SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The state’s top Democrats gave a glimpse Wednesday of their political strategy for the 2024 campaign. The focus will be on abortion rights and Donald Trump — two things that distinguish Democrats from Republicans and also divide voters within the Illinois GOP. Fiery speech: Gov. JB Pritzker praised Democrats for building “a blue wave that swept away the red wall of Uihleins, Griffins, Rauner and Trump,” a reference to GOP donors Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein of Illinois and Ken Griffin of Florida, and former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Eating it up: The 1,300 Illinois Democrats gathered at the Bank of Springfield Center for the annual Democratic County Chairs Association Brunch cheered throughout his speech. Sen. Dick Durbin accused Trump of creating a “party of fear and hate” that’s “dividing” states, counties and school boards. And Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton pointed to the divide that’s seen urban communities lean left while rural areas have shifted right. “We know our fight is only getting harder,” Stratton said. “Blue Illinois might be getting bluer. But red Illinois is only getting redder.” On abortion, Pritzker punched at efforts to block reproductive rights. “We can already see — you see this in Ohio, you saw it in Kansas — that one of the issues that’s animating Democrats is preserving reproductive rights for women. And women’s rights are under attack,” he told the crowd at the BOS Center. Big line: “Republicans think that if they lie about something often enough, if they deny the truth long enough, maybe we will start to believe their lies,” Pritzker said. “The problem is that here in Illinois, we have a low tolerance for bullshit.” Another big line: "There's a reason that we were chosen to host the Democratic National Convention next year and it's because we are a bright light of freedom in the center of the nation. We are a beacon lighting the path for national success. We are Barbie when everyone else is just Ken," Pritzker said to applause. The pumped-up crowd then headed to the Director’s Lawn at the State Fair a few miles away for the annual Governor’s Day picnic, which included more partisan speeches. Get Ready. Republicans will do the same thing today. Pritzker drew applause lines, but the headliner Wednesday was Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, who narrowly defeated a Republican in 2022, allowing Democrats to keep control the Senate. Her simple message: don’t give up the fight. It’s a small world: FYI, Cortez-Masto’s chief of staff is Scott Fairchild, who managed Rahm Emanuel’s first Chicago mayoral campaign. The political days at the fair kick off the campaign season for 2024. “Most candidates will begin circulating nomination papers to appear in the March Primary on Sept. 5, while presidential candidates start the process in October,” notes State Journal-Register’s Patrick Keck. — Tribune’s take: Pritzker and fellow Dems use their day at State Fair to blast Trump, GOP ‘conspiracy theories,’ by Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner — Sun-Times’ take, by Tina Sfondeles with with photos by Mitchell Armentrout Taste test: There’s a saturated-fat smorgasbord at the State Fair, by Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout
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