Pritzker commands the stage

By Shia Kapos

Presented by The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association

TGIF, Illinois. Hold on tight. Looks like we’re in for a shutdown.

Gov. JB Pritzker headlined a national cannabis panel in Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos

BLAZING A TRAIL: Gov. JB Pritzker took center stage Thursday in all areas of his role as state leader and party power player.

On issue of cannabis: The governor began his day speaking to a standing-room only crowd at the national Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in downtown Chicago. Pritzker called attention to Illinois forging a path for other states to also bring diversity to the industry.

The big quote: “We built out the most equitable, accessible and prosperous cannabis ecosystem in the nation, and it’s one that helps repair our past harms,” Pritzker said.

The reax: “Cannabis is one of the most politically popular issues today — and Governor Pritzker has proven here in Illinois that good policy is also good politics,” Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs, said after the event.

On issue of migrants: The governor then took questions from reporters who pressed him about how the state is helping manage the increasing number of asylum seekers coming to Chicago.

Tents vs. buildings: Pritzker said the state is following the city’s lead on how to care for the migrants. While he didn’t dismiss the idea of tented base camps, which is what Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing, Pritzker indicated he wants to find more existing buildings that already have facilities in place for migrants.

It’s an indication of growing tension between the city and state just as cost estimates are rising, report Tribune’s Alice Yin and Dan Petrella

Pritzker criticized lawmakers from other states, including Democrats, who are sending asylum seekers to Chicago instead of offering their own services.

The big quote: “They're sending them to places where they think people will take care of them and where the people will put resources forward. The reality is, states that are controlled by Republicans ought to be offering the same services.”

Sun-Times’ David Struett has more on Pritzker’s remarks about migrants.

Political pivot: The governor left the press conference for the United Center for a fundraiser benefiting the 2024 Democratic National Convention. We’ve got more below under CONVENTION ZONE.

Congressman Mike Bost got behind House Speaker Kevin McCarthey’s proposal to carve out Ukraine aid from a Pentagon spending bill.

Bost posted a statement, saying, the U.S. “can’t continue sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Ukraine [when] the needs of the American people must come first.”

It’s a shift for Bost, who previously has supported Ukraine funding.

Or is it politics? His primary opponent, Darren Bailey, calls it flip-flopping. Statement here

McCarthy’s maneuver was designed to “shore up Republican support for the $826 billion Pentagon bill, which has already been blocked on the floor twice due to GOP infighting,” reports POLITICO’s Connor O’Brien.

Republican Reps. Darin LaHood and Mary Miller also support stripping the Ukraine funding from the bill.

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If you are Mike Bost, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com

No official public events.

At the Hilton Chicago at 7 p.m. for the Illinois Environmental Council Environmental Leadership Annual Gala.

No official public events.

When we meet again, it will be October, so send me a line: skapos@politico.com

A message from The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association:

Hotel property values in Chicago have plummeted as much as 50% in the last five years and investors are already saying NO to purchasing Chicago hotels. The Bring Chicago Home Proposal would quadruple the real estate transfer tax, giving investors yet another reason to take their business elsewhere. Tell your alderperson to vote NO on the Real Estate Transfer Tax hike and instead focus on ways to grow the city’s tourism and hospitality industries.

A luncheon fundraiser for the 2024 Democratic National Convention was held Thursday at United Center’s Queenie’s Supper Club, where old fashioneds, dirty martinis, steaks and chops are on the menu. Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz kicked off the program for locals and out-of-towners. The ultimate goal is to raise $85 million. A source in the room says they’re on track.

Other speakers: Host Committee Executive Director Christy George, Host Committee Chair Michael Sacks, Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Also in the room: Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., fundraising leader Leah Israel, Convention Executive Director Alex Hornbrook, host committee advisers Kaitlin Fahey and Keiana Barrett, Democratic Governors Association Co-treasurer Alex Lasry, attorney and lobbyist Lisa Duarte, World Business Chicago CEO Michael Fassnacht, businessman Michael Reinsdorf, civic leader Jesse Ruiz, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates and United Center EVP Terry Savarise.

Undecided voters watched the GOP presidential debate at Moretti’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Barrington, Ill., on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos

— REPORTING FROM BARRINGTON | Second Republican debate fails to impress undecided suburban voters: “Americans for Prosperity hosted a debate watch party to help voters decide on a candidate. Trump still dominated,” via your Playbook host.

— RED-LETTER DAY: Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran are waging a not-so-private fight about the Gotion electric battery plant coming to Illinois. Curran sent a letter to Pritzker, raising questions about the company’s parent company being based in China. And the letter became public.

Stinging response: Pritzker responded with his own pointed letter, criticizing the Republican Caucus for not supporting economic development legislation. “Now, you and your members express your opposition to a major economic development announcement, and that can only be seen as doubling down on your own irrelevance.” Pritzker said Curran was “grandstanding.”

‘I’m not grandstanding, you are’: That’s the message in Curran’s follow-up statement. “We stand by our request for answers on this important topic.” Statement here

Join Lincoln Forum on Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m., in partnership with the Union League Club & POLITICO, as we host Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse and Tollway Board Chairman Arnie Rivera. Be the first to hear the Tollway's vision to boost economic opportunities, advance equity, and meet the region’s needs in its next strategic and capital plan. Register here.

— NEW: ComEd parent to pay $46M to settle SEC fraud charges: “Between 2011 and 2019, Exelon, the parent company of Chicago utility giant Commonwealth Edison, violated U.S. securities laws as it tried to court then-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s influence in the statehouse by, among other things, paying more than $1.3 million to his associates, the SEC alleged in an order. ComEd previously paid a $200 million criminal fine over the scheme,” POLITICO’s Declan Harty reports.

— Why do states like New Jersey and Illinois become breeding grounds for corruption? It’s a “confluence of factors” from demographics to culture to rates of voter participation, a corruption expert tells POLITICO’s Ian Ward

— Businessman who bribed 2 lawmakers argues for leniency: “Lawyers for James T. Weiss argued the bill he wanted to pass would have generated at least one penny in tax revenue on each transaction on so-called sweepstakes machines,” by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel.

— Chicago man becomes first in Illinois to get reduced sentence under new law: “A law passed in 2021 empowered prosecutors to revisit excessive sentences, but so far, only two people have been released. Said one: ‘Two years into it, it’s helped two people?’” Injustice Watch Maya Dukmasova reports.

A message from The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association:

—  Teachers will have ‘strong demands’ in contract talks — even with one of their own on other side of bargaining table: “The driving force has always been inequity and injustice that Black and Brown students and their families experience in this city,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said. “And that injustice did not roll away on April 4. We just got another gladiator in a place of power.” Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman reports.

— CPS schools need $14.4B for repairs, modernization, report finds, by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa

— Plans for Tiger Woods golf project near Obama Presidential Center have stalled, by Tribune’s Robert McCoppin

— ‘Illinois AG says Trump Tower underreporting water discharges into Chicago River, by WGN’s Andy Koval

— IN MEMORIAM: The Signature Room, iconic Hancock restaurant, closes after 30 years, by Block Club’s Melody Mercado

— Back-to-back protests in Evanston over Ryan Field renovations, by WGN’s Shannon Halligan and Eli Ong

— Lease signing marks milestone in development of VNA Health Care facility at old Copley Hospital site in Aurora, by Aurora Beacon-News’ David Sharos

— Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will headline this year’s Personal PAC luncheon event. Details here

— Alan Keyes will speak at Northwestern University for College Republicans event, by Daily Northwestern’s Jacob Wendler

— Former Bears QB Jim McMahon visited the Orland Hills dispensary where his Mac 9 cannabis strain will launch, by Daily Southtown’s Alexandra Kukulka

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

We asked who is the most powerful, non-elected official in Illinois. Following is the list via submissions by Matt Coldagelli, Eugene Daly, Mike Gascoigne, Fred Lebed and Michael Stokke.

Anne Caprara, the governor’s chief of staff.

Lori Healey, who’s managing construction and operations of the Obama Presidential Center and has worked in the private sector and City Hall.

Jason Lee, the top adviser to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Barack Obama, the former president who still counts Chicago as home.

Pat Ryan, the insurance mogul and philanthropist who sits on the board of Northwestern University.

Penny Pritzker, the recently appointed leader of the U.S. efforts to rebuild Ukraine and former U.S. commerce secretary (and the governor’s sister).

What’s the one skill that matters most no matter the job? Email skapos@politico.com

— Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) introduced legislation to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Bloomington, Ill., as the "Andrew Jackson Smith Medal of Honor Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic." The legislation honors Andrew Jackson Smith, who was born into slavery and went on to serve in the Union Army. He was from Clinton, Ill.

— Henry Haupt, the 31-year veteran of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, is retiring from state government. Haupt served six years as press secretary and 10 years as deputy press secretary. Before that, he was a policy analyst. “It has been a great ride. But 31 years is a long time, and I am ready to explore other challenges and opportunities,” he wrote in an email blast after calling your Playbook host and other reporters who he’s known over the years.

— Ellen Ray is chief of staff for Congresswoman Delia Ramirez. She was chief program officer at Chicago Cares.

— Nathan Rice is deputy general counsel and ethics officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health. He was chief administrative officer and senior legal counsel at the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission.

A message from The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association:

Hotels are a driving force for Chicago’s economy. But City Hall is putting their post-pandemic recovery at risk by proposing to quadruple the real estate transfer take. The proposal would give Chicago one of the highest transfer taxes compared to competitive cities and give investors another reason to take their business elsewhere. To sustainably increase revenues needed to support important programs, including reducing homelessness, we should instead focus on ways to ensure the long-term success of the city’s tourism and hospitality industries. Tell your alderperson to REJECT the proposal to increase the real estate transfer tax and instead focus on ways to grow the city’s tourism and hospitality industries.

— Tonight: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon headline a discussion about “the future of Illinois” with John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Details here

THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Judith Weinstein for correctly answering that swans sent to Chicago from New York led to the creation of Lincoln Park Zoo.

TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the Illinois governor once tried — and acquitted — on charges he failed to pay taxes and used campaign funds to pay for a house, cars and a boat? Email skapos@politico.com

Today: Kirkland & Ellis partner and former Illinois U.S. Attorney John Lausch, MWRD Commissioner Marcelino García, businessman and former state lawmaker Bill Marovitz, Hire360 executive director and former Rahm Emanuel campaign manager Jay Rowell, broadcaster Diann Burns and POLITICO’s Marissa Martinez and Ryan Hutchins.

Saturday: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, governor’s office public engagement director Allison Flood, Bully Pulpit Interactive partner Bradley Akubuiro, Kindle Communications comms VP Kelly Drinkwine, ASPC Policy Director James Lewis, Schreiber Philanthropy CEO Whitney Smith, CVS Health’s Kelsey Miller, Notre Dame College Prep Assistant Enrollment Director Tim Heneghan and journalist and world traveler Kathy Stephenson.

Sunday: State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, former state Rep. Dave McSweeney, Blue Raven Campaigns Operations Director Connor Mitchell, Republican operative Jesse Johnson, Cook County 5th District commissioner’s chief of staff Brady Chalmers, NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde, Raise the Floor Alliance’s Sophia Olazaba, McDonald’s Corp’s Alisa La and former President Jimmy Carter, who turns 99.

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