| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | | Presented by |  | | | Happy Monday, Illinois. Cheers to that extra hour of sleep. We’re going to need it this week. ELECTION WRAP-UP: We’re at the Hideout on Thursday at 6 p.m. with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky talking about election results.
|  | TOP TALKER | | | 
Anne Caprara, chief of staff to Gov. JB Pritzker and campaign manager for his successful gubernatorial campaign, on what the presidential race will mean for Illinois. | Oscar Garza | PLAYBOOK Q&A: We talked to Anne Caprara, the governor’s chief of staff and the architect for his political campaigns. Caprara also worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and has a keen sense for how this year's presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is playing out. What are you worried about? There's no Democrat in the country having lived through 2016 that doesn't worry that there's some element of the polling that is off, whether it's the targeting folks or the polling folks are missing some element of the electorate that are going to vote for Trump or Republicans who we're not seeing. That’s been the perennial worry post-2016. That being said, I don't think that's necessarily happening right now. But in much the same way, every time I sit down and watch an Eagles game and know that there are a million different ways they can lose. That's usually how I look at elections too. What do you think the Trump campaign has been doing well? They have a more organized campaign this year than they had in 2020. If you subscribe to the theory that the election is close, which I think any smart political operative would, it’s a tight race. There are places where this could be decided on a few thousand votes. They’ve been doing a good job talking to the people that have always voted for them. But I don’t see them expanding their base support. I see Harris’ campaign doing that. Trump’s campaign is making baffling decisions, like talking about aiming a rifle at Liz Cheney and shooting at the media. What has Harris been doing well? I’ve loved the strategy of going on podcasts and hitting up things like the “Breakfast Club” listeners or “Call Her Daddy” and these different mediums. I thought going on Fox News was a stroke of brilliance. She does very well in those kinds of adversarial environments. We’re in a Democratic state with a Democratic governor. What would a Trump win mean for Illinois? I truly believe that if Trump wins, we are looking at a direct attack on our democracy and our Constitution. The governor and the Democratic leaders in the state have spent time and effort over the last several years to fortify the state against attacks on women's reproductive rights, on democracy in general, on people's individual rights, on LGBTQ rights. We will continue to do that. Has the Pritzker administration taken any steps to prepare for another Trump White House? If you look at a lot of the laws that we've passed over the last several years, particularly when it comes to choice and LGBTQ rights, those were the efforts that we were taking to make sure that the state was secure. We are looking at everything in anticipation of Tuesday — and if you know the worst were to happen and Trump were to win, we would work with our partners in the General Assembly to immediately shore up all of our Democratic foundations here making sure that we do everything possible to protect our citizens. There’s talk that if Harris loses, Gov. Pritzker will start a campaign to run for president on Wednesday. First of all, he is laser-focused on getting Kamala elected. He’s focused on Tuesday, and he's focused on being governor because it's the job that he genuinely, really actually loves. I know people ascribe to all sorts of views about him, but I wake up every day to texts from him and phone calls from JB Pritzker and they're not about national news. They are about what's going on in the state. Illinois is his home, and I would expect him to be very focused on being governor, hopefully for a long time to come.
| | THE BUZZ | | | | 
Former President Barack Obama makes his last rally stop for Kamala Harris in Milwaukee on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO | OBAMA AND THE BEARS: We caught former President Barack Obama’s last big speech on the campaign trail Sunday in Milwaukee. He delivered an appeal to undecided voters there, a sign of how important Wisconsin is to winning the White House. Here’s my story. Obama got booed: He explained that the rally “a little early" at about 2 p.m. "because you have to wrap up before the Packers-Lions game starts.” Harris apparently told Obama, “Don’t worry about trying to compete with that” game. “And the Bears are also playing,” added Obama, prompting the Packers-loving crowd of 5,000 to boo him. The former president, who has a home in Chicago, laughed. “Now, we’re on the same team, people!” RELATED — Mayor Brandon Johnson canvassed in Milwaukee over the weekend and in North Carolina. Pic and pic. — In Waukesha County, a battleground inside battleground Wisconsin, by the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet — By the numbers: Operation Swing State sent 2,300 Illinois Democratic volunteers to knock on 60,000 doors over the weekend in Wisconsin and Michigan, according to organizers. In all, 8,000 Illinois volunteers have knocked on 215,000 doors ahead of Tuesday’s election. Sen. Tammy Duckworth , Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined in kick-off events Saturday. — Also in Wisconsin: Trump says migrants caused a ‘surge in crime’ in Whitewater. Its residents reject that, by POLITICO’s Irie Sentner
| | | WHERE'S JB | | | No official public events
| | | WHERE's BRANDON | | At City Hall at 10 a.m. for the Carter Harrison & Lambert Tree Awards
| | Where's Toni | | No official public events Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email: skapos@politico.com
| | | | A message from Uber: Uber Expands Safety Features For Drivers. Uber’s CEO met with drivers and couriers to unveil new updates to make their experience safer and fairer. Among them, Record My Ride lets drivers use their phones as a dashcam on trips. Uber also revamped its deactivation processes, enabling drivers to appeal decisions directly in the app. Learn more. | | | | | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | — Powerful suburban Chicago political operation fueled by Uihlein money spends millions on far right causes: “Doug Truax has nurtured small, politically conservative groups based in west suburban Downers Grove into a sprawling empire of organizations pushing far right agendas and election denialism — buoyed by contributions of more than $150 million from Illinois’ Richard Uihlein, one of the country’s biggest Republican donors,” by the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet — Illinois may be flyover country for presidential candidates, but their campaign themes dominate local races: “There are a host of hyperlocal issues in those contests, yet frequent campaign refrains have included crime, immigration, transgenderism and the economy, all of which echo Republican national talking points. For their part, Democrats are using both Trump’s unpopular persona in Illinois and the Trump-led GOP’s curbs on abortion rights as motivators,” by the Tribune’s Rick Pearson. — SANITY, PLEASE: Three Illinoisans are among former government leaders calling for election sanity. Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have signed the letter. The full text is here. Politico’s Meridith McGraw has the story. — FROM THE AG: Atty. Gen. Kwame Raoul has announced that more than 200 teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from his office will be monitoring the election on Tuesday. — Chicago early voting lags behind 2020 numbers as Election Day nears, via NBC 5 — Access to IVF in Illinois is unequal. A ballot referendum could help change that, by WBEZ’s Amy Qin and Kristen Schorsch — How a ‘big fan’ of Trump gets along with immigrant neighbors in a diverse suburban strip mall, by WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos — In IL-17: Joe McGraw has been endorsed by the Illinois State Rifle Association Federal Political Action Committee.
| | | IN MEMORIAM | | | — BIPARTISANSHIP: A celebration of life for Ty Fahner, a former Illinois attorney general and Mayer Brown law firm chair, brought together civic leaders who also sit on both sides of the political aisle. Among those attending: Gov. JB Pritzker, former Mayor Richard M. Daley, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and former first lady of Chicago Amy Eshelman, former first lady of Illinois Jane Thompson, former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker , former Ambassador Ron Gidwitz, litigator Tony Valukas, businessman Sam Skinner, attorney Matt Lydon, Civic Committee President Derek Douglas, former Civic Committee President Kelly Welch, Shedd Aquarium CEO Bridget Coughlin, Res Publica CEO Guy Chipparoni and Neil Hartigan, who defeated Fahner in the 1982 race for Illinois attorney general. Speakers included his three children, and Lightfoot, who gave a heart-felt eulogy about Fahner mentoring her when she joined Mayer Brown law firm after leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Illinois faces a $3B shortfall in 2026, a new report shows: “If the projections hold true, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker could face difficult financial decisions, from increasing taxes to cutting spending,” by WBEZ’s Dave McKinney. — Muslim civil rights group leads call for state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz to resign over social media post, by the Tribune’s Olivia Olander
| | CHICAGO | | — Johnson was in the dark on CPS board pick's comments because of a vetting 'gap,’ by Crain’s Justin Laurence — Decades-long uptick in attacks on transit workers, including on the CTA, carries implications for employees and riders, by the Tribune’s Sarah Freishtat — Chicago regulators approve cannabis dispensary despite objections over its proximity to school, by the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin — McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center may be in line for a re-do, by the Sun-Times’ Lee Bey
| | SPOTTED | | — BIRTHDAY BASH: Umi Grigsby , chief of policy in the Chicago Mayor’s Office, was feted at a birthday party at the Welcome Back Lounge in Logan Square on Sunday. Spotted: Ald. Maria Haddon, Chicago Commissioner for People with Disabilities Rachel Arfa, Thresholds CEO Mark Ishaug, IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto Jr., Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Jennifer Welch, City of Chicago Comptroller Chasse Rehwinkel, Cook County Public Defender’s Office exec Era Laudermilk, Advocate Health Government Relations VP Crystal Olsen and Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ Pat Carey.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Palatine plans to end levy for debt repayment in next budget, by the Daily Herald’s Steve Zalusky — DuPage health department investigating 2 confirmed tuberculosis cases at Elmhurst University, by the Tribune’s Karina Atkins
| | Reader Digest | | We asked about your thermostat battles. Lucas Hawley: “Everyday growing up when you are a quadruplet! Brother would turn up the heat like crazy instead of using a blanket or wearing a hoodie!” Charles Keller: “It's hard to convince your family that only you know what temperature is correct for the house. But eventually, you do.” Ashvin Lad: “At a former job, the thermostat for all the offices in my hallway was in my office. Always running warm and being in a suit every day, I had it cranked all the way down. People would find reasons to come into my office just to subtly increase the temp. After a promotion, I declined moving to a bigger office as I didn't want to give up the power over the thermostat!” Dave Lundy: “Often at work even though it’s my firm!” Ed Mazur: “When my wife says we need heat and I say we do not. I lose every time.” Peter Skosey: “My battle is not with another human, it's with the Nest "smart" thermostat that tries to set the temp for me. Took forever to delete all those automatic controls.” Timothy Thomas: “There is an annual ‘conversation’ with tenants at my rental properties on the first even slightly chilly day of the fall season, to which this guidance from the City of Chicago is referenced.” Next question: What’s your election day ritual? Email skapos@politico.com
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Is there a future for MAGA after Trump? by POLITICO’s David Siders — What Black male celebrities are saying about Kamala Harris that she isn’t saying herself, by POLITICO’s Teresa Wiltz — Republicans bring back fake electors in battlegrounds, by POLITICO’s Liz Crampton and Kyle Cheney
| | | | A message from Uber: Uber’s Latest Updates Put Drivers First
At an in-person event with drivers, Uber’s CEO announced updates to give them more peace of mind. Uber has started sending warnings to riders who drivers reported for inappropriate behavior. The Record My Ride feature allows drivers to capture video and audio during trips, improving accountability and safety. Plus the app also got more hands-free with Siri voice commands, letting drivers focus on the road while staying connected. Learn more. | | | | | HISTORY LESSON | | — In 1949, a union official invited colleagues to his Englewood home. Some were Black. Violence ensued, by the Tribune’s Ron Grossman
| | TRIVIA | | FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Roger Flahaven for correctly answering that Cubs’ held the largest-ever World Series parade in 2016 when an estimated 5 million people came out to celebrate their victory. TODAY’s QUESTION: Where is the cheddar curtain located? (We'll take the fifth person to get it right.) Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Former state Sen. Sam McCann, political consultant Michael Fontneau, Thresholds CEO Mark Ishaug, Data Reporting Lab founder Darnell Little, National Equity Fund CEO Matthew Reilein, Gemini Builds It CEO Courtney Wright and Tribune investigations editor Kaarin Tisue. -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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