House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) speaks at a rally on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 18. [Blue Room Stream]

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) is hoping to bring down the House Democrats’ super majority with a record number of Republican candidates running for seats in the Illinois House on Nov. 8.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference Tuesday at Planned Parenthood of Illinois. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at the end of June, Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to call lawmakers to Springfield within the “coming weeks” to craft a legislative response to the decision, but then hit the breaks on the special session when July arrived.

Now as Labor Day approaches and state lawmakers count down the days to the Nov. 8 election, a special session to take up abortion bills appears unlikely.

A report released by the Better Government Association calls into question Gov. JB Pritzker’s transparency on his personal investments. Republican nominee for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) wants to the University of Illinois to increase in-state students’ enrollment. And the state is taking steps to contain gas prices after a fire at an Indiana refinery.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks outside IBEW Local 134 in Chicago Sunday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]  

As the campaign season kicks into high gear with just over two months before voters head to the polls on Nov. 8, Gov. JB Pritzker wrapped up a bus tour Sunday after barnstorming to 14 stops throughout the state.

Anti-Defamation League Regional Director David Goldenberg speaks during a House Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force hearing on Thursday. [Blue Room Stream]

Hate crimes are on the rise in Illinois and around the country and advocates are asking lawmakers do more to track hate crimes and help community organizations and law enforcement appropriately respond to incidents.

Gov. JB Pritzker visits the Mid-American Carpenters Regional Council in Elk Grove Village Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

As Democrats tout their support for unions, they are also calling on union members to spread the word about the Workers’ Rights Amendment that would make collective bargaining a constitutional right.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), left, and Gov. JB Pritzker, right, speak during an Illinois Farm Bureau forum in Lexington Wednesday. [Blue Room Stream]

The 2022 race for governor has pitted two opposite candidates against each other: a Chicago billionaire and businessman in Gov. JB Pritzker and downstate conservative farmer in Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia).

Both candidates made their pitches to farmers Wednesday at an Illinois Farm Bureau forum in Lexington where Pritzker listed his accomplishments over the last four years to argue he’s a better option for governor for farmers than career farmer Bailey.

An Illinois Supreme Court task force is reviewing the Pretrial Fairness Act to provide guidance on how it should be used in practice.

Some changes to the state’s pretrial laws made by the Pretrial Fairness Act could be an unintended burden on rural communities, public defenders on a state Supreme Court task force said.

Democratic nominee for secretary of state Alexi Giannoulias speaks during the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association brunch at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The on-going debate over abortion is beginning to seep into the Illinois secretary of state’s race as Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias tries to pin down Republican opponent Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) on the issue.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to reporters during Governors’ Day at the Illinois State Fair Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]  

As summer comes to a close, state leaders say there are no updates on when or if lawmakers will return to Springfield for a special session ahead of the November election.

Conversations also remain in the works on gun control legislation as lawmakers search for a response to the July 4 Highland Park parade shooting.

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) is calling on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to monitor the air around Chicago’s NASCAR race in 2023. And Republican attorney general nominee Tom DeVore says he does not believe Chicago is a “hellhole” like Republican gubernatorial nominee Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) said.

Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) questions officials from the Illinois State Police during a Joint Committee on Administrative Review hearing on Aug. 17. [State of Illinois] 

Lawmakers are demanding more answers from the Illinois State Police on how they handled a clear and present danger report by Highland Park Police about the Independence Day parade gunman Bobby Crimo.

Gov. JB Pritzker takes questions from reporters at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

Democrats attempted to put to rest any ideas that the party is not unified at their State Fair rallies Wednesday as they leaned on their hopes to squash Republican opposition in November.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) speaks at an Awake Illinois rally at the Illinois State Capitol Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

Republican nominee for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) is not backing away from a right-wing suburban organization even as the group has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks on multiple fronts.

Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) speaks outside the DuPage County courthouse in Wheaton Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

As a conservative group hits Illinois airwaves with an ad attacking the SAFE-T Act and elimination of cash bail, Democrats are defending their legislation and arguing moving to a risk-based assessment will be a positive step for the state’s judicial system.

From left to right, Abdelnasser Rashid, Azam Nizamuddin, and Nabeela Syed are three Democrats running for the General Assembly. [Campaign websites]

While people often think of places like Dearborn, Mich., Minneapolis, or New York City as places with a high population of Muslims, a new study released last month found Illinois has more Muslims per capita than any other state.

Despite being home to one of the largest concentrations of one of the world’s major religions, Illinois has never had a Muslim elected official at the state or federal level. Three Democratic candidates are hoping to change that in November’s election.

Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman speaks at a news conference in Springfield Friday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]  

New bills passed at the state and federal level will add new elements to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) ongoing efforts to complete the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. 

Prairie Band Chairman Joseph Rupnick speaks during a news conference in Shabbona, Ill. in DeKalb County Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

It’s been 173 years since the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation had their DeKalb County reservation illegally sold off by the U.S. government, but now Illinois’ state and federal lawmakers are making a new push to reestablish the reservation.

Illinois’ gaming industry has seen a major expansion in recent years with legalized sports betting and additional casinos.

Illinois could bring in an extra $273 million if it takes a step only six other states have and legalizes internet gaming, according to a report released this week.

The Illinois Department of Corrections was found in contempt of court by a federal judge for failing to improve the agency’s health care for prisoners. Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) filed a lawsuit against the Frankfort Police Department as he goes through divorce proceedings. And Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) wants to remove signs on Interstate 57 pointing drivers toward Memphis, Tenn.