Former Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and former President Donald Trump hold a rally in Adams County in 2022.  

Delegates and campaign staffers for presidential candidates filed petitions with the State Board of Elections in Springfield on Thursday just over two months before Illinois voters choose how to distribute delegates to presidential candidates. 

The State Board of Elections  

Just like how members of the Electoral College in each state officially elect the President of the United States, presidential nominees are voted on by delegates from each state when they meet at the party’s convention in the summer.  

Delegates for presidential candidates in Illinois will file to run for office on Thursday and Friday alongside the presidential candidates themselves.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced the next Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) director will come from inside Illinois government following a national search. The Illinois State Capitol was one of 23 states to receive a bomb threat on Wednesday. And U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) launched the first TV ad in the heated 12th Congressional District Republican primary.

The Illinois Capitol   

2024 will be a busy year in Illinois politics with new challenges facing the state and an election now about 10 months away. The state will be the center of the political world in August when Chicago hosts the Democratic National Convention, but in addition to a year of campaigning ahead, the state also must tackle new challenges such as funding for migrants.  

In addition to the political festivities and annual legislative session, the biggest corruption trial in the state since former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted in 2010 is scheduled to take place in April when former Speaker Mike Madigan goes on trial.  

Top left: Gov. JB Pritzker signs the assault weapons ban into law on Jan. 9. Top right: Supporters of ending cash bail celebrate outside the Cook County Jail on Sept. 18. Bottom left: Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) speaks with Invest in Kids advocates on Oct. 26. Bottom right: Advocates protest reductions to a healthcare program for undocumented immigrants at a rally in Chicago in September. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Illinois took historic steps in 2023 to become the ninth state to ban assault weapons and first state to completely eliminate cash bail. The year was also filled with several controversial decisions in the state legislature and new pressure on the state budget.  

Here are some of the top stories of 2023 in Illinois politics:  

The Illinois Capitol   

Study up — Illinoisians will have 318 new laws to follow when they ring in 2024. The laws include new prohibited activities such as vaping indoors and having video calls while driving and new requirements for units of government to solve carjackings and uphold abortion access. 

Rep. Nicole La Ha (R-Homer Glen) is sworn into office on Wednesday afternoon in Lemont. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Republicans in the southwest suburbs selected Nicole La Ha to be the new state representative for the 82nd House District Thursday. La Ha is the third person to hold the seat since the start of 2023.  

The Illinois Capitol   

Illinois business groups are sending letters to federal officials worried about the economic effects from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) decision to close two rail crossings into Texas to reduce illegal entries into the United States.  

The Democratic Party of Illinois 

Democratic Party leaders are happy with the results of new initiative by the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) for the 2024 election that aimed to recruit more Democrats to run for down-ballot races in hopes of building up the party’s bench of prospective candidates.  

From left to right: Geary Yonker, Dr. Dave Nayak, Graciela Guzman, and Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago).  

A crowded Democratic primary in the 20th Senate District is emerging with Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) and opponent Graciela Guzman distancing themselves from their opponents in the fundraising race with the help of big financial backers.   

But new self-funding efforts by Dr. Dave Nayak lifted contribution limits in the race on Monday, setting the stage for an even more expensive race.