The Spin: Mayor Lightfoot not ruling out 'shelter in place' | Gov. Pritzker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discuss COVID-19 aid for state | The election is over – what's next

As Illinois' primary election results were rolling in Tuesday, you might have missed Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's appearance on MSNBC where she told host Brian Williams she'll consider a so-called shelter-in-place order -- that is locking down all but essential travel in the city -- if necessary as COVID-19 cases mount here and across the country.

Such an order was enacted in six counties around the San Francisco Bay Area, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told residents of the nation's largest city yesterday to prepare for it, even as New York Gov. Mario Cuomo seemed to knock that idea down.

Lightfoot is scheduled to deliver a televised address tomorrow night to Chicagoans about the city's response to the coronavirus outbreak, and what to expect in the coming days and weeks.

If there's a silver lining to the debate about whether Illinois should have proceeded with yesterday's presidential primary, amid concerns that voters would stay away in droves over COVID-19 fears, it's this: Neither Chicago nor Cook County notched a record low turnout.

Yesterday's Democratic presidential primary in Illinois offers a snapshot of how the global pandemic is changing the contours of politics. In the Democratic presidential contest between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden won -- as expected. More and more of his supporters are casting Biden as someone who knows the ropes in Washington, someone who will provide a steady hand amid the many unknowns of COVID-19.

That go-with-what-we-know theme wasn't necessarily true in Illinois' other races on Tuesday. In Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, which includes Chicago's Southwest Side and adjoining suburbs, progressive Marie Newman scored an upset victory in the Democratic primary over eight-term U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski. The race has been widely viewed as new blood vs. the old Democratic machine.

And speaking of the old guard, embattled Chicago Ald. Edward Burke may have won reelection last year, but it's clear from last night's election that his political muscle is shrinking: He lost his longtime seat as a Democratic ward boss.

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What a difference four years makes in Illinois: In 2016 primary Sanders won 89 of 102 counties, last night a victorious Biden won virtually every corner of the state

With 99% of Illinois precincts reporting today, Biden had 59% of the unofficial vote to 36% for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. The former vice president dominated from South Beloit to Cairo and Rock Island to Danville, winning virtually all of the state's 102 counties, the Tribune's Bill Ruthhart and Rick Pearson note in this comprehensive report.

At last count, Sanders unofficially had won one county: Champaign, the home of the flagship University of Illinois; college students have been the lifeblood of the Sanders campaign. This map of election results in the race also tells a tale.

In the Democratic primary four years ago: Sanders won 89 of Illinois' 102 counties, including all of the suburban collars except Lake. Ultimately, Hillary Clinton, a Park Ridge native, edged Sanders in Illinois by about 2 percentage points out of 2 million votes cast in the state, with a nearly 100,000-vote advantage in Chicago and Cook County.

But as the Tribune's Pearson reminded readers in recent days, this isn't a popularity contest. Delegates are the name of the game -- and as we head toward the end of the primary season, Biden has swept up 1,165 delegates to Sanders' 880, according to the New York Times' running tally. To win the party's nomination outright, a candidate must sweep up 1,991 delegates going into this summer's nominating convention scheduled in Milwaukee.

Chicagoan and former Democratic political strategist David Axelrod, who worked in the Obama-Biden White House, said Biden's lead makes it next to impossible for Sanders to come back in the fight.

Axelrod, a CNN pundit who now heads up the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, wrote on Twitter last night: "At this point in 2008, (Barack Obama) was (ahead) of Hillary Clinton by 100 delegates. At the end of tonight, Joe BIden's lead will be 3 (times) that. No Dem has ever come back from anything like this deficit. The race for the nomination is over. That is the reality Bernie Sanders faces."

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The Tuesday primary is over - what's next

Democratic Party Chair Michael Madigan in a statement marveled at how smoothly the election went off, given everything, and sounded optimistic that a Democrat would be in the White House after the fall general election. He stated: "The 2020 Illinois primary was like none we've experienced before, and I am grateful for all those who came together to ensure people could exercise their right to vote, including the dedicated staff of election authorities, election judges, volunteers and most importantly, the voters. We pulled together and found ways to hold one of the most important elections in our nation's history in a safe and secure way. Even in these uncertain times, we reminded the nation that you can count on Illinois – a state that represents what America looks like – to deliver on making critical changes for our country. Tonight, we are one step closer to electing a Democrat for President."

Marie Newman defeats U.S. Rep Dan Lipinski in Democratic rematch; his exit marks the end of an era: The La Grange businesswoman ended nearly four decades of Lipinski family control of the Southwest Side and southwest suburban 3rd Congressional District seat. It was a rematch between the two; Newman narrowly lost to Dan Lipinski in the 2018 primary.

Family dynasty: The congressman's father, William Lipinski, served from 1983-2005, when he engineered the appointment of his son. The upset victory also suggests changing attitudes in a district where Lipinski was one of the last conservative Democrats in the nation – known for his anti-abortion stance and voting against the Affordable Care Act. Read the full Tribune story on the race here.

In November, Newman will square off with the winner of the Republican primary: Michael Fricilone, the leader of the GOP minority on the Will County Board and who campaigned as a fiscally conservative candidate opposed to abortion rights, won his party's nomination. He beat out two other GOP candidates in the contest, most notably Nazi sympathizer and Holocaust denier Arthur Jones.

A rematch between Davis-Londrigan in Downstate 13th Congressional District race: "Springfield Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is going to get her second chance in two years to take on U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in a general election," The State Journal-Register's Bernard Schoenburg writes. Davis narrowly defeated her in the 2018 midterms.

Like so many candidates across the state, Londrigan didn't have a post-election celebration amid concerns over COVID-19 – though she may have had more reason to be concerned than others. Schoenburg explains that "while she is not sick, she has been self isolating because of exposure to someone who tested positive for coronavirus."

Three Democrats who didn't have competition in the primary find out who they'll be facing in the November general election.

(ASTERISK)U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, of Springfield, will face one-time Lake County Sheriff and Republican Mark Curran. Read the story here.

(ASTERISK)U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, the first-term Democrat who in the 2018 midterms flipped a seat in the reliably Republican 6th west and northwest suburban Congressional District, will face the winner of last night's GOP primary: former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, of Wheaton. She nearly bested Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial race.

(ASTERISK)U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood Lauren, also a freshman Democrat who flipped a Republican seat in the far west and northwest suburban 14th District, will face state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx survives primary challenge: And that likely means the embattled Democratic top prosecutor will win the November general election in blue Cook County.

Not so fast: Tribune columnist Eric Zorn writes that he sees some vulnerabilities as Foxx heads in to the fall election against the winner of Tuesday night's GOP state's attorney nominating contest Patrick O'Brien, a one-time Democratic judge. That's particularly true when you look at her razor thin victory in the suburbs.

He writes: "Though Foxx has dismissed the controversy over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case with a barnyard epithet, a substantial number of voters apparently remain concerned and still want answers." Read the full column here.

State Sen. Iris Martinez claims victory in Democratic primary to succeed Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown: With 98% of precincts countywide reporting, Martinez, a lawmaker who hails from Chicago's Northwest Side, had 34% of the vote to 27% for Cook County Board of Review Chairman Michael Cabonargi, 25% for former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin and 14% for attorney Jacob Meister, according to unofficial results, the Tribne's John Byrne writes.

Cabonargi got the Cook County Democratic Party's endorsement, but as the only Hispanic and woman in the primary, Martinez said she hoped to connect to voters and carve out a path to victory. Read the full story here.

Pritzker-backed challengers beat Lightfoot-backed state representative in lakefront state house district: Unofficial results showed Margaret Croke -- Pritzker's candidate -- bested the mayor's choice, Rep. Jonathan "Yoni" Pizer, who was appointed to the job just last month. Three other candidates are also in the race for the seat formerly held by state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz.

Jill Rose Quinn declares victory in primary, could be Illinois' first transgender elected official: The Tribune's Gregory Pratt has the story here.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville Jr. appears to have kept his seat in a close and crowded race: The Tribune's Antonia Ayres-Brown takes a close look here.

State Rep. Aaron Ortiz declares victory over Ald. Edward Burke in 14th Ward Democratic committeeman race: My colleague John Byrne has the details here.

Opinion: Gov. Pritzker serves his politics and risks coronavirus spread on Election Day: Click here to read Tribune columnist John Kass's take.

Opinion: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker never should have let this election go forward: Tribune columnist Dahleen Glanton weighs in here.

Is a shelter-in-place order for Chicago coming?

Mayor Lightfoot was asked on MSNBC last night how she thought Chicago might weather a "shelter-in-place" order if one was handed down, and she said Chicago is nearly on lockdown.

"We're pretty close to that now with the things that we put in place really starting from Friday," the mayor said, pointing to ordered school closings, and the shuttering of bars and restaurants, save for takeout and delivery orders, all measures aimed at halting transmission of the virus.

She also said businesses were heeding advice to have employees work from home when possible, noting that high-rise office buildings are at 25% occupancy or less these days.

"If you go down and walk ... in the city of Chicago today like I did, (there are) very few people in the street," she said. That said, a shelter-in-place order remains on the table, Lightfoot said: "If we need to take those steps, we definitely will. But in the city, I just want to make sure that we give people time to absorb the new normal they're facing as a result of the closures we've already put in place." Watch the full MSNBC interview here.

Here's what the shelter-in-place order, which kicked in yesterday, means in the San Francisco Bay Area: Residents are only allowed to venture outside for food, medicine or exercise for three weeks. The Los Angeles Times notes some of the exceptions and explains how it will be enforced, which is to say not really at all.

An excerpt from the Times piece: San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott said police are asking the public to voluntarily comply. While violation of the health order could be enforceable as a misdemeanor, "that is an absolute last resort," Scott said. "This is not about a criminal justice approach to a public health issue."

City Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday that residents of the nation's largest city should be prepared for the possibility of a "shelter-in-place" order within days, a remark that raised alarm and prompted the state's governor hours later to squelch the notion that a lockdown was imminent.

De Blasio stressed that no decision had been made yet, but that he wants city and state officials to make one within 48 hours, given the fast spread of the coronavirus. (Associated Press)

Lightfoot to give televised address Thursday to discuss the city's response to the novel coronavirus: ABC7 Chicago announced today that the station will be broadcasting the 5 p.m. address.

During coronavirus emergency, Lightfoot administration suspends fulfillment of public's open records requests: The Tribune's Gregory Pratt has the details here.

City of Chicago to ease up on debt collection practices: Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced today the city will give people a break on certain ticket violations as part of an effort to help residents amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Through at least April 30, Lightfoot said the city will suspend booting, defaults on payment plans for city debts, she said. The city will also be limiting ticketing, towing and impounding solely to what she said are public safety related issues.

"We've been hearing from lots of folks," Lightfoot said. (Gregory Pratt)

COVID-19 sweeps through Midway control tower, all but shutting down the airport: My Tribune colleague Lauren Zumbach has details here.

United, American slash flights from Chicago in April: Lauren Zumbach also has that story here.

Pritzker's talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, seeks COVID-19 aid as 128 new cases are diagnosed in Illinois

Gov. J.B. Pritzker held his daily briefing on the the COVID-19 this afternoon in Downstate Illinois, where he talked about how no one should consider themselves immune from the virus and to continue to be vigilant as the state announced 128 new cases of the virus.

That brings the total to 288 cases in Illinois. One person - a retired nurse from Chicago - has died from the illness, Pritzker announced yesterday.

With streets, public transportation, schools and businesses all but empty and an anxious public waits to see what's next, Pritzker sought to tamp down fears in an afternoon news conference downstate.

"As rumors continue to swirl, I do want to assure all of you essential services will remain available' -- gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies "will not be closing down."

Illinois expands coronavirus testing guidelines, but many sick people still don't qualify: Click here to read the Tribune story.

Governor gets on the phone with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tells her what Illinois needs in COVID-19 aid: "We need help from the federal government because as we expand the need for coverage, and the number of people who will seek treatment, you know, that strains our budget in the state of Illinois," Pritzker said at a morning news conference Downstate. "So that's why, just before I came out here, I was on the phone with the Speaker of the House of the United States, talking to her about some of the things that we need to have done in bills that are coming through Congress now, that are relief bills, financial relief bills that are also addressing the needs of states to address the COVID-19 virus." (Jamie Munks)

Pritzker calling up National Guard unit with medical expertise to fight coronavirus: The Tribune's Stacy St. Clair and Dan Petrella have the details here.

Coronavirus imperils Chicago's more than decadelong construction boom. 'We're mentally preparing for a shutdown.'

The Tribune's Ryan Ori writes: "After more than a decade of boom times, Chicago developers, contractors and construction workers face an unexpected obstacle to continued prosperity.

"Wide-ranging safety precautions are being implemented on job sites to limit the potential spread of the new coronavirus, and to try to avoid the fate of Boston, which on Monday became the first U.S. city to shut down construction entirely. On the West Coast, nine counties in the San Francisco Bay region issued a shelter-in-place order that could affect construction projects there." Click here to read the whole story.

Gun stores place limits on ammo, extend business hours as demand spikes on coronavirus concerns: My Tribune colleague Abdel Jimenez has the story here.

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