Last week, we received word that Obama 2012 World Headquarters will be the Prudential Building. Knowing this, we had a feeling Obama's re-election campaign would start up very soon, and there is a general consensus that Obama will announce his run for a second term in office tomorrow. more ›

Congresswoman Melissa Bean finally conceded to her Republican opponent, Joe Walsh, in the 8th Congressional District race. After all absentee ballots were counted, Walsh's final lead over Bean was reduced to 290 votes, a gossamer-thin margin that even Bean realized she couldn't overcome with recounts. more ›

The polls will close in five hours across Illinois and it's nice to not have to hear or see a campaign commercial. This must be the silence Mom referred to as her time, before we all stirred awake and she herded us along to school. more ›

Even with Tom Dart taking his name out of consideration, the list of candidates and prospective candidates vying to replace Richard Daley as mayor still resembles the mysterious tumbleweeds that plague Bridgeport during Christmas. The group of politicians, clergy and community leaders that make up the "Chicago Coalition for Mayor" have narrowed their candidates for the "consensus" Black candidate for the February election to former Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr. more ›

With days to go before the general election, major television stations are pulling Bill Brady's campaign commercials because he hasn't paid for the airtime. And here we thought the ads last night seemed slightly less offensive because the politicians wised up on negative ads. more ›

Illinois Senate candidates Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias squared off in the second of three scheduled debates last night on ABC7. Much like their "Meet the Press" debate last week, the focus was on personal ethics. Kirk once again answered why he embellished his military record, while Giannoulias reiterated that investigations into his family's Broadway Bank did nothing wrong in making loans to people who were later outed as reputed mobsters. more ›

Alberto Bocanegra is the chairman of the Cook County Green Party and once again will challenge 12th Ward incumbent Alderman George Cardenas in next year's election. In 2007, Bocanegra only received just under 4 percent of the vote to Cardenas's 59 percent. more ›

Dan Mihalopoulos at Chicago News Coop reports that Congressman Luis Gutierrez will not run for Mayor. Gutierrez made the announcement to supporters at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and also called other prospective candidates to inform them of his decision. more ›

Rahm Emanuel is nothing if not a savvy politician. Dan Mihalopoulos at the Chicago News Coop reports today that Emanuel has been casting himself as a reformer since he started his "You Guys Sure Bitch A Lot" "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour of neighborhoods last week. more ›

A new poll conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University finds Bill Brady holding a nine-point lead over Governor Pat Quinn as the gubernatorial race heads into its final weeks. Which begs the question: How milquetoast does Pat Quinn have to be to be trailing Brady? more ›

President Obama went into Candidate Obama mode last night, stumping and raising money for Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias in his tight race against Mark Kirk. With many polls showing Kirk and Giannoulias in a dead heat, Obama's second fundraising appearance here in as many months for Giannoulias is a clear indicator that his Administration believes the seat, which the GOP wants largely as a symbolic victory, is winnable. Although making this Chicagoist staffer choose between Giannoulias and Kirk is like picking between strychnine and witch hazel. more ›

Yesterday, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sarah Palin got together and rallied like it was 2008 in support of McCain's senatorial reelection efforts. The event had sound bites galore (personal favorite: Palin's "lamestream media" comment), but it was McCain who caught our ear with a comment he made regarding the recently passed health care reform. Just as he did when the bill was first approved by the Senate back in December, McCain called the bill, "sleazy Chicago-style sausage-making," a message he's been plugging all week. How long Sen. McCain plans on channeling Sinclair only he knows, but when coupled with the First Lady's opinion of Chicago-style pizza, it creates an anti-Chicago food movement that's a bipartisan effort we just can't get behind. more ›

Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, went on a media blitz to defend himself, his family, and his candidacy in the wake of the reported troubles of his family's Broadway Bank. Included in his tour were sit-downs with the Tribune, the Sun-Times, Crain's, and an appearance on WTTW's Chicago Tonight. more ›

It's been a rough week for Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. February's tough primary is drawing nearer and Stroger's reeling from the Board's override of his veto of their half-percent tax roll back. That veto override was a bitter pill for Todd to swallow, which may account for his demeanor in this interview he conducted with the Chicago News Coop; the interview happened right after the override. Perhaps it's no surprise given that particular failure, but Stroger exhibited a feeling of abandonment, beginning with Mayor Daley. more ›

The idea of Mayor Daley seeking reelection in 2011 and the effect the 2016 Olympic race will have on it has been a topic of conversation around the Chicagoist office keg water cooler for a few months now. If Chicago wins the Games, would he retire and focus solely on that? Or would he be so drained by losing the Games that he'd choose to step back? Of course, this is a Daley we're talking about here so the Mayoral Monarchy would be threatened. But it's been a topic of conversation that's also picked up a little buzz city-wide and now WBEZ takes a look at Daley's campaign cash to see if there are any clues. Their conclusion? There aren't any, really, especially given his usual election routine - "Keep in mind, the big Daley money rolls in closer to the election." - but it's still an interesting peek into the Mayors coffers and worth a look. more ›

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk ended all the speculation today and formally announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois that's up for grabs next year. He's wasting no time, either, with his campaign website now live and featuring a campaign video of sorts that takes Blago and Burris to task. Speaking to WLS this morning, Kirk said, "I think this is the chance to put forward a strong candidacy, to renew the two-party system in Illinois, but maybe most importantly restore ethics and integrity to Illinois government. We're just a laughingstock in Washington." Kirk is not expected to have any stiff competition from within his own party in the primary. more ›

It's not illegal, but the fact Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s campaign has paid his aldermanic wife Sandi (7th) over half-a-million dollars since 2001 certainly does raise eyebrows. The campaign has paid her $247,500 since 2001 including $95,000 since she became an alderman in 2007. On top of that, there's also $298,927 of cash and contributions to Sandi's campaign. Still, while it seems to push the boundaries of ethical behavior, there's nothing illegal about it. A spokesman for Jesse Jackson told Bloomberg via email, “Congressman Jackson and Alderman Jackson are each other’s biggest supporters...[they] do their best to follow all federal, state and local rules, laws and ethic codes." Bloomberg has the full story. [via NBC 5] more ›

Photo by efroten
• Eight people were hurt, some seriously but none life-threatening, in a multiple car accident on the Northwest Side this morning that involved a Fire Department ambulance
• Internet muckraker Matt Drudge is reporting that representatives from three newspapers that have endorsed McCain are being booted from the Obama campaign pool. Some reports are that room is being made for documentary filmmakers or for major television reporters.
• Test results were revealed today for the state's schools. Both the Trib and the Sun-Times have rundowns of the report.