WLS-TV in Chicago reports On Saturday, President Joe Biden will be in Joliet, making a final push for high-profile Illinois candidates in the days leading up to the election.
President Biden is scheduled to speak at Jones Elementary School. About lowering prescription drug costs and preserving Social Security and Medicare.
He’ll be joined by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, who is running for re-election in the 14th Congressional District. Republican Scott Gryder, the current chairman of the Kendall County Board, is her opponent.
Congressman Bill Foster, whose district includes Joliet, will not attend the event because he is too preoccupied with his campaign.
President Biden stepped off Air Force One at O’Hare on Friday evening to attend a private fundraiser for suburban Democratic Congressman Sean Casten at a Rosemont hotel.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was also in town for a Keith Pekau fundraiser in Oak Brook. Pekau is running in the Illinois Sixth Congressional District against Democratic incumbent Congressman Sean Casten.
In the days preceding Election Day, the race between Casten and Pekau appears to be tightening.
“There are many places I could be four days before the election, but I’m here because this race is important. This race is a coin toss, “McCarthy explained.
“For me, I’m focused on the issues that matter to the people of the Sixth Congressional District: crime, inflation, and the economy,” Pekau said.
“Leader McCarthy would not waste his time on something he did not believe would be beneficial. There is certainly a symbolic element to it. Still, I also think there are enough races that appear to be close that they will matter for his potential speakership, “North Central College political science professor Stephen Caliendo said.
Casten defended his record alongside Senator Dick Durbin at the other end of the same hall in the same hotel.
“I hope they vote on integrity and character, as well as the fact that we’ve been there and stood up,” Casten said.
His supporters acknowledge that the race may be closer than it was two years ago, but they still believe in him.
“I believe he will prevail. I genuinely believe it. Partly because he’s always out there talking to people and listening to people, “Diane Rodi, a Casten supporter, stated
“The congressional candidates have been redrawn. They now have new members. “These are important races,” says Professor Dick Simpson of Chicago at the University of Illinois at political science.
Vice President Kamala Harris will join Governor JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton at Chicago’s South Side rally on Sunday afternoon.
According to Political Analyst Laura Washington, these visits convey that this is not a typical mid-term election.
“They believe the race is tightening on both sides,” Washington said. “The intention is to deploy the heavy equipment. In the final weeks of the campaign, they want to boost participation.”
Candidates did not invite Biden or Harris, both of whom have low approval ratings. Instead, the White House has orchestrated the visits.
“The White House wants to pitch in areas where they can have a positive impact, and I believe the sixth is one of those areas,” said Alvin Tillery, a political science professor at Northwestern University.
The Illinois Republican Party stated, “With historic inflation levels driving up gas and grocery prices, Democrats in competitive races across the country are refusing to campaign with President Biden. Forced to defend once-safe Democrat seats in the Chicago suburbs, he will witness voters’ dissatisfaction with his spending plan firsthand.”
However, so many people have already voted, and the majority of them have made up their minds. The focus for both sides is on getting out the vote.
“Both the Republicans and the Democrats are calculating how to get people in the right places and mobilize people for Tuesday,” Caliendo said.
Jennifer Granholm, the United States Energy Secretary, will also be in the Chicago area on Friday. Before touring the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, she’ll go to a nearby high school.