*** UPDATE 4:45 pm *** I’m told that the central committee has decided to slate Gov. Pat Quinn. More in a bit if I get something.
* My great pal Abdon Pallasch with the Sun-Times is reporting the same thing on Twitter…
The Cook County Democratic Party, on final vote, slated Pat Quinn for governor.
* Dan Hynes campaign press release…
Dan Hynes for Governor campaign spokesman Matt McGrath issued the following statement upon the news that Pat Quinn had accepted to be slated by the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee ahead of February’s primary:
“Is there a single core principle to which Pat Quinn will consistently adhere? Despite saying as recently as this morning that he has always supported open primaries, the Governor apparently sees no contradiction in asking and working to be slated by the Cook County Democratic Party. Long before becoming Governor, Pat Quinn sought a reputation as an outsider in part by railing against the very entity whose support he eagerly accepts today. It would seem that his prior support for open primaries was nothing more than political rhetoric. It is acts like this that give the people of Illinois reason to question Pat Quinn’s sincerity.”
* Quinn’s statement…
Statement from Governor Pat Quinn on today’s decision by the Cook County Democratic Committee to endorse his candidacy for Governor of Illinois
“I am happy to receive today’s endorsement of my candidacy for Governor of Illinois.
“As I told the committee members this morning, I have spent the last seven months doing what I have been doing for the past three decades – standing up for the people of Illinois. As Governor, I am working hard every day to bring good jobs and economic recovery to every corner of the Land of Lincoln.
“Throughout my career in public service, I have won endorsements from political groups, civic groups, and labor organizations throughout our state. As we go forward, I will continue to seek the support of groups – both large and small – as we work together to make the will of the people the law of the land in Illinois.”
* Abdon’s Sun-Times piece on the Stroger debacle…
A motion for an open primary narrowly failed, so Stroger’s backers pushed for a roll-call vote in which each of the 80 committeemen, including the dozen or so on Stroger’s payroll in Cook County government, had to go on record stating who they supported among the five candidates.
Stroger didn’t get a majority of that vote, either.
“I think that was a miscalculation on his part,” said Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), who came in second after Stroger.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis came in third, followed by Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Brien and, in last place, Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown.
*** UPDATE 3:42 pm *** Rep. John Fritchey is a ward committeeman, so he’s at the meeting. He just Tweeted this…
There will be no slated candidate for Cook County Board President.
Not a huge surprise, but another major blow to Todd Stroger.
Speaker Madigan, Ald. Burke and Commissioner Daley all voted “Present” on the motion to keep this particular race an open primary, according to a different source at the meeting.
*** UPDATE 2:17 pm *** Sen. Rickey Hendon promised pork for everyone if he was slated for lieutenant governor…
“The job is to legislate and appropriate and if I’m elected your lieutenant governor, I’ll bring back that kind of money to every committeeman in Cook County that I can help,” Hendon said.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* Sources at the meeting tell me that a subcommittee of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee came just a couple votes shy of recommending that Gov. Pat Quinn be slated by the party against Dan Hynes. Only one motion was made, and that was to endorse Quinn. Dan Hynes had asked that the party slate no one. Another vote will take place this afternoon. Check here for udpates.
Also, the same sources say Rep. David Miller was slated for comptroller over Raja Krishnamoorthi.
And the Sun-Times reports that Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias was slated for US Senate…
Giannoulias and two of the three other Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate asked for the party’s blessing Friday.
Former City of Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, whose job it was to investigate some of these committeemen’s loyalists on the city payroll, did not attend. He formally announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate Thursday. […]
Attorney Jacob Meister criticized all three of his opponents, saying he has “no history with organized crime” — an apparent reference to loans Giannoulias’ family’s bank made in years past to shady figures; he was not “a figure in Gov. Blagojevich’s cabinet” — Jackson was Rod Blagojevich’s spokeswoman for two years; and he criticized Hoffman for clerking for conservative Republican judges.
LIVE session coverage...
- I'm just saying - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 1:48 pm:
I was there for a few before they went into exec session…..
- Greg - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 2:00 pm:
Yeah, a Supreme Court clerk…what a hack. Right.
- illiniwek - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 2:15 pm:
Pretty stupid comment from a “lawyer” like Meister. You don’t turn down a Supreme Court clerkship simply because of who appointed the guy or gal.
- KeepSmiling - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 2:21 pm:
Re: Hendon’s comments:
Can we please fumigate the Capitol building?
- Niles Township - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 2:24 pm:
So will Quinn win the afternoon vote? And if so, does Hynes run against the machine? Too funny.
- Corey - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 2:24 pm:
Hendon has no shot: MJM went on public record already for Art Turner.
- zatoichi - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:05 pm:
Just need to wonder if Hendon makes similar promises for the committeemen in Coles, Morgan, Knox, and Union counties or is this just for Cook?
- John Bambenek - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:10 pm:
Has someone informed Sen. Hollywood that the LtGov office has like a $2M budget? What pork does he possibly think he’ll have? He gets more in member initiative money than that office gets for a budget.
- Greg B. - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:13 pm:
Gotta give Hendon points for honesty. Of course, how a Lt. Gov. delivers on pork is anyone’s guess…
Who knows, maybe he’ll mount a campaign for good old fashion honest graft. Would be step up (see Bonnie Hunt post above).
- Okay Then... - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:14 pm:
Hynes knew the chances of being slated against an incumbent were slim, though if Lisa Madigan was running that would not be the case because the incumbent advantage would have been overlooked for her. Several weeks ago Hynes suggested that if the Demcorats slate for governor it will be money for the Republicans because they will dine out on it. He’s right. They will, and they should. Outside of Chicago, Chicago Democrats do not play too well. And, as of late they aren’t playing all that well in Chicago either.
- Brennan - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:28 pm:
The way these governors go in Illinois, maybe Lt. Gov ain’t so bad.
- siriusly - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:34 pm:
The candidate for Lt. Governor who campaigns on a pledge to help abolish the office is the one who has my vote. Unless his name rhymes with Mickey Bendon of course.
- OneMan - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:34 pm:
If I am Lt. Governor you will get pork? Unless I have really missed something about Lt. Governors over the past 30 years or something I think you have a better shot at getting pork from a PETA member…
- Okay Then... - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:48 pm:
What should one make of the ‘no slate’ vote for CB President?
#1. Todd messed it so badly that it’s too hot to touch–no one want’s his name and ward/township associated with it like last go round
#2. None of Todd’s opponents made good impressions and failed to be convincing
#3 His opponents were equally liked, and no real consensus could be reached
- matt - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:50 pm:
Can someone briefly explain what it means to be slated? I have a vague understanding but what exactly does it mean? Thanks
- wordslinger - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:50 pm:
For Alexi, slating was about the worst thing that could happen.
Now he’s the Machine candidate with a hinky bank and bleeding student loan fund.
Dude, you’re still a kid. How’d you go from being Obama’s buddy to Paddy Bauler?
- Secret Square - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:52 pm:
If the Cook County Dems “slate” particular candidates for statewide offices like governor, lite guv, treasurer, etc., does that mean people who are NOT slated are kept off the primary ballot? Or does it just mean they don’t get official organizational or monetary support?
- ArchPundit - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:53 pm:
==If I am Lt. Governor you will get pork? Unless I have really missed something about Lt. Governors over the past 30 years or something I think you have a better shot at getting pork from a PETA member…
I’d vote to give Hendon pork if I was legislator on one condition. He leaves me alone.
- Been There - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 3:58 pm:
Secret Square, it’s the later.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 4:00 pm:
Slating is more important than in recent elections. A couple of years ago, Madigan and others pushed through a bylaws change that outlaws individual committeemen from endorsing candidates who are running against slated candidates. Their committemen posts can actually be stripped if they violate the bylaw.
Madigan did that because the party slated his candidate for treasurer three years ago and several committeemen went with that other guy - Giannoulias.
- Secret Square - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 4:06 pm:
Thanks BT. I take it that “slating” is a term left over from the days when party insiders completely determined the entire slate of candidates… today it’s more about who gets the party’s official endorsement.
- The Prophet - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 4:14 pm:
Maybe we could get Bonnie Hunt to do an interview on Ricky “I Got What You Want “Hendon? That would be special!
- Okay Then... - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 4:47 pm:
According to the Tribune @ 4:45pm, Quinn has been slated by the Cook County Democrats
- anon - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 5:45 pm:
Spin it any way you want Dan but this is nothing but another disaster since your announcement (your prior opposal of the central tenent of your campaign, your boring announcement, getting slaughtered at the cemetary care hearing). So are you going to go on the record opposing the slating process that got you your statewide office at the age of 29? Hynes lost by 25 pts in 2004 with all the party support a candidate could wish for, and now he’s going to beat a siting Governor without any of it? This campaign is the definition of an “up or out” kamikaze campaign.
- fedup dem - Friday, Sep 11, 09 @ 6:06 pm:
Rich, that bylaw change barring committeemen from straying from the slating reservation is of dubious legality, and Madigan and his pals know it. The first time somebody is anctioned there will be a court fight on First Amendment rights, and the Democrats will look like foolish jerks. Instead, I suspect that more traditional pressures will actually be used. However, my guess is that less than 10 of the 80 ward and township committeemen will publish campaign mailings and palm cards listing every slated candidate running in their areas for the February 2 Primary Election, and everyone knows that already.