The presidential campaign transfixed our attention for weeks. And now that the “closest contest in memory” turned into an easy victory for Donald Trump, aftershocks are in store for Chicago and the state of Illinois.
Gov. JB Pritzker stepped forward as a national figure during the campaign. And how he responds to what comes next will be important for the state, and a test of Democratic Party resilience, too.
The immediate future is fraught. Trump seems to take delight in bedeviling Chicago and Illinois, meaning the governor and Mayor Brandon Johnson could find themselves tested after Trump returns to the White House.
Consider, for example, the CTA Red Line extension. Chicago mayors for decades have touted this as an equity-focused project, which will extend mass transit nearly 6 miles to Chicago’s Far South Side. President Joe Biden’s administration last year earmarked as much as $2 billion in federal support to make it happen. But there is no construction grant agreement in place, which creates an opening for a reversal by the new Trump administration. The Illinois Democrats in Congress will have less clout if, as expected, both houses have Republican majorities. And equity is hardly a Trump priority.
Read more at chicagotribune.com.
