Here at Eye On Illinois we try to keep the focus on government over politics, but of course the politicians tend to run the government so sometimes the considerations are inevitable.

Monday’s Capitol News Illinois report on three Democrats hoping to be the party’s 2026 nominee for a U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Dick Durbin is one such useful piece in that it explores how the candidates differ on several economic policy issues like health care, housing, food aid, child care and taxes, among others.

This is good information since voters absolutely deserve to understand where campaigners stand on the types of issues they might actually influence when in office. That’s government. But there is an important political consideration: no matter which Illinois Democrat wins the primary, they’d be only one vote in the Senate. The CNI piece doesn’t contain the word “Republican” despite the party holding a 53-45-2 majority. Nationwide, Democrats need to hold 13 current seats (including Michigan and Georgia) and win at least four of 22 currently belonging to the GOP.

Still, reading about the Illinoisans’ plans offers insight into ways party leaders here consider solving certain problems, which might provide a roadmap for Springfield in areas where state authority can be influential. That means ignoring thoughts about the federal minimum wage or Medicare for All but exploring ideas like tax incentives for home builders, tax credits for first-time buyers and broad zoning changes as the commercial real estate landscape changes.

The featured candidates are U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, Chicago U.S. Rep. Ron Kelly and Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton. Read more at tinyurl.com/SenateDemsCSI.

ON THIS DAY: If you want to celebrate a little Illinois history today, honor the 112th birthday of Chicago native Ray Nance with a listen to his work on “Take the ‘A’ Train,” the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Nance played the trumpet solo on the first recording of the standard in 1941, but many musicians have simply recreated his now iconic take. In later years, once the song had lyrics, Nance also frequently sang the tune with Ellington’s band, more often than even the iconic Ella Fitzgerald.

Nance, who started piano and violin in grade school before teaching himself trumpet, also appears in the 1943 movie “Reveille With Beverly” as part of Ellington’s orchestra, which performed the song on a railroad passenger car. That clip, featuring singer Betty Roché, is available at tinyurl.com/TakeTheATrainBeverly. Nance toured with Ellington from 1940-1963 and died in New York in 1967. Recordings of his other work remain widely available, I’m partial to performances of “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” that also show off his string skills.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.