By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner | Wirepoints
Americans demanded change last week. Whether they were voting for Trump or against Harris, their rationale didn’t matter. Less government interference won. So did free speech, border control, law and order, and anti-DEI policies.
The change that shook the nation was visible even in Illinois, perhaps one of the country’s most hostile media and political environments for Trump. Not only did Trump shrink the Dem margin of victory this year to nine percentage points – from 17 points in 2020 and 25 points in 2008 – he also performed better in both Chicago and the suburbs. Illinoisans’ support for Trump grew even as the media and political attacks on him, led notably by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, increased in intensity.
So with 45% of Illinois going for Trump – and Latinos and blacks and virtually every demographic breaking towards him – you would have thought Gov. Pritzker would be chastened, or at least sufficiently introspective enough to hold his tongue until the dust settles.
No way. Just look at the governor’s message to Illinoisans one day after the election:
“This morning, our most vulnerable communities woke up to new uncertainty about their future, scared that their rights will no longer be protected, and unsure whether this nation still stands with them. To women whose healthcare is under even greater threat, to our Black, Brown and AAPI communities, our LGBTQ friends and their families, immigrants and first-generation Americans, our most vulnerable Americans and those with disabilities, to all who have been made to feel unsafe and unwelcome by the Trump campaign and its allies – know that Illinois is your ally. You will always be welcome here.
Straight away, Pritzker has returned to dividing people, not uniting them. Instilling fear, not comfort. Creating demons where none exist.
More here.