As the country inches closer toward Election Day, voters are homing in on issues that may decide the fate of Congress and several state governments in November.
The Washington Examiner is tracking which issues are on the top of voters’ minds as they prepare to head to the polls, particularly in key battleground states that could bring a shift in power to the federal government. Specifically, we’re tracking how voters are researching our top five issues — abortion, crime, education, inflation, and taxes — and how these interests fluctuate as we get closer to Election Day.
MIDTERMS 2022: TRACKING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO VOTERS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY
Below, you can track the interest in Illinois for each of our key issues on a rolling 30-day basis. The Washington Examiner will be updating this page as interests and voting concerns change.
Key races we’re watching in the state:
Illinoisans will vote in several races this November, with the governor and Senate races the ones to watch as Republicans attempt to shift the balance of power, particularly in Congress.
After the state lost one seat, 17 of Illinois’s U.S. House seats will be up for grabs. Currently, 13 of the 18 seats are held by Democrats.
Illinois’s 17th Congressional District is likely to be a toss-up, with Democrat Eric Sorensen going up against Esther Joy King, who in 2020 narrowly lost to Rep. Cheri Bustos, who has held the seat since 2013.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is facing Republican challenger Kathy Salvi, a Chicago personal injury lawyer. Duckworth, seeking her second term, beat out her Republican challenger in 2016 by 10 points. A recent poll showed that Duckworth is leading Salvi, 59% to 35%, with 7% undecided.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker will face off with state Republican Sen. Darren Bailey, with both holding vastly different views on issues facing Illinois residents. Bailey received heavy backlash for telling Illinois citizens to “move on” and celebrate the United States only two hours after the Highland Park shooting that left seven dead and 54 injured on July 4.
Education
Education emerged as the top-researched issue among Illinois voters in mid-September and remained the No. 1 priority into October, according to internet searches recorded and analyzed by Google Trends.
Interest in education stayed high, reaching peak interest on Oct. 5. Illinois educators recently have asked the Illinois State Board of Education to increase funding for early childhood education by 20% — or $120 million — to increase wages for pre-K and K-12 teachers.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently made several stops in Illinois as part of the department’s “Return to School Road Trip.” Cardona toured an Illinois state health center offering COVID-19 vaccines and visited Chicago State University to discuss the future of predominantly black institutions and equity in education.
Crime
Crime emerged as a top issue, vying with taxes to be the second-most concern among voters. It sits at No. 2 after receiving a slight spike of interest on Oct. 6 and remaining above taxes as of Oct. 16.
Illinois’s Safe-T Act, looking to reform the criminal justice system, is a hotly debated topic among the gubernatorial candidates. Passed in 2021, the law is set to eliminate cash bail beginning Jan. 1 of next year, an attempt at changing a system in which poor defendants often sit in jail pretrial because they cannot afford to post bond.
However, several Republicans are firmly against the law, stating that it can put dangerous criminals back on the streets. Advocates for the bill, including Pritzker, say the bill will make the system fairer and preserve the standard that people are innocent until proven guilty.
Taxes
Taxes emerged as another top issue among Illinois voters, seeing several spikes in interest, particularly on Oct. 13. The issue came in at No. 3 as of Oct. 16.
Illinois residents had until Oct. 17 to file 2021 taxes to receive up to $700 in rebates through the state’s family relief plan, up to $50 for single filers and $100 for joint filers. Eligible residents will receive $100 per dependent for a maximum of three dependents.
Inflation
Inflation remained one of the least-searched topics throughout the month in Illinois, with only one significant spike in interest on Oct. 13. It fell back to No. 4 as of Oct. 16.
On Oct. 13, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released September’s inflation numbers in October’s consumer price index report, which recorded inflation at 8.2%. Inflation is one of the most important issues on voters’ minds heading into the midterm elections, according to a Monmouth University report released on Monday.
Overall, 82% of people in the U.S. ranked inflation as an extremely or very important issue, compared with 56% who ranked abortion as a top worry and 32% who viewed the coronavirus pandemic as a big concern.
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Abortion
Abortion was the lowest-ranking issue among the five, with the only slight spike occurring on Oct. 6.
In 2019, Pritzker signed abortion into law as a “fundamental right,” and the state Supreme Court has affirmed the right to the procedure under the state constitution.
Interest spiked significantly in mid-September after Sen. Lindsey Graham said he planned to introduce a bill that would ban most abortions nationwide at 15 weeks of pregnancy. This bill received backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, who have collapsed into indecision over the issue. The party historically has campaigned on returning abortion restrictions back to the states.
