* Scott Lee Cohen hasn’t yet filed his formal withdrawal papers with the State Board of Elections, but he will tomorrow, his spokesman Baxter Swilley said this afternoon. The campaign was simply distracted with media interviews today and hasn’t had time to file the paperwork.
Swilley also tried to tamp down speculation that Cohen would run as an independent candidate. Here’s the NBC5 report….
[Cohen] alluded to the possibility he would run independently in an interview Monday.
“I ran for office to help the people,” Cohen said. “The problem was the media was hammering me so bad…This is more outrageous because I gave the people the opportunity to know. It was out there, they all knew!”
Asked whether he wouldn’t run for office, Cohen said “I never said that. I realized from this whole thing that every single thing you say is on the record.”
As for the signatures required to run as an independent, Cohen says it wouldn’t be a problem.
“You know how many signatures I had before? 47 thousand.”
The spokesman emphasized to me today that Cohen never actually said he is intending to run for any office as an independent.
Nerves are obviously a bit frayed over at HQ and the media may be trying to make more of something than is actually there.
...Adding… Cohen had this to say to Channel 5 today…
“There were no promises,” Cohen said. “[Speaker Madigan] never promised he was going to fundraise for me.”
Madigan’s spokesman just said that there were zero promises made to Cohen and that Madigan would neither directly nor indirectly help Cohen raise money in any form whatsoever.
* The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association knows a legislative backlash is coming in the wake of the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision knocking down the medical malpractice law. So, the group is running a new radio ad. Click here to listen.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross responded to the court’s decision last week. We have the video…
* We’ve given plenty of attention today to US Senator Dick Durbin’s criticisms of the way Michael Madigan runs the Democratic Party of Illinois. Thanks to an anonymous YouTuber, we now have the full video.
Durbin was asked right off the bat if he thought Madigan should “step down when his term is up.” You can see the full videos here, here and here, but I’ve preserved the relevant parts here…
* Gov. Pat Quinn talked about what he’s looking for in a potential replacement today. Progress Illinois has the video…
Should a candidate for governor be able to get a major-party nomination if only one-fifth of an already small number of primary election voters give him or her the nod?
Doesn’t it seem reasonable that some threshold percentage should be crossed?
What a difference a couple of years makes. Well, a couple of years, a couple more candidates and a whole lot of apathy.
Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, ran for governor in 2006. He got 135,370 votes in the primary election, according to State Board of Elections records. That was good for third in a field of five candidates.
This year, Brady ran again, and the latest unofficial tally gives him 155,263 votes. This time, though, Brady is in first place, at least for now.
* The Question: Should we have runoffs for primaries when candidates don’t receive at least 50 percent of the vote? Or, do you have a better idea? Explain fully, as always. Thanks.
* Dan Hynes’ former campaign manager Mike Rendina just called and said this about the Sun-Times report that Hynes would consider taking the lt. governor position if asked…
“The Sun-Times is wrong. Dan is not interested in that position.”
Sounds pretty clear to me.
Rendina called and texted me this morning and asked me not to write anything about lite guv until I talked to him. I didn’t see either one until now. Oops on my part.
Gov. Pat Quinn said today that his Democratic rival, Dan Hynes, does not want to be his running mate to replace the controversial Chicago pawnbroker who announced he would walk away from the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor.
There were no ultimatums or incentives, but Madigan explained to Cohen “the trajectory of how the race would go” if he remained in, and that if he got out now he may be able to salvage a future in politics, Swilley said.
Swilley said the conversation left open the idea that if Cohen helped the party control the damage, he could begin to rebuild his name and move on, perhaps running for public office down the road.
Cohen asked Madigan for help recouping the millions he spent on his campaign. Madigan made no such offer, Swilley said, but Cohen views the matter as an “open discussion.”
“We are certainly going to ask for help,” he said. “We’re going to ask them to help us with some fundraisers.”
John Gianulis, the man credited with transforming the Rock Island County Democratic Party into a dominant political machine that’s reigned for years in the Quad-Cities, has died, officials said Monday.
He was 87.
Gianulis stepped down as party leader two years ago because of health problems. […]
Friends say that Gianulis’ drive — and a knack for fusing the different factions of the party — put together winning coalitions.
He also was known over the years for having a sharp memory, with the ability to recall dates and past events in party history with clarity.
Every Democratic activist I’ve been talking to the last few days says it is time for Madigan to step up or step out. […]
But blaming the press does not excuse Madigan. Most party chairmen would have started caring about the viability of the top of the statewide Democratic ticket — no matter if Quinn or Comptroller Dan Hynes were to be the eventual nominee — once Cohen started pouring huge sums of his own money into his race. […]
The Cohen episode demonstrates that Illinois Democrats could use a real state party leader. Even if Madigan did not want the party to endorse anyone, usually a chairman would at least try to make sure the least-electable contender does not get the nomination.
“In any other state, campaigns or interested parties would have gone to the state party chair and aired their concerns about Scott Lee Cohen’s candidacy,” said Kitty Kurth, a Chicago-based Democratic consultant. “The state party chair could have asked Cohen to step down for the good of the party. If Cohen said no, then the party chair could have stood up in the press and said to voters, ‘Vote for any Democrat, but not this one.’ ”
She made a lot of good points. Madigan didn’t do anything except try to kick Sen. Rickey Hendon off the ballot. However, Kurth’s comment rings somewhat hollow since nobody went to Madigan. The Madigan people claim ignorance of Cohen’s background.
House Speaker Michael Madigan faced a rare public rebuke Sunday for his stewardship of the state Democratic Party from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who questioned why the party failed to properly vet pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen before his stunning primary win last week.
“I think that Chairman Madigan needs to have a much better process in place so that we know the backgrounds of all candidates as they put themselves up to be Democrats,” Durbin said after announcing his chairmanship of Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ U.S. Senate campaign.
“I would say to [Madigan] and to every member of this party at every level: We have a special responsibility to make sure it never happens again,” said Durbin, who also laid blame on himself and the news media for Cohen’s election.
Attempting to rebut criticism that the Illinois Democratic Party should have done more to prevent Scott Lee Cohen’s nomination for lieutenant governor, Brown said earlier today that Madigan met with Cohen on Friday and urged him in a “very direct and very frank” way to drop his candidacy.
Brown was unable to characterize Cohen’s response to Madigan during the meeting in Madigan’s Chicago law office. He said the meeting had previously been kept under wraps to avoid the appearance of backing Cohen into a corner.
But Brown said he believed the meeting should be publicized after Madigan has become the subject of criticism for failing to do background checks on the candidates for lieutenant governor, including Cohen.
Larry probably had it right about the Friday meeting…
Generally, the most intimidating thing the Speaker can do is glare at you. Even if he did speak I imagine it was something like the glare and “get out, now.”
About 90 minutes after telling the Sun-Times that he was not quitting the race Sunday, Cohen received an afternoon call from House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, the state Democratic Party chairman.
According to Madigan spokesman Steve Brown, Madigan called because he heard Cohen was dropping out of the race and wanted to confirm it.
Cohen spokesman Baxter Swilley said Madigan made it clear to Cohen that stepping aside was the best course of action for his personal life and his career and that if he did so, he would have a chance to rehabilitate his image.
Madigan, by the way, was the only party leader to call Cohen last Tuesday night to congratulate him, and Cohen had this to say last night…
“I want to thank Speaker Madigan, who met with me on a personal level to give me advice, give me some reasons why it would be best for me not to be on the ballot,” Cohen said.
So, while Madigan still gets part of the blame for Cohen being on the ticket, he does get some of the credit for getting him off.
* Meanwhile, take a look at this handy Sun-Times map of which counties were won by which candidates…
Notice that Castillo won many of the Metro East and southern Illinois counties? Do you think voters thought he was related to Jerry Costello? [ADDING: Castillo finished second in Madison County by 59 votes - buttressing the theory.]
Also, note that Rep. Mike Boland won all of the Quad Cities area, even though Congressman Phil Hare endorsed Terry Link, who did not exactly run a great campaign.
Considering all that, the Daily Herald editorial is pretty spot on…
Widespread apathy and disinterest were the unfortunate winners Tuesday, and to say that is not necessarily a knock on Cohen or Plummer. Either could have been anywhere from history’s worst candidate for office to history’s greatest. That’s not the point. The point is, they were elected without many people having any idea where they fell on that scale. They were elected, mainly, because nobody cared.
That is the hard truth.
And it is an indictment of everyone - of the electorate, the news media, the political parties, even most of the candidates running for governor (only Andy McKenna, who endorsed a running mate for himself, gets dispensation here).
None of us cared enough to go beyond the most cursory exploration to find out who these candidates were.
And that is leading to many editorial pages to call for eliminating the office or reform the selection process. Southtown…
Reformers for years have called on lawmakers to revise Illinois’ goofy running-mate system in which candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the primary and get paired for the general election - reinforcing that old saying about politics making for strange bedfellows.
Reformers for years also have called for the elimination of the lieutenant governor’s office altogether which costs about $2 million annually to operate - the same amount that Cohen spent to try to attain it.
The most important lesson, though, may be that, since the story broke Wednesday evening, Illinois has been in a tizzy because of a statewide office that doesn’t need to be. Lieutenant governors sit around waiting for governors to die or be impeached and ousted. Doesn’t happen much. Why not change our order of succession so that the attorney general or president of the state Senate is next in line? The lieutenant governor’s budget isn’t huge, but spiking this office pronto would free up some money and real estate for a state government that needs every dollar it can save.
So let’s thank Scott Lee Cohen for forcing all of us to focus on the office of lieutenant governor. Let’s wish him well. And, now that he has shuffled off the stage, let’s hope both major parties see an opportunity to cross this office off the state’s organization chart.
We urge the Legislature to revise the state’s election law so that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run as a team not just in the general election, but also in the party primaries.
More importantly, until candidates for governor are forced to choose and vet a compatible running mate, as presidential candidates must do, we can only expect more surprises like this one.
* Related…
* Where did Cohen win? Examine vote totals in the lieutenant governor’s race By Ward, By Cook Township, By County
* 3 aldermen were critical to Cohen’s election - Democrat now dropping out was supported by 2 dozen elected officials in Illinois
“He’ll do whatever he can to help the Democratic Party this fall,” the source said.
The question now is how Gov. Quinn feels about that. As we’ve already discussed, this would be a very dramatic choice that could put a whole lot of this year’s ugliness behind the governor.
More names from the CS-T…
Second-place finisher Art Turner, a West Side state representative, said Sunday he wants to be a contender. He was House Speaker Michael Madigan’s endorsed candidate. Other names kicked around included the four others in the primary: Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan), Rep. Mike Boland (D-East Moline) and electrician Thomas Castillo.
Link said he could offer more regional balance to the ticket and help attract collar county votes.
“I’m not lobbying, I’m not pushing for it, but am I still interested? Yeah,” Link said Sunday night.
Former Deputy Treasurer Raja Kirhsnamoorthi, who narrowly lost the primary election for state comptroller, reportedly would be interested in joining the ticket to add ethnic and regional (he was raised in Peoria) balance.
Also discussed was Veterans Affairs official Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Wilmette), who just lost a primary for Congress.
Others?
…Adding… I think I posted this earlier, but here’s the Tribune article again…
Democrats now face the prospect of filling Cohen’s vacancy on the ticket, a decision to be made by the 38-member Democratic State Central Committee. The committee, the governing board of state Democrats, is headed by powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, the state Democratic chairman.
“The speaker is prepared to work with the members of the (Democratic) State Central Committee, Gov. Quinn and Senate President (John) Cullerton to work on selecting a replacement,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. “We’ll start with members of the central committee and work on ideas.”
The Democratic panel is scheduled to meet March 17, though a meeting could be held sooner. The state central committee is not bound to select any of the candidates who lost to Cohen in last week’s primary. State Rep. Art Turner, of Chicago, a member of Madigan’s House leadership team who was backed by the powerful Southwest Side lawmaker, finished second to Cohen.
Even before Cohen stepped off the ticket, some Democratic leaders said privately that they would like to expand a search beyond the primary election contenders and look to fill the vacancy to provide some regional balance — namely a downstate resident. Currently, all of the nominees on the Democratic statewide ticket come from Chicago.
Every night before an Election Day, I spend four or five hours on the phone with people I trust asking what they think will happen.
There are always a couple of races that will have them stumped, but I’ve never seen everybody perplexed about so many outcomes until the night before last week’s election.
Take, for instance, the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Gov. Pat Quinn had what can only be described as a nightmarish few weeks in January. His job disapproval rating shot skyward, his support tanked everywhere and Dan Hynes pulled even in the polls.
But things started to change eight days before the election when word leaked out that Ford Motor Co. had agreed to add 1,200 jobs to its Chicago assembly plant. Factories are closing all over the country, yet here was a major success. Quinn on the Tuesday before the election held the official ceremony, which was attended by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
On Wednesday of that week, Quinn announced a $366 million upgrade to Wacker Drive in Chicago and held a ceremony at Northern Illinois University to release millions of dollars to “repurpose” Cole Hall - the site of the tragic campus shooting which left five students dead.
On that Thursday came a radio debate on WVON - an African-American station - where Quinn cleaned Hynes’ clock, and the announcement of big federal money for high-speed rail, with a subsequent Mayor Daley news conference and a statewide fly-around with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Friday. Quinn owned the entire week.
By Friday afternoon, Quinn had put Hynes on the defensive after the governor’s campaign leaked some explosive documents to a Chicago TV station about Burr Oak Cemetery. The cemetery was the object of much controversy in the Chicago area last summer when it was discovered that graves were being resold and bodies were being dug up and cast aside. Quinn’s new information made it look like Hynes should’ve known back in 2003 that there was a serious problem with grave reselling.
After being, um, buried by Quinn’s super-positive announcements all week, Hynes clearly lost the weekend. Both candidates did their best to stay positive the day before Election Day, so even if it was a draw, that’s still a loss for the challenger.
“Earned media” can’t win an election on its own. Topnotch advertising is essential. Quinn’s closing TV ads were very positive and, to my eyes, very effective. In one, he looked directly into the camera and said: “You know who I am. For years, I’ve fought the big shots on behalf of everyday people.”
A trusted friend of mine believes that was the best ad of the season. It surely was close. The governor and his team did an amazing job of framing what was really at stake. “On Tuesday,” Quinn said in the ad, “my opponent’s counting on false, negative ads to win. Me? I’m counting on you.” Perfect.
So, the night before the election, the big question was whether all of that was enough to put Quinn over the top. While he obviously stopped the hemorrhaging, was the patient just too far gone to be saved at the last minute? Or did Hynes peak too soon? Did he start running the now-infamous Harold Washington ad too early (even though it totally blunted Quinn’s initial Burr Oak Cemetery ad, which started the same day and could’ve been very damaging)? Etc., etc.
Everybody I talked with went back and forth. If they started by saying that one would win, they would always find a way to reverse themselves or seriously question their own logic. It was a maddening exercise. I learned nothing except that everybody is confused and nobody wants to stick their necks out.
As we all know by now, that last, incredible week was enough to boost Quinn’s prospects and help him squeak by Hynes with an 8,000-vote win, out of more than 900,000 votes cast - a little over a vote per precinct statewide.
It was one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. My hat’s off to the guy.
It’s just too bad he didn’t vet all the lieutenant governor candidates ahead of time. His election night would’ve been perfect. But that’s for another story.
* The state Democratic Party will make the appointment to fill the Scott Lee Cohen lt. governor vacancy. So, I asked Steve Brown, Speaker/Chairman Michael Madigan’s spokesman, about what was next.
Brown said that Madigan intends to work with the state central committee, Gov. Quinn, Senate President Cullerton and others to find a replacement for Cohen on the ticket. Brown claimed that Madigan would not act “heavy-handed,” as the media has constantly portrayed him.
Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE - 12:36 am *** From Rep. Art Turner, who finished second in the lt. governor’s race…
“I commend Scott Lee Cohen on making the difficult decision today to resign his nomination for Lieutenant Governor, and have great respect for any citizen who engages in the public political process with the hopes to improve the lives of Illinoisans.
“I believe that in the November general election, the people of Illinois will elect the candidates who are the most honest, experienced and effective leaders. Governor Pat Quinn heads an outstanding slate of accomplished legislators on the Democratic ticket that far surpass the Republican candidates in every important regard. It continues to be my desire to join this exceptional group of individuals as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, and to bring my 30 years of experience to the executive branch as we solve the difficult economic and social challenges that face this great state.”
Even before Cohen stepped off the ticket, some Democratic leaders said privately that they would like to expand a search beyond the primary election contenders and look to fill the vacancy to provide some regional balance–namely a downstate resident.
Currently, all of the nominees on the Democratic statewide ticket come from Chicago—a point Republicans have used in the past to contend that city-controlled politics dominates state policy.
From Gov. Quinn…
“Tonight he has 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.”
Media Availability with Governor Quinn Tomorrow:
When: Monday, Feb 8 at 10:30 am
Where: Allegro Hotel (171 W. Randolph St) - room TBA
The Democratic nominee for Illinois lieutenant governor has dropped out of the race less than a week after winning the nomination amid a political uproar about his past.
Scott Lee Cohen announced his decision Sunday night at a Chicago bar.
“For the good of the people …I will resign,” he said, adding: “The last thing I ever, ever wanted to do was to put the people of Illinois in jeopardy in any way.”
* 6:34 pm - Democratic lt. governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen has reportedly asked that a withdrawal speech be prepared for tonight. He’ll be at the Hop Häus starting at 7 o’clock or so, then emerge at around 10 o’clock for an announcement.
I’ll reopen comments before ten so Chicagoland readers can help with the live-blogging.
Just as a cautionary note, he’s not 100 percent certain to drop out tonight, but he is far closer than he has been if he’s drafting a speech.
*** UPDATE - 6:45 pm *** Change of plans. He’s reportedly making his statement at 7:30 and the word is it’s a drop-out statemeNT.
Embattled Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen is scheduled to address the media about his decision on whether to remain in the race.
Spokesman Baxter Swilley says Cohen won’t announce a decision at a Chicago bar on Sunday night. Instead, he’ll talk about his thought process and where he is in making the decision.
…Adding… I was saving this for tomorrow, but the Tribbies beat me to it…
Attempting to rebut criticism that the Illinois Democratic Party should have done more to prevent Scott Lee Cohen’s nomination for lieutenant governor, powerful House speaker and Democratic chairman Michael Madigan met with Cohen on Friday and urged him in a “very direct and very frank” way to drop his candidacy, a top Madigan aide said today.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for Madigan, said he was unable to characterize Cohen’s response to Madigan during the meeting in Madigan’s Chicago law office. He said the meeting had previously been kept under wraps to avoid the appearance of backing Cohen into a corner.
But Brown said he believed the meeting should be publicized after Madigan has become the subject of criticism for failing to do background checks on the candidates for lieutenant governor, including Cohen.
