Results tagged “dannydavis”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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]

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]

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]

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.

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.

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:

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?

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.

Continue reading "Vacant Senate Seat Race Heating Up"

Congressman Bobby Rush has called on Governor Blagojevich to name a black politician to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama, announcing a state-wide petition drive on the issue. Rush, who has no interest in the seat, spoke at a press conference yesterday, saying, "In the past, Governor Blagojevich has demonstrated in some respects that he's a friend. We just want him to continue to be friendly." With Obama's seat vacated, the U.S. Senate has no black senators. Two of the leading candidates to take over the seat are black: Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Danny Davis. Outgoing State Senate President Emil Jones has also been mentioned as a possible replacement, but is considered more of a long-shot.

Oh, Governor Blagojevich, you sly dog. While addressing reporters at a Chicago Christian Industrial League Thanksgiving meal yesterday, Blago began looking around for Congressman Danny Davis, also in attendance, and playfully asked, "Where's Senator Davis?" with a smile. While he didn't follow that up with, "Nah, I'm just fuckin' with yall," he did herald Rep. Davis as one of his favorites to take over President-Elect Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat.

"Congressman Davis is a very good person. He and I have worked together in Congress, and I know the kind of man he is. I know that he is a good, decent man, and you don't find a lot of that in politics," Blagojevich said. "I'm breaking my rules about speculating on a candidate, but Congressman Davis is here, and I can tell you he's certainly a strong candidate for the position."

For his part, Davis expressed his interest in the job before Blagojevich played the joker, saying, "I have spoken to the governor. The opportunity to serve in the U.S. Senate would be great. It's an awesome responsibility, and I have never shied away from responsibility. Quite frankly, if the governor should see fit to appoint me, I'm eager to run and eager to serve." We're betting Jesse Jackson, Jr. sweeps the leg now.