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* UPDATED x1 * Lisa Madigan visits DC to gauge support

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Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan spoke with several of the nation’s top progressive groups during a visit to Washington D.C. last week, further fueling expectations that the popular Democrat will run for governor in 2014.

Madigan is weighing a campaign for the state’s top office even though the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Pat Quinn, has said he plans to seek another term.

During a trip to the nation’s capital, Madigan discussed a possible campaign with strategists for the League of Conservation Voters, the prominent environmental group; and EMILY’s List, the group dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights, according to sources familiar with the conversations.

“She’s leaning heavily toward a run and was doing rounds to build relationships and gauge potential support,” one source said of Madigan.

* Phil Kadner, meanwhile, watched the governor’s budget address and is now completely fed up with Gov. Quinn…

Run, Lisa, run.

That was my reaction to Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget address on Wednesday.

It was a clear call for new leadership in Illinois, and Lisa Madigan, the state attorney general, ought to enter the race for governor.

Quinn is no leader. He is unable to rally public opinion. The Legislature repeatedly turns a deaf ear to his pleas for pension reform. He has no idea how to move the state forward.

Some newspaper editorial writers have written that Madigan should not run for office unless her father steps down as speaker of the House of Representatives. I think voters are capable of deciding for themselves if a father-daughter power combo bothers them.

With Quinn at about a 25 percent approval rating in some polls, the people of Illinois are desperate to hear a different kind of message from their governor.

Whether that’s Madigan or someone else makes no difference to me.

I just want to see as many qualified people as possible competing in next year’s gubernatorial election, and the attorney general is certainly one of those people. […]

Quinn used to think he had all the answers. It turns out, he didn’t even know the key question.

How do you lead Illinois?

Discuss.

*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz on AG Madigan…

Another party source who would know says she’s begun making calls to major party “bundlers” — donors with large networks of friends. That’s more important now that Illinois finally has limits on the size of individual campaign donations. And I hear her forthcoming financial disclosure for the first quarter of the year will show her raking in quite a haul. […]

None of that is good for Mr. Daley, who let it be known a few weeks ago that he was seriously eying a race, but now is watching to let her make the first definitive move.

Sources close to Mr. Daley say he understands that his probability of winning the March 2014 Democratic primary would be pretty low in a three-way race with Ms. Madigan and incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn, who has said he’ll seek a new term.

As a result, Mr. Daley has told friends, it’s highly unlikely he will run if she does.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 9:53 am

Comments

“voters are capable of deciding for themselves if a father-daughter power combo bothers them” Yes, it bothers me. It is one thing to be the Attorney General and support the decisions passed by the House and Senate and signed by the Governor; it is another thing to hold two-thirds of the power in one family. Especially, since MJM has been a big portion of the decisions that got us into this mess to begin with! Want real leadership and a way to move the state forward? Elect a new Speaker!

Comment by Both Sides Now Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:08 am
- the people of Illinois are desperate to hear a different kind of message from their governor. -

You’re right Phil, unfortunately times ain’t great, and the message they’re getting is the truth.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:10 am
Show me the money, says Lisa.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:12 am
Flounder: “Oh boy! This is gonna be great!!”

Comment by phocion Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:13 am
I think you lead Illinois by acting like a Governor. Set a vision and specific legislative agenda. Actively work with the legislature to compromise, but get as much of your agenda implemented as possible. Then control your executive state agencies and make sure they all stay on point with all aspects of your agenda.

Comment by one of the 35 Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:16 am
@STL

Since you seem to be Quinn’s biggest supporter on this site I’m curious what you think about the match up if she announced.

Does the Govenor seriously think he has a chance against the most popular politician in this state? I seriously think his ego doesn’t allow him to walk away from this match up.

Comment by Farker Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:31 am
I think what we really need in Illinois is another Madigan and more importantly another generation of another Irish clan running things since it’s been so successful for this state for so long.

The state needs a fresh injection of faces and people who haven’t been in the newspapers for 20 years not more of the same.

The other day I made a comment about the awfulness of our congressional delegation, but the reality is those campaigns have been the best over the last decade- obama-keyes-2 harvard african american leaders, walsh duckworth gave you a real choice between obama and the tea party kirk seals gave the north shore a choice between kirk’s moderation and seals call for change in the house. Even the bean crane and cegelis-hyde races, you had newer people coming onto the scene representing fresher ideas.

Madigan, Dillard, Brady, Daley, Rutherford, yawn yawn yawn yawn. we might as well get our dial up internet set up turn on cnn to see what’s hapenning in the oj trial and see if baseball is still on strike.

Comment by Shore Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:31 am
“voters are capable of deciding for themselves if a father-daughter power combo bothers them”

Doesn’t bother me, I’m not a tin-foil hat type.

I will be more than happy to put the lever for Lisa.

Comment by Woody Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:39 am
- I’m curious what you think about the match up if she announced. -

I think she would be a very formidable opponent. I would imagine Pat Quinn thinks the same thing.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:41 am
Lisa Madigan emerges as the pro-abortion environmentalist governor? I suppose once pension reform is solved, she’s free to do whatever she wants.

Comment by state worker Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:41 am
All things being equal, I’d be inclined to agree that Lisa would be an improvement over Quinn. But Kadner’s complaints about Quinn needs to be turned into questions about Lisa:

Yes, Quinn is unable to rally public opinion. Maybe Lisa would be more skilled at doing that, but to what end? What, exactly, will she be rallying the public in support of??

Yes, the Legislature repeatedly turns a deaf ear to Quinn’s pleas for pension reform. But what sort of reform proposals would a Governor Madigan be putting before the GA?

Yes, it’s absolutely clear that Quinn has no idea how to move the state forward. But what evidence is that there that Lisa does?

Comment by grand old partisan Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:41 am
What are the chances of MJM retiring/stepping aside before the election?

Comment by LathamPlace Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:45 am
- his ego doesn’t allow him to walk away from this match up. -

Also, I don’t know where you get off thinking this has anything to do with ego. Pat Quinn took office in extremely difficult circumstances, and he wants to finish the job he started.

Is it somehow more honorable of him to quit because things are tough, or because some other Democratic leaders don’t like the way he does things?

I’ve said it before, Quinn has been beaten before, he’s not afraid of losing, and he’s not afraid of bad poll numbers. If there’s a fight, it’s going to be a fight, no matter what the supposedly inevitable outcome is.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:55 am
While I’m relatively agnostic when it comes to Lisa Madigan, I do think she’s done a fine enough job as AG. At the same time, I’m not terribly comfortable with the idea of a Gov Madigan - Speaker Madigan duo controlling the state government. And I suspect there are a lot of suburban swing voters who’ve repeatedly voted for Lisa who feel the same way. The best possible way for her to win is for her father to agree to step down as Speaker if she’s elected governor. Of course, he’s given no indication that he’ll do that and it’s really unimaginable that he ever would. But if electing Lisa Madigan as governor meant that her father would no longer be speaker, I guarantee there would be droves of moderate Republican suburban voters — even some who may have voted against Lisa in the past — who would vote for her to be governor just to make her father go away.

Comment by us436 Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 10:58 am
So…with public activity like this, what are the odds Lisa Madigan does not run for governor after all?

I wouldn’t say nil. Things can happen. But what number is close enough to nil to be accurate?

I cannot imagine why she would not run. She already has a campaign war chest, the strongest polling numbers in the state, and is in prime position to tap national arteries of cash. Bet the White House wouldn’t mind either — they begged her to get in the ‘10 Senate race.

Quinn would have to napalm her to have any chance in a primary, and even that might not be enough. No idea what Rauner or any candidate that emerges from the GOP could do to make a competitive race of the general.

Comment by Boone Logan Square Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:01 am
@us

Haven’t we learned yet that the fire Madigan campaign is ineffective?

@STL

There’s nothing wrong with being a fighter. In my opinion he comes across as arrogant and tone deaf. Just my opinion and thanks for your responses.

Comment by Farker Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:10 am
She’s obviuosly been building for some higher office with all those commercials she runs to scare old people about mursing homes and sex offenders, and you name it, even when she runs unopposed. That says a lot and that’s what I don’t like about her.

She can pick and choose what she wants to work on and she seems to go for politically easy game. Someone so popular could have done a lot more.

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:24 am
STL:

“unfortunately times ain’t great, and the message they’re getting is the truth”

So, this time Quinn is *serious* about cutting education funding? Or is it just leverage again, with education still being (one of) his top priority?

Comment by Chris Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:25 am
If Lisa does make the run, I hope Bruce Rauner will end the vanity tour and give the money he would otherwise waste to charity.

If he really wants to help the state, that would be a serious way.

Comment by just sayin' Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:26 am
Agreed.

Lisa, “I will run, you get me enough money to win, I’ll run, but if it looks like I am going to be cash-strapped, especially against a possible self-funder in the General Election, I can still run and win my Attorney General office with the hand I have now. The Ball is in your court (Emily’s List, League of Conseravion voters, etc.)”

Money, might be the last real hurdle to jump before really pondering this beyond the idle chatter.

A Madigan, never does anything, before knowing ALL the angles, including the opponents.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 11:27 am
I hope Lisa runs and would support her. Her record is of independence from her father, so I think the family relationship is of no consequence. She is a solid person and a good administrator, unlike the Governor, who is very erratic on policy and is a terrible administrator and leader. I think the Governor’s heart is in the right place, but his head is all over the place.

Comment by jake Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 12:26 pm
Kadner’s criticism reminds me of the criticism Obama deals with in DC — the idea that if only he were to lead, then all our problems would be solved. It’s simplistic and naive, and ignores the substance of the actual positions advanced by Quinn.

Comment by slow down Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 12:41 pm
I agree that Lisa has shown independence from her father but she has not shown us much else. She has picked the easy targets (Dan Bureaucrat) and, unfortunately, she is not very different from Anita Alvarez. With single obvious exception. I’d feel so much better about her if she had actually tackled something difficult. The devil I know vs. the devil I don’t. Not happy with any of my choices.

Comment by justbabs Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 1:29 pm
Lisa’s only experience outside of elected government has been as a community organizer. I wonder if she has ever even held a job at McDonalds?

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 1:43 pm
as

Comment by My My Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 1:44 pm
Most of us here are ” inside baseball” But thr average citizen tends to view experience and incumbency with great suspicion these days. Like it or not, Rauner with no past government post has a great appeal to those voters who are just tired of ” that whole crowd ” in Springfield.

Comment by Publius Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 1:44 pm
@Farker I’m not suggesting Lisa Madigan build a campaign around the idea that voting for her means her father is no longer speaker. The “Fire Madigan” campaign was lame and ineffective because it wasn’t persuasive to enough people. In heavily gerrymandered districts, most Democrats don’t particularly care, loyal Republicans are going to vote for the GOP candidate anyway and most swing voters are either tuned out politically or they’re not about to vote against a State Rep they’ve repeatedly supported for years just to oust Madigan. In a given district the number of people who’d vote for anyone at all just to “fire Madigan” is not big enough to impact an individual House race. A statewide race is different.

The GOP tried to make “fire Madigan” a central message in an election about much bigger things and they were mostly ignored. If Lisa runs for governor her father inevitably becomes a much bigger issue in the campaign.

As I said, I don’t think there’s a huge block of single-minded “Fire Madigan” voters, but if the GOP nominates another candidate who doesn’t play well with moderate suburban Republicans and people have the option to vote for a popular Democrat (who many of them have supported before), the idea of simultaneously retiring the Speaker could tip a lot of people in Lisa’s direction.

Comment by us436 Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 1:55 pm
- Publius -,

Poll numbers … as they specifically sit, today… suggest otherwise in regards to Lisa, and the voting public trusting her or not, and with Rauner as an unknown, today, suggests voters don’t know him AT ALL to make any decision on him.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:05 pm
–Lisa’s only experience outside of elected government has been as a community organizer. I wonder if she has ever even held a job at McDonalds?–

Really, you want to go with the “community organizer” thing, again? How did that work against the last guy, lol.

Well, since then, all she’s done for a while is pound lumps on the heads of Republican opponents. I imagine that’s at the top of her resume at this point.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:10 pm
Willy, i agree that is the case now. But i am suggesting what will become evident as the Rauner folks spend an enormous amount of money. True, many rich guys have fallen flat in electoral politics, but i think we are dealing which a much sharper and more clever guy here. Time, of course will tell as others check the back of his closets.

Comment by Publius Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:22 pm
- Publius -

Fair enough!

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:33 pm
Did Lisa go to Washington on our dime or hers?

Comment by Both Sides Now Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:36 pm
“Mr. Daley has told friends, it’s highly unlikely he will run if she does.”
It’s also highly unlikely he will run if she doesn’t.

Comment by Anonymour Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:48 pm
wordslinger,

The only non-governmental experience I could find was community organizer. Not going the Obama route at all (or I would have mentioned it), just saying I know of NO outside experience Lisa has had other than community organizing for a couple of years. Obama did spend some time in the private sector, has Lisa?

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 2:56 pm
===Obama did spend some time in the private sector, has Lisa?===

“Madigan also volunteered as a high school teacher …in South Africa …during apartheid.”

“Madigan later worked as a litigator for the Chicago law firm of Sachnoff & Weaver.”

- Cincinnatus - c’mon really? Lisa tough school in a foreign country, (Peace Corp-esque?) and worked at a law firm. Lisa spent 4 years in the Illinois Senate, Has won re-election against token opposition because no sane Republican would or could take her on …

- Cininnatus -, bud, c’mon.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:04 pm
Cincinnatus, gee maybe Dillard will do a TV ad for community organizer Lisa Madigan like he did for community organizer Barack Obama. If that background is ok to become President, it should be ok to become Governor.

Comment by Sage Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:09 pm
- Sage -

Wow.

Just… wow.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:14 pm
Cincinnatus, you didn’t look very hard.
Lisa worked four years as an associate at a Loop law firm. (She also was a teacher.)

Comment by Anonymour Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:17 pm
Re Cincinnatus @2:56
She was in private practice in Chicago for a couple of years before she was elected to the state senate. I’m told she was well regarded by a friend who worked at the same law firm.

Comment by Phil Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:19 pm
To tell you the truth, I’m tired of Illinois Democrats acting like Republicans.

Comment by funny guy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:29 pm
-Rauner with no past government post has a great appeal-

If Rauner doesn’t have any ghosts in his closet (see Jack Ryan) and the GOP doesn’t shred themselves in a primary, I believe Rauner can make a difference in the race.

Lisa’s biggest hurdle will be the current fiscal mess. If is not resolved (or appears to be resolved) she will find it difficult to stay out of the mud.

The anti-Madigan theme could resonate more in this next election than it did in the last mid-term Gubernatorial election. The reason being, the voters will actually be voting for or against a Madigan.

Rauner has already tested his strength on Schock and he has proven he should not be taken lightly.

Comment by Endangered Moderate Species Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:32 pm
===Rauner has already tested his strength on Schock and he has proven he should not be taken lightly.===

Agreed.

My hope for Rauner is that he vetted himself well enough so that his personal integirty at the end, win or lose, is still intact.

Run them all. Anyone who want to run, go for it!

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 3:36 pm
I firmly disagree with P. Kadner’s position and brutal slashing of the Governor. The bottom line is, whatever the guy’s fascination with Lisa, she is just another Politician and no Savior, Phil. And it’s interesting, and extremely biased I might add, how Kadner summarily dismisses and overlooks ALL of the many major accomplishments and reforms of our sitting Governor over the past 4 years. If he feels so strongly about Lisa, however, maybe he oughta apply to become her Press Spokesperson or something…(oh, that’s right, he tried to back-peddle at the end of his piece and merely note how Lisa is “qualified,”…what, Phil, and the Sitting Governor is not? Pretty crass stuff. Oh, and one more thing–it is sheer bufoonery to suggest that Pat Quinn has EVER claimed “to think he had all the answers” about solving every last one of Illinois’ monolithic number of problems. What garbage…!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Friday, Mar 8, 13 @ 4:31 pm