As the 2022 political season gets into full swing, one of the most intriguing candidates for elected office is Herschel Walker. The star running back with the University of Georgia and Dallas Cowboys is now running to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate

Walker is far and away the leading candidate to win the Republican nomination for the seat when the primary takes place May 24. Should he win his race, Walker is far from the first star athlete to take up a career in politics after their playing days finished.

To compile a list of athletes who went into politics, 24/7 Tempo reviewed media reports from sources including Ballotpedia about professional, college, and Olympic athletes who held public office in the U.S. and around the world. 

Athletes have one distinct advantage over other candidates for elected office – name recognition. Many of the athletes on this list became hometown heroes thanks to their athletic exploits, and they used that notoriety to launch their political careers.

Athletes-turned-politicians in America have occupied all spots on the political spectrum, as well as a variety of different offices. Former athletes have served as local leaders, district representatives in Congress, and even president. These are America’s wealthiest presidents.

Click here to see the athletes who went on to become politicians

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed into law legislation that bans so-called “ghost guns” across Illinois, making it the first Midwest state to do so.

House Bill 4383 aims to crack down on “ghost guns,” or unserialized and privately made firearms often sold as parts for at-home assembly allowing some gun owners to circumvent background checks. It was sent to the governor’s desk by lawmakers on the last day of the 2022 Illinois legislative session in April. Proponents of the bill say ghost guns “cannot be traced by conventional means and can be created on a 3-D printer, leaving no record of their ownership.”

“The people creating, selling, and purchasing these firearms know that they’re working to circumvent common-sense gun laws that ensure guns stay out of the hands of traffickers, abusers, and convicted criminals,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We are seeing these unseralized guns being built in basements by those who should never have had access to such dangerous weapons and then used to commit heinous crimes, and it must be stopped to keep Illinoisans safe.”

The Illinois law follows a similar federal crackdown announced by President Joe Biden last month. Biden’s new “final rule” requires serialization of such kits and reclassifies them as firearms.

Here’s a look at what this means:

What are ‘Ghost Guns’?

‘Ghost guns’ are unregulated firearms that are assembled from kits purchased online. The parts can be purchased without background checks and don’t have serial numbers, which makes them harder to track.

Justice Department statistics show that nearly 24,000 ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement at crime scenes and reported to the government from 2016 to 2020. It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets, in part because in many cases police departments don’t contact the government about the guns because they can’t be traced.

“Because ghost guns are cheaper and easier to acquire than conventional firearms, they are more accessible to young people,” Pritzker’s office said in a release.

Already this month, two teens in Illinois have been charged with possession of ghost guns, one of which was brought to a high school. Illinois State Police reported working on 28 “ghost gun” cases so far this month.

According to a report, Chicago police confiscated 455 ghost guns in 2021.

What Does President Biden’s Ghost Gun Rule do?

The rule changes the current definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun.

Now, such kits must become licensed and include serial numbers on the kits’ frame or receiver. The rule also requires firearms dealers to run background checks before they sell ghost gun kits that contain parts needed to assemble a firearm.

For years, federal officials have been sounding the alarm about an increasing black market for homemade, military-style semi-automatic rifles and handguns. As well as turning up more frequently at crime scenes, ghost guns have been increasingly encountered when federal agents buy guns in undercover operations from gang members and other criminals.

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NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago are partnering with the Chicago Urban League, The Latino Policy Forum and the Union League Club of Chicago to host a televised forum for a trio of Republican candidates vying for the party’s nomination to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the 2022 election.

The one-hour forum will take place on Tuesday, May 24 at 6 p.m., and will be hosted at NBC Tower.

NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern will moderate the forum, and Telemundo Chicago anchor Anabel Monge will take questions from a live-studio audience for the roundtable-format event.

Here are the candidates that will be participating:

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has made a big entry into the gubernatorial race, running advertisements attacking bills that ended cash bail in the state, as well as criticizing the governor for an increase in violence in the city of Chicago.

Irvin has vowed to encourage the hiring of more police officers throughout the state, and has also proposed legislation that would cut property taxes and to curtail government spending. He has also campaigned on passing term limits for Illinois politicians.

State Senator Paul Schimpf

State Senator Paul Schimpf has focused on a variety of issues during his time in office, serving on the Senate’s Judiciary, Telecommunications and Agriculture committees, among others.

Schimpf also served in the Marines and graduated from Southern Illinois University’s School of Law in 2000.

According to his campaign website, Schimpf has vowed to “clean up corruption” in Illinois, and will oppose “government overreach,” citing his opposition to vaccine and other COVID-related mandates undertaken by local governments and by Pritzker’s administration.

Attorney Max Solomon

Max Solomon is a licensed attorney and ordained Christian minister who describes himself as a “social and fiscal conservative” on his campaign website.

Solomon’s website emphasizes his support of legislation that would allow parents to receive vouchers to send their children to private schools, along with bills to cut taxes and to prevent health departments from imposing mask mandates and other COVID mitigations.  

“We are pleased to host the Republican candidates for Illinois governor in this forum,” NBC 5 Station Manager and Vice President of News Frank Whittaker said in a statement. “We’re committed to providing our community with unmatched political coverage.”

The forum will air live on both NBC 5 and on Telemundo Chicago, and will also be live-streamed on NBCChicago.com and TelemundoChicago.com. A replay of the forum will also air on the Peacock streaming service.

“This forum will allow voters to hear from the candidates themselves about where they stand on important issues in Illinois,” Telemundo Chicago VP of News Diana Maldonado said in a statement. “We’re proud to provide this level of coverage to both the English and Spanish-speaking communities in our area.”

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There soon will be a new president of the Chicago Teachers Union — as three contenders battle for the chance to lead one of Chicago’s most influential unions through a new contract, the historic transition to an elected school board and the persistent COVID-19 pandemic.

This race has been particularly rancorous, with two election-related lawsuits set to be decided after the union’s 25,000 members cast votes Friday. Since there is no public polling, one Chicago labor researcher said “it’s anybody’s guess” which of the three slates will win the “heated” contest that has drawn significant attention during a busy election season.

“The community should care about this election because the Chicago Teachers Union plays such a big role in Chicago politics, and these are the teachers of our children,” said Steven Ashby, professor in the University of Illinois’ labor education program and co-author of “A Fight for the Soul of Public Education: The Story of the Chicago Teachers Strike,” on the 2012 CTU walkout. His partner is a down-ballot candidate in Friday’s election.

CTU has elected about a dozen presidents since it first opened its polls in 1937. The last notably contentious election was in 2010, when Karen Lewis’ Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators prevailed over four other slates.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates speaks to media regarding safety concerns at schools last year. Davis Gates is the CORE slate’s candidate for CTU president. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

CORE now faces challenges from the Members First Caucus and the Respect, Educate, Advocate and Lead (REAL) Caucus. CORE easily defeated the Members First leadership slate in the last election, in 2019, but the caucus says it is receiving more support now than ever before. REAL, meanwhile, formed in January following the union’s polarizing decision to refuse in-person work for four days during the height of the omicron surge.

CTU holds elections every three years for its top four positions — president, vice president, recording secretary and financial secretary. The union also elects its executive board and representatives to the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers conventions.

Union members can select individual candidates or an entire slate. Officer candidates must secure 50% plus one vote to avoid a June 10 run-off. Winners take office July 1.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey announced in February he will step down when his term ends next month. Vice President Stacy Davis Gates is vying for the top spot alongside CORE vice presidential candidate Jackson Potter. Recording secretary Christel Williams-Hayes and financial secretary Maria Moreno are running again as part of the CORE slate.

The caucus won reelection in May 2019, just weeks after Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor over CTU’s pick, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Leaders for CTU and City Hall have been at loggerheads ever since. The union waged a strike in October 2019 that lasted 11 school days before forging a five-year contract that includes significant raises for paraprofessionals; class size caps and a social worker and nurse in every school by the 2023-24 school year.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Chicago less than five months later, and Chicago Public Schools moved to remote learning for the rest of the 2019-20 school year and the start of the following school year. After contentious negotiations and the CTU’s vote to refuse to teach in person, which delayed schools’ reopening, the union and district reached a COVID-19 safety agreement early in 2021 that paved the way for students to return to buildings in waves.

CTU and CPS failed to ink a COVID-19 agreement for this school year until January, after the union’s rank-and-file members — with 73% of the vote — elected to refuse in-person work amid rising COVID-19 case numbers in Chicago and around the country. The district canceled classes for five days in response. Union members approved a measure to resume teaching in classrooms with about 56% of the vote.

Looking ahead, CORE leaders say they are focused on targeting the district’s controversial contract with the custodial services firm Aramark, adding supports for thousands of homeless CPS students, ensuring school communities are fully funded and increasing protections for the district’s most vulnerable students, among other priorities.

“We hear people say, ‘Concentrate on bread-and-butter (issues),’ and I want to make this clear: We don’t have to concentrate on bread and butter when there’s an entire buffet available for all of us,” Davis Gates said.

“And it is up to us to dream, imagine, advocate for and secure the entire buffet in an equitable manner, especially for those who need it the most. So CORE is committed to a vision of this city that we have not seen yet, but is entirely possible.”

Members First presidential candidate Mary Esposito-Usterbowski says Davis Gates cannot deliver on promises because her relationship with city leaders “is so toxic.” Esposito-Usterbowski said CTU members took a financial hit with the January work stoppage “for a couple of KN95 masks, so that leaders could publicly weaken the mayor.” Members First would have handled the situation differently, she said.

School psychologist Mary Esposito-Usterbowski, a member of the Members First Caucus, is running for president of the Chicago Teachers Union. She said her slate would have handled the latest teacher standoff with City Hall differently. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

“We wouldn’t move and jump to a strike (just) to strike,” Esposito-Usterbowski said. “We’re going to work and meet and have discussions and attempt to build relationships with all stakeholders. That’s not something that’s been done.”

She said her group has had several discussions about creating a strike fund to ensure members do not lose money if a strike “has to happen.” Other priorities include increasing the amount teachers receive for classroom supplies from $250 to $750; expanding vision and dental benefits; changing the 1996 residency policy in the wake of a nationwide teacher shortage to allow teachers to live outside Chicago; and adding back a 30-minute prep period for elementary teachers at the start of the school day.

Vice presidential candidate Cassandra “Sandi” Hoggatt, recording secretary candidate María Soto and financial secretary candidate Philip Weiss round out the Members First slate.

This leadership team filed a lawsuit in April against CTU, accusing the union of unfairly extending a deadline to file election paperwork. CTU said in response it “reasonably interpreted and applied its own election rules” and asked for the suit to be dismissed. The next court date is scheduled for August.

CTU filed its own suit in March against former top Lightfoot adviser Lisa Schneider-Fabes, accusing her of interfering in the election with a targeted social media campaign from a group called Chicago Teachers United promoting Members First. The caucus said it “stands against outside interference in our internal election.” Schneider-Fabes has until June 4 to file a response to the suit. In a statement at the time she said the group “acted at all times with applicable law” but also had already “ceased all operations.”

The third group in this fight is the REAL caucus, which its leader says contains “many members” from CORE and outside the caucus who were fed up with the handling of the January work stoppage.

“Parents were left out in the cold,” REAL presidential candidate Darnell Dowd said. “We can’t predict the pandemic. We understand that. However, we can plan. And there were times we should have planned in December when the numbers were going up. Parents should have been alerted to an action or possible action.”

Ray Elementary School fifth grade teacher Darnell Dowd, who is the REAL Caucus candidate for president of the Chicago Teachers Union, said his group also has issues with how CTU leaders handled the January standoff. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

REAL says it is committed to reestablishing “a large and aggressive” grievance-handling department, resisting the privatization of janitorial and building services and defending members against “bully” administrators and “toxic” school leadership.

The REAL slate includes vice presidential candidate Joey McDermott, recording secretary candidate Erika Meza and financial secretary candidate Alison Eichhorn. Dowd said he is very confident his group will triumph this week.

“We all got into this race to win. We are fueled by the hope that we can affect change,” he said. “And so we believe May 20th our members are going to show and vote for us.”

tswartz@tribpub.com

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is running for reelection to his post amid an eventful term in office, and there are six Republican candidates that are hoping to give the state just its third GOP governor in the last 20 years.

Pritzker, who defeated Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 race, has invited a slew of challengers who have criticized his handling of the state’s budget, the COVID pandemic and more over the years.

Those candidates are currently trying to differentiate themselves from one another in hopes of defeating Pritzker in the 2022 General Election this November.

Here are the six Republican candidates currently on the ballot in Illinois, along with their lieutenant governor selections.

Darren Bailey/Stephanie Trussell

Bailey, a state senator representing the 109th District in southern Illinois, hade made a reputation for himself after filing lawsuits against Pritzker’s executive orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bailey has prioritized lowering taxes and removing any remaining COVID mitigations as his top campaign pledges, saying that the state’s economy requires full opening to grow and expand.

He also has proposed bills that would roll back what he calls “onerous gun legislation,” and says he fully opposes state and taxpayer funding of abortions.  

Richard Irvin/Avery Bourne

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has made prioritizing investments in police and law enforcement the hallmark of his campaign, criticizing crime bills and police reform legislation passed by Pritzker and Democrats in the General Assembly.

Irvin says that he is proposing legislation to hire more police officers to combat increases in crime, specifically in Chicago, and has also proposed bills that would cut property taxes, curtail government spending, and to establish term limits for state lawmakers.

Gary Rabine/Aaron Del Mar

Rabine has campaigned on his credentials in the world of business, citing his creation of more than 30 small businesses as one of the key components of his campaign.

His campaign pledges to use that expertise to push legislation that would encourage investment and job creation in the state, along with cutting taxes on the state’s residents.

Rabine has also proposed more funding for law enforcement as part of his platform.

Paul Schimpf/Carolyn Schofield

A former state senator in Illinois’ 58th District, Schimpf served on a wide variety of committees during his time in Springfield, including the Judiciary committee and the Telecommunications and Agriculture committees.

A former Marine who graduated from Southern Illinois University’s School of Law, Schimpf has made cleaning up corruption a priority for his campaign. He also opposes government overreach in the handling of the COVID pandemic, as well as opposing vaccine mandates of any kind.

Max Solomon/Latasha Fields

A licensed attorney and ordained Christian minister, Solomon’s campaign website describes him as a “social and fiscal conservative.”

His campaign says that it will emphasize legislation that would allow parents to receive vouchers to send their children to private schools, as well as bills to cut taxes and bills prohibiting mask mandates and other COVID mitigations.

Jesse Sullivan/Kathleen Murphy

A businessman, Sullivan has pitched himself as an “anti-politician” who plans to tackle several issues in Illinois, including tax reform and increased funding in law enforcement.

His campaign website pledges to reduce business taxes to encourage small businesses to open in Illinois, along with promises to address issues with the public employee pension system in the state.

Sullivan has also put forth a campaign platform plank to increase investment in law enforcement through his “Safe Streets Plan,” which will emphasize “Enforcement,” “Protecting Heroes” and “Restoring Accountability.”

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Going over the cliff is a good thing?

It’s hard to believe, but some people actually believe that the country is headed in the right direction. Are they locked in a cellar somewhere? The one that President Joe Biden campaigned from?

The Economist/YouGov Poll of 1500 American adult citizens taken from May 15 to 17, 2022 found that 22 percent believed that the country is “generally headed in the right direction.”

Where? Point me to it.

It must be a world that has no inflation. One that’s Covid-free. A record-high stock market. Abundant energy. Reasonable gas prices. No crime, no violence. No racism, sexism. No illegal immigration. No bulging government debt. Peace in the valley. Everything’s just ducky. Don’t worry, be happy.

The same poll found that an astonishing 5 percent believe the economy to be “excellent.” Another 17 percent believe it is “good.” Hard to imagine what they think is bad.

Whoever they are, you’ll find a gaggle of them in the White House. Where just about every decision they’ve made has been wrong or disastrous. Where they are, like the last to abandon the sinking Titanic, clinging to the ship of state’s stern as everything forward is heading to the bottom.

Despite the evidence before their very eyes, they refuse to alter course. To give a high sign to oil and gas production by, for example, restoring work on the Keystone pipeline. Stubborn and arrogant hardly describes them.

The 22 (and 5) percent are mostly self-described Democrats (40 percent), liberal (33 percent) and voted for Biden (35 percent), according to the poll. They aren’t just the very wealthy; every income level has its share of the pollyannish. They also tend to be younger. Obviously, Republicans, conservatives, etc have a share–albeit smaller–of the blind.

What’s clear is that their view of the country’s condition is colored by their politics, as conservatives tend to be more gloomy, or shall I say, realistic. And that spells trouble for the United States.

There’s little chance that Biden and the ideologues who control him will change course. Even as the Dow Jones today plunged 1165. That’s a 3.57 percent free fall, meaning retirees depending on their 401Ks for pension got whaled. All those government pension funds invested in stocks became less secure. Corporations have fewer resources to develop their businesses and hire more people.

Instead, Biden and his flacks will infuriatingly stick to their laughable excuses: It’s Russian president Vladimir Putin’s fault. Or, those Ulta MAGA Republicans.

As America descends ever further toward disaster, the Biden administration sticks to idiotic explanations and policies. As if raising the income tax will beat inflation. Where do they find this nonsense?

Apparently, there’s little or no way to get past the White House battlements to free a troubled nation of those destructive ideology-based policies. Can we survive months more of this until the 2022 midterm elections? Or until 2024 when we can find rid ourselves of Biden?

To subscribe to The Barbershop, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

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The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office has been awarded a $25,000 grant from Indiana University Office of Research Administration to conduct a bias study for traffic and misdemeanor cases. Indiana University Northwest School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) associate professor Monica Solinas-Saunders is on “Regionally Speaking” to discuss the multi-year study of bias for traffic and misdemeanor cases. Later we hear from Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter as he discusses how his office will collect data on pretrial justice to study prosecutorial discretion at charging, bail, diversion, plea negotiations and sentencing for traffic and misdemeanor cases and share the information with Indiana University. Chris Sautter directed and produced the film “The King of Steeltown: Hardball Politics in the Heartland”. He joins us to discuss the movie about Robert Pastrick, a key figure in East Chicago politics for three decades.

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For the first time in more than a year, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot sat down for a 1-on-1 interview with NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern, and during that conversation she defended her administration’s decision to impose a curfew at Millennium Park, as well as her handling of upticks in crime in different parts of the city.

That new curfew, which restricts unaccompanied minors in Millennium Park after 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays, has been met with criticism that it is too heavy-handed, something that Lightfoot dismissed.

“’Why is she doing this, why would she do this, what is her authority,’” Lightfoot said about the critiques she’s heard. “Doing nothing is simply not an option.”

Lightfoot says that private security will be first in line to enforce the new restrictions, which were put into effect after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed during a massive gathering of teens in the park on Saturday.

“They’re going to be the folks on the front line,” she said. “Obviously, there are officers that are already assigned to the 1st and 18th districts if there is a need for their services (as well).”

The Millennium Park shooting underscores a growing challenge to Lightfoot’s administration, as gun violence dominates the headlines and the public consciousness.

Over the weekend, there were at least 33 people shot in the city of Chicago, and five of those individuals died.

Following a string of recent violence in downtown Chicago culminating with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old near “The Bean” during a large gathering Saturday night, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a new curfew rule, and a change to current one. Kate Chappell reports.

When asked about clearance numbers in murder cases, Lightfoot defended her record.

“In 2021, we solved more murders in that one year than in the previous 19 years,” she said. “We’ve been following the same protocols that the FBI has put into place.”

Lightfoot also dismissed the characterization of a “spike” in downtown crimes, but says that her administration is working to address an increase in those types of incidents.

“They have been up,” she said. “We’ve been very focused on making sure that we get those numbers down.”

Part of the challenge that Lightfoot has faced has been a rash of retirements and resignations within the department. It is estimated that there are 2,000 fewer police officers now than there were when Lightfoot was sworn into office three years ago, something the mayor says she is working to address.

“Through the pandemic, particularly in 2020, we weren’t able to put in place classes because of COVID restrictions, but we’ve significantly upped our recruitment efforts,” she said.

Even amidst all those challenges, Lightfoot says that she is grateful for the role she has been elected to, and although she has not officially announced her candidacy for reelection, she says that she is extremely motivated to remain in the job.

“I feel like I’ve been given the gift of a lifetime,” she said. “Every single day I get to work with tremendous people in city government, and outside of city government, to solve real problems for our residents.”

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Republican Richard Irvin held his first news conference in two months on Monday but the gubernatorial candidate turned the rare campaign event into a case study in deflection.

On whether he voted for former president Donald Trump and whether he’d support another Trump presidential run, Irvin said, “That’s exactly what J.B. Pritzker wants you to be talking about.”

On whether he supports a federal ban on abortion, Irvin said, “You know, I’m running for governor of the state of Illinois. I’m not talking about what the federal government’s going to do.”

And on the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that could signal the overturning of Roe v. Wade’s protection of abortion rights, Irvin said, “I think it’s irresponsible for us to hypothesize and speculate on what the outcome will be.”

The Aurora mayor first entered the race for governor in January. He has given some one-on-one interviews to reporters, but his last news conference was in Springfield in March.

On Monday, he appeared at his campaign headquarters in Aurora alongside running mate state Rep. Avery Bourne to blame Pritzker for a COVID-19 outbreak that killed 36 veterans at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.

“Thirty six families lost their loved ones due to negligence and incompetence of J.B. Pritzker and his administration,” Irvin said. “There needs to be accountability. J.B. Pritzker needs to answer to the families who senselessly lost their loved ones because of his negligence.“

Democrats and GOP primary rivals have accused Irvin of hiding. His campaign counters that he’s busy running Aurora, the second largest city in the state.

Irvin’s campaign for governor — funded by hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin — largely involves millions of dollars in television ads and mailers carefully constructing an image of a crime-busting, anti-corruption mayor.

On Monday, Irvin was indeed prepared to field reporters’ questions, if not necessarily answer all of them.

It’s all part of a strategy to navigate Irvin, a moderate, through a sea of conservative voters in the GOP primary, so he can move on to a face-to-face general election battle with Pritzker. And with Griffin pumping another $25 million into Irvin’s campaign coffers just last week, voters should be prepared to see even more of an onslaught of TV ads.

But after Monday, it’s unclear when they will see the next news conference.

Irvin did offer some clarity on what he has called his “pro-life” stance, saying he wants to reinstate parental notification for abortions, which Pritzker repealed in a law signed last year. It’s unexplained how Irvin would be able to repeal that law with a Democratic majority. He also said the exceptions to his anti-abortion stance include rape, incest and the health of the mother — the same answer he offered up in a television interview in February.

“I’ve been pro-life my entire political career,” Irvin said in response to a question about having in the past voted in Democratic primaries.

Irvin is courting both conservative and suburban women voters, so taking a position on the Supreme Court draft opinion one way or the other could lose him some votes — in the June primary or the November election. Irvin’s key rivals in the GOP primary are firmly anti-abortion, and most issued statements cheering on the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade.

In TV ads and mailers, Irvin has portrayed two of his primary rivals — state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, and venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan — as never-Trumpers. Irvin’s campaign even sent a semi-truck to troll a Bailey event in the suburbs last month. Plastered on the side of the truck was a sign with photographs of Bailey between former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden and the words “Bailey Breaks with Trump.”

Irvin used Monday’s news conference to throw in some digs at Bailey and Sullivan, even as he dodged reporter’s question about whether the strategy wasn’t “just a bit disingenuous” when Irvin himself has voted in Democratic primaries in the past and refuses to say whether he voted for Trump.

“We’re here talking today about 36 veterans, 36 heroes of the state of Illinois that died because of [Pritzker’s] gross negligence,” Irvin said in response to one question about Trump. “He doesn’t want to talk about the his negligence and and the extremes that he’s done.”

In one exchange about whether he supports Trump, Irvin told reporters, “voters know my record.”

“They do not know your record,” a reporter shouted back.

After the news conference, Sullivan issued his own response, accusing Irvin of running a “campaign that seems to have no relationship whatsoever with the truth.”

“Richard Irvin yet again ducked important questions on abortion and his own Democrat voting record, distorted his own background, and blatantly lied about Jesse Sullivan,” the downstate venture capitalist’s campaign wrote.

Bailey tweeted out that he is “the only proven conservative leader in this race.”

“A lot of script reading & nervous dipping and dodging from the Irvin basement today,” Bailey’s campaign tweeted “Why did it take him several days to face the public? We need a Governor with the courage to lead and the integrity to tell the truth.”

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Another candidate has thrown their hat in the ring in the race to challenge Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as State Rep. Kam Buckner made his candidacy official on Thursday.

While he’s only been in the General Assembly for four years, Buckner played a key role in a recently-passed criminal justice reform bill, and he says he hopes to take those types of experiences into his campaign.

Buckner is the head of the Black Caucus in the Illinois House, but he knows he’ll have to expand his base beyond his legislative district in the city.

“I’m a son of Chicago. I was born and raised here,” he said while discussing his candidacy.

Buckner is jumping into a field that has featured some high-profile entries, as well as a few high-profile decisions not to run.

Among the former category are Chicago Ald. Ray Lopez and businessman and philanthropist Dr. Willie Wilson.

Among the latter are former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who was considered one of the more intriguing prospective candidates before announcing that he would not seek the office.

As for Lightfoot herself, she has not yet officially announced a reelection bid, but the Chicago Tribune reported this week that she plans to announce that candidacy on June 7.

As the field takes shape, Buckner prioritized safety and investment in education during his initial tour discussing his candidacy.

“If you talk to anybody in Chicago, ask them if they feel safer,” he said. “Ask them if they feel like there’s a plan for our school system. If they’re business owners, ask them if they’re being supported, and a lot of the answers will be no.”

Buckner has already discussed what will likely be a hot issue during the campaign, with two prior convictions for driving under the influence on his record. One occurred in 2010, while the other occurred while he was in office as a state representative in 2019.

“I’ve had conversations with folks, and I’ve been very clear about this from the moment it happened,” he said. “I live in the real world, and I know people make mistakes and we slip, we fall and we stumble. The important part is if we get back up.”

Buckner, a former University of Illinois football player, worked for Sen. Dick Durbin, and also led the World Sport Chicago office before being appointed to the General Assembly.

Recently, Buckner met with other candidates who are still mulling entry into the race for mayor, including State Rep. LaShawn Ford, Ald. Rod Sawyer and activist and current Congressional candidate Ja’Mal Green.

“I think the people will decide where they want the city to go,” he said.

Another candidate that could still jump into the race is former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who told NBC 5 on Thursday that he will decide after Memorial Day whether he’ll enter into the race.

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