The Latest Breaking News from Robin Kelly

CHICAGO — With the control of Congress up for grabs in this fall’s election, Democrats and Republicans can ill-afford to lose any House seats — and issues from the economy to abortion could help decide which way voters break in Illinois and elsewhere.

WASHINGTON — Experts and advocates are calling on the Biden administration to do more to avoid potential confrontations between police and racial minorities if the Food and Drug Administration finalizes a ban on menthol cigarettes.

An estimated 85 percent of Black smokers use menthols, according to the FDA, compared with 30 percent of white smokers. 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Democrats looked to both the past and the future as rallying points on their day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday, castigating former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s one-term stewardship of the state and warning that the party’s candidate for governor in November, Darren Bailey, would…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, standing alongside new Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, downplayed the intraparty tension, especially around Sen. Dick Durbin, who wanted Rep. Robin Kelly to remain in the top party post.

Once Gov. J.B. Pritzker leaves office, the next Democratic governor will likely benefit from the precedent set by this intra-party battle.

The issue is whether a federal office holder should be the state party chair, because federal rules limit the ability of a member of Congress to do substantial fundraising for state level races. “If you look over the last 16 months, you see it hasn’t worked,” Pritzker said Friday, before…

Having a billionaire governor has, on balance, been good for Illinois.

CHICAGO — Illinois’ top Democrats gathered on a Fulton Market venue stage Tuesday in an attempt to present a unified front to national party officials reviewing Chicago’s 2024 presidential convention bid, masking an intensifying battle over control of the state Democratic Party.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison’s visit to Chicago comes as U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly faces opposition as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, with advisers to Gov. J.B Pritzker and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch recruiting state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, to replace her.

State. Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, told the Sun-Times Friday she is seeking to oust U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., as the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.