Progress Illinois

The latest on the 2010 electoral landscape in Illinois ...

U.S. Senate

Greg Hinz is reporting that Chicago Urban League chief Cheryle Jackson will announce the launch of her Senate campaign today in an email to supporters:

Cheryle Jackson, the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, will e-mail supporters later today announcing that she will indeed run for President Barack Obama's old seat in the U.S. Senate.

A formal announcement with the usual press release and statewide fly-around will follow next month.

This morning, Alexi Giannoulias rolled out endorsements of his Senate bid from several Illinois labor unions: Unite Here Local 1, UFCW Local 1546, UFCW Local 881, UA International, and the Illinois Pipe Trades Association. Here's the accompanying statement from Ron Powell, president of UFCW Local 881:

Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has supported the causes and concerns important to workers in the retail industry.  He shares our concerns for obtaining affordable healthcare for all Americans and ensuring that every worker, no matter who they are, has an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.   As a son of first generation immigrants, Alexi understands the obstacles working families are facing, especially in the current economy.  He has put that work ethic to the test throughout his tenure as Illinois State Treasurer and has led the office in a proactive, positive direction.   We believe Alexi will carry that same fighting spirit to Washington where many tough issues are facing working families at a nation level.

Alexi Giannoulias has earned the support of Local 881 UFCW and we are proud to endorse his candidacy as a fighter and a friend of working families. Alexi is the candidate for U.S. Senate that has the talent and refreshing ideas to effectively guide us through these tough times.

Giannoulias also posted a behind-the-scenes video shot on the day of his official campaign launch:

And then there's this (H/T Capitol Fax):

Illinois Sen. Roland Burris announced last month that he would not run to retain his Senate seat next year, but in his first television interview since making that decision, Burris told ABC News he could change his mind.[…]

“You never say never,” Burris told ABC News in a “Subway Series” interview for the ABC News program “Top Line.” [...]

“What I’m still hearing,” Burris said, is “people from all over the country and they are saying, ‘Don’t give up that seat.’”

There is no way this is actually going to happen. Nonetheless, it's simply amazing that Burris is even entertaining the thought.

Click here to watch the full ABC interview.  At the very end, Jonathan Karl asks him about the mausoleum and gets a priceless answer in return.  According to Burris, it was the managers of the Oak Woods Cemetery -- rather than, say, his own ego -- that led him to build the monument:

BURRIS: I'm an estate planner.  And I do pre-planning for people's estate.  So how could I have your estate be planned, if mine isn't? Plus, it takes a major responsibility off of my family.  That's all done.

And the cemetery management insisted that, because of my history and my past, that there be a record and a resume of the accomplishments.

Cook County Board President

At the Bud Biliken parade this past weekend, Congressman Danny Davis strongly suggested that he is indeed running for president of the Cook County Board:

Representative Danny Davis appeared at the Bud Biliken parade wearing a Davis for Cook County Board President t-shirt despite recent speculation that he may want to hold onto his existing seat.

"Well this looks like Cook County Board President to me. This is Cook County Board President territory," Davis said.

T-shirts aside, as long as Davis continues to collect petition signatures for a 2010 congressional reelection campaign, he is not officially running for board president.    

Meanwhile, Chitown Politics highlights alderman and board president candidate Toni Preckwinkle's "pickle": She is reportedly pursuing an endorsement from Mayor Daley while at the same time running on her record as a progressive reformer.

State Treasurer

The State-Journal Register's Bernard Schoenburg profiles the two newly-announced Democratic candidates for Illinois treasurer -- businessman Kip Kirkpatrick and Giannoulias chief of staff Robin Kelly. 

On his Facebook page, Kirkpatrick posted this introductory video over the weekend: