Progress Illinois

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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The latest from Illinois' 2010 electoral landscape ...

U.S. SENATE

Rasmussen Reports released their first poll on the IL-SEN race yesterday, measuring head-to-head general election matchups between GOP Rep. Mark Kirk and Democratic candidates Alexi Giannoulias and Cheryle Jackson.  The toplines show Kirk and Giannoulias in a toss-up, while Kirk posts a considerable lead over Jackson:

Giannoulias (D): 38
Kirk (R): 41
Other: 4
Undecided: 17

Jackson (D): 30
Kirk (R): 47
Other: 6
Undecided: 17
(MoE: ±4.5%)

The poll registered 83 percent name recognition for both Kirk and Giannoulias and 74 percent for Jackson.  Giannoulias was recognized by 70 percent of respondents in an April poll, so it seems feasible that he could his name ID could have jumped in the months since.  Kirk's numbers seem extremely high for a member of Congress who has never run for statewide office.  That being said, he probably gets more media coverage than any other Illinois representative.  Then there is Jackson's 74 percent name ID, which just seems unrealistic considering she's never run for office, let alone been on a statewide ballot.

In short, wait for a few other surveys to surface before putting too much stock in this poll.

In other U.S. Senate news, Jackson is facing questions about her role in the Blagojevich administration's Loop Lab School debacle. Meanwhile, Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington yesterday described the Jackson "playbook" as she sees it:

Rake in some heavy green. While her profile will attract some soft-focused free media, this political unknown needs money big time for TV commercial time.

Jackson's got to play the race and gender cards. She is assiduously wooing Emily's List, the powerful national PAC that backs women candidates. As Giannoulias has done in the Greek community, she must cultivate a national profile among prominent women and monied Democratic liberals.

The black "keep-the-seaters" are an unpredictable bunch, but they could come in handy, as well.

IL GOVERNOR

The Rasmussen poll also measured favorability for Gov. Pat Quinn, Comptroller Dan Hynes (who plans to challenge Quinn in next year's Democratic primary), as well as the various Republican contendors.  Here's what they found (favorable/unfavorable/not sure):

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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.

The latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

Illinois Governor

The Sun-Times' Abdon Pallasch reports today that Comptroller Dan Hynes "will be sending out a letter to supporters today confirming he is running for governor," adding: "He comes into the race with $3.5 million in the bank, compared with [Gov. Pat] Quinn's $700,000."

Earlier this week, Hynes continued his criticism of Quinn's handling of the budget crisis, with a specific focus on state workers:

Hynes said Quinn is cutting front-line workers before weeding out middle- and upper-level managers.

Hynes’ office said 1,600 people on the state payroll who earn $70,000 or more a year were hired while Rod Blagojevich was governor. Hynes described them as “mostly political appointees.”

“There are 1,600 positions that should be scrutinized before we consider cutting employees who take care of our children and protect our communities,” Hynes said, adding that he is not suggesting all of the jobs are unnecessary.

In the 2004 Senate primary, AFSCME Council 31 -- which represents almost all of the "front-line workers" mentioned above -- endorsed Barack Obama over Hynes.  Considering these remarks, don't be surprised if they back him this time around.

Will there be any other entries into the Democratic gubernatorial primary?  One person to watch is State Rep. Jack Franks (learn a bit more about him here).  On WTTW last night, the SouthtownStar's Kristen McQueary reported that he plans to make a decision about the race by Labor Day.

And what about an African-American candidate?  Downstate Sen. James Clayborne is "mulling it over," according to Rich Miller's Monday SouthtownStar column.

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