Even as Chicagoans prepare to hit the polls Tuesday, an issue left over from last November's election looms large for many Illinois politicos. Redistricting: that time-honored process of gerrymandering political district borders for the state Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives that has been elevated to an ugly art form across the Land of Lincoln. One of the few comforts emerging for Democrats as the dust clears from their national whooping in the last election, the party retained control of the General Assembly in Springfield; which translates into control of the redistricting process. This is one of only seven states where the Dems will be drawling the lines, but the once-in-a-decade process should be particularly interesting here given the City and statewide population declines and the power realignment that will likely occur in response to the alarming African-American flight from Chicago. more ›

Congressman Danny Davis penned a sometimes rambling editorial for the Chicago Defender explaining the reasons why he put an end to his mayoral campaign. The editorial starts to get to the heart of the matter once he gets past reminding readers that he was the original choice for "consensus" Black candidate and getting down to what he called "class warfare" within Chicago's African American community. more ›

Yes, the rumors are true - former president Bill Clinton will be stopping by the Chicago Cultural Center on Tuesday, January 18th to rally for Rahm Emanuel. But as some may have expected, Clinton's visit to Chicago isn't necessarily a visit that everyone is excited about. more ›

Now that Carol Moseley Braun is standing tall as the so-called "consensus Black candidate" for mayor, the field for the mayoral campaign's final weeks is starting to take shape. One question we still have after Danny Davis's late Friday announcement that he was dropping out and backing Braun is - "Carol Moseley Braun? Really?" more ›

There's burying news during the holiday news cycle, and then there's throwing news down the well. Danny Davis tried to do the latter. Just before 7 p.m., reports surfaced that Congressman Danny Davis was dropping out of the mayoral campaign and throwing his weight behind former Senator Carol Moseley Braun. Davis is holding a press conference right now to formally make the announcement. Davis, Braun and state Senator Rev. James Meeks, who dropped out of the race last week, are expected to be at Davis's news conference. more ›

Yesterday it was Congressman Danny Davis who offered a stern warning for former President Bill Clinton against campaigning for Rahm Emanuel. Today it's former Senator Carol Moseley Braun who says Clinton runs the risk of alienating African Americans if he decides to interject himself into the mayoral campaign. more ›

Congressman Danny Davis must be looking to burnish his credentials as the "consensus Black candidate" for mayor if he's warning Bill Clinton from campaigning for Rahm Emanuel more ›

Mayor Daley’s announcement that he wouldn’t seek a seventh term rocked the city to its foundation. But almost immediately after Daley uttered the words that would lead to the first truly open mayoral election in a generation, speculation began as to who would run and who would drop out. And then Rahm Emanuel moved back to Chicago and rendered all that moot within a few weeks with a campaign that could have been lifted directly from Daley’s playbook. more ›

Looks like State Senator Rev. James Meeks answered Kevin's question, although he did tried to bury it by doing so in an e-mail released to media late yesterday. more ›

The Sun-Times reported on a meeting between mayoral candidates Carol Moseley Braun, Danny Davis and James Meeks yesterday. Ostensibly a meeting to make a last-ditch effort to unite behind a single consensus black candidate for mayor, Davis told the Sun-Times that they discussed “factors that will contribute most significantly to victory for whoever is running and their chances of being successful,” and the timing of the meeting - one day before the deadline to withdraw from the race - is fueling speculation that Meeks may withdraw his candidacy. more ›

The deadline to file for the mayoral election is next Monday, but James Meeks, Danny Davis and Rahm Emanuel all formally announced their candidacies for the seat being vacated by Richard Daley over the weekend. Each candidate said that they were the best choice to unite Chicago's residents lead the city into the future. None of the candidates offered specifics as to how they would do that. more ›

After a two-month long decision, a coalition of African-American political, religious, and community leaders in Chicago has chosen Congressman Danny Davis as its candidate for mayor. The coalition chose Davis over the two other finalists that were announced last month, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers. It appears that Congressman Davis was chosen over the other finalists because he impressed the coalition with his ideas, and the coalition also saw Davis' potential in attracting a wide range of voters come election time:

The coalition chairman, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), said Davis impressed members during a sit-down Friday. "Carol was highly considered," he said. "But with Danny's interview, his grasp of city government, his international relationships -- dealing with Chicago as a global city -- it gave him some different appeal." more ›

Sources close to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart are telling the Associated Press that the county's top cop is "all the way in," adding that "he's decided to run." When asked directly of his plans by an AP reporter, Dart demurred, saying that he is "very strongly considering" a run for mayor that he plans to make an announcement in the next three or four weeks. Dart's name has been among the many that have been mentioned as potential replacements to Mayor Daley, who is not seeking re-election. Former Chicago Alderman and University of Illinois political scientist Dick Simpson was more blunt about Dart's prospects, telling CBS2 that "he automatically -- if he declares -- will be the leading candidate." Petitions have been circulating to get Dart's name on the ballot for mayor, although he's told the media that his supporters have asked if they could put petitions out and there is no organized effort. more ›

The latest update on who may or may not be running for mayor comes from a series of political events and statements from local politicians. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has said that he's weighing his options when it comes to a run at City Hall. "I'm not as quick as some other people might be to (jump) out of the box and say I'm off to a new career," Dart told the Tribune. "I want to be thoughtful." Nevertheless, petitions to put Dart's name on the ballot are on the street. Dart says that he has no organized political effort to put his name on the ballot for mayor, but that supporters have asked if they could put petitions out for him. Dart spoke to about 250 supporters at a "Women for Dart" event Monday, where he also addressed questions from the press about a potential run. more ›

We've already mentioned U.S. Rep. Danny Davis endorsed Dorothy Brown in the Cook County Board president race. Now incumbent Todd Stroger's campaign has fired back at Davis and taken a more subtle shot at the WGN/Tribune poll which placed him third. Stroger's campaign released a statement from campaign manager Vince Williams that said: more ›

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who bowed out of the race for Cook County Board President, has made an endorsement in the race: Dorothy Brown. Davis originally filed to run for the position as well as seek reelection as Congressman of Illinois' 7th District but dropped out of the County Board race in November. Davis told the Associated Press (via ABC 7) that Brown, "is the people's choice. She has vision for the county. She's obviously intelligent. When it comes to managing a budget, she has proven that she can do that. She has vision for the county." more ›

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis defended his decision to step out of the Cook County Board President's race and instead focus on winning reelection to his Congressional seat. According to WBEZ, Davis felt like "I could have won" except for some impediments. more ›

With today being the drop deadline for next year's elections, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced he will forgo a run at Cook County Board President and instead focus on getting re-elected to his current position, Congressman of Illinois' 7th District, and office he has held since 1996. more ›

While the candidates for various offices up for election next year were hustling their petitions to the state and the county Monday, there were some surprises in the Seventh Congressional District. Incumbent Danny Davis, who's been playing coy about his intentions, filed for Cook County Board President, while 24th Ward Ald. Sharon Denise Dixon, 2nd Ward Ald. Bob Fioretti and Emil Jones's stalwart Ricky Hendon have all filed for Davis's 7th Congressional District seat. Davis himself filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections early Monday morning for re-election in the 7th Congressional District. He says he'll decide which office he wants to focus on by the November 9 withdrawal deadlines.
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As we mentioned on Monday, Todd Stroger got his endorsement this week from a large group of black ministers that worry other black candidates in the Cook County board president race will split the vote, guaranteeing that Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien, the lone white candidate in the race, will win. “This community needs a unified front to address the issues that are pressing against our people,” said senior bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. more ›

Todd Stroger, he of low approval ratings and general malaise across the populace, is finally getting some support. Stroger will get an endorsement from a group of 300 African-American ministers today - Minister Louis Farrakhan is among the most high-profile members - in his race for re-election next year. Worried the four black candidates will split the vote, paving the way for the lone white candidate - Cook County Water Reclamation District President Terry O'Brien - to win, the ministers want a "consensus" black candidate. But two of Strogers challengers - Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, both of whom are black - aren't buying it, saying most of the group planned to support Stroger anyway. more ›

Sure, a lot of us were off for the three-day weekend but there was still stuff happening in this great city of ours. Here's what you might have missed: more ›

The competition for Cook County Board President just got a little stiffer. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced - as expected - he'll be running for the spot next year. Davis made the announcement last night, while also celebrating his birthday, but side-stepped questions about whether or not he would have supported the tax rollback that Stroger vetoed, saying, "Taxpayers in Cook County are leery of paying the highest sales tax in the nation, and they want to know where their money is going." The growing field of competitors for the President slot also includes Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board president. [ABC 7] more ›

The challengers are starting to line up to take on embattled Cook County Board President Todd Stroger in next year's election. With Stroger already seeking reelection and others like Toni Preckwinkle announcing their intention of challenging Stroger, it'll be a crowded field. At a speech yesterday announcing the kickoff of his petition drive for a place on the ballot, Davis said, “You can't operate an enterprise on a patronage system. You cannot operate an enterprise because it does not belong to you, it belongs to the people." [FOX 32] more ›

Forget the Governor's race or the stampede to oust Sen. Burris. One race that's just as intriguing that's heating up for the next election seems to be for the Cook County Board President's spot. Incumbent Todd Stroger's list of opponents seems to have grown longer with the addition of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who has announced he is forming an exploratory committee to look into running for the position. Said Davis, "One could say that Cook County government, after the illness and death of President John Stroger, has experienced a crisis in leadership." If Davis jumps into the fray, he'll join Tony Preckwinkle (who we recently interviewed - keep your eyes peeled for that one) and Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, both of whom have already announced their candidacy for the spot. Republican commissioner Tony Peraica, who ran against Storger in 2006, has yet to announce if he'll run though Demorcat Forrest Claypool has already announced he won't run, instead completely leaving the Board. [CBS 2] more ›

The Sun-Times reports that U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for Cook County Board president early next year. The field is already crowded with at least six other officials showing interest. The Chicago Reader has a roundup of the potentials, which includes, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and of course Todd Stroger. Currently there is no clear candidate for the Republican primary. more ›

2010 may be a wild election year in Illinois. That is, if anyone can make up their minds about what they want to do. 7th District Congressman Danny Davis hopes Roland Burris will make up his mind already about running for re-election. Davis told Chicago Public Radio on Monday that Burris's decision will affect his decision about whether to run for Senate next year. "That would play seriously in the thinking of any African American who may be interested," he said. "I'm hoping that the senator will hurry up and publicly let people know whether he intends to run for election." Well, we already know how Burris is leaning. more ›

In an about-face from his recent calls for Senator Burris to resign and for a special election to be held to fill the U.S. Senate seat, Governor Quinn today backed off of Burris and said the focus of Illinois should instead be on things like the economy. Said Quinn: more ›

It's the morning after and we're still somewhat shocked at the chutzpah of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. With all the protest from Congressional Democrats, will Roland Burris ever be seated as a U.S. Senator? As we pointed out yesterday, officials across the spectrum are chiming in to denounce the appointment, including President-Elect Barack Obama, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. So what happens next? more ›

Man, this thing is a mess and it's pretty tough to sort out, logistically and legally. Here's what we know: Blagojevich still has the power to appoint the seat - as he is still governor - and there may not be much legal ground for opposition, at least from the U.S. Senate. The Trib points out:

In 1969, the Supreme Court ruled the House of Representatives could not refuse to seat Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, a New York Democrat who was accused of putting his wife on the payroll and misusing travel funds to vacation in the Caribbean. Despite those charges, he was reelected by his constituents in Harlem. more ›