August 13, 2025
JESSE JR. AND BLAGO HIGHLIGHT COMING YEAR OF EX-CONS, LOSERS, RETREADS
I’m fond of quoting Yogi Berra about “it ain’t over until it’s over,” but a lot of egomaniac politicians for whom it’s over persist in thinking it ain’t over. Can you follow that? If not, just think of New York City where alleged groper Andrew Cuomo and alleged briber Eric Adams are the alternatives to electing an anti-Semitic, anti-police, pro-Hamas Marxist communist Zohran Mamdani as mayor on Nov. 5.
It would be like electing ex-con Jesse Jackson Jr., convicted of campaign finance fraud for using donor money to remodel his houses, as congressman again. Or like electing ex-con Rod Blagojevich, impeached as governor and then convicted of conspiracy to “sell” his appointment to Barack Obama’s senate seat in exchange for donations, who was jailed and disbarred, to statewide office again.
But wait a minute. WAIT A MINUTE! Jesse Jr. is mulling a candidacy for the open South Side/south suburban 2nd District congressional seat he held from 1995-2012 and a recent (7/24) poll by Lester Associates had him first at 21 percent in a forming 9-candidate 2026 primary (D). And WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE! Blago, who was pardoned by Trump, is pondering a 2026 run for Senator as a Republican. Since he’s no longer a convicted felon he is eligible to hold federal office.
Is this the very best we can do? These guys are like a permanent fungal infection. Welcome to 2026: The Year of Ex-Cons, Ex-Losers and Retreads.
2ND DISTRICT: Incumbent Robin Kelly (D) is running for senator. The district extends from south of Hyde Park through the south suburbs and further to Kankakee and Danville. It is 49.9 percent Black, 34.4 White. The candidates are county commissioner Donna Miller, MWRD commissioner Yumeka Brown, state senator Robert Peters, Adal Regis and, perhaps Jackson. Peters has the most money ($374,695), but had 4 percent approval in the poll.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: This column is focused on four key Illinois 2026 congressional contests where the Democratic incumbent is either retiring (9th and 7th) or running for the Senate (8th and 2nd). The 90-day period for nominating petition circulation began Aug. 5 and ends Nov. 2. If anyone is serious about winning – either nomination on March 17 or election next Nov. 3 – they would have announced by now. The IL congressional delegation is 14D-3R and 3 of the 4 open seats will definitely remain Democratic. A Republican has an outside shot at the northwest suburban 8th. All the action is in the Democratic primary and there will be a far Left/Woke Left candidate in each who can win in fields of 6-9 candidates.
Turnout in Democratic primaries especially in off-years rarely exceeds 20 percent. In 2022 it was 108,417, 75,612, 42,560 and 47,299, respectively, in the 9th, 7th, 8th and 2nd. The 2024 Harris/Trump vote was 67-31/84-17/52-45/60-33. Of Democrat voters over two-thirds are hardcore Woke/Leftist “progressive activists” with Trump Derangement Syndrome and if they consolidate behind the most radical Democrat then they (like Momdani) win. In effect 10 percent of the RVs pick the Democrat who then wins.
Polling at this early stage is scarce so the best indicator of candidate strength and credibility is fundraising measured by quarterly FEC filings which indicate cash-on-hand (COH). Obviously if you can raise money NOW then you are perceived as a potential winner by Washington special interests and therefore raise much more later.
The 2nd quarter (which ended June 30) numbers are out (see attached CHART) but 3rd quarter (ending Sept. 30) posts are even more critical. They must be in the six figures. A credible candidate’s full-time focus for the next 90 days is getting triple the minimum signatures, like about 15,000, as that telegraphs voter support. And that means a lot of time at commuter stops, malls, business districts, breakfast joints and on weekends going door-to-door, plus hiring a staff/consultant/pollster, assembling a database and dialing for dollars 3 hours/day.
9TH DISTRICT: Once concentrated on Chicago’s north Lakefront, it was known as Illinois’ “Jewish” seat and had just two Jewish congressional members since 1948: Sid Yates and Jan Schakowsky (who is retiring next year). There are 4 pillars in any Dem primary: Identity/Gender, Race, Ethnicity. The newest is Generation. The two major Jewish candidates are Evanston mayor Dan Biss and state senator Laura Fine of Glenview, splitting that ethnic vote; the most serious Black candidate is state senator Mike Simmons; and an unknown factor is state rep Hoan Huynh, a Vietnamese-American. The 9th is 59.2 percent White, 14.4 Asian, 13 Hispanic and 8.6 Black. There are 3 men and one woman, aiding Fine.
There are also 2 very young women running: “Social influencer” and writer Kat Abughazaleh, age 26, a/k/a KatAbu who has 263,000 “followers’ and 6 million “Likes” since 2023, according to Wikipedia. Her father is a Palestinian immigrant and she is hardcore Left. And Bushra Amiwala, age 27, a Muslim and Skokie school board member.
Biss had $645,747 cash on hand and KatAbu a hefty $666,768. There is doubt as to whether enough of her online legion live in the 9th, which takes in parts of wards 40, 41, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, Evanston/Wilmette through Skokie/Niles/Park Ridge to Arlington Heights and then to Wauconda/Cary/Crystal Lake. But there is NO doubt that they have money to give.
A 6/5 MDW poll had it at 17/10/6 for Biss/KatAbu/Fine with 63 undecided. Don’t dismiss a KatAbu upset. That would really piss off the powers that be.
7th DISTRICT: Can a rich White Jewish guy win a congressional seat occupied by a Black since 1970? You betcha – as long as he’s running against 10 Blacks in the primary (which he is). That candidate is developer Jason Friedman who posted stunning $905,687 cash on hand. He is on track to raise and spend $3 million. The 7th was once centered on the Black-majority Chicago West Side but over the decades has expanded to include the upscale Loop, River North, near West Side and Oak Park. The Black population is now 42.8 percent and the White 29.5 percent.
Friedman’s clout-heavy father founded his construction company back when Daley One was mayor and Friedman Two built on that legacy and made national contacts, having worked in the Clinton White House. The 7th contains 14 city wards 1/2/24/25/27/28/29/34/37 on the West Side and 20/11/15/16/17 on the south Side, plus affluent, racially-mixed Oak Park (32 precincts) and Black-majority west suburban Maywood, Bellwood, Hillside, Forest Park, Westchester and River Forest (71 precincts).
Incumbent Danny Davis (D-7), age 84, is retiring after 30 years in Washington, plus another 17 years on the payroll as alderman and county commissioner. Davis began his career as a social worker and ends it as a sponge. Now running are 20-year state rep LaShawn Ford; Richard Boykin,city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, loser in 2024; Forest Park mayor Rory Hoskins; and 3-time loser Kina Collins. Friedman will win.
8TH DISTRICT: Can the LGBTQ+ community elect Cook County commissioner Kevin Morrison? He has been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund which endorses candidates who are not just pro-gay rights but who are gay/lesbian.
In terms of fund-raising the surprise (D) is Neil Khot, an “outsourcing consultant” who raised $515,794 and has $480,292 on-hand. Morrison had just $152,894 cash on hand. Attorney Dan Tully, who worked for the Dept. of Commerce in the Biden Administration, had $199,184 cash on hand. He has a great ballot name. The Asian Indian candidate is Junaid Ahmed, a tech consultant who has $329,271 COH. The Black and only woman is Hanover Park trustee Yasmeen Bankole, who had $105,452 cash on hand.
There is a large Asian-Indian community around Schaumburg/Streamwood/Bartlett which supported and funded retiring incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), who is running for senator. Watch Khot and Tully. In a field of 7 unknowns, money matters.
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