Left, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and Gov. JB Pritzker, right.

It’s no secret Republicans struggle to raise money in blue Illinois and financial reports by campaigns and political organizations detailing their summer fundraising and spending period show Democrats continue to hold the upper hand.

Treasurer Mike Frerichs, left, and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), right, are competing for treasurer in November.

The treasurer’s race gets little attention, but the battle between House Republican budget leader Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and incumbent Democratic Treasurer Mike Frerichs is intense as they ask voters to trust them with the state’s investments.

Cook County Jail

Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act, the component of the SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail, is set to take effect in about two-and-a-half months. The law has been the focus of partisan disputes this election season since it was passed in January 2021 as opponents call for its repeal while its framers try to sell its benefits.

Clockwise from the top left, Justice Mary Kay O’Brien, Mark Curran, Justice Michael Burke, and Judge Elizabeth Rochford are running for two seats on the Illinois Supreme Court. 

Illinois voters have a chance to select two state Supreme Court justices this fall in elections that could flip the court’s balance from blue to red if both Republican candidates are victorious. With Democrats’ control over a branch of government on the line and more attention from voters after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed abortion laws back to the states, both parties realize the stakes are high.

Rep. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), left, and Democrat Laurie Nowak, right, speak at a League of Women Voters forum at Lake Park High School in Roselle Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

After two years in the House, freshman Rep. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) is hoping to make a jump to the upper chamber and fill an open Senate seat in DuPage County.

Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville), bottom left, and Republican Richard Janor, bottom right, participate in a League of Women Voters’ forum on Oct. 6. [League of Women Voters of Naperville/Facebook]  

Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville) is fighting for a second term in the House as Republicans try to claw back the district Yang Rohr flipped in 2020.

Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich), left, and Democrat Nabeela Syed, right, are competing in the 51st House District.

If Republicans hope to add to their ranks in the General Assembly, they must protect their incumbents. First term Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) is facing a tough challenge from the left from 23-year-old Nabeela Syed of Inverness, who is well-funded and growing her name recognition.

Clockwise from the top left, Justice Mary Kay O’Brien, Mark Curran, Justice Michael Burke, and Judge Elizabeth Rockford are running for two seats on the Illinois Supreme Court.  

As TV advertising ramps up in the two races for the Illinois Supreme Court, a group of judicial organizations are condemning the partisan attacks displayed in the ads and reminding voters judges are supposed to be independent on issues while they are sitting on the bench.

Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights), left, and Republican challenger Jack Vrett, right. [Campaign websites]  

Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) first joined the House in 2009, riding former President Barack Obama’s coattails into office. Two years later, the conservative Tea Party movement swept him out of office before he was reelected in 2018 during the Democrats’ blue wave.

Now he is working to withstand a rumored red wave and a challenge from Republican Jack Vrett of Arlington Heights.

Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) meet in a debate Thursday at Illinois State University. [WGN News]  

Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) met for their first televised debate Thursday at Illinois State University in an hour-long back and forth filled with interruptions, partisan accusations and few answers on their visions for the next four years.