While the decision will ultimately rest with state Democratic Party leaders, media outlets across the city are citing sources that say Gov. Quinn wants Sheila Simon, daughter of the late U.S. Senator (and 1988 Presidential candidate) Paul Simon, as his Lt. Governor running mate in the general election this November. While Quinn has not officially made any announcement - that's to come later today - he told the Tribune last night, "I know Sheila. I've worked with Sheila. She has a servant's heart, and that's exactly what Illinois needs in a lieutenant governor." more ›

Scott Lee Cohen may no longer be in the hunt to be Illinois' next lieutenant governor, but that doesn't mean he's ready to shut up about it. The reasons why Cohen got forced out of the race for Lieutenant Governor are legion, but leave it to SLC to come up with one that none of us had likely considered up to this point. In an interview with Chicago Magazine, Cohen blames his Jewish faith and a current of anti-semitism running through the state's political power structure: more ›

State Democrats will try to put the Scott Lee Cohen affair behind them later this month when they officially convene to vote on their new Lt. Governor nominee. Party leader Michael Madigan announced today that hearings will be held in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Bolingbrook and Springfield next Saturday, March 20th, and that the vote on Cohen's replacement will be March 27. Over 220 people have applied online for the job which may soon be a thing of the past if Madigan gets his way. more ›

Illinois Democrats are no different from the average employer looking for a qualified candidate: they're hitting the web to solicit applications. Dems started an "online open casting call for applicants interested in serving as Gov. Pat Quinn's running mate in November," , the Tribune reports. more ›

The Cohen Affair continues to show its far-reaching effects. Nevermind that it was just a year ago that Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn got called up to the big leagues to take over for ousted governor Rod Blagojevich. That position could soon become a thing of the past if State House Speaker Michael Madigan gets his way. Madigan introduced a bill yesterday that, if passed, would put the issue on the November election ballot and, if approved, would eliminate the Lt. Gov. position altogether come January 2015. Not that anyone else had a choice, as ABC 7 reports it appears Madigan introduced the bill without consulting anyone else on the subject. Meanwhile, there's currently a bill in the Senate that would require the Lt. Gov. and Governor candidates to run together, a la Presidential elections. Either way, it looks like the latest kerfuffle has finally pushed action on the position even as we await the decision of who the Dems will slate for this November's election. more ›

• While Scott Lee Cohen may have let himself be muscled off the Democratic ticket for Lite Guv, he's clearly not going away anytime soon.
• Speaking of Lite Guv, Illnois House Speaker Michael Madigan has proposed an amendment to do away with the office entirely by 2015.
• CBS 2's Dave Savini put away the black light for a minute to reveal a "hidden epidemic" amongst area school children. Not obesity, not autism -- gym class injuries.

A tearful Democratic Lt. Governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen announced his withdrawal from the Democratic ticket last night amidst increasing calls for him to remove himself from the ticket. Last week's revelations of Cohen's use of anabolic steroids, allegations of domestic abuse, and owing nine months in back child support payments while he pumped $2 million of his pawnbroker's fortune into his successful primary victory had party leaders fearing Cohen's presence could jeopardize the election chances of Governor Pat Quinn and Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias. Cohen came to his decision after a Friday meeting with State House Michael Madigan, who's also state Democratic Party Chairman. According to the Tribune, Madigan told Cohen "very direct and very frank" way to step down from the ticket. Governor Quinn's office released a statement following Cohen's announcement which read Cohen "made the right decision for the Democratic Party and the people of Illinois. Now we can continue to focus our efforts on putting our economy back on track and working to bring good jobs to Illinois." more ›

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin more ›

With all that went down this week, we thought we thought we'd cheer everyone up by giving everyone a double dose of dogs. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions this week at DCist. Like the rest of country, we were floored by the news of so many dead coming out of Virginia Tech, and with so many of the victims and their relatives from the D.C. area, we felt it important to pay... more ›

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn more ›

The primary election results are in, and here are some of the candidates you will see on the ballot in the November election: Governor-Democrat: Rod Blagojevich (70.1%) This was no surprise since Eisendrath never seemed to get his campaign off the ground. We know a lot of people who voted Eisendrath as part of showing their disapproval towards Blago. Governor-Republican: Judy Baar Topinka (38.0%) Topinka held off a late surge from Oberweis, who early on... more ›