Midterm Roundup: Illinois intrigue

The Illinois governor’s race is already the most expensive race on the airwaves since the close of the 2020 cycle (that includes the Virginia gubernatorial race last year and every other race on the calendar this fall). And this weekend marked yet another twist in the election: Former President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse state Sen. Darren Bailey. 

It’s not just that Trump decided to endorse Bailey days before the primary. It’s that Democrats (who saw Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin as their top opponent) spent tens of millions of dollars trying to sink Irvin, who himself had been propped up by $50 million in spending from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin. 

Bailey had already been surging in limited public polling before the endorsement. But Trump wading in creates even more intrigue ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Elsewhere on the trail:

Missouri Senate: A new super PAC reportedly funded by Missouri-based GOP donors launched an ad Friday attacking former Gov. Eric Greitens ahead of the state’s GOP Senate primary in August. 

Colorado Secretary of State: The New York Times profiles Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters ahead of her pivotal GOP primary in the race for secretary of state. 

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

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Arizona 6th District: Democratic state Rep. Daniel Hernández Jr. is out with a new ad on fighting gun violence, a spot that includes then-President Barack Obama praising his action as an intern for former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., when she was shot in 2011. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Illinois 7th District: President Joe Biden endorsed Democratic Rep. Danny Davis over the weekend. Davis is facing community organizer Kina Collins, who is backed by Justice Democrats, in a primary Tuesday.

Illinois 15th District: Days before her member-v.-member primary, GOP Rep. Mary Miller thanked Trump at a rally for a “victory for white life,” a comment her campaign says came after she misread a line that was supposed to be about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling. Her primary opponent, Rep. Rodney Davis, used the comments to highlight Miller’s decision to invoke Adolf Hitler last year. 

Nevada 3rd District: Politico reports that Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, who faces GOP lawyer April Becker in what’s expected to be a competitive race, is going up with a new TV and digital buy of at least $500,000 centered on abortion.