter the race, having lost the 2022 campaign against Gov. JB Pritzker and a close primary race in 2024 against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for a downstate congressional seat.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
State Sen. Darren Bailey appears at a news conference alongside law enforcement officers during his 2022 campaign for governor. Bailey plans a second run for Illinois governor in 2026 with Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.
A formal announcement is expected next week. News of the planned announcement was first reported by NBC Chicago on Monday afternoon.
Bailey rose to statewide notoriety in 2020 as a state lawmaker who opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 emergency actions early in the pandemic. He capitalized on his opposition to Pritzker-imposed restrictions and ran for governor in 2022.
Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate
Bailey easily won the Republican primary that year with 57 percent of the vote. His campaign was indirectly helped by Pritzker, who ran TV ads during the primary calling Bailey “too conservative” for Illinois, which helped boost his credentials with Republican voters.
But Pritzker handily won a second term with 55 percent of the vote, defeating Bailey by 13 points in a race the Associated Press called just moments after polls closed. Pritzker spent millions on his campaign as Bailey struggled to compete despite receiving financial help from Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Bailey then tried to unseat Bost in 2024 in the 12th Congressional District but came up about 2,700 votes short. While he received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race, Trump endorsed Bost over Bailey in 2024.
New running mate
Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate, a source said.
Del Mar ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside Gary Rabine, receiving 6.5 percent of the vote.
He was elected to lead the Cook County Republican Party earlier this year, marking the second time he has held that role after previously leading the party in the early 2010s. He is also a member of the Illinois GOP’s State Central Committee and serves as Palatine Township’s highway commissioner.
Outside of politics, Del Mar has led a career in business and as an entrepreneur.
Bailey ran in 2022 with Stephanie Trussell, a conservative radio host from the suburbs.
Bailey’s message
It is unclear how Bailey plans to overcome his 2022 loss and what message he will take to voters in 2026.
He focused much of his 2022 campaign on crime and public safety, criticizing the SAFE-T Act and bashing Chicago as a “hellhole.”
The message failed to gain traction with voters, however, as Democrats focused heavily on abortion rights in the months after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Facebook has been Bailey’s primary communication platform to voters, and in recent weeks, he has focused many of his posts on Pritzker and ways he believes the governor has failed Illinois. Like other Republicans, Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s growing national profile.
“In 2026, we have the chance to stop him,” Bailey wrote in a post Monday. “But it will take ALL of us. Every Illinoisan who knows we deserve better. Together, we can end JB’s presidential ambitions before they even begin and finally turn Illinois around.”
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
Former state senator and unsuccessful candidate for governor and later Congress Darren Bailey is pictured at the 2023 Illinois State Fair during his unsuccessful congressional campaign.
Bailey would become at least the fourth candidate to enter the Republican primary for governor, which has been slowly taking shape this fall.
DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, Lake Forest resident Joe Severino, and conservative media writer Ted Dabrowski have also formed committees to run for governor.
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner released a statement Sunday saying he was also considering running.
Pritzker is running for a rare third term as governor amid speculation he will also run for president in 2028.
Candidates must turn their petitions in to the State Board of Elections by the end of October.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Chlebek proposes Property Tax Freedom Plan to replace local property taxes while protecting schools and services.
PARK RIDGE - Casey Chlebek, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, called on the Illinois General Assembly Tuesday to put a statewide advisory referendum on the 2026 ballot, arguing Illinois voters deserve a direct say in what he described as a property tax crisis driving families from their homes.
Casey Chlebek
Chlebek’s proposal would allow voters to weigh in on whether Illinois should abolish property taxes on primary residences and replace them with alternative funding for schools, police, fire departments and other local services.
Only the legislature and the governor can place an advisory referendum on the statewide ballot. Although not binding, Chlebek said such a move would send “an unmistakable message” to lawmakers.
“Homeownership should mean freedom, not perpetual rent to the government,” Chlebek said. “But in Illinois, families are being robbed of their homes and their life savings over tax debts smaller than the cost of a used car. That is legalized theft, plain and simple. The referendum is step one, a mandate from the people, and after that, Springfield will have no excuse. They must act.”
High taxes, lost homes
Illinois homeowners pay the highest effective property tax rate in the nation, according to 2023 figures. Since 2019, more than 1,000 Cook County residents - including 125 seniors - have lost homes valued at $108 million to cover just $2.3 million in unpaid tax debts.
In May 2022 alone, 37,000 Cook County properties were listed for a delinquent tax sale, more than half for debts under $1,000. In Illinois, 70% of tax foreclosure cases involved debts smaller than the value of a 10-year-old car.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the practice of seizing and reselling homes for tax debts without returning excess equity to owners unconstitutional in 2023. While more than a dozen states have reformed their laws, Illinois has not.
You can pay off your mortgage and still lose your home and your equity if you fall behind on taxes
“This is not just bad policy, it is legalized theft,” Chlebek said. “Illinoisans are paying the nation’s highest property taxes, and when they fall behind, their homes are being taken for pennies on the dollar. That is unconscionable.”
Federal plan, local control
Chlebek tied his proposal to his “Property Tax Freedom Plan,” which he said would ensure local services remain fully funded while families get relief. He emphasized that schools, police, fire protection and roads would be supported through replacement revenue, not cuts.
“You can pay off your mortgage and still lose your home and your equity if you fall behind on taxes,” he said. “That is not ownership, that is bondage. I am the only candidate with a clear plan to end this injustice.”
Chlebek, a business leader and Polish-American community advocate, is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2026. His property tax plan is the first pillar of what he calls his MAGNA Agenda, short for “Make America the Greatest Nation Again,” a seven-part domestic policy platform.
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