Progress Illinois

For those who haven't been following it closely, here's the latest news on the Democratic primary candidates for Cook County board president. As you'll soon learn, it's a messy, messy affair at the moment. 

Danny Davis
For months now, the 7th District congressman has insisted that he is "in" for county board president, despite simultaneously circulating petitions for reelection to Congress.  During the third quarter, Davis transferred $130,000 from his federal campaign account to his state coffers -- indicating a certain degree of seriousness.  Last Monday, he officially filed for the board president race.  But doubts about his candidacy persist, and for good reason.  As the Tribune's John Byrne reported, he also filed petitions for Congress yesterday. 

So what's the next move?  As Cook County Clerk David Orr told WTTW last week, Davis has until November 9 to drop out of one of the two races.  For the slew of candidates preparing to run for his House seat -- State Rep. Annazette Collins, Chicago Alds. Robert Fioretti and Sharon Dixon, Jim Ascot, Clarence Clemons, and Joyce Washington -- that decision couldn't come soon enough.

Todd Stroger
The incumbent board president created some suspense yesterday afternoon, waiting until an hour before the filing deadline to present his 22,000 petitions to the county clerk.  Not surprisingly, he had a tough time finding folks to circulate on his behalf.  From the Sun-Times:

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The latest from the Illinois electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

A poll released by the Paul Simon Institute on Public Policy late last week showed Gov. Pat Quinn with a sizeable lead over comptroller and Democratic gubernatorial challenger Dan Hynes:

Quinn:  33.9%
Hynes: 16.5%
Someone else: 14.2%
Don't know/No answer: 35.4%
MOE +/- 5/4%

Since our last 2010 round-up, this race has also seen its share of additional endorsements.  A week ago, Quinn accepted the backing of Rep. Phil Hare, who said that the "Illinois Congressional delegation finally has a partner inSpringfield, instead of a punch line."  Watch a video put together by the campaign: 

Today, Quinn is scheduled to receive the endorsement of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. Last week, that same union's state council announced their support for challenger Dan Hynes, who also received the endorsement of the sheet metal workers union.

IL SENATE

In the nation's Capitol last week, reporters spotted Alexi Giannoulias leaving the White House where he told them he'd been huddling with senior adviser David Axelrod to discuss the Democratic Senate primary. At this point, Giannoulias is leading in the polls and in the fundraising race, but doubts remain about his viability among the Democratic establishment in D.C. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported on that dynamic:

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Today marks the end of the third quarter and federal candidates across Illinois are working hard to get some last minute donations.  Meanwhile, here's the latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

Check out Phil Kadner's SouthtownStar column on the Gov. Pat Quinn and the game of "Whac-a-Mole" going on in Illinois politics at the moment:

Around every single opening, there are hundreds of people in Illinois with hammers, waiting to crush the governor's next proposed plan.

We, the people, always tell politicians we want them to cut the budget, slash the waste, get rid of the pork. But when they do start hacking away, we're quick to tell them: "No, not there. Cut somewhere else."

With Quinn, this game has become cruelly laughable because he should've expected a honeymoon period as the replacement for Badgojevich, who replaced the indicted and convicted Gov. George Ryan.

UNITE-HERE Local 1 formally endorsed Quinn this morning.  From a press release:

“Governor Quinn has fought for our members, and not just when it was the easy thing to do,” said Henry Tamarin, President of UNITE HERE Local 1. “Whether it is issues on the job, promoting the tourism industry or on the critical issues facing the state, Governor Quinn has always stood for the hardworking people of Illinois.” 

According to the Tribune, challenger Dan Hynes received endorsements this past weekend from "the Ironworkers Chicago District Council and the Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers Illinois District Council and Local 11."

IL SENATE

Yesterday, Democratic candidate David Hoffman released transparency guidelines that he pledged to adhere to if elected, saying: “There is a crisis of trust in government today and I believe that we have an obligation to be as open and transparent as possible in order to restore that trust."  Here are the components:

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Earlier this month, the House took an enormous stride toward reforming the student loan industry by voting to repeal a subsidized loan program that put billions in the pockets of bankers, at the expense of students. And it looks like they are ready to build on that momentum. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee called a hearing to scrutinize a bankruptcy law that allows lenders to hike interest rates on delinquent loans while prohibiting students from dumping the debt even under extraordinary financial stress. Illinois' own Rep. Danny Davis has been one of the most outspoken critics of that policy, which was sneaked into 2005 bankruptcy legislation without any public debate. On Capitol Hill Wednesday, he testified that it's time for Congress to stop protecting banks and start looking out for those students who are most susceptible to being crushed by education debt. Here's an excerpt from his testimony (PDF):

Private education debt is no different that other consumer debt. It involves private profit, and deserves no privileged treatment. Members of the Community Reinvestment Taskforce are concerned that the current bankruptcy law penalizes borrowers for pursuing higher education, provides no incentives for private lenders to lend responsibly, and possibly effects African American borrowers more negatively than borrowers from other ethnic and racial groups.

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Congress returns to Washington next week and elected officials are using their last days of the August recess to continue discussing health care reform with their constituents.  Tonight, we'll be attending Rep. Jan Schakowsky's town hall meeting in Niles and will have some coverage in the morning.

If you can't make it to the northern suburbs, be sure to tune into WLS Radio tomorrow night at 7pm for the station's Health Care Town Hall Meeting. Pat Cassidy will moderate a panel that includes congressmen Danny Davis (D) and Peter Roskam (R), Dr. Claudia Fegan of Physicans for National Health Care, and other health care experts and industry reps. The event will also be streamed live online. You can find all of the details here.

The Cook County Board President's race kicked off with a bang last night on Chicago's West Side.  Hundreds jammed into an auditorium at Malcom X College to watch four of the five Democratic nominees duke it out in a forum sponsored by WVON Radio (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Brien did not attend).

The main draw was incumbent Todd Stroger, whose introduction earned a standing ovation from portions of the crowd. Slightly defensive throughout the proceedings, Stroger joked that his biggest opponents this election cycle are the city's two daily newspapers. "As Cook County Board President, I've had to fight, and it's been a tough fight," he said at the outset. "But I have been taught by the best ... and I learned what is important about county government."

What accomplishments will Stroger tout on the trail? He noted that his office has passed three "balanced budgets" in three years (although last year's version was riddled with errors and relied on fearmongering to drum up support) and has kept the county's hospitals open in this tough economic climate. He also passionately defended his sales tax hike, arguing that the additional revenue is necessary to keep government services intact. And then there is his record of expanding contracting and other job opportunities for people of color, which he said in deflecting allegations of rampant patronage from critics on the board. He told the mostly African-American crowd that all the reformers want" is "your job."

The three other candidates on the stage offered competing visions for how county government should run.

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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:

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In our 2010 round-up earlier today, we noted that Rep. Danny Davis' entry into the Cook County Board President's race is still very much in question, despite his declaration -- "I'm in" -- to the Sun-Times' Carol Marin last month.  Indeed, check out this report from the Pioneer Press today (which followed a related tweet from Chitown Politics yesterday): 

"He is definitely running" for Todd Stroger's spot and will also be getting petition signatures for a race for a seventh Congressional term.

"While he can't run for both jobs at the same time, he has until Oct. 26 -- the last day for filing petitions -- to decide" which office he'll go for, [Davis spokeswoman Tumia] Romero said.

Hmm.  How can he be "definitely running" for board president if he hasn't decided which office he's running for? 

UPDATE: Speaking of candidates declaring they're "in" a race, then ultimately bowing out: Republican Joe Birkett announced today that he will not run for Illinois Attorney General against Lisa Madigan.  "It would be wrong for me to run and to ask people to contribute to a race that that is virtually unwinnable under the circumstances," he said in a statement on his website.  Birkett began backtracking from his original campaign announcement about a month ago.

When the summer recess is over and Congress returns to Capitol Hill, will immigration reform remain a top priority for Democrats? While members of Congress have been sending mixed messages about exactly how hard they'll push for reform, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has pledged to introduce legislation before Labor Day.  And just this morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that she sees drafting such legislation as the most pressing issue on her department's agenda. Still, the White House itself has been somewhat slow to commit.

Today, seven Democratic members of Illinois' congressional delegation -- Reps. Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez, Jan Schakowsky, Phil Hare, Jesse Jackson Jr., and Bobby Rush -- sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to add his political muscle to the immigration fight. "Letters like this push the agenda," Rep. Quigley said at a press conference today. "Our role as a congressmen is to help set the priorities." Watch:

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On WFLD's Good Day Chicago this morning, Rep. Danny Davis discussed his "exploration" of a run for Cook County board president in 2010.  At the end of the segment, Davis said that, if he sits down with incumbent President Todd Stroger in the near future, he will try to dissuade him from running and tell him point blank, "I don't think you'd get elected." Watch it:

Larry Suffredin also appeared on Fox Chicago Sunday yesterday and hinted strongly at his own interest in the race. "I really believe that it is necessary for somebody who has been part of this board -- and tried to change this board from the inside -- to run," he said. "Otherwise, all the work that Mike Quigley did in 11 years there, and that Forest [Claypool] and I have done in seven, will be lost."  Watch it:

Laura Washington published an interesting Sun-Times column today on the emerging field of candidates in this race.  She reveals that Toni Preckwinkle has so far raised $400,000 for her bid and asks the South Side alderman about Michael Sneed's rumor that Mayor Daley might be an eventual supporter:

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