The first round of voting, which is taking place by region, was in the Mount Lebanon districts including Beirut’s battered southern suburbs, where Hezbollah headquarters are located and much of their leadership including veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah were killed in Israeli airstrikes during the 14-month war.

The polls for mayors and municipal councils, though not as significant as Lebanon’s parliamentary election set for 2026, are a barometer of how much the devastating war that left over 4,000 people dead and entire neighborhoods destroyed has impacted support for politicians and parties, especially in the south where Hezbollah and allies are strong.

Hezbollah and fellow Shitte party the Amal Movement are expected to win most votes for municipal councils and mayors in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Flags of the parties and members wearing green and yellow paraphernalia were present outside the polling stations, assisting supporters wanting to cast their vote for the parties’ candidates.

The voting also took place in public schools near the wreckage of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. Lebanon’s cash-strapped government has been scrambling to secure international funds for the reconstruction, which the World Bank estimates at over $11 billion.

Municipal elections were supposed to have taken place years ago but the government had postponed them three times, including once over budgetary constraints.

Voters said they were especially concerned with rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.

Mohammad Awali, a candidate running for the Haret Hreik municipality, said his local council “has a great responsibility, especially given the extensive destruction that occurred in our area.”

The new mission statement for the voting section makes a passing reference to the historic Voting Rights Act, but no mention of typical enforcement of the provision through protecting people’s right to cast ballots or ensuring that lines for legislative maps do not divide voters by race. Instead, it redefines the unit’s mission around conspiracy theories pushed by Republican President Donald Trump to explain away his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Trump’s attorney general at the time, William Barr, said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in that election. Repeated recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss, including some led by Republicans, affirmed Biden’s win and found the election was run properly. Trump and his supporters also lostdozens of court cases trying to overturn the election results.

But in Trump’s second term, the attorney general is Pam Bondi, who backed his effort to reverse his 2020 loss. The president picked Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican Party lawyer and long time ally who also has echoed some of Trump’s false claims about voting, to run the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, where the voting section is housed.

“The Civil Rights Division has always worked to make sure Americans have access to the polls and that their votes matter,” said Stacey Young, an 18-year Department of Justice veteran who left that division days after Trump’s inauguration in January and founded Justice Connection, an organization supporting the agency’s employees. “The division’s job is not to promote the politically expedient fiction that voting fraud is widespread.”

The department did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump has already demonstrated his interest in using the Justice Department to pursue those who stood up for the 2020 election by directing the department to investigateone of his former appointees who publicly vouched for the safety and accuracy of the 2020 vote count.

“The mission of the Voting Rights Section of the DOJ Civil Rights Division is to ensure free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion,” the mission statement declares.

It adds that the unit will “vigorously enforce” Trump’s executive order seeking to reshape how elections are run. Parts of that order have been put on hold by a judge.

The executive order signed late last month calls for people to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship each time they register to vote; would require all mail ballots to be received by Election Day, which is counter to the law in 18 states; and directs an independent federal agency, the Election Assistance Commission, to amend its guidelines for voting machines.

Several legal analysts say much of the order is unconstitutional because only states and, for federal contests, Congress, can set election procedures. The Constitution provides no provision for the president to set the rules for elections.

The new mission statement for the Civil Rights Division also says the voting unit will focus on ensuring that “only American citizens vote in U.S. federal elections.” It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote. People have to attest they are U.S. citizens when they register and attempts to vote by noncitizens can lead to felony charges and deportation.

Repeated investigations have turned up just a tiny numberof noncitizens casting ballots, often doing so accidentally, out of the hundreds of millions of votes over recent contests. A proof-of-citizenship requirement in Kansas a little over a decade ago blocked 31,000 eligible U.S. citizensfrom registering to vote before it was overturned by the courts.

But Republicans, including Trump, have continued to insistthere must be far more noncitizens casting votes and are pushing to tighten election laws to screen them out.

Notably, the roughly 200-word statement on the voting rights section mentions fighting “fraud” twice, as well as investigating “other forms of malfeasance.” The Department of Justice already investigates and prosecutes voting fraud, but in a separate division on the criminal side. The voting section is a civil unit that does not investigate potential crimes.

Now, however, it will “protect the right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated,” according to the statement. It was unclear what that refers to. There have been no widespread cases of votes being improperly tabulated.

Justin Levitt, who served as President Joe Biden’s senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights, noted that because the voting rights section does not pursue prosecutions, its power is sharply limited by the specifics of civil rights laws and what judges will approve.

“For the civil section of the Civil Rights Division, courts need to be buying what they’re selling,” he said.

Her winning formula in the April 1 race?  Twenty years’ worth of community involvement, volunteer service and face-to-face connections in the suburb of about 67,000. She worked as Skokie’s director of marketing and communications for two decades, had been elected to Oakton (Community) College’s Board, and had volunteered for Skokie civic and arts organizations.

Illinois State Board of Elections records show that Lifsics’ Azi for Skokie campaign committee spent nearly $282,000 and got 38% of the vote, according to the Cook County Clerk’s office. That amount was quadruple the $70,000 spent by the Friends of Ann Tennes committee, and Tennes earned 50.4% of the vote. Third candidate Charles Isho spent $41,000 and got 11.6% of the vote.

Turnout for the race, historic because George Van Dusen had held the mayor’s office for 26 years and decided not to run again, was 28%, with 13,144 ballots cast, per the Cook County Clerk.

Additionally, Lifsics was endorsed by prominent elected officials including U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton, Van Dusen, state Sen. Laura Fine, and Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, according to his campaign’s social media.

Tennes’ win might have to do with the nature of off-cycle (non-national) elections, said Tabitha Bonilla, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University.

A smaller number of people vote in these off-cycle elections, and they tend to be older, more politically aware and have higher income levels, she said.

“So when you have someone incredibly connected, who worked for the village, people would know that,” Bonilla said. “I think that would be meaningful because the people showing up to vote would be more attentive to what (she) has done.”

Tennes, who is now Mayor Tennes after being sworn in on April 21, said, “Our campaign didn’t look political. It looked like residents talking to other residents.”

Bonilla said Tennes’ campaign practice of inviting residents to come speak with her at local establishments like Will’s Place, a cafe which employs the developmentally disabled, fostered her image as accessible.

“It builds a narrative of her being for ordinary people,” Bonilla said.

In an age when political fundraising and big bucks can play a deciding role in an election, Tennes’ win proves this isn’t always the case.

Randall Roberts, who chaired Tennes’ mayoral campaign, acknowledged he had concerns Lifsics’ endorsements and campaign spending could harm the Tennes campaign.

“I think what residents saw was that Ann was the best candidate and best qualified person,” Roberts said. “Despite the campaign they were being blitzed with, they saw through it and elected the best candidate—and in an overwhelming fashion.”

Tennes, who received a “highly recommended” ranking from the newly formed Skokie Community Caucus and endorsements from a number of citizens, business owners and former village employees, credits her success to meeting voters where they are—at their homes, businesses, and village events—and building an enthusiastic volunteer base that was largely through word of mouth.

“I made a point of being present and engaging with residents,” Tennes said. “It was a lot of personal contact.”

Keith Simonds, assistant professor of political science at Oakton College, noted that more than $200,000 spent in a suburban mayoral race is a “large amount,” but is not unheard of.

Recent instances show very costly campaigns haven’t had the intended impact, he said.
“We … just saw massive spending for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race,” he said. “The winning side was outspent by millions of dollars. Money is important, but it is not the only thing that matters.”

Lifsics said that building name recognition was a necessary part of his campaign, and raising the amount of money needed to fund mailers and commercials tied into that. His campaign created 10 mailers and six commercials, which aired on YouTube, Hulu and Comcast channels, Lifsics said.

“I had about 13% name recognition the first few weeks of the campaign, so we had a lot of ground to make up,” he said.. “It was not issue-based; it was more about getting my name out there. Once voters figured out who I was, then I could go discuss policy positions.”

For Tennes, name recognition, gained through her position as Skokie’s director of communications and marketing from 1998 to 2023, an elected seat on the Oakton (Community) College Board from 2007 to 2019, and involvement in a number of Skokie organizations, including the Skokie Community Foundation, the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie Foundation, and more, made a difference in the campaign, she said.

“I had strong relationships in the community that I cultivated over the course of 25 years—and that certainly was a benefit,” she said.

Roberts agreed.

“She was very well known and that was ideal for her as a candidate,” he said.

Tennes also stressed her status as a fully independent candidate, calling for “transparent, practical leadership centered on inclusion and collaboration.” Skokie residents were already looking for independent candidates after approving a citizen-initiated referendum in November 2024 that removed local party affiliation from the ballot in municipal races, Tennes said.

Previously, the Skokie Caucus Party had dominated village elections.

“It was clear residents were not looking for slates and groups of candidates running together,” Tennes said, referring to the 2024 referendum results. “I ran a fiercely independent campaign. I said over and over again on the campaign trail. I was friendly and cordial with all the candidates (for trustee and village clerk), but I did not campaign with them.”

Van Dusen said he supported Lifsics because he had started attending Skokie Village Board meetings about three years ago and told Van Dusen he was interested in village government. The two met periodically to chat about issues.

“I was discussing issues with him and I was impressed with his approach and how he analyzed issues. I thought he was what the village of Skokie needed,” Van Dusen said.

Still, Van Dusen said he’s pleased with the outcome of the election.

“Ann will do a good job,” he said.

Despite the fact Tennes worked for him yet he chose to endorse another candidate, Van Dusen said he never had a falling out with her.

“No, and I’ve never said anything negative about Ann,” he noted. “She’ll have my support, and I think she’ll do a good job.”

Tennes said soon after the election that she planned to meet with Isho, an Assyrian American, and tell him how much she values Skokie’s growing Assyrian American community.

For his part, Lifsics also heralded Tennes’ win. 

“I want to congratulate our Mayor-elect Ann Tennes,” he wrote on his Facebook page the day after the election. “I’ve reached out to her to offer my assistance in any way as Skokie moves forward…Let’s all work together to keep Skokie a great place to live!”

The vote-counting agency Elections Canada finished processing nearly all ballots in what turned out to be a razor-close election that will leave the Liberals three seats short of a majority. Recounts are expected in some districts.

Carney’s rival, populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, was in the lead until U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at Canada with a trade war and threats to annex the country as the 51st state. Poilievre not only lost his bid for prime minister Monday but was voted out of the Parliament seat that he held for 20 years.

That capped a swift decline in fortunes for the firebrand Poilievre, who a few months ago appeared to be a shoo-in to become Canada’s next prime minister and shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the first time in a decade.

Poilievre, a career politician, campaigned with Trump-like bravado, taking a page from the “America First” president by adopting the slogan “Canada First.” But his similarities to Trump may have ultimately cost him and his party.

The Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives.

In a victory speech, Carney stressed unity in the face of Washington’s threats. He said the mutually beneficial relationship Canada and the U.S. had shared since World War II was gone.

“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” he said.

“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,” Carney added. “These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never … ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.”

In a statement issued Tuesday, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the Canadian election “does not affect President Trump’s plan to make Canada America’s cherished 51st state.”

Carney spoke with Trump, and the two leaders “agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together — as independent, sovereign nations — for their mutual betterment,” Carney’s office said in a statement. The men “agreed to meet in person in the near future.”

A defeat for the Conservatives

Poilievre hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.

But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.

In a concession speech before the race call on his own seat, Poilievre vowed to keep fighting for Canadians.

“We are cognizant of the fact that we didn’t get over the finish line yet,” Poilievre said. “We know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time. It takes work. And that’s why we have to learn the lessons of tonight.”

McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland said nothing prevents Poilievre from remaining the Conservative leader without a seat but, if he decides to stay, he would need to run in another district — perhaps by asking a Conservative member of Parliament from a safe Conservative district to resign.

“Still, losing your seat when some people within your own party think you’re the main reason why it failed to win is a clear issue for Poilievre,” Béland said.

“Moreover, not having the leader of the official opposition in the House of Commons when Parliament sits again would obviously be a problem for the Conservatives, especially if we do end up with a minority Parliament.”

Even as Canadians mourned a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street festival, Trump was trolling them on election day, asserting that he was on their ballot and erroneously claiming that the U.S. subsidizes Canada. “It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!” he wrote.

Trump’s truculence has infuriated Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even to vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.

Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre “sounds like mini-Trump to me.” He said Trump’s tariffs are a worry.

“Canadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it’s definitely created some turmoil, that’s for sure,” he said.

Foreign policy hasn’t dominated a Canadian election this much since 1988, when free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.

The Liberal way forward

Carney and the Liberals have daunting challenges ahead.

By failing to win a majority in Parliament, the Liberals will need rely on a smaller party. Trudeau’s Liberals relied on the New Democrats to remain in power for years, but the progressive party fared poorly on Monday, and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, said he was stepping down after eight years in charge.

“It appears the Liberals will not attain a majority, but the (New Democrats) will prop them up as before. I do not expect any formal deal between the parties,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

The Bloc Québécois, which looked set to finish third, is a separatist party from French-speaking Quebec that seeks independence. Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said he would be open to working with the government for a year if it’s a minority.

“The last thing that the Quebec people and Canada people want is instability in the federal Parliament,” he said.

In addition to the trade war with the U.S. and frosty relationship with Trump, Canada is dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. And more than 75% of its exports go to the U.S., so Trump’s tariffs threat and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada’s production south could severely damage the economy.

Carney has vowed that every dollar the government collects from counter-tariffs on U.S. goods will go toward Canadian workers who are adversely affected. He also said he plans to offer a middle-class tax cut, return immigration to sustainable levels and increase funding to Canada’s public broadcaster.

Associated Press journalist Mike Householder in Mississauga, Ontario, contributed to this report.

The Liberals are projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives, though it wasn’t clear yet if they would win an outright majority, which would allow them to pass legislation without needing help.

The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state. Trump’s actions infuriated Canadians and stoked a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative and win a fourth-straight term in power.

The opposition Conservative Party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.

But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.

Trump was even trolling Canada on election day, suggesting on social media that he was in fact on the ballot and repeating that Canada should become the 51st state — an assertion that Canadians find deeply insulting. He also erroneously claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada, writing, “It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!”

Poilievre, who has been criticized for not taking a firmer stance against Trump, responded with a post of his own.

“President Trump, stay out of our election. The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box,” he posted hours before polls closed. “Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent and we will NEVER be the 51st state.”

Until Trump won a second term and began threatening Canada’s economy and sovereignty, the Liberals looked headed for defeat. But Trump’s truculence has infuriated many Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.

Trump’s attacks also put Poilievre and the opposition Conservative Party on the defensive and led to a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative.

“The Americans want to break us so they can own us,” Carney said recently, laying out what he saw as the election’s stakes. “Those aren’t just words. That’s what’s at risk.”

Election day came as the country grappled with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street fair that led to the suspension of campaigning for several hours. Police ruled out terrorism and said the suspect is a local man with a history of mental health issues.

Trump became the main issue

Poilievre and his wife walked hand-in-hand to vote in their district in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. “Get out to vote for a change,” he implored voters.

Sisters Laiqa and Mahira Shoaib said they did just that, with Laiqa, a 27-year-old health care worker, voting for the progressive New Democratic Party, and Mahira, a 25-year-old bank worker, backing the Conservatives.

The sisters, who immigrated from Pakistan a decade ago, said the economy has worsened and job opportunities have dried up under Liberal rule.

After the sisters voted at a community center in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, Mahira Shoaib said she thinks Poilievre is best equipped to improve Canada’s finances.

“He is business-minded, and that’s what we need right now,” she said.

After Trump became the election’s central issue, Poilievre’s similarities to the bombastic American president might have cost him.

Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre “sounds like mini-Trump to me.” And he said Trump’s tariffs are a worry.

“Canadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it’s definitely created some turmoil, that’s for sure,” he said.

“He appeals to the same sense of grievance,” Canadian historian Robert Bothwell said of the Conservative leader. “It’s like Trump standing there saying, ‘I am your retribution.’”

“The Liberals ought to pay him,” Bothwell added, referring to the American president. “Trump talking is not good for the Conservatives.”

Foreign policy hadn’t dominated a Canadian election as much since 1988 when, ironically, free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.

Big challenges await the Liberals

Carney and the Liberals cleared a big hurdle in winning a fourth-straight term, but they have daunting tasks ahead.

In addition to the sweeping U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Canada has been dealing with a cost-of-living crisis for some time. And more than 75% of its exports go to the U.S., so Trump’s tariffs threat and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada’s production south could severely damage the Canadian economy.

Associated Press reporter Mike Householder contributed to this report.

Stratton announced her Senate candidacy Thursday, a day after the 80-year-old Durbin said he would not seek a sixth term. On Friday, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker gave Stratton his endorsement, creating expectations that his power and wealth could pre-empt a lengthy field from developing.

Duckworth, who will become the state’s senior senator when Durbin retires after at the end of his term in January 2027, said in a statement that Stratton has “demonstrated time and again that she truly understands and cares for working people.”

“Her many years spent in public service, along with her experience as a mom to four daughters and a caregiver to her own mother, have given her the tenacity, grit and perspective to be a true advocate on behalf of working families,” the second-term senator said. “I’d be honored to have her by my side in the Senate as we work to deliver real results for Illinoisans.”

Stratton, in the same statement, said Duckworth “exemplifies the kind of leadership working families deserve and spends every day looking for new opportunities to help communities across our states flourish.”

“I’m so honored to have her support and I will work tirelessly to bring her spirit of resilience to this campaign,” Stratton said.

Other Democrats also considering a Senate bid are U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, Lauren Underwood of Naperville and Robin Kelly of Matteson, who has said she will make a decision on the race this week. State Treasurer Michael Frerichs also is weighing a possible bid.

So far, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria is the only significant Republican to say they were evaluating a possible GOP run.

For the past 28 years, it has been Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield who has served as the downstate senator alongside a string of Chicago-area counterparts: Democrat Carol Moseley Braun of Chicago, Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald of Inverness, Democratic senator and future President Barack Obama of Chicago, appointed Democratic Sen. Roland Burris of Chicago, Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Highland Park and current Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of northwest suburban Hoffman Estates.

But with Durbin’s announcement Wednesday that he will retire following the 2026 election, the issue of geographic balance of Illinois’ Senate representation appears to be at serious risk of coming to an end, at least based on the candidates that so far have shown interest in succeeding him. If that remains the case, it could further the cultural, political and ideological divide between upstate and downstate Illinois.

“I’m very concerned about that,” said Robin Johnson, a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant who also is an adjunct professor of political science at Monmouth College in far west-central Illinois.

“Durbin’s staff was very responsive and understood the needs of downstate Illinois. That’s important, that you didn’t have to explain things to them. They understood,” he said. “And I just worry, and I think a lot of people are, based on the conversations I’m having, worried that we’re going to lose that.”

A day after announcing he would retire at the end of his term, Durbin acknowledged to reporters outside his Springfield home that as a downstate Democrat, he was “kind of a vanishing breed,” a reflection of the political evolution of the region that has grown staunchly Republican due in part to the loss of union coal mine and manufacturing jobs over the decades.

“My message to everyone interested in running for office statewide: Run in the entire state from one corner to the next. Don’t assume a damn thing. These are voters who want to hear from you and want to know if you’re going to make their lives any better,” the 80-year-old senator said.

Saying he was not concerned about downstate getting shortchanged by a Chicago-area successor, Durbin said, “I think the person who is successful in running for this office is going to understand that they’ve got to not only represent the entire state, they’ve got to work the entire state.”

Among the list of Democratic contenders interested in Durbin’s seat are Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton of Chicago, who has formally announced her candidacy, U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, Robin Kelly of Matteson, Lauren Underwood of Naperville and state Treasurer Michael Frerichs of Chicago.

Some have downstate connections. Stratton’s office leads the governor’s Rural Affairs Council. The five-term Krishnamoorthi was raised in Peoria. Kelly, in her 12th year in Congress, got her bachelor’s and master’s degree at Bradley University in Peoria and her congressional district stretches from Chicago to Danville. Frerichs, who held Champaign County office before being elected to the legislature and then three terms as treasurer, had lived in Champaign until moving to Chicago not long ago.

“They’ve all got little boxes they can check,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is going to be, how well do they really understand the needs down here and come down and be able to really understand it, other than just checking a box.”

Though he did not announce his candidacy last week, Krishnamoorthi appeared Thursday at a wholesale food distributor in Chicago’s New City neighborhood where he addressed the geographic tradition by touting his downstate personal history.

“I think that we need a senator for sure who is going to fight for every region of the state. I happen to be from Peoria, I’m a son of downstate, so I have deep roots and ties to Peoria and central Illinois and downstate Illinois,” he said. “I think that it’s important that we, at the same time, deal with the issues that affect the Chicago area, that we remember that the rest of the state needs an essential voice wherever the person, he or she, is fighting for their values.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria, who has served 10 years in the House, has acknowledged considering a Senate bid and would be a bona fide downstate candidate.

But there are questions about whether LaHood would give up a solid GOP congressional seat and how an ally of President Donald Trump would fare in the increasingly Democratic and vote-rich Chicago area, concerns amplified in an off-presidential year election that normally favors out-of-power candidates.

Illinois’ history is replete with examples of the downstate-upstate Senate split. In the 1940s, there was powerful downstate Democratic Sen. Scott Lucas from Mason County, who served with Chicago Republican C. Wayland Brooks and Democrat James Slattery. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was liberal University of Chicago economist Paul Douglas and Senate Republican leader Everett McKinley Dirksen of Pekin.

Douglas’ successor, Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Kenilworth, served with Democratic Sen. Alan J. Dixon of Belleville in the early 1980s. Percy’s successor, Democratic Sen. Paul Simon of Makanda in southern Illinois, served with Dixon and then Moseley Braun in the early to mid-1990s.

John Jackson, visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said he thought it was “highly likely” the next senator would come from the Chicago area. But he also said it pointed to how politically polarized the state has become.

“While the Democrats do extremely well statewide, it is also extremely narrow in its geographical base that they’re able to do that well. And of course, northeastern Illinois is the key to that,” Jackson said of the vast political split between the Chicago metropolitan area and the rest of the state. Jackson also said the upstate-downstate splitting of Senate seats was more representative of a time when “downstate was a bigger part of the equation” in statewide elections.

Durbin, who succeeded Simon after the senator’s retirement in 1997, was successful as a downstate politician in embracing the entirety of Illinois and its needs. He helped deliver billions of dollars in federal assistance, ranging from O’Hare International Airport to a massive rail relocation project in Springfield as well as helping to deliver grants to health care initiatives in both the city and rural areas.

“Dick Durbin has an office in the Paul Simon federal office building in downtown Carbondale, and he has had it the whole time, and that symbolic presence is worth a lot,” Jackson said.

“Just be sensitive to those things and help downstate Democrats not get shut out,” he said in offering a downstate strategy for the potential Democratic Senate candidates. “It seems to me, and it is clear to anyone, we’re one big state. We’re not going to let anybody secede. And so let’s start talking about things that unify us.”

Johnson said the candidates will have to “put together a message based on what’s really going on down here, and understand people’s lives as they exist and not as what pundits, consultants say they do through polls and social media. It’s coming down here and spending some time.”

But can the state’s geographic political divide be bridged?

“You’re one good leader away from making it happen, somebody that can speak to how the state is really tied together, our fortunes are tied together, and we don’t get there by threatening to secede and go to Indiana or Iowa,” Johnson said. “We get there by taking an honest appraisal of what interests we’ve got in common. And I think that’s the challenge before candidates running for the Senate from both parties.”

Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner in Springfield and A.D. Quig in Chicago contributed.

Pritzker’s announcement, made in the neighborhood where Stratton grew up, comes only two days after Durbin, a Democrat, made public his decision not to seek a sixth term and just one day after the two-term lieutenant governor formally declared her Senate candidacy.

“She governs with a zeal that few elected leaders can match, fueled by her lived experience as her mother’s primary caregiver, as a mother herself and as a passionate advocate for people first and foremost,” Pritzker said.

With Pritzker’s endorsement, Stratton has locked in the backing of the powerful titular head of the state’s Democratic Party as she seeks early frontrunner status and attempts to preempt a large field of rivals from developing.

Pritzker, a billionaire entrepreneur and heir of the Hyatt Hotels fortune, has used his personal wealth to support state and local Democratic organizations and spent $350 million of his own money in winning the 2018 and 2022 elections with Stratton on his team.

He’ll likely continue to back Stratton’s campaign financially, though both he and Stratton declined to answer questions on specifics Friday.

“I intend to support her in every way that I can,” Pritzker said. When pressed, he noted to laughs that the individual limit for federal candidate contributions is $3,500, not mentioning that the limit does not apply to dark money funds and other avenues of campaign finance.

Among other Democrats also considering a Senate bid are U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, Robin Kelly of Matteson and Lauren Underwood of Naperville and state Treasurer Michael Frerichs.

Stratton cannot use money in her state campaign account for a federal campaign because of tighter fundraising rules. But members of Congress can use their federal campaign funds for a Senate bid. Krishnamoorthi has $19.4 million in his campaign account, Kelly has more than $2 million and Underwood has $1.1 million as of the start of April.

At the church, Stratton, who was a state representative before becoming lieutenant governor, appeared in front of a throng of sign-waving supporters that included Democratic state Sen. Lakesia Collins of Chicago and state Reps. Mary Beth Canty of Arlington Heights, Tracy Katz Muhl of Northbrook and Michael Crawford of Evergreen Park.

In her remarks following Pritzker’s endorsement, Stratton made an effort to address Democratic voters unhappy with what some see as a lack of backbone by the party’s politicians in confronting President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive actions on numerous fronts. She used a form of the word “fight” 13 times in a 14-minute speech and another five times while speaking to reporters afterward.

“Illinois needs a fighter in Washington, and there is not another moment to waste. See, we’re living through a five-alarm fire, and our fight has never been more important than it is right now,” Stratton said.

Stratton has already indicated that she would have voted differently than Durbin on one recent issue — she voiced opposition to a decision by the Illinois senator and other powerful Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to advance a Republican-led bill averting a government shutdown.

Right now, “too many in Washington are refusing to fight back,” Stratton said Friday. “They’re using the same old playbook that they’ve always used, and it’s not working.”

Even before she announced her candidacy, Stratton had frequently mentioned her partnership with Pritzker. On Friday, she called the governor “a true leader who has shown this country what it means to put working people at the heart of everything.”

Pritzker has not announced whether he will seek a third term next year as he has increased his national footprint, leading to speculation of a potential 2028 presidential bid. If he runs for governor again, Stratton’s decision to seek the Senate would force him to find a new running mate.

In 2022, Pritzker solidified his control over the state Democratic Party with an intensive lobbying effort to force out Kelly as Democratic chair. She was replaced by Pritzker-backed state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, who remains the state party’s chair. Kelly ascended to the party chairmanship by defeating a Pritzker-backed candidate, Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th.

Krishnamoorthi, who on Thursday made a swing through central Illinois, appeared Friday on CNN News Central, where he criticized Trump’s comments saying the U.S. was negotiating a trade deal with China over tariffs — something the Chinese government has denied.

“The Chinese Communist Party basically said we are not in any talks with Donald Trump. I mean, this is kind of a situation where I think his nose is lengthening by the day with regard to these tariffs,” Krishnamoorthi said. “This is a tax on working families. And I think that right now, people are very, very upset.”

Asked about his interest in Durbin’s Senate seat, Krishnamoorthi said, “I’ll be having an announcement shortly.”

The Senate voted 26-24 on Thursday to give final legislative approval to Senate Bill 287, which will require school board candidates to declare a political party when running in a general election.

Bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said Thursday school boards should be partisan because school board races see lower voter turnout because voters don’t know the political party of the candidates. Further, school boards are already partisan, Byrne said.

“Like it or not, this is something that voters want to know about the candidate,” Byrne said. “Some people who are against this bill say school boards shouldn’t be partisan. I don’t think this bill makes them partisan, I think that they already are partisan.”

Senate Bill 287 was amended in the House Elections and Apportionment committee to reflect House Bill 1230, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which removed the primary election requirement and states that in the general election a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan.

When the bill was heard by the House, it was amended further to state that if a candidate chooses to be nonpartisan, then a blank space will appear on the ballot where party affiliation would be listed.

If the board member who leaves the board was a Republican or Democrat, then a caucus should be held to replace that member. Independent or nonpartisan candidates can be replaced by the sitting school board members, according to the bill.

Under the bill, board members would see a pay increase from $2,000 to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher working in the district.

Initially, the Senate filed a motion to dissent from the House amendments to the bill, but the dissent was rescinded Tuesday and a concurrence was filed. That allowed the bill, as amended by the House, to advance for final consideration by the Senate.

A concern with the bill, Byrne said, has been that it would trigger the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents federal employees from running in a partisan election. But, Byrne said the Hatch Act already impacts school board candidates because once a candidate includes political language on campaign literature or is endorsed by a political party then the race becomes partisan.

Further, Byrne said the House amendment allows for nonpartisan candidates to be placed on the ballot. Byrne suggested that it could help federal employees running in a school board race.

According to the Hatch Act, even if a federal employee ran as a nonpartisan candidate, if other candidates declare a party then the race becomes partisan and the federal employee couldn’t run.

Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, said assuming all the school board candidates run as a nonpartisan candidate then a federal employee could run in the school board race. But, once one candidate declares a party, then a federal employee couldn’t run, he said.

Bassler said the legislature should want federal employees to run for school boards because they have expertise in engineering, science, finance, management and leadership.

“I would hope that we would be begging these kinds of people to run for our school boards,” Bassler said. “This bill does a significant disservice to our young people. We should be striving to have the best people run for school board not eliminating some of the best people from running for school board.”

Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, asked Byrne if the Hatch Act has impacted school board races under current law, and Byrne said he hadn’t heard of such an impact. Brown said the Hatch Act will have a greater impact under Senate Bill 287 because it will make all school board races partisan on the ballot.

Brown said she was concerned about the loss of talented school board members if the bill becomes law. In her district, Brown said a school board member’s political beliefs aren’t an issue because they “focus on the policy and how to get our K-12 kids to where they need to be to be successful citizens of the world.”

“I can’t support this bill because it unnecessarily eliminates so many candidates, so many current school board members quite frankly, that we need because of the expertise to stay on these boards,” Brown said.

Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said “wokeness” on school boards “harms our kids,” and he pointed to student test scores as an example of the harm done.

“Do nonpartisan school board elections hurt us? Yeah, it does. We don’t know who the best people are with the best philosophy,” Young said.

Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he voted against the bill because he didn’t like that it removed the primary process.

Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said after the vote that she strongly opposed the bill because it “doesn’t help a single child learn to read; it won’t solve the teacher shortage; it won’t fix the crumbling facilities or raise wages for our bus drivers or cafeteria workers.”

“This bill directly injects politics into one place that it absolutely does not belong, and that is in our public schools. We heard the quiet part out loud. This bill is about fear of difference, fear of diversity, fear of diversity of thought, fear of challenging the status quo,” Yoder said.

Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said “today is a sad day in the history of the state of Indiana” with the passage of the bill.

“Today, we placed politics above students, above parents and above our educational system,” Qaddoura said. “It’s extremely disappointing that today we decided to do what is politically expedient over what is courageously right.”

akukulka@chicagotribune.com

Brown, who ran on Village President Ronald Gardiner’s Glenwood Progress Party slate, and Rodrick Murdock, the Glenwood Strong Party candidate running on a slate led by former village treasurer and mayoral candidate Toleda Hart, each received 617 votes, according to election results from the Cook County clerk’s office.

“We’re here to flip one coin, to decide one race, and today it’s going to be an 1899 silver dollar,” said Edmund Michalowski, deputy clerk of elections for Cook County, in a video released by the clerk’s office that recorded the coin toss.

James Nally, legal counsel for Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, said under the Illinois Election Code, tied elections are resolved by lot.

To conduct the drawing, Nally presented each candidate with a white index card with their name written on it. The cards were folded, sealed in small opaque canisters and placed into a fishbowl.

“He will shake the bowl vigorously,” Nally said.

After confirming the bowl had been thoroughly shaken, one canister was drawn. Brown was given the opportunity to call the coin toss and chose heads.

Nally said the Glenwood trustee race was the only Cook County race decided by lot this year.

Michalowski said in the April 1 election there were 2,487 candidates across 980 contests, along with 69 write-in votes and 35 referendums. He said all precincts had reported results within two hours of polls closing and more than 311,000 people cast ballots in the election.

Hart led Gardiner with 53% of the vote.

Running with Hart on the Glenwood Strong party were three trustee candidates vying for three seats against Progress candidates.

Glenwood Strong candidate Michelle Mosley had 761 votes, while running mates Edward Hadnott had 738 and Rodrick Murdock 617. Progress candidate Felicia Brown had 617 votes, while running mates Camiella Williams had 613, Michael Owens 518 and independent candidate Dion Lynch had 510.

Jesse Durden of the Glenwood Strong Party led Janice Flemister of the Progress Party with 55% of the vote.

The coin toss made Brown the only Progress Party candidate to get a seat on the board.

After the election, the Progress Party said in a Facebook post they aim to ensure a smooth transition to the new administration.

“Though the outcome was not what we had worked for, Glenwood is our home and we love our community,” the post reads.

In a message to her supporters, Hart said she plans to focus on fiscal responsibility, economic development, revitalizing neighborhoods and community safety.

“Glenwood’s best days are ahead, and I am honored to lead us forward,” she wrote.

smoilanen@chicagotribune.com