September 17, 2025
REILLY MAY BE ABLE TO END PRECKWINKLE'S "SHELF LIFE" IN 2026 PRIMARY

Politicians have a finite “shelf life.” Just like cereal, over time they become stale and expendable.

That’s the venerable Toni Preckwinkle’s plight as she approaches 2026 and seeks yet another 4 years as county board president.

Longtime 42nd Ward alderman Brendan Reilly announced his intent to challenge 78-year old Preckwinkle in next year’s March 17 Democratic primary. I have no doubt about it: Reilly will be a credible, well-funded contender with the potential to build a winning coalition.

“He (Reilly) would not run unless he was sure he could beat her (Preckwinkle)” said Nick Sposato (38th). “His polling must be positive.”

Preckwinkle has been a political fixture since the early 1980s when she ran for South Side 4th Ward alderman twice (1983/ 1987) against Tim Evans, a major ally of Harold Washington. She finally beat him in 1991 in the post-Washington era and served until 2010 when she defeated the Todd Stroger for board president in the primary. She was easily renominated in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Stroger’s downfall was a historic county sales tax increase.

According to campaign disclosures, Reilly had $790,398.60 on-hand, compared to Preckwinkle’s $602,173.32. A board president campaign will cost at least $2 million each. Preckwinkle, of course, is the Democratic county chair, having ousted Joe Berrios in 2016; she has been 4th Ward committeeperson since 1992.

She has built close alliances with South Side, south Lakefront and south suburban Black party leaders. Outgoing lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton, a former state rep from the Hyde Park area, is running for senator with governor JB Pritzker’s personal and financial support. County Democratic slatemakers in July naturally slated Preckwinkle but made no senate pick. JB will still funnel a couple mil to help Stratton.

Preckwinkle will benefit from county party resources. Each slatee is dunned $45,000 for that privilege which creates a slush fund of about 900K for mailers to every county Democratic household, palm cards and advertising. And Preckwinkle has leverage: She controls about 2,000 county jobs which she has spread around judiciously. She can pull the “race card.” She is  running against a straight White guy. “They (committeepersons) would take a big risk” opposing her, said 46th Ward committeeperson Sean Tenner (D).

Can a White guy beat a well-known Black woman in a Dem primary in COOK COUNTY? Sure.

As detailed in the chart,  getting slated is not a sure meal ticket to victory. In 2024 Eileen O’Neill Burke beat the Clayton Harris for state’s attorney. In 2022 slated Fritz Kaegi beat Kari Steele despite a lot of cognitive dissonance from trades unions (and their money) and Black leaders.

In 2020 Kim Foxx beat a Bill Conway for state’s attorney. Foxx was previously Preckwinkle’s chief-of-staff and protégé. But in 2020 the slated White guy (Mike Cabonargi) lost to an insurgent and woefully underfunded Latina (Iris Martinez). In 2024 Martinez got dumped and the slated Mariyana Spyropoulos beat her. It’s all a game of musical chairs.

In 2018 the slated incumbent assessor Joe Berrios, mired in a pay-to-play scandal (donate to him and your property taxes magically decline – until next year) lost to Fritz Kaegi, a wealthy White guy who self-funded $2 million. In the board president race Preckwinkle buried Bob Fioretti. And in 2016, when the Laquan McDonald police shooting cover-up was revealed, incumbent Anita Alvarez – initially slated – was buried by a huge Black vote. The point is that turnout matters. The lower it is the better for the slate.

Within hours of Reilly’s announcement, chief county judge Tim Evans was ousted in a vote of his fellow judges. That is a significant generational change as the 82-year old Evans is a relic dating back to Washington’s brief reign (1083-87).

Evans was elected alderman way back in 1973 when he was age 30. He was Washington’s council floor leader, ran for mayor in 1989 and after losing to Preckwinkle won a subcircuit judgeship in 1992. His enduring political skills got him elected chief judge in 2001 and kept him there for 24 years. His office has a $368 million budget, directly controls about 1,000 clerk and maintenance jobs and determines which judge sits in which division – Traffic, Civil Municipal, Divorce, Probate, Law, Chancery, ADD Criminal – and in which courtroom or courthouse. And, most importantly, which clerks are assigned to which judge.

There are about 400 county judges, 260 of whom are elected countywide or from local subcircuits and about 150 associate judges who are elected by the elected judges and serve 4-year terms (subject to re-election). The full judges serve 6-year terms and are on the retention ballot when their term expires. Only the elected judges can vote for chief judge. Judges earn close to $210,000 and associates 20k less.

Charlie Beach, was appointed in 2017 and elected in 2022, ousted Evans on the 2nd ballot by a 140-110 vote. The rap on Evans was that the newer judges elected in the 2018/2020/2022/2024 cycles are still stuck in the purgatory of Traffic/Housing/Civil Municipal and are not moving upward. A lot of the logjam was due to COVID. Why retire when you can work out of your living room? Another issue was courtroom clerks. Evans assigned them. Judges wanted to pick their own. There are few G-23 and up (75K) jobs in the clerk’s office, and a lot of G-17 and down (50K). And the Cook County courts do not attract law schools’ Best and Brightest. Judges in the more elite divisions do not want G-17s.

But worry not about Evans. He’s got an 18-year Chicago pension and a 33-year judicial pension. His demise is an ominous signal to Preckwinkle: The Geriatric Generation – Danny Davis, Bobby Rush, Luis Gutierrez, Dorothy Brown, Evans and her – are going and gone. Toni’s odds of winning are, at best, 50/50.

IN ANOTHER development, county commissioner Bridget Degnen (D) from the 12th District is retiring in 2026 to become a full-time lobbyist for the pot industry. Candidates who may succeed her are Elizabeth Granato, a top aide to Preckwinkle and husband of state senator Ram Villivalam (D-8), who had over 800K on-hand as of June 30. He gave his wife more than 200K to jump-start her campaign

Also running is Cat Sharp, former director of community outreach to Degnen and now chief-of-staff to Alderperson  Andre Vasquez (40th). There is a network on the Democratic Left which nurtures and advances those who are compliant staffers and loyal bureaucrats. Just like the Republican Right. They move up the ladder, pay scale and shuttle between politicians. Granato is favored, although Degnen has endorsed Sharp.

Read more Analysis & Opinion from Russ Stewart at Russstewart.com

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