Tina Sfondeles
Chief Political Reporter, Chicago Sun-TimesTina Sfondeles is the chief political reporter, covering all levels of government and politics with a special focus on the Illinois General Assembly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration and statewide and federal elections.
Sfondeles spent much of the pandemic in Washington, D.C. — covering the White House and co-authoring the West Wing Playbook for Politico. She also covered the White House and Democratic politics and policy as a politics correspondent for Insider. Sfondeles joined the Sun-Times in 2007, covering politics, transportation, crime and sports — and returned to the newspaper in 2022.
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U.S. Rep. Mike Bost declared victory at about 9:41 p.m., and Bailey conceded 15 minutes later. And Democratic U.S. Reps. Sean Casten and Bill Foster held onto their suburban congressional seats after facing progressive challengers who tried to veer them further to the left on key issues.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's proposed investments would support the creation of a child tax credit, overhaul of the state's pension system, and fund programs for asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago.
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A bill filed on Thursday would allow qualified individuals, not medical professionals, to self-administer a medication to end their lives. There is of course opposition to such measures, specifically from the Catholic and evangelical communities.
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Heidi Mueller, who has served as director of the Illinois Dept. of Juvenile Justice since 2016, was selected after a national search. She will take the reins of the scandal-plagued agency beginning February 1.
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Big money, big problems. Deep-pocketed, self-funding candidates and dark money mar Illinois politicsPrimary meddling, dark money and self-funding loopholes help skew Illinois politics to favor moneyed candidates. But there are also solutions — like fighting big money with public funding of campaigns.
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In a call with reporters Wednesday, the governor said he is actively pursuing Illinois partnerships with electric vehicle companies and original equipment manufacturers.
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Former GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey is cozying up to Donald Trump as Bailey considers challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost. “What President Trump went through yesterday could happen to anyone [sic] of us for any reason!” Bailey wrote on Wednesday.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker has traveled the state this week to tout the budget’s funding of his Smart Start initiative, a focal point of his 2024 budget aimed at improving access to preschool, increasing funding for child care providers and investing in early childhood facilities.