WBEZ | illinois governor

For governor candidates, YouTube beats early rallies

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:54:00 -0500

“Hi. I’m Bill Daley. And I’d like to take moment to talk to you about the State of Illinois.”

So begins an online video released Tuesday by former Democratic White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, in which he announces he wants to be Illinois’ next governor.

It comes on the heels of Republican venture capitalist Bruce Rauner’s own digital announcement, a highly produced YouTube video that’s garnered 50,000 views since it was released last week.

Lloyd Betourney, a political strategist based in Chicago’s south suburbs, said there’s a reason candidates are opting for YouTube videos.

“How often can a candidate talk to 4,000 voters at no cost, or very little cost?” Betourney asked.

Betourney said the videos released early in the campaign get the more politically rabid for very little money. But down the road, nothing beats TV ads and mailers to get the campaign message in front of voters, whether they ask for it or not.

So far, Republican Treasurer Dan Rutherford is the only gubernatorial candidate to hold a political rally in the campaign for 2014. He announced he’s running for governor at a private room at Harry Caray’s, a Chicago steakhouse, before touring the state. State Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard are also considering runs for the Republican nomination. So is Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat.

Incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn only talked about his plans for reelection when asked by reporters at unrelated news conferences. He has repeatedly avoided answering questions about opponents’ criticisms of him by saying there is a time and a place to talk about politics.

Meantime, Dave Fako, president of Fako & Associates, another campaign strategy group based in west suburban Lisle, said those candidates further down the ballot from governor, who serve on the more local level, should still stress personal contact with voters as their campaign strategies.

“Especially at the very local levels, they should never abandon that more personal engagement with voters,” Fako said.

Fako said regardless of how a down ballot candidate uses the internet, politicians running for public office shouldn’t stop glad handing at Metra or L stops any time soon.

Tony Arnold covers Illinois politics for WBEZ. Follow him @tonyjarnold.

Daley forms committee to explore run for governor

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:55:00 -0500

Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley announced Tuesday he is forming a committee to explore running for governor in 2014, saying Illinois deserves political leaders who are prepared to fix the state's unemployment, pensions and education woes.

The committee allows the Chicago Democrat to begin raising money for a challenge to Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn.

In a video posted online Tuesday morning, Daley ripped the Legislature and Quinn for the "disastrous" legislative session that ended last month. He pointed to their failure to fix Illinois' $97 billion pension crisis, as well as inaction on legalizing same-sex marriage and "protecting our kids from illegal guns."

"We can no longer stand idly by while our pension debt bankrupts our schools and robs our children of a better future," Daley said. "From the stinging injustice of inequality to the painful toll of unemployment, the people of Illinois are paying a perilous price for political failure. We need solutions. We need action. We need leadership that gets things done. And the people of Illinois can't wait."

The announcement sets up what could be one of the most intriguing Democratic primaries in the country. Quinn has said he will run for re-election. He could also face a challenge from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of the powerful House speaker Michael Madigan.

Republican state Treasurer Dan Rutherford and venture capitalist Bruce Rauner announced last week they are running. GOP state Sens. Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady also are considering bids.

If Daley stays in the race, it would be the first run for public office for the son and brother of two of Chicago's most famous and powerful mayors. He has also served as trusted adviser to two presidents, first as Bill Clinton's commerce secretary and then as Barack Obama's chief of staff after Rahm Emanuel left the post to make a successful run to succeed Richard M. Daley as mayor.

The 64-year-old Daley is the latest son of the Richard J. Daley, the legendary iron-fisted mayor of Chicago, to run for office, joining his brothers, Richard and John.

Richard M. Daley served as mayor for 22 years, longer than any other mayor in city history, including his father, before retiring in 2011. And John Daley is a longtime member of the county's board of commissioners.

A successful attorney and businessman, William Daley spent years as a Democratic operative, working both publicly and behind the scenes in city, state and national politics. Co-chairman of the host committee for the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Daley was tapped by Clinton in his first term to push the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement through Congress. After the election, he was named Secretary of Commerce, serving between January 30, 1997 and July 19, 2000.

In the Obama administration, when Daley's brother decided not to seek a seventh term as mayor of Chicago and Emanuel decided to step down as White House chief of staff and run to succeed him, Obama selected Daley to succeed Emanuel.

He announced his resignation in January 2012, just a year after taking the job.

Illinois Republicans start bickering in potentially crowded field for governor

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0600

Republican primary voters might see a long list of candidates next year for Illinois governor.

Several potential candidates are already explaining why they would be the ideal candidate. But ask each one what the ideal GOP candidate looks like, and you’re likely to get a different answer from each.

“The perfect template of a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor needs to be a suburbanite with strong downstate roots,” said Kirk Dillard, a state senator who represents parts of Chicago’s Western suburbs in Springfield.

“I think some people that are looking at running again are going to have trouble getting that necessary support to run,” said U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock.

The Peoria Republican held a 20-minute news conference with Chicago reporters Thursday about the race for governor.

“I see the Republican primary voter as going to be looking at who has the best shot at winning the governor’s office,” said Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford.

State Sen. Bill Brady and venture capitalist Bruce Rauner are also considered potential candidates.

But despite the high level of interest, the chairman of the Illinois GOP, Pat Brady, said he wants to avoid a crowded primary. He said it’s premature to talk about the possibility of the party slating a candidate before the primary. But that process worked out for Wisconsin Republicans in the election of Scott Walker as governor.

“I don’t think it’s out of the conversation like it was four years ago,” Pat Brady said, who’s not related to Sen. Bill Brady.

Pat Brady said the Republican nominee has to perform better north of I-80 around Chicago than in 2010, when Democrat Pat Quinn won election.

Meanwhile, Rep. Schock had some harsh words for his fellow Republicans who are also interested in becoming governor.

Schock criticized both Democrats and Republicans who, like him, have expressed an interest in running but haven’t yet announced.

“As a Republican in this state, I’ve watched cycle after cycle a lot of the same horses trot out on the track that have proven nothing more than they can lose an election,” he said.

Schock later said he was referring to State Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, both of whom ran for governor in 2010 and lost.

In response, Dillard said the 31-year-old Schock is young and “has a bright future in politics.”

“It’s a little early for these political shenanigans and posturing like this and, you know, I think may show a little bit of immaturity,” Dillard said of Schock’s comments.

Schock has also been in an ongoing public battle with Rauner. Rauner recently told the Peoria Journal Star Schock isn’t qualified to be governor.

Schock on Thursday all but directly accused Rauner of funding ads running in his home district criticizing the representative for voting in favor of the so-called fiscal cliff bill in the House of Representatives.

“Any time someone spends the lion’s share of their time, energy and money attacking someone as opposed to talking about themselves, I think says a lot about that person,” Schock said.

The infighting among the possible gubernatorial candidates comes as some GOP committeemen have been criticizing chairman Pat Brady for supporting gay marriage.

Brady said that debate within the party will be resolved by the time the primary comes around in March of 2014.

“It’s still early and we’ll see what happens, but we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure we have a good, strong, well-funded, well-supported candidate,” Brady said.

On the Democratic side, incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn has said he wants to keep his job. Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently told ABC 7 Chicago she's interested in the job. And former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley has also said he's considering challenging Quinn in a Democratic primary.

GOP Rep. Aaron Schock considering run for governor

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:01:00 -0600

Republican Congressman Aaron Schock of Peoria says he's considering a run for Illinois governor.

Schock tells WMAQ-TV in Chicago that he hopes other GOP hopefuls will step aside. Schock says "the less bloodletting, the better."

The 31-year-old Peoria congressman and former state representative says he knows he can't "tell them not to run." But Schock says other candidates from his party who have run before are wasting their time.

He says his age won't be a factor in whether he runs for governor.

Schock was first elected to Congress in 2009.

Other Republican candidates who have shown interest in the Illinois governor's race include state Treasurer Dan Rutherford, and state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard.

The next general election for Illinois governor is in November 2014.

Quinn: Senate to reconvene to try for pension fix

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:15:00 -0600

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. Pat Quinn says the Senate is coming back to Springfield.

The governor held a news conference Tuesday to urge senators to reach a compromise on pensions when they reconvene at 3 p.m.

Tuesday is the final full day of the lame-duck session.

Members of a House committee approved a proposal calling for more employee contributions and freezing cost-of-living increases.

The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, said Tuesday as she headed into a meeting with Quinn that it's an "uphill battle."

She said she was going to talk with Quinn about a possible vote on her legislation by the full Illinois House.

Quinn has previously voiced support for Nekritz's bill, but Tuesday he wouldn't repeat that support.

However he did reiterate that something needs to be done.

Gov. Quinn claims breakthrough on pension reform

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 12:26:00 -0600

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday one of the most controversial proposals to fix the state's massive pension debt is temporarily off the table.

Quinn and some legislators have supported a so-called cost shift, which would require local school districts to pick up the tab of their own teacher's pensions.

Many Republican legislators have opposed that plan, saying it would force local property taxes to go up.

Teachers' pensions are one of the biggest contributors to the state's $95 billion pension debt.

Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan said lawmakers will meet on Saturday to discuss the details of a compromised bill that would not include the cost shift. Brown said the cost shift is a way to end the extraordinary amount of money the state spends on teacher pensions, but, “We need to try to pass what we can pass.”

Brown said bipartisan support is needed to pass the kind of pension reform needed to be effective.

For months, Quinn has called on lawmakers to pass pension reform in January, before the session ends on Wednesday. With the clock ticking, Quinn met with some suburban lawmakers Friday morning before addressing the media.

Republican State Rep. Darlene Senger, who attended the meeting, said, “The fact they came out of the gate with the cost shift removed really, I think, opened it up to a listening phase.”

But passing any pension reform legislation could still be difficult, since any plan approved by the House would also need the support of the Senate, which adjourned Thursday.

The Senate earlier passed a measure that did not include the cost shift and affected just two of the state’s five separate pension systems. Senate President John Cullerton says that plan is the most legally sound option available, since a legal challenge to any pension reform legislation is likely. If the courts strike down a new pension plan, the legislature could be back to square one.

Quinn said Friday the ideas in the Senate bill will be incorporated, but he didn’t go into specifics. One aspect of the Senate’s measure gives affected state employees a choice between pay raises in retirement or receiving health insurance.

“There are ways you can, in drafting a bill, have what are called backstops that provide for protections against anything being declared unconstitutional,” Quinn said.

Quinn: Refreshing to see pollsters defied

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:08:00 -0500

After Bill Brady's concession, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn spoke at a press conference in Chicago.

Quinn commended his Republican opponent for graciously conceding, but he did take a dig at pollsters. They predicted Brady would win, and Quinn would lose.

"I do think one of the lessons of this campaign is it's nice to see polls. I think we all like to look at them. But they're not always accurate. I'd rather win that poll last Tuesday than any other poll. So that was I think refreshing to see the pollsters defied and the people come out ahead," Quinn said.

Quinn says he hopes to meet with Brady soon, possibly at Manny's Deli on Chicago's near South Side.

Election Day 2010 is finally here

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:00:00 -0500

Election Day 2010 has arrived, and Illinois voters have a rather thick ballot to get through.

Check out our voting guides: judges, recall amendment, down-ballot Illinois races, down-ballot Cook County races, big party alternatives

Think of all that Illinois has gone through since the last general election: Home-state President Barack Obama headed to the White House, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich got arrested, then impeached, then removed from office. Unemployment and foreclosures jumped, and the state budget spiraled into what many experts say is a crisis.

On Tuesday, Illinois voters will elect a governor, and the U.S. Senate seat once held by Blagojevich appointee Roland Burris, will get a new occupant. Illinoisans will actually vote twice on the Senate seat. First, they'll pick a short-term replacement for Burris, to serve until his term ends in January. Second, they'll elect a senator to serve a full six-year term.

Voters will also choose other statewide officials, and weigh in on congressional, legislative, county and judicial elections. In addition, they'll be asked to decide on a proposed constitutional amendment.

Illinois polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.