Raoul backs Johnson in endorsement game

By Shia Kapos

Good Wednesday morning, Illinois. Believe!

Illinois Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul, photographed in Washington, D.C., last year, is backing Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

ENDORSEMENT INTRIGUE: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is endorsing Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor, a move that raises the stakes on endorsements on the same day Paul Vallas announced his own big backer.

With crime issues at the center of the mayor’s race, support from the state’s chief law enforcement officer could be huge in swaying moderate Democrats who have been hesitant to support Johnson, a progressive who in the past has invoked the “defund” movement.

The endorsement by Raoul, the first state-wide elected official to endorse in the race, also raises questions about why the state’s chief investigator would endorse in the mayor’s race since his office would also be charged with investigating that office. Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t endorsing either candidate.

Along with sending a message on public safety, Raoul, who is African American, may also help Johnson woo Black voters who overwhelmingly voted for Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the first round of the election.

Earlier this month, Jesse White, the former popular secretary of state, endorsed Paul Vallas. That support was seen as being key to him wooing those same Lightfoot supporters.

Vallas is similarly courting Latino voters who might have stood behind Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in the first round. Alds. Silvana Tabares, Felix Cardona Jr. and Ariel Reboyras all are endorsing Vallas — and so is George Cardenas, a former alderman who’s now a county Board of Review commissioner. More from the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

New today: Vallas will be endorsed by Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th), Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th) and incoming Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th).

The big question now is whether those endorsements pan out to votes come April 4, Election Day.

RELATED

— Defund the police or take their handcuffs off? Vallas and Johnson deny controversial statements at public safety forum, by Tribune’s Alice Yin, Gregory Pratt and A.D. Quig

— How former teacher Brandon Johnson organized his way to the doorstep of Chicago City Hall, by Chalkbeat’s Mauricio Peña

Courtroom sketches were posted in the lobby of the courthouse Tuesday, March 14, 2023, to help photographers identify the players. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos

TAKING THE STAND: On Day One of jury selection in the trial of the so-called “ComEd Four,” it became clear that prospective jurors knew little, if anything, about one of the biggest corruption cases in Illinois history. Maybe they saw a headline, but that’s it.

The sticking point for some potential panelists was whether they could devote the necessary time to what’s expected to be a lengthy trial.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber also asked each juror if they could be impartial and fair — and do they have opinions about listening to conversations that were secretly taped?

Jury selection started at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when the four Illinois business and political titans entered the courtroom on the 17th Floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the Loop.

Seated in the crowded courtroom along with each of their legal teams were defendants Michael McClain, the longtime aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan; former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker; and civic leader and former lobbyist Jay Doherty. The Tribune photographed all four outside of the courthouse.

They’ve all pleaded not guilty to conspiring to hand out jobs and payments from ComEd to consultants in exchange for Madigan’s help in getting legislation passed, or not, for the utility company.

Dozens of potential jurists occupied the wooden pews in the courtroom, while observers and most journalists filled a separate courtroom to watch the proceedings remotely.

After nearly six hours of questioning, Leinenweber asked 60 potential jurors to return today for more questioning as attorneys from both sides try to narrow down the jury.

The subject of the case is complicated: “Prosecutors will find it challenging to keep the jury engaged in explanations of formula rate-making, nuclear bailouts and smart grids — and what about those matters made ComEd and Exelon so willing to get in the Springfield mud. Jurors will understand that there was big money at stake. Tying that to the complexities of utility oversight and regulation without being soporific will be the job of some presumably well-prepared former ComEd execs who will serve as witnesses,” writes Crain’s Steve Daniels.

Before jury selection: Judge Leinenweber reversed course to allow secret recordings to be released to the media, by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles

If you are Michael Madigan, Playbook would like to know if or how you’re following the trial. Email skapos@politico.com.

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At the Lincoln Land Community College agriculture center in Springfield, Ill., at 10:3 a.m. to highlight proposed higher education investments.

In City Hall at 10 a.m. to preside over the City Council meeting.

At the Cook County Health Professional Building at 5:30 p.m. to talk about CCH’s three-year strategic plan

Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com

— Illinois Supreme Court hears arguments over eliminating cash bail: “The first argument is that the legislature can’t just abolish monetary bail because the state constitution references ‘bail.’ Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe told justices such a change requires a constitutional amendment, as he said the state did in 1982 and 1986 when voters approved bail changes. ... The state said critics didn’t prove their case. ‘The legislature is charged with making big decisions about the way that things should operate in this state, and that is the kind of fundamental point here,’ said Deputy Solicitor General Alex Hemmer,” by WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky.

Spotted: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch were among those in the Springfield audience for the oral arguments Tuesday.

Video of oral arguments, via Capitol News and BlueRoomStream

The court put the case on an expedited schedule, reports Capitol News’ Jerry Nowicki.

— Gov. JB Pritzker, 14 other governors ask major pharmacies to clarify abortion pill distribution plan: Members of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance include Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, by Crain’s Katherine Davis.

— Moody upgrades Illinois’ credit rating, by WCIA’s Danny Connolly

— Biden EPA plans to limit toxic forever chemicals in drinking water for the first time, by Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne

— PUSHBACK: Mandatory paid time off: ‘a strain’ for Illinois business, by The Associated Press

— 14 Chicago City Council races head to runoffs, as La Spata triumphs, but Gardiner and Taliaferro fall short, by WTTW’s Heather Cherone

— 46th Ward: Uptown alderman candidate faces questions over PPP loans: Angela Clay “has filed a revised statement of economic interest with the Chicago Board of Ethics after Crain's asked why she apparently failed to disclose nearly $42,000 in federal Payroll Protection Program loans to a hair-products firm she owned.” A spokeswoman called it an accounting error, reports Crain's Greg Hinz.

— Final numbers: More than 35.8 percent of Chicago voters cast a ballot in the Feb. 28 election, slightly more than in 2019, results show.

— Council mandate would ‘cripple’ social service providers, members warned: “If the Council requires providers to sign labor peace agreements, it won’t trigger unionization, but it will allow employees to organize and join unions if they choose, without fear of retaliation. But the mere threat of higher costs is scaring social service agencies,” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

— Independence Day: Watch for City Council members to call for a special meeting next week to consider proposed rule changes that would establish City Council independence. Council members want to take control of how they form committees, a role that previous mayors have overseen. We wrote about it here in The Buzz.

— Finding a new Chicago police superintendent amid mayoral transition and crime uptick may be no easy feat: “You have significant violent crime, you have a consent decree, you have morale issues, and you have hiring issues. All of those issues require a leader with extraordinary knowledge of policing and just genuine leadership,” Chuck Wexler, of the Police Executive Research Forum, tells Tribune’s A.D. Quig.

— Lake County board supports greenway for Route 53 corridor: “A resolution approved 17-0, with two abstentions, supports the recommendation a state task force made in December calling for property stretching from Long Grove to Grayslake to be transferred from the Illinois Department of Transportation to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,” by Daily Herald’s Mick Zawislak.

— Lawmakers, organizers want to force lakefront power plant owner to clean up coal ash byproduct: “Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan. She’s sponsoring a bill that would force NRG to remove all the coal ash from its Waukegan facility, which the company is not currently required to do,” reports WTTW’s Nick Blumberg.

— Dems file another election complaint against Dan Proft’s political operation, alleging $1.2M in undisclosed contributions: The complaint “accuses Proft of committing ‘one of his most egregious’ violations of the law yet by failing to disclose all of his PAC’s financial records ‘completely and accurately,’” by Tribune’s Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner.

— Tracy Kenny, the Village of Broadview’s first female fire chief, is set to retire. Kenny, one of only six female fire chiefs in Illinois, has served her entire first responder career in Broadview. She was appointed deputy chief in 2014 and promoted to chief in 2015.

— Jim Reynolds, founder, a civic leader and chair and CEO of Loop Capital, will be awarded with the Lincoln Leadership Prize by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation in June, via Black Enterprise.

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We asked who was the wittiest politician.

Rosemary Caruk: Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06)

David Carzoli: “Ed Vrdolyak, in his prime.”

James Castro: “Dead. Winston Churchill. Alive. Barack Obama.”

Sasha Cohen, the DeKalb City Clerk: "Perennial candidate and satirist Vermin Supreme.

Eugene Daly: Donald Trump

Mark Heffington: Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy

Donovan Pepper: Former Illinois Senate President John Cullerton

 Warren Silver: “Al Franken has the longest resume. And he's pretty damn funny, IMHO.”

What sitcom never gets old? Email skapos@politico.com

— Trump who? Ohio’s Mike DeWine doesn’t have time to talk ageism, partisan rancor or 45: “I really feel that I’m in my prime as far as my ability to make decisions and get things done,” the 76-year-old governor told your Playbook host in an exclusive Q&A.

— Trump prepares an extensive opposition file on ‘Ron DeSanctimonious,’ by POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw

— One thing in the way of Democrats’ hopes of retaking the House? Ambition, by POLITICO’s Brittany Gibson

— Bank failures revive bitter Senate Democratic infighting, by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller

Edward M. Maloney, a former Circuit Court judge, has died. Details here

TUESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to William Kresse for correctly answering that former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris and former Cook County Treasurer Edward Rosewell were featured in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the 1993 movie, “The Fugitive.” And h/t to all those who also spotted Former Mayor Richard M. Daley and Fr. Jack Wall.

TODAY’s QUESTION: Who played for the White Sox, Bulls and the Blackhawks? Email skapos@politico.com

S-3 Public Affairs exec Kate Dickens, Crown Family Philanthropies director Wendy Platt Newberger, CPS teacher and journalist Craig Newman, Springfield policy advocate Kim Drew, Salesforce’s Apryle Babish and journalist Rogers Worthington.

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