🎾 Happy Thursday! On this day in 1961, the U.S. won the Wightman Cup at Edgewater's Saddle & Cycle Club. One of the Americans who helped capture the cup was Billie Jean Moffitt, better known as Billie Jean King.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 77.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Randy Nornes, Joanne Kouba and Paul Zurowski!

Today's newsletter is 1,111 words — a 4-minute read.

Election season may not traditionally kick off until after Labor Day, but in Illinois, the campaign calendar gets going in mid-August at the state fair.

Catch up quick: Democrats rallied supporters during Governor's Day at the State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Senate candidate Juliana Stratton headlined yesterday's event.

Why it matters: The ramp-up to the November election has started. That means more ads, more debates and a lot more politics.

Zoom in: Democrats largely ignored their Republican opponents and framed themselves instead as Illinois’ line of defense against President Trump.

Zoom out: Hundreds of supporters attended the rally, some of whom were bused in from Chicago. They cheered on every Trump attack and laughed along with the candidates' quips, like Attorney General Kwame Raoul's introduction of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias as "Sexy Alexi."

• "Let’s let that nickname die here," Giannoulias joked back.

Between the lines: Some Democrats, including Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, have criticized Giannoulias for running for reelection as secretary of state while also running for mayor of Chicago in February.

State of play: This year's may be the last state fair rally for retiring Sen. Durbin. He took the stage reminding voters not to vote for him, since he's not running.

• "I think that's the first time I've ever said that," he joked.

The bottom line: Illinois Democrats may be running against Republicans in November, but at Governor’s Day, they made clear who they see as their main opponent: Trump.

What’s next: Illinois Republicans get the state fair stage tomorrow.

Go deeper

Corndogs, fried Oreos, horse shows and a glorious butter cow await at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

• But there are plenty of things to eat, see and do between Chicago and the state capitol.

The big picture: The Illinois Office of Tourism has compiled "Illinois Made," a guide to small businesses stretching across the state.

Here are some ideas:

🏺 Get crafty at Fine Field Pottery Company in Streator before grabbing some fresh fruits and veggies at Boggio's Orchard and Produce.

🥂 Relax with a glass of wine from Illinois Sparkling Co. in Utica or a brew at Tangled Roots Brewing in Ottawa.

🛣️ Route 66 turned 100 this year, so celebrate with a stop at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum in Pontiac before checking out the work of local artists at Murals on Main Street.

What's next: Dig into the itineraries, share them or print them and hit the road!

More spots to check out

After walking out of a tense anti-quantum event Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson is attempting to mend fences with progressive South Side activists who attended.

Why it matters: Footage of Johnson being jeered off stage by Black and brown social justice advocates struck a discordant note for a progressive mayor who has long counted these groups as his voter base.

Catch up quick: For months, Southside Together urged Johnson to cancel the Quantum Shore permits and attend one of their meetings to hear concerns about rising rents, energy and water usage, air quality during soil remediation and a potential data center.

• Saturday, the mayor finally did, joining SST member Lia Terrell onstage, where she asked if the quantum campus squares with his values.
• Without answering directly, Johnson said he's "willing to commit all my resources … to work with this coalition and do what is legally possible to make sure that development that is happening is not happening at the expense of working people."
• Amid boos and jeers, the mayor left the building while Terrell intoned, "If the quantum facilities have the support of the mayor, he has lost the support of the people."

The latest: By Tuesday, SST put out a fence-mending statement on Instagram, saying, "Mayor Johnson committed to the meeting, attended, listened, answered and sat with the tension."

• The post added, "a data center will no longer be located on the campus," partially attributing the development to Johnson.
• But a data center has never even been proposed for the IQMP campus.

Keep reading

🛣️ The Illinois Tollway board approved a 57% toll increase for cars and 30% bump for trucks yesterday as part of the state's Driving Connections capital program. (Tribune)

🛑 The WNDR Museum in the West Loop will close permanently on Sept. 7. (Block Club)

⚾️ The Sox beat the Cubs 3-0 in game three of the Crosstown Classic, avoiding a sweep. The North and South Siders split the season matchup 3-3. (Sun-Times)

We are down to the final two entries in our weeklong tournament to crown the best (looking) place of worship in the Chicago area.

This is a matchup for the ages: Bahá'í Temple vs. Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

State of play: Bahá'í Temple won a nailbiter versus Fourth Presbyterian Church last round, while Rockefeller Chapel made quick work of Bucktown's St. Mary of the Angels.

Vote here for the winner. We'll close the polls at 4pm.

We're celebrating five years with a blowout anniversary party at The Hideout on September 3. Doors open at 7:30pm, and the show starts at 8pm.

State of play: Justin will debut his game show "Chicago Knows Best," based in part on the answers you've given him throughout the year.

Today, we reveal the first guests to play the game:

• Illinois Secretary of State and mayoral candidate Alexi Giannoulias.
• Actress and SNL alum Nora Dunn.
• Broadcast legend and current WGN Radio host Bob Sirott.

Details: All three will test their Chicago street cred live on stage at The Hideout. Plus, Axios co-founder Mike Allen will be there to mingle!

🎟️ Get your tickets here. Members can reply to this email to RSVP for free.

Edited by Larry Graham.

🐖 Justin had a pork chop on a stick. Jealous?

🌽 Monica is super jealous that Justin gets to eat all the fair food and horseshoe sandwiches this year. Plus, she meant FRY the Coop, not FLY the Coop, in her outro yesterday. She mixes her Rs and Ls sometimes.

😋 Carrie is eyeing Erma's cinnamon rolls … think they're as good as her grandma's were?

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