By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – This year’s Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association state fair brunch was not at the state fair, nor was it a brunch.

The virtual meeting Monday evening did, as is custom, feature a national-level Democrat, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), earlier this year a candidate for president.

“This could be one of the great elections for our country, not just on the federal level, but for state legislatures and local offices,” Booker said in what appeared to be a pre-recorded video. “We have work to do, Democrats, to take back the helm of our country and drive it toward justice and expanded opportunity.”

Booker followed almost two dozen Democratic candidates and officeholders, with state party chair and Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) not  among them.

The program did feature a second keynote: U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who asked, “Do we want to be (a country) where an illness or injury buries us in debt, or a country where healthcare is available and affordable to all? Do we want to be a country where millionaires get to dodge their taxes, or a country where working people get a break?”

Also: a recorded video pep talk from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who mentioned neither Illinois nor Illinoisans.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].