DUPAGE GOP
— Statewide Candidate Rally. Monday, October 5 at 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Bloomingdale Golf Club, 181 N. Glen Ellyn Road, Bloomingdale. DD: The statewide candidates are: Don Tracy for U.S. Senate ( https://dontracyforil.com/ ), Darren Bailey for Governor and Aaron Del Mar for Lt. Governor ( https://baileyforillinois.com/ ), Bob Fioretti for Attorney General ( https://www.bobforillinois.com/ ), Diane Harris for Secretary of State ( https://harrisforsos.com/ ), Bryan Drew for Comptroller ( https://www.drewforillinois.com/ ), and Max Solomon for Treasurer ( https://maxsolomon.info/ ).
https://dupagegop.com/candidatemeetandgreet/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Former Illinois House GOP leader Jim Durkin endorses Democrat JB Pritzker over Republican Darren Bailey. DD: Every vote that the anti-conservative Pritzker gets will give Pritzker and all the other Democrat candidates a bigger mandate. My critics/opponents side with Durkin and Pritzker. At their core, my critics/opponents are either anti-conservative or lack what it takes to defend and promote conservative principles.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/05/durkin-pritzker-endorsement/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Accentuating the schisms that have helped make Republicans the superminority political party in Illinois, former Illinois House GOP leader Jim Durkin said he is endorsing Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker for a third term over Republican nominee Darren Bailey in the Nov. 3 general election. “His campaign is going nowhere, and he’s on a foolish escapade,” Durkin said of Bailey, adding that the Republican governor nominee has “a delusional egomaniacal view of the world.” Durkin’s refusal to support Bailey’s second consecutive bid against Pritzker is not surprising. But his public endorsement of the Democrat, in a video the governor’s campaign is scheduled to release Monday, marks a major break for Durkin, who still considers himself a Republican. “I’ve worked with Pritzker, and I don’t agree with JB on a lot of things. But the fact is, he and I have worked together,” Durkin said. He cited Pritzker’s investment in infrastructure, the credit upgrades to steady the state’s finances and the governor’s support for “commonsense gun reforms.” “I look at something that he (Pritzker) has done and this is nothing that Darren Bailey could ever, in his wildest dreams, if he was governor, would he ever be able to accomplish,” Durkin said. “We’ve got to shed Darren Bailey from the party and, I’m speaking for myself, but I am not going to throw away or waste a vote for governor this November, and that’s why I’m voting for JB Pritzker.” In a statement, Pritzker returned the praise, saying that while the two didn’t always see eye to eye, “I never doubted his devotion to the people of our great state.” “He was a partner in rebuilding Illinois’ infrastructure and strengthening our fiscal foundation — and an opponent of MAGA extremists driven only by their infatuation with Donald Trump,” Pritzker said. “Leader Durkin has the heart of a public servant, and I am honored to have his support in this campaign.” Durkin — who in 2023 retired from the legislature after 24 years, including nine as House GOP leader — has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his populist “Make America Great Again” movement. Durkin blames it for the decline of party moderates, particularly in the Chicago suburbs, once the heart of the party when Republicans were competitive statewide. He also has long criticized Bailey, a wealthy downstate farmer and former state senator from Xenia. Durkin blamed Trump, and Bailey’s fealty toward him, for the drubbing Republican legislative candidates took in the 2022 general election. Bailey lost that election to Pritzker by nearly 13 percentage points while Democrats grew their state House majority to 78-40 over Republicans, which is the chamber’s current partisan makeup. Durkin said Bailey’s loyalty to Trump, his opposition to abortion rights and gay rights, and a campaign steeped in his evangelical Christian faith turned off suburban voters in 2022, including women, a key voting bloc in the collar counties. Bailey this time around has sought to distance himself from Trump and controversial social issues. But he has once again accepted Trump’s endorsement, and Pritzker has relentlessly sought to link him to a president who has lost Illinois three times and to remind voters of Bailey’s conservative stance on social issues. “He can’t hide from his past and who he is,” said Durkin, who lives in and represented the western suburbs. “He is a right-wing evangelist and he is part of this MAGA fever that has gotten into the party. And this party needs to break that fever like a virus. We need to break that. He has not changed who he is.” Bailey “can talk a big game, but the fact is that he’s an opportunist,” Durkin said. “He can try to suggest that he now understands Chicago and the suburbs. But the fact is, I know who he is. I know what he’s about. And, he doesn’t reflect the Republican principles that I grew up with or the ones that I ran on over the last 40 years and the ones that I supported.” “We have lost so many voters because of this intolerance and exclusion that he has preached over the years where suburban Republicans, collar county Republicans, don’t identify themselves as Republican and they stay out of the primary … and that just leaves hardcore conservatives who control it,” Durkin added. Durkin said his decision to back Pritzker follows such moves as veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove backing a Democrat for statewide office in Texas after lamenting how the state GOP had been infiltrated by “bigots,” and Cindy McCain backing Joe Biden over Trump in 2020. McCain was the wife of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain. Durkin was state chair of John McCain’s 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns. Durkin’s previous criticism of Trump and Bailey has drawn enmity from the more conservative elements of the state GOP. “Jim Durkin can go kick rocks. Jim Durkin is a sellout RINO who has no business being involved in Republicans,” Bailey’s running mate, Aaron Del Mar, said on an Aug. 31 webcast, using the critical acronym “Republican in Name Only.” In response, Durkin pointed to his decades of campaigning and fundraising on behalf of Republican candidates, awards from the American Conservative Union, his legislative record and his battles with former House Speaker Michael Madigan, the longtime Democratic leader now in federal prison. “If (Del Mar) wants to call me a RINO based on that, he ought to go back to what he does best, which is serving as (Palatine) township road supervisor. I hear he does a really super job there,” Durkin said. “My interests are creating a two-party state where we actually have a voice that can connect with suburban collar county and downstate voters,” Durkin said. “You can appeal to downstate voters without having this zealot-type approach toward government. Bailey stands for exclusion and intolerance and that’s now what the party’s about.” Whether Durkin’s vision of a competitive two-party Illinois can be realized remains an open question. When he stepped down from the legislature more than three years ago, Durkin said, “I hope that at some point in the near future, and I think we’re getting there, that the party breaks its fever of Donald Trump and understands and learns from the past. Some people will never get there.”)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Endorsement: Angel Oakley for US House of Representatives in District 3. DD: Oakley’s outstanding campaign literature piece was one of the 14 candidate literature pieces along with the outstanding Milton Township Republican Organization Voter Guide and sample ballot that I hand-delivered last week to the 370 residences in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton that have at least one registered Republican voter or one registered Independent voter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/04/editorial-angel-oakley-for-u-s-house-of-representatives-in-district-3/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: As downtown Chicago reinvents itself, demand is high for luxury apartment complexes as building costs rise. DD: I lived in my Outer Drive East (ODE) studio condo part-time 1974-1976 and then in my ODE one bedroom condo full-time 1976-1978. I bought them so that I could walk to/from my IRS job in the Loop and graduate evening business courses at Loyola 1974-1976 and then graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul 1976-1978.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/05/400-lake-shore-drive-luxury-apartments/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Video gambling saturates Chicago area — nearly 80% of region allows video slots. Across Illinois, video gambling devices are allowed in more than 200 communities and banned in more than 60. It’s legal in almost all of Kane, McHenry and Will counties. Critics worry about oversaturation and negative social effects. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more vice. In 2009, I led the successful effort to ban video gambling in Wheaton. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/10/05/video-gambling-majority-chicago-area-communities-illinois-gaming-board
ABC7
— Protesters clash, rocks thrown at far-right activists outside Palestinian festival in Bridgeview.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/protesters-clash-rocks-thrown-far-activists-outside-palestinian-festival-bridgeview-illinois/19907974/
— US Attorney for Northern District of Illinois leading criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-attorney-northern-district-illinois-andrew-boutros-leading-doj-criminal-probe-jean-carroll-sources/19183723/
NBC5
— Tense protests surround Palestine Fest in suburban Bridgeview. Outside of the stadium, protesters and counterprotesters faced off while police and security kept a close watch.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/tense-protests-surround-palestine-fest-in-suburban-bridgeview/3997676/
CBS2
— Experts weigh in on possible presidential campaigns for Pritzker, Emanuel.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/experts-weigh-in-on-possible-presidential-campaigns-for-pritzker-emanuel/
FOX32
— Bridgeview Palestine Fest protest by far-right activist Jake Lang draws security concerns.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/bridgeview-palestine-fest-protest
TAYLORVILLE DAILY NEWS
— Bailey Explains His Plans If Elected.
https://www.taylorvilledailynews.com/republican-governor-candidate-darren-bailey-explains-his-plans-if-elected/
10TV
— Illinois police arrest teens, charge parent after fight involving nearly 250 teens at Raising Cane’s. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/nation-world/illinois-police-arrest-teens-charge-parent-after-fight/507-cc4c8b86-bd5b-48f6-931a-ff6dae372812
NPR ST. LOUIS
— DD: Illinois Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ. To promote LGBTQ is to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.stlpr.org/race-identity-and-faith/2026-10-04/lgbtq-families-belleville-offer-different-experience-missouri
CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Illinois Republican Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey.
https://capitolcitynow.com/podcasts/illinois-republican-gubernatorial-candidate-darren-bailey/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/10/05/guess-who-showed-up-at-the-mayors-rally-01106258
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— My critics/opponents either want socialism or fail/refuse to fight it. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Socialists want to destroy the American dream. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/oct/4/socialists-want-destroy-american-dream/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Socialism for CEOs, inflation for you. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4744673/corporate-socialism-subsidies-double-taxation/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Biden judge rules that law punishing illegals who vote in elections is ‘unconstitutional.’
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/10/biden-judge-rules-that-law-punishing-illegals-who-vote-in-elections-is-unconstitutional/
— Don’t Let Young People Fill Their Moral Vacuum With Sharia.
https://www.americanthinker.com/watch/podcasts/american-thinker-podcast/2026/10/don-t-let-young-people-fill-their-moral-vacuum-with-sharia/
COLLEGE FIX
— U. Miami medical school dean calls for ditching merit-based admissions during DEI debate. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, they ever-increasingly lowered standards to hire, retain, and promote more Democrats who were minority, female, younger, and or veteran. That ever-increasingly rendered worthless my job-related bachelor’s degree, my three job-related master’s degrees, my six job-related professional certifications, and my job-related professional license.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/u-miami-medical-school-dean-calls-for-ditching-merit-based-admissions-during-dei-debate/
DAILY SIGNAL
— 84% of Gen Z Democrats Back Socialism. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/10/04/84-of-gen-z-democrats-back-socialism-poll/
— How Mamdani Is Merging Socialist Activists With New York City Government. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/10/04/how-mamdani-is-merging-socialist-activists-with-new-york-city-government/
FOX NEWS
— Uzbek truck driver’s fatal crash exposed troubling fraud trend in Middle America: ‘Chameleon carriers.’ Industry veterans warn of a scheme where operators dodge inspections, facilitate cargo theft and never fully shut down.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/uzbek-truck-driver-fatal-crash-exposed-troubling-fraud-trend-middle-america-chameleon-carriers.amp
— DD: The socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/majority-leader-thune-says-chuck-schumer-lives-fear-socialists-taking-over-democratic-party
HEARTLANDER NEWS
— More than 40% of Americans hold a positive view of socialism, marking a seven-percentage-point rise and the highest rating for the theory since 2010, according to a recent Gallup poll. Support for socialism has risen primarily among Democrats, jumping from 50% to 66% between 2010 and 2025, but within the past year, independents’ approval of socialism spiked to 45% from 37% last year. Republicans’ support for socialism remains below 15%, according to the poll. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism. One could argue that working for Democrats is like working for socialists. I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years 1966-1969 and 1971-1997. Democrats could argue that my working for those Democrats enabled me to buy new cars when I was 19 in 1967, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1978, etc., to buy a new townhome in University Park in 1972, to buy a studio condo in downtown Chicago in 1974, to buy a one bedroom condo in downtown Chicago in 1976, to get married and buy a home in Wheaton in 1978, to have a home built in Wheaton in 1984, etc. But to do the aforesaid, I worked private sector jobs 1964-1966 and 1970-1972, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970, I earned an MBA in 1976, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981, I earned four more job-related professional certifications 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and I earned a master’s degree in finance in 1997. I argue that because of the aforesaid, if I had worked in the private sector, I would have accomplished much more.
https://heartlandernews.com/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-approve-of-socialism-new-poll-finds/
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— It Would Be Absurd To Trust Democrats on Affordability. DD: What helps people afford things? Obviously, it is earning more money. What did you do to earn more money? I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21 in 1970, I earned an MBA in 1976, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981, I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and I earned a master’s degree in finance in 1997. According to my critics/opponents, I was able to do the aforesaid not only because I was privileged, but because I benefitted tremendously from discrimination against Democrats and against RINOs who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. In my defense, no one saw me as being college material. Nevertheless, I got accepted by UIC when I was 17 in 1966. I had work my way through college, and I did.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/10/04/it_would_be_absurd_to_trust_democrats_on_affordability_713034.html
TOWNHALL
— Socialist Mayor Mamdani: Government’s Job Is to Deliver ‘Whatever You Need’ for a Dignified Life. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) destroy personal responsibility and b) promote dependency on government. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://townhall.com/news/scott-mcclallen/2026/10/04/socialist-mayor-mamdani-governments-job-is-to-deliver-whatever-you-need-for-a-dignified-life-n2684087
WESTERN JOURNAL
— Illegal Families Given $100k: Report Reveals ‘Shadow Welfare System’ California Uses to Fund Illegals.
https://www.westernjournal.com/illegal-families-given-100k-report-reveals-shadow-welfare-system-state-uses-fund-illegals/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NEWSWEEK
— DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.newsweek.com/rahm-emanuel-says-democratic-socialists-are-their-own-party-amid-dsa-wins-12522433
NEW YORK TIMES
— Israeli Authorities Trade Blame for Failure to Flag FlyDubai Co-Pilot. The Omani co-pilot who officials said tried to crash the plane was said to have embraced extremist Islamist views.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/world/middleeast/flydubai-israel-debate-pilot-security.html
— Self-Driving Cars Are Getting Better. The Risks Are Getting Bigger. Self-driving systems are getting so good that drivers may overestimate the technology and not be prepared to respond when something goes wrong.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/business/self-driving-cars-tesla-fsd.html
— Trump, Critic of Voting by Mail, Urges Republicans to Do It in Midterms.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/us/politics/trump-republicans-mail-voting.html
— As Midterms Near, Justice Alito Says He Considers Each Year Whether to Retire. The justice, the second oldest on the court at 76, told CBS News that he decided against stepping down last term. He could face pressure should Democrats win the Senate in November. DD: I became eligible to take early retirement when I was 45 in 1993. My Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to retire just before that eligibility expired I was 49 in 1997. They made it clear if I did not take their early retirement “offer,” the next 6 years until I would be eligible for regular retirement in 2003 would be a living hell. They made it clear that they would demote me, give me adverse transfers, give me unfair performance expectations, and give me unfair performance appraisals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/us/politics/justice-alito-retirement-supreme-court.html
NEW YORK FOCUS
— Mamdani Enlists Unions in Push to Overhaul NYC Hiring. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat who was minority, female, younger, or veteran and who would take the job. They wasted my career and forced me to retire in 1997 because I refused to become a Democrat.
https://nysfocus.com/2026/10/05/mamdani-unions-civil-service-government-hiring
FORBES
— DD: All my Democrat superiors and supervisors were married and had children. They all painted themselves as being underpaid. They all decried the time they needed to raise their children and the high cost of raising their children. They all decried their spouses having little or no income. According to them, if had gotten married earlier and if my wife and I had children, I never would have been able a) to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970 when I was 21, job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and a job-related professional license when I was 32, b) to buy new cars when I was 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc., c) to buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, d) to buy collector cars when I was 40 and 45, e) to take the many luxury vacations that my wife and I took in connection with her many business trips 1978-1992, f) to save what we did for our retirement, g) etc. Further, according to them, I would never have been able to the aforesaid if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft. They ever-increasingly painted my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2026/10/04/3-career-pivots-that-make-having-it-all-a-reality/
— Why Leaders Create A Boogeyman. DD: Who has made you a boogeyman and for what? My Democrat Post Office (1966-1969), IRS (1971-1980), and GAO (1980-1997) superiors made me their boogeyman for the problems they had hiring, retaining, and promoting Democrats who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. None of my Democrat Post Office coworkers who were minority, female, younger, or veteran and who they wanted to promote over me took courses toward a bachelor’s degree in management like I did or earned a bachelor’s degree in management like I did in 1970. None of my Democrat IRS coworkers who were minority, female, younger, or veteran and who they wanted to promote over me a) took courses toward master’s degrees in management and accounting like I did, b) earned a master’s degrees in management like I did in 1976, or c) passed the CPA examination on their first attempt like I did in 1979. None of my Democrat GAO coworkers who were minority, female, younger, or veteran and who they wanted to promote over me a) earned a master’s degree in accounting like I did in 1980, b) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on their first attempt like I did in 1981, c) became a licensed CPA like I did in 1981, d) earned four more job-related professional certifications like I did in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, or d) earned a master’s degree in finance like I did in 1997.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotthutcheson/2025/01/27/why-leaders-create-a-boogeyman-and-how-to-avoid-their-trap/
BARRON’S
— Housing Affordability Is at a 40 Year Low—and 7% Mortgage Rates Only Tell Half the Story. DD: Mortgage rates were 7% when I took out a mortgage to buy a new townhome in University Park in 1972. They were 11% when I took out a mortgage to buy a studio condo in downtown Chicago in 1974. They were 9% when I took out a mortgage to buy a one bedroom condo in downtown Chicago in 1976. They were 9% when my wife and I took out a mortgage to buy a home in Wheaton in 1978. They were 14% when my wife and I took out a mortgage to have a home built in Wheaton 1984.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/housing-crisis-mortgage-rates-hurt-so-much-e99a4c0e
HOUSING WIRE
— Support starter homes, not looser lending or financial fixes. Policymakers can lower frictions, but only new starter-home production changes the math. DD: Did you buy a starter home? I did when I was 24 in 1972. I lost lots of money on it. I bought a new townhome in University Park. SEE: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ . It had only 1,000 square feet. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it and the down payment would have been about $36,000. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $88.700. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park. When my IRS salary increased from $83,482/year to $100,059/year when I was 25 in 1974, I would have sold it and bought a one bedroom condo in the Outer Dive East building in downtown Chicago. But because the University Park housing market had crashed, I could sell it only if I took a big loss. So I kept it and instead bought a studio condo in that building. In 1976, I traded that studio condo in to the building’s developer for a one bedroom condo. But because the University Park housing market was still way down, I began renting out the townhome. I sold it in 1984 at a big inflations-adjusted loss.
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/build-starter-homes-supply/
AXIOS
— New York has a socialist mayor. Los Angeles may be next. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/04/la-nyc-south-asian-immigrant-socialist-mayors
