Preckwinkle, Reilly offer competing visions for Cook County
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Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Incumbent Toni Preckwinkle is seeking her fifth term as the leader of Cook County.
The longtime politician, who once served in the city council, has steered the largest county in Illinois through COVID-19, criminal justice reform and budget issues since 2010.
- After 2022, the 78-year-old signaled she would not seek reelection and instead retire.
- If she is reelected, she will surpass John Stroger for years in office, but will still trail George Dunne, who holds the record for longest serving Cook County president at 22 years.
Zoom in: Preckwinkle has brought a more progressive agenda to county politics, while balancing budgets and fortifying the county's public health care.
Yes, but: Preckwinkle is currently mired in a county controversy over a tech upgrade gone wrong, forcing property tax bills to be delayed, causing some schools to make emergency maneuvers, including taking out short-term loans to cover immediate costs.
The intrigue: The early news cycle has been dominated not by who is endorsing Preckwinkle, but who she's not asking: The Chicago Teachers Union. The union has supported her in the past, but Preckwinkle told reporters she wasn't seeking their support this time around.
- Preckwinkle has big Democratic support from Gov. JB Pritzker, several unions and leaders in Springfield.
The other side: Preckwinkle will face off in the Democratic primary against downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, who has served on the council for nearly 20 years and served as vice mayor under Rahm Emanuel from 2015-2019.
- He also shepherded downtown development and big events like Lollapalooza, the NASCAR Street Race and COVID-19 recovery.
- Reilly has attracted some big financial support from downtown businesses looking to unseat Preckwinkle and has secured several editorial endorsements from city newspapers like the Tribune.
Between the lines: Reilly has been a moderate pro-business lawmaker who oversaw the construction of the Trump Tower, which was completed in 2009, but it's questionable to align him with the MAGA movement.
Zoom in: Reilly has been extremely critical of Preckwinkle and former Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, whose progressive prosecutorial policies didn't sit well with Republicans and some more conservative Democrats.
Interesting facts: The office has been held by a Black politician since 1994.
- No Republicans are running.
The bottom line: This primary is shaping up to be the most competitive since Preckwinkle took office in 2010.