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With the recent announcement by Republican Andrew McKenna that he's entering the fray for Governor in next year's election, the Illinois gubernatorial election is heating up. With the primary election on February 2nd 2010 quickly approaching, plenty of candidates have stepped up to fight for the right to lead Illinois. Here is a quick run down of some of the major candidates:
Democrats
Pat Quinn: Quinn assumed the post in January when Rod Blagojevich was removed from office. At present, Quinn has the ear of Mayor Daley and the support of many Chicago aldermen, along with endorsements from both the SEIU and the Teamsters. He's been having a tough time with the state budget, but promises to bring jobs to Illinois through tourism and extend unemployment benefits to help shore up the state economy.
Dan Hynes: Hynes has been Illinois Comptroller since 1998 and has already outlined several initiatives on digging Illinois out of its estimated $11 billion deficit. Hynes has the endorsement of former US Senator Adlai Stevenson III as well as several unions including the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters. Hynes recently released a meaty budget plan (PDF) and is a supporter of gay marriage rights, saying “"If two committed adults want to express their love and their commitment to each other through marriage, I believe they should be allowed to under civil law.”
William “Dock” Walls III: Former aid to the late Mayor Harold Washington, Dock Walls' platform includes “Smart Economy Initiatives” such as rewarding retailers who maintain low prices and a four day work week for state employees.
Check out the GOP and Green Party candidates after the jump.
Republicans
Andrew McKenna: Former Illinois Republican Party chair McKenna will formerly launch his campaign in October, promising to be “an announcement of epic proportions.” McKenna said that “it's time to put our house in order,” siting a culture of corruption and mindless irresponsibility towards taxes and spending in Illinois.
Kirk Dillard: Dillard currently represents the 24th district in the Illinois Senate and has been a player in Illinois politics for many years, most notably as the chief of staff for former governor Jim Edgar. Dillard said that Illinois has become a “deadbeat state” and plans to curtail Illinois spending by creating a “destination economy.”
Bill Brady: Brady ran for governor in the last election, finishing third in the Republican primary. He represents the 44th district in the Illinois Senate and already has the endorsement of a dozen other Republican legislators. Brady bills himself as a “common sense conservative,” supports big businesses and sponsored a Illinois constitutional amendment that would allow recall elections.
Dan Proft: Proft is a well known political commentator in Illinois, appearing in a variety of conservative publications and on WLS-AM 890. He's also acted as a consultant for numerous political campaigns and was Cicero's town spokesperson. Proft's campaign is for people who “play by the rules” and claims that “Illinois isn't broken. It's fixed.”
Green Party
Rich Whitney: Whitney ran as the Green Party candidate in 2006 and managed to pull in 10% of votes in the election. Chicagoist interviewed Rich in 2006.
Post by: Aaron Michael
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Methinks another vote for Rich Whitney is in my future.
Me, too. Too bad he cannot win.
Still, Quinn isn't doing too bad, though Madigan remains the big dog, of course (which really fucks this state). For better or worse, being gov requires some dirty sheets. Leadership always dirties a person. Whitney would have to toss away some ideals, too; the only people who can be 100% idealistic are those who will never have real power.
Reading the 2006 interview with Whitney, I don't see a lot difference between what he says and what any other candidate says. He's got his soundbites down and says what a lot of folks like to hear, but what is there to differentiate him other than his outsider status?
There's a lot that differentiates Rich Whitney from the others, and not just his progressive positions. He isn't taking any corporate money and he doesn't owe any favors to crooked machine politicians, so he'll be accountable only to voters. In office, he'll do exactly what he says he's going to do.
This is a situation where I tend to lean toward the devil I know. It's easy for a Green Party candidate to claim he isn't taking corporate money because he's likely never been offered any. How will this candidate react, then, if he wins an election, gains some measure of power, and suddenly finds himself in the middle of temptation. He has no track record, so I can't know what he'll do when people start waving money in his face.
For good or ill, main party candidates have already weathered this storm. We can look at their pasts and, for the most part, tell the Durbins from the Blagojeviches. It's not exact, true, and a lot can be missed, but I feel like it's better than flying blind.
And other than this easy-to-make claim on Whitney's part, his words are the same as anyone else's.
Yeah, considering the Illinois Republican party has gone on hiatus and the Democrats are now setting up satellite offices in federal prison, the Green Party is all the more attractive.
I hope he gets into the debates. Whitney's a smart fellow and Quinn could use some smacking around.