The defeat of the Progressive Tax Amendment, Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride not being retained, and modest Republican gains in the Illinois Statehouse were a message from voters on election day to House Speaker Michael Madigan. That's the assessment of downstate state rep. Dan Swanson...

Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride lost his bid for retention on the Illinois Supreme Court by a margin of 54% to 43% in what was seen as a resounding rebuke to House Speaker Michael Madigan, who had spent heavily on ads to push for Kilbride to be retained.