WATCH PARTIES held across Illinois were high energy, but it’s not clear whether any minds were changed. Sticking with it: Republicans at the McLean County Republican Party’s Lincoln-Reagan dinner in Bloomington were still with Donald Trump after the debate. And Democrats at the IBEW headquarters in Chicago were jubilant about Kamala Harris. Agreeing on one thing: Here’s how Illinois Democratic Party Chair Lisa Hernandez opened her post-debate statement: “Tonight, Illinoisans saw the stark contrast ..." And here’s how Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi opened her message: “Tonight, Americans saw a stark contrast …” The political prognosticators say it was a clear-cut win for Harris. Your Playbook host spent the evening at a South Side community center with more than 75 members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which Harris is a member. The sorority's headquarters are based in Chicago. On the menu: Guests nibbled on croissant chicken sandwiches and apple pie, and they filled out postcards to be sent to swing state voters. The party turned serious when the debate started. The mostly female crowd applauded the vice president's digs at Trump and jeered at some of his more outrageous claims, including misinformation about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio. The nonprofit sorority organized the watch party to encourage getting out the vote. But given Harris’ membership in the group, it was an obviously pro-Harris crowd. The big take-away: “She held her own, and she was kind to his crazy,” Allecia Harley, who wore a pink jacket, the color of the AKAs, said of Harris. The crowd hung on Harris’ every word, especially when she spoke about abortion rights and the issue of race. They cheered each time the ABC News moderators corrected Trump. And they threw up their hands and with a collective gasp when Trump suggested Harris didn't meet with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu because "she was at a sorority party." From an expert: William G. Howell, a University of Chicago political professor, told Playbook, “We learned very little about either candidate’s policies. And we didn’t hear either candidate offer an especially compelling explanation for their most troubling positions and electoral vulnerabilities.” Still, “Trump’s liabilities, exhausting and divisive, were on full display." NEW: Harris’ campaign has already called for a second debate, and it’s celebrating an endorsement from Taylor Swift. VIA POLITICO’s POLITICS TEAM: Harris won the debate — and it wasn’t close CNN instant poll: Kamala Harris ran away with it, by POLITICO’s Steven Shepard From the spin room: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who has led Democrats’ efforts to codify protections for in vitro fertilization, laughed when asked about Trump’s claim to be “a leader on IVF, which is fertilization.” Said Duckworth: “He obviously doesn’t understand how IVF works,” via Rolling Stone. Gov. JB Pritzker’s take: “The American people deserve better than the disgrace that is Donald Trump. They deserve a true champion for working families. They deserve Kamala Harris,” he said in a statement. Illinois Democrats and Republicans weigh in on who won the debate, by ABC 7’s Sarah Schulte, Eric Horng and Cate Cauguiran Economy top of mind for voters at debate watch parties in Chicago and Skokie, by the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo and Lu Calzada Trump wins the debate — for Harris, by POLITICO’s John Harris The world can now see Kamala Harris in its most powerful job, by POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi
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