Gov. JB Pritzker responds to the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 25. [Blue Room Stream] 

Lawmakers and abortion advocates will continue to work through the summer to craft legislation in response to the end of Roe v. Wade before returning to Springfield for a special session, legislative leaders and Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, right, speaks after conceding defeat to Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) on election night. [Blue Room Stream]  

Six months ago, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin was the clear favorite for the Republican nomination for governor. He counted support from establishment Republicans and Illinois’ richest man, and his record as mayor of Illinois’ second-largest city convinced political observers he could attract independent voters to help him make a serious challenge to Gov. JB Pritzker in November.

On Tuesday night, the former front-runner went home after finishing in a distant third place with less than 15 percent of the vote.

Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) speaks about the tax relief plan at a news conference in Chicago Thursday. [Blue Room Stream]

Illinois taxpayers will receive $1.8 billion of relief in some form during the next year as Gov. JB Pritzker’s and General Assembly Democrats’ tax relief plan officially becomes law Friday.

Juvenile justice and mental health professionals speak to lawmakers in Chicago Thursday. [Blue Room Stream] 

Youths at Illinois’ juvenile justice facilities are not receiving the right mental health care, and in some cases aren’t receiving care at all, officials who work in the system told lawmakers Thursday.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), left, and Gov. JB Pritzker, right celebrate their election night victories. [Blue Room Stream & Don Vincent/The Daily Line]  

A day after Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) completed a convincing win in the Republican primary, Gov. JB Pritzker is ready to defend his record and make sure voters know where Bailey stands on issues, too.

Clockwise from the top left, Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), Rep. David Welter (R-Morris), Rep. Denyse Stoneback (D-Skokie), Rep. Mark Luft (R-Pekin), Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) and Sen. Eric Mattson (D-Joliet) all appear to have lost their primary races Tuesday.

Primary elections bring out the hardcore voters in each party, and results show the voters have likely ended the legislative careers of five Democrats and two Republicans in favor of challengers who fit more progressive or conservative views, respectively.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) celebrates at his election party in Effingham.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has ridden his wave of popularity from fighting COVID-19 mitigations to claim the Republican nomination for governor with a convincing victory Tuesday night.

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) celebrates a victory in the Democratic primary for the 3rd Congressional District. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) and Alexi Giannoulias will square off in the race for secretary of state in the general election, U.S. Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Mary Miller (R-Ill.) survived primaries that pitted them against other incumbents, while Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) trailed and Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside) conceded late Tuesday night.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) was endorsed by former President Donald Trump at a rally in Adams County on Saturday. [Blue Room Stream]

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) believes he can turn Illinois red. After polls over the last month showed Bailey building a substantial lead over his fellow Republican contenders for governor, Bailey picked up a coveted endorsement from former President Donald Trump over the weekend that he is riding into Tuesday’s primary as he builds favor with Republican voters.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin speaks to employees at a manufacturing facility in Wauconda on June 21. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin spent much of this year as the front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor. But Democratic organizations poured millions of dollars into ads attacking Irvin, and as the June 28 primary approached, Irvin found himself trying to stop Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) from claiming the nomination.