||| ILLINOIS2014ELECTIONS Lisa Madigan nixes governor bid BY NATASHA KORECKI Political Reporter Twitter @natashakorecki Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan answered perhaps the most anticipated question in Illinois politics on Monday, ducking out of the race for governor, saying the state would not be “well served” if she were elected and her father remained the powerful Speaker of the Illinois House. Instead, Lisa Madigan, who would have made history if she were elected as the state’s first female governor, will run for a fourth term as attorney general. It is an unexpected career choice for the popular politician who even without an official announcement has $5 million in her campaign fund — nearly twice as much as any other gubernatorial contender in either party. “I feel strongly that the state would not be well served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for governor if that would be the case,” Lisa Madigan said in a statement released by email on Monday. “With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for governor.” Since early this year, Lisa Madigan has teased of her interest in the governor’s office, saying repeatedly she was strongly weighing a run. Whether that meant her father, Speaker Michael Madigan, was at one point considering stepping down this year remained unclear. The surprise announcement comes days after an explosive memo sucked Michael Madigan into a tumultuous potential scandal involving the outgoing Metra CEO, who claimed he was forced out after he failed to heed to the Speaker’s patronage requests. Already, questions have been raised over how Lisa Madigan would handle the situation, given the calls to investigate the episode. Lisa Madigan’s decision to bow out puts a Democratic primary that once promised to be the clash of the Titans back up for grabs. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he would run for re-election while former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley — the brother of the former mayor — has formed an exploratory committee. Daley raised more than $800,000 in just three weeks, and one Democratic operative said other major donors had vowed to gravitate toward Daley if Lisa Madigan were out. “General Madigan’s decision not to run now gives voters a clear choice between a proven leader who gets things done and a governor who can’t seem to get anything done,” said Pete Giangreco, spokesman for the Daley campaign. “Bill Daley looks forward to laying out a clear agenda to improve the lives of people across the state.” Still, history remains on Quinn’s side, says political expert Paul Green. “The last time an incumbent governor lost a primary was in 1976,” said Green. He said the prospect of a strong third emerging candidate was unlikely. “I don’t think there’s enough money for people to jump in. The money and the votes are all up here in Cook County and the growing strength in the collars.” One new name as a possible Democratic contender is state Sen. David Koehler (D-Peoria), who has a strong labor backing. Madigan’s consternation dragged on so long, “WWLD?” (What will Lisa do?) became common vernacular among political insiders. Before even stepping into the fray, Lisa Madigan faced repeated questions about how she would handle a conflict should she be elected governor and her father remained Speaker of the Illinois House. In that vein, poll numbers showed Lisa Madigan’s statewide popularity took a beating when potential voters were asked about her relationship to her father. Lisa Madigan’s decision to stay out of the race creates a predicament for those wanting to move up the political ladder and who were awaiting her decision. Lisa Madigan’s indecision created a bottleneck for months with a number of politicos jockeying for position. That includes state Sen. Kwame Raoul, Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon — both of whom have expressed an interest in succeeding her as Illinois attorney general. It also includes Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who already told his caucus he planned to run for higher office. Lisa and Michael Madigan in 2002. Lisa Madigan said in a statement, “With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for governor.” | SUN-TIMESFILES Powered by TECNAVIA Copyright © 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC 07/16/2013
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 23:29:38 +0000
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