Daniel Biss

Evanston's City Council appointed 4th Ward Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma as acting mayor following Daniel Biss' resignation, as Biss is heavily favored to win Illinois' 9th Congressional District seat in the Nov. 3 election. Council members chose Nieuwsma in a 5-4 vote that followed several failed attempts to nominate other aldermen, most of whom declined consideration. Nieuwsma, who has served as alderman since 2021, is not among the six candidates running in the Feb. 23 mayoral primary and plans to remain 4th Ward alderman after that race concludes. He will serve as acting mayor until April 2027, when voters elect someone to complete Biss' term, which runs through May 2029.

With Election Day a week away, Illinois Democrats are campaigning beyond state lines to aid party allies nationally. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi backed Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Jon Rosenthal; Sen. Tammy Duckworth campaigned for Sherrod Brown in Ohio; Rahm Emanuel canvassed in New Hampshire; and Rep. Danny Davis and successor nominee La Shawn Ford campaigned for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley. Gov. JB Pritzker is focused on his own reelection, holding a large cash advantage and backing fellow Democrats financially.

Big money is also flowing into Illinois races, including Chicago school board contests, with GOP megadonors Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein and wealthy Democratic-aligned groups both spending heavily to shape outcomes from Springfield to Chicago.

Illinois Democrats are split on strategy ahead of potential midterm gains that could hand their party control of the House and possibly the Senate. Some, like Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is running for Senate, favor confrontation, including refusing to confirm Trump nominees or fund ICE and potentially ending the filibuster. Others, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Bill Foster, favor combining aggressive oversight of Trump officials and businesses with legislative wins, while downplaying quick impeachment. Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump himself, warn that a Democratic majority would mean relentless investigations and a renewed impeachment push.

The debate reflects broader uncertainty over Democratic strategy and control of Congress following the November midterms, a key variable for prediction markets tracking the 2026 elections and any renewed impeachment proceedings.

Chicago Tribune readers responded to a proposal, floated by mayoral candidate Joe Holberg, to cool data centers using coolant loops laid in Lake Michigan, potentially spanning miles along the lakebed. Letter writers raised concerns about environmental impact, heat transfer into the lake, and effects on fish and water quality, with several calling Holberg's heat-exchange analogies oversimplified. Others noted the appeal of siting data centers on former industrial land but questioned whether Chicago's electrical grid can support multiple large facilities without raising residents' utility bills.

Several letters urged further independent study, including a published water and environmental assessment, before any construction begins. Writers pointed to comparable cooling concepts tied to Toronto and Cornell University as reference points worth examining. The exchange reflects broader tension in cities weighing data center growth against capacity constraints, environmental review requirements, and public costs — factors that could shape permitting timelines and local political races as the issue moves toward the 2026 budget cycle.