* Zorn…

Dunkin has been preening that Madigan is after him because he has a mind of his own… That contention would be more persuasive if Madigan were trying to oust other Democratic reps with minds of their own, such as Jack Franks, 63rd, of Marengo, and Scott Drury, 58th, of Highwood, both of whom have also cast key votes against Madigan during the standoff with Rauner. He’s not. They’re unopposed in the primary.

Madigan is after Dunkin because Dunkin is an unapologetic defector. In an apparent effort to become a power broker, he became a reliable Republican vote in a district that went 4 to 1 for the Democrats in the 2014 election. […]

Madigan tries hard to keep his caucus in line (as does Rauner, whose allies are also spending big to try to defeat a downstate incumbent Republican lawmaker who dared to cast union-friendly votes), but it’s a myth that Madigan’s unique personality and power is all that keeps his members in line.

If Dunkin wins, rank-and-file Democrats will still oppose Rauner’s pro-business, anti-labor agenda, and the stalemate will go on.

Zorn also thinks that Dunkin might win. I don’t disagree. It’s really difficult to oust an incumbent in a primary, particularly one who is as well-funded as Dunkin is.

…Adding… An informed dissent in comments…

Both Drury and Franks are in Purple Districts. Zorn’s analysis is bunk.

Knocking out Franks in a primary would likely lead to a lost seat. So, that’s true. Drury? Maybe not, but I can most definitely see a backlash in that north suburban district against Madigan’s hand-picked candidate in the general.

So, I’ve altered the lead-in to remove my agreement. Many thanks to the commenter.