>>> LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AGO BEFORE ELECTION DAY IN THE RACE FOR MAYOR IS GETTING POINTS IN.

THAT AND MUCH MORE IN TONIGHT SPOTLIGHT POLITICS.

JOINING US IS THE SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM.

OF COURSE, PARIS SCHUTZ, HEATHER, AND AMANDA.

AMANDA IS JOINING US FROM SPRINGFIELD.

GUYS, LESS THAN TWO WEEKS.

>> I THINK SO.

>> OKAY.

>> IT FEELS LIKE A LOT MORE THAN THAT.

>> FIRST TONIGHT AS EARLY VOTING OPENS THE CITYWIDE, THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES GO AFTER BRANDON JOHNSON.

TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR FINAL DEBATE.

>> I'M AWARE OF ALL THE ENDORSEMENTS OF BRANDON JOHNSON , AND I CAN ONLY THINK THAT SHE AGREES WITH HIM THAT ALMOST $1 BILLION IN NEW TAXES, ON TOP OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY WHO , WORKING PEOPLE, NOT JUST TAXING THE RICH.

>> WELL, BRANDON JOHNSON ACT LIKE HE'S THE ONLY BLACK PERSON ON THE STAGE.

HE SHOULD AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.

BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO GET THESE CONTRACTS.

>> RIGHT, CANDIDATE JAMAAL GREEN THERE.

HEATHER JOHNSON SAYS THE OTHER CANDIDATES ARE KICKING HIM BECAUSE HE'S OUT FRONT.

>> WELL, THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THIS REPRESENTS A SHIFT IN STRATEGY BY LORI LIGHTFOOT.

AS LATE AS LATE JANUARY, SHE WAS TELLING GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT BRANDON JOHNSON WAS NOT GOING TO BE CHICAGO'S NEXT MAYOR.

IF YOU ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT BRANDON JOHNSON, YOU DO NOT ATTACK HIM THE WAY THAT SHE HAS.

SO HE HAS CLEARLY AND STEADILY RISEN IN THE POLLS, AND THE QUESTION IS, CAN HE PEEK AT THE RIGHT TIME AND GET INTO WHAT WE ALL ASSUME WILL BE A RUNOFF?

AND IF HE DOES MAKE IT INTO THE RUNOFF, WHO IS HE RUNNING AGAINST?

HE HAS WHAT SEEMS TO BE A BIT OF MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW ALONG WITH PAUL VALLAS, WHO'S REALLY STARTING TO CONSOLIDATE THOSE CONSERVATIVE VOTERS.

THAT COULD KNOCK LORI LIGHTFOOT AND CHUY GARCIA, IF IT IS CHUY GARCIA, OUT OF THE RUNOFF.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MONEY AND DARK MONEY IN THE RACE BEING SPENT ON BEHALF OF MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, BRANDON JOHNSON, AND PAUL VALLAS.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BEING SPENT FROM DONORS WHO ARE ANONYMOUS.

LEGAL, BUT SHOULD IT CONCERN VOTERS?

>> PROBABLY, AND THESE ARE THE INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE GROUPS THAT ARE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IN NATIONAL RACES AND GLOBAL RACES, AS YOU MENTIONED, SUPPORTING LIGHTFOOT, ONE SUPPORTING VALLAS, ONE SUPPORTING GARCIA.

IN THE CASE OF LIGHTFOOT, THEY ARE ACTUALLY MAKING THOSE DONORS KNOWN, AND AS HEATHER REPORTED THE OTHER DAY, ONE OF THOSE DONORS GOT A PRETTY LUCRATIVE DEAL.

SO THE REASON THAT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE GROUPS ARE LIKE THIS IS TO SKIRT THESE ROLES WERE FOLKS DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DONATING TO THOSE POLITICIANS.

THIS IS A WAY TO GET AROUND THAT.

THESE GROUPS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO COORDINATE WITH THE CAMPAIGNS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR MESSAGING, IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE CAMPAIGN THAT THEY'RE SUPPORTING.

>> FULL WATCHDOG REPORT, WHICH WE KNOW MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT HAS TRIED TO SQUASH, WAS LEAKED ABOUT THE SMOKESTACK IMPLOSION.

HEATHER, IS THIS GOING TO BE OUR FEBRUARY SURPRISE, SO TO SPEAK, IN THE MAYOR'S RACE, OR MAYBE IT IS VALLAS'S RESIDENCY CONTROVERSY?

OH, SORRY, YOU BROKE THIS LEAD.

>> WITH PARENTS, WITH PARENTS.

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, AND IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO RESONATE WITH VOTERS AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO SHAPE THOSE DECISIONS THAT THEY'RE MAKING.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS THAT WE ARE SEEING, REALLY, A LOT OF EARLY VOTING, A LOT OF VOTING BY MAIL.

IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHEN PEOPLE ARE MAKING THE DECISIONS, SORT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE BASING IT ON.

BUT THIS HELICAL REPORT WAS COMPLETED 500 DAYS AGO.

THE MAYORS REFUSED TO RELEASE IT, AND NOW WE REALLY KNOW WHY, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT PAINT A VERY FLATTERING PICTURE AT ALL OF HOW HER ADMINISTRATION HANDLED THIS DEMOLITION, AND, AND SORT OF WHY THEY ALLOWED IT TO GO FORWARD.

>> AND YOU JUST WONDER, IF THEY WOULD JUST RELEASE THE FULL REPORT A YEAR AGO, PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT IT IN THE CAMPAIGN RIGHT NOW.

>> YES.

UNANIMOUSLY, COUNCILMEMBERS DEMANDED THAT THE MAYOR RELEASE IT BACK IN JULY.

IF SHE HAD RELEASED IT BACK IN JULY SORT OF USING THAT AS COVER, WE WOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY ON FEBRUARY 15th.

I BELIEVE IT IS FEBRUARY 15th.

YEAH.

>> LET'S GET TO SPRINGFIELD.

GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER GAVE HIS COMBINE STATE OF THE STATE AND BUDGET ADDRESS TODAY.

TAKE A LOOK AT HIS FOCUS ON EARLY EDUCATION.

>> THE RESEARCH IS CLEAR.

SMART START WILL SAVE TAXPAYERS SEVEN DOLLARS FOR EVERY ONE DOLLAR IN , AND WILL VAULT ILLINOIS TO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT.

>> SO, AMANDA, WE KNOW THAT EARLY EDUCATION HAS BEEN ONE OF J.B. PRITZKER'S TOP ISSUES, TOP PRIORITY, EVEN BEFORE HE RAN FOR THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, BUT VAULTING THE STATE TO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP, IS THIS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CAMPAIGN PROMISES, OR SOMETHING NATIONAL, LIKE PRESIDENTIAL, PERHAPS?

>> SURE.

I MEAN, I THINK THEY CAN BOTH BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.

CERTAINLY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, BY THE WAY, PRITZKER ISN'T ALONE IN WANTING TO DO.

YOU HAVE HAD A LOT OF ATTENTION TOWARDS THIS FROM ILLINOIS ADVOCATES.

IN FACT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS PROMISED A WHILE AGO, BACK WHEN, REMEMBER, OH, WAIT, THE GOVERNOR SIGNED A LAW THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BRING PRESCHOOL FOR ALL IN ILLINOIS.

THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S WIDELY RECOGNIZED FOR RESEARCH IS PAYING DIVIDENDS DOWN THE LINE.

BY THE WAY, THOUGH, THERE ARE A LOT OF PROGRAMS THAT DO JUST THAT , WILL PAY MONEY IF YOU CAN INVEST IN THEM, AND THE QUESTION IS, WHERE DOES THAT MONEY COME FROM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVEN THE GOP HAS SIGNALED COMMON GROUND.

>> OKAY.

PARIS, WE GOT ABOUT 15 SECONDS.

THE GOVERNOR SAYS THERE ARE SURPLUSES .

HOW'S ILLINOIS DOING OVERALL IN UNDERFUNDED PENSION PLAN?

>> WELL, THE PENSION CRISIS IS STILL THERE.

I THINK I SAW THE GOVERNOR'S OWN STATISTICS SAY THE COMBINED COLLECTIVE PENSION WENT FROM 43% TO 44%, SO THEY'RE 1% MORE FUNDED NOW, WHICH IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL, CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THEY WERE GETTING LESS AND LESS AND LESS BUT >> SOMETHING THE REPUBLICANS WILL STILL USE.

THAT IS SPOTLIGHT POLITICS.

PARIS SCHUTZ, AMANDA, AND HEATHER.

THANKS.

>>> AND AS WE MENTIONED, THE CHICAGO MUNICIPAL ELECTION IS LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY, FOLKS, SO DON'T FORGET TO VISIT HOWARD VOTER GUIDE, WHICH