* Heidi Stevens in the Tribune…
A simple question — weighed down by a clunky domain name — is drawing attention to the serious lack of estrogen in Illinois’ gubernatorial race.
AreThereAnyWomenRunningForILGovernor.com attempts to nudge some women into the race for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s seat and calls on Democratic leadership to diversify its 2018 offerings.
The site, once you take the clickbait, delivers you to a giant red NO. The answer’s fairly self-evident, but it sits atop a handful of statements that link to organizations encouraging women to seek higher office. […]
Illinois has a long and storied history of exclusively white male governors, four of whom went to prison. (Lock him up!)
I don’t know. Maybe it’s time to mix things up a little.
* From the website…
Illinois Democrats: Zero women are running for governor. What’s your plan to support women leaders in our state?
(sign your name if you agree–all are invited to sign)
We are disturbed that of all the Democratic candidates running for Illinois governor, zero are women. Zero.
Of these eight straight, cisgender men, six are white. This is a problem.
Make no mistake: We will fight like hell to elect whichever candidate wins the Democratic nomination, because no one could be more harmful for Illinois women than Bruce Rauner. But it is time to acknowledge the obstacles hindering women from running for office in our state–from the overwhelming presence of big money in elections to a lack of leadership from the Democratic Party in recruiting and training women and people of color to run.
So, Democratic Party leaders: What is your plan to address the hurdles keeping women, and especially women of color, from advancing in elected office in Illinois? We commit to fighting for those needed changes from the grassroots level.
Your thoughts on this?
- Fax Machine - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:15 pm:
I have a feeling a lot of women will be running for Lt Governor
- Anon0091 - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:15 pm:
Yes, it’s very surprising. And?
- The Captain - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:17 pm:
Anyone who wants to be Governor in 2019 should automatically be disqualified for clearly having failed to understand what the job will actually entail. Maybe the reason there are no women running for Governor is that they’re just smarter than men.
- Blue dog dem - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:17 pm:
It only proves that women are smarter than men.
- Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:19 pm:
I can think of one: the wrong Pritzker sibling is running. Penny would have more experience, equal access to money, lower negatives, and more of an Obama connection.
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:19 pm:
I wish there were female candidates in this race, and I recognize the inherent challenges they face. Part of me hopes that qualified women took a look at the landscape and were too smart/sensible to jump into this circus right now and they made those decisions individually. Sometimes it’s just the way things shake out. I expect there will be women in the Lt. Gov race, and there already are in the AG and Comptroller races.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
If they want to rebuild (yes, I mean rebuild) the Dem Party and not just the base, they might want to take a page from Cheri Bustros’ Build the Bench effort:
https://tinyurl.com/ybkestz7
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
Perhaps Rep. Ives will challenge Rauner for his complicity on the tax increase.
- Nick Name - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:21 pm:
Who’s paying for the website?
- justme - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:22 pm:
I agree with “the captain”, I think women are too smart to take on this role in Illinois.
- Tollway Tommy - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:23 pm:
I thought Carol Ammons was running and Pritzker was going to be her Lt. Gov?
- Dupage R - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:28 pm:
After this soon to be fight over Education Funding happens I’m betting a few woman will then enter races. You can bet that Mendoza is getting a female opponent and it might not be Munger. As for Governor it takes one woman to primary Rauner and the fun really will begin. If the schools in this state don’t open on time woman much much more then men will never forget who caused it.
- the 647 - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:28 pm:
Fingers crossed that Scherer puts her hat in the ring.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
==all the Democratic candidates running for Illinois governor, zero are women. Zero. Of these eight straight, cisgender men, six are white. This is a problem.==
So not much different than labor union leadership.
- JudyBarr - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
As usual, a woman must be a democrat to count. I believe Judy Barr Topinka was the repub candidate several years ago. And she was not a far right wing candidate nor hardly a right wing one. Very moderate on most all of the issues this site probably stand for.
- Come on Man! - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:37 pm:
http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/who-we-elect-an-interactive-graphic.aspx#
- Saluki - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:38 pm:
It’s not as if there are no women in Illinois Government.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Women_in_Illinois_politics
Does the fact that none of them are running for Governor really mean that there is some issue that needs to be addressed?
- Come on Man! - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:41 pm:
Also- The pritzkers are YUUUGEE donors to EMILYs list. Dont be surprised.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:43 pm:
Good grief don’t people realize his country has gone down hill since women got the vote? Depression, world war, Vietnam, riots and now someone wants a woman governor? Drive this state to junk status /s
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:47 pm:
Why no women running?
Ask the Speaker why his daughter is not running for Governor.
Is the fact that she is white a problem or does that just apply to men?
- ste_with_a_v_en - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:48 pm:
“Of these eight straight, cisgender men, six are white. This is a problem.”
No one is stopping women from running. Also, when mention the cisgender?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
Site was apparently registered last April. But there’s still time before petitions are due in November.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 12:59 pm:
Disconnect in ‘women too smart to run’ and the implication the challenge would be too great (for whatever reason).
- walker - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
Almost half the state-level Democratic office holders in Illinois are women, with much diversity. Are you sure you’re asking the right group why there are barriers?
- Fixer - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
This is an issue?
- chi - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:03 pm:
Illinois has a pretty good history of electing women to elected office… The issue in this election is money, not gender.
- Fixer - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:04 pm:
Sorry, hit the Say It button on accident.
This is an issue? We have a female LT Governor, a female AG, a female Comptroller, and several other women in positions of power within this state.
This seems like a reach to me.
- Julian's Melange - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:12 pm:
Had our chances with Dawn C-N and Judy B-T but nooooo we went for the men with the great hairdos.
That being said, we still have plenty on the “bench” so to speak. AG is one, got a comptroller who’s itching to get into the fray. I think that web site is bunch of hooey.
- Clark - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
There’s nothing wrong with asking the question of why women aren’t running for the top spot in our government but I wouldn’t say it’s a issue.
However the statement, “We are disturbed that of all the Democratic candidates running for Illinois governor, zero are women. Zero. ” may be a little overdramatic. There’s plenty of time for capable women to run with any party and they should not put up women candidates just to put them up.
It’s not a Democratic party problem, (as in the first woman presidential nominee just won the state, unless people forgot), it’s an Illinois problem.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
Usually if there is a call to arms, like “we need X” be it the type of candidate from a region, or a gender, or a race, there’s another “foot” to drop.
Lisa Madigan, Susana Mendoza.
Of the 4 constitutionals Dem control, 2 are female Dems, one is a Latina.
My point?
Seems like an awful lot of work to “call” for diversity when diversity of gender in Dems statewide is seen.
So..,
Is this just a Frat Boy taunting website to alienate female Dems, with the media picking it up…
… or a precursor to a female Dem trying to gin up a gender call to arms, and that female “by happenstance” hears the call?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:28 pm:
You can always count on the Tribune to be an apologist for the IlGOP.
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:49 pm:
Why does this website challenge only Illinois Democrats with this complaint, as if it’s their special obligation to put forward a female candidate?
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:49 pm:
Actually, LP’s inability to consider Lisa Madigan as anything other than an extension of her father *does* rather elegantly illustrate the problem.
Really feels like Bustos missed a trick here. That poll she ran must’ve just been brutal.
- So_Ill - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 1:51 pm:
Let us put men and women together, see which one is smarter,
Some say men, but I say no, women got the men like a puppet show.
It ain’t me it’s the people that say, men are leading women astray,
I say, it’s the women today, smarter than the men in every way,
That’s right the women are smarter, the women are smarted that’s right.
- Former Hillrod - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
Didn’t we have an African-American woman as US Senator a few years back?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 2:19 pm:
The Republican governor just drove the only female legislative leader out of office, but this is a problem for Democrats to fix?
- @MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 2:24 pm:
That post wasn’t mine, but it sure could have been.
– MrJM
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
Arsenal
Given JB Pritzker’s numbers being hurt by his refusal to distance himself from the Speaker, how do you think Lisa Madigan would poll if she were running for Governor today?
Illinois would be an even bigger joke natuonally than it is today
- Veil of Ignorance - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 3:34 pm:
I think it’s a good move by the group to increase the chances that the Dem Lt. Governor is a female candidate. I’m not sure who that would be…more so because I’m not sure who’d want that position over where they may be currently.
- A guy - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 3:40 pm:
There just aren’t. And the most obvious, with the best chance of winning, isn’t interested in running.
Maybe next time. In fact I’d use this site for just that purpose. To put enough of planning time and gathering of resources into such an effort in order to afford them a chance at the top spot.
Same as everyone else who is currently running and planned for it starting quite a while ago, and started lining things up.
Elaine Nekritz is a serious Democrat. So are several other women in the Legislature. Maybe the wrong Pritzker is running?
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 5:42 pm:
Lisa Madigan. that is the answer. simple.
- ILGOV2018 - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 7:46 pm:
Maybe former Senator Radogno will primary Rauner.
- Shanks - Tuesday, Jul 11, 17 @ 8:52 pm:
May the best PERSON win against B. Rauner…whether it be female, male, whatever…sex, race, religion, etc don’t matter to me, as long as they are the most qualified for the job.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 12, 17 @ 8:34 am:
It is a sexist question, isn’t it?
Why not ask each current candidate full details about their gender identities - you know, find out which one is most likely to transistion?
Gender does not disqualify, or qualifies an individual running for political office, right?
It’s a question from an obviously biased group of people thinking that chromosomes matter more than they do.
- Biker - Wednesday, Jul 12, 17 @ 9:45 am:
Would love to see Radogno challenge