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* Rachel Hinton …
Nearly three months after a blowout loss to Lori Lightfoot in the April mayoral election, Preckwinkle on Tuesday kicked wide open the door to seeking another term as Cook County Board president.
“Yes, she’s running again,” Scott Kastrup, Preckwinkle’s political director, said at a fundraiser held at the Chicago Cultural Center. “We’re pleased to be doing this [fundraiser] again, and she’s definitely running for re-election for the County Board.”
Tuesday’s event left little doubt that that was the plan.
A jazz band played tunes such as Dave Brubeck’s classic “Take Five” as supporters filed into the room. At the sign-in tables, donors were encouraged to take buttons emblazoned with Preckwinkle’s face.
The messaging was simple: Re-elect Toni Preckwinkle President of Cook County Board.”
* Tribune…
Preckwinkle, who is chair of the Cook County Democratic Party, previously said this would be her last term.
But she backed off the idea in an April interview with the Tribune, saying she was thinking about running for re-election in 2022.
“I think there’s a lot to do,” she said at the time, “and in particular, frankly, we’ve got to do something about what’s happening in the south suburbs.”
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:25 am
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If she didn’t say she was running she would be a lame duck for the next 3 years. It’s possible she doesn’t run again, but the time for that announcement is late 2021 not now
Comment by Fax Machine Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:33 am
What else she gonna do?
She bet she’d be Mayor today. That didn’t work out.
Why walk anyway? Who is gonna beat her?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:35 am
There’s nowhere to go but horizontal.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:37 am
“got to do something about what’s happening in the south suburbs.” Right, she is going to fix things as County Board Chairman. Talk about an ego. County government didn’t create those issues and sure as heck won’t fix it but if you want to be elected you want to show yourself to be a savior. And I’m sure she’ll be reelected.
Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:40 am
The universe of possible candidates who
1) would want the job, and
2) could possibly beat her
seems very, very small.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:42 am
Agree, without an announcement the sharks circle for three years. granted there’s already some out there I’m sure after the huge blowout in the Mayor’s race.
Strengthens her position to retain Chair of the County party.
Even though, not sure winning or losing elections is the benchmark for party leadership considering Tim Schneider is still around?
Comment by DuPage Bard Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:49 am
Why not just say, “There’s a lot of work still to be done in the next three years, so I’ll make that decision when the time comes.”
It can’t be helpful for her to seem like she’s constantly in campaign mode when she says she’s in governing mode…
Comment by OutOfState Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:49 am
if the church lady merged with John Stroger and heading more to be like him every day. at least the sun in shining today.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:50 am
The voters have told her where they want her and where they don’t.
Likely a good scenario for her, the city and the county.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:57 am
Who would be able to beat her in just about three years time?
Comment by Levois Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:57 am
Career politicians just can’t walk away on top of their game. They have to be forced out.
Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 9:59 am
While I generally agree with Willy and MrJM’s sentiment that it’s hard to identify a legitimate challenger who actually wants the job, Toni’s breathtakingly bad result in the mayor’s race should not be overlooked. That kind of electoral disaster does not happen to a well known candidate unless he or she is deeply unpopular.
She might not lose, but she’ll probably have to beat someone more substantial than Bob Fioretti next time.
Comment by Roman Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:02 am
===…but she’ll probably have to beat someone more substantial than Bob Fioretti next time.===
With respect, I defer to - @MisterJayEm -
===The universe of possible candidates who
1) would want the job, and
2) could possibly beat her
seems very, very small.===
This is the correct view.
Today, this is the correct view.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:06 am
- Roman -
Don’t get me wrong, or misconstrue my response, or think your take is off the mark.
It was more me deferring, where you cited my thought too.
Be well.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:11 am
So she seeks re-election at age 75 and thinks she will serve until she is 79. It’s a free country, and given President Trump is 73, Speaker Pelosi is 79, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is 78 and congressional candidate Jim Oberweis wants to start a congressional career at age 74 1/2, one more septuagenarian doesn’t make a difference. If she really tries to seek re-election in 2022, wouldn’t surprise me if she faces a younger Democratic primary challenger who can honestly say “3 terms is enough”.
Comment by Former Quigley Supporter Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:22 am
Don’t count Toni out. Even though she lost in a blowout to Lightfoot, she’s the Cook County Democrat boss. She still has a lot of support. She could beat any Republican for Cook County Board President because Cook County voters don’t have a problem with high taxes.
Comment by Steve Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:30 am
Willie Wilson? I know he is old and frankly it is about time someone under 60 ran. Better if under 50
Seems like whole generation of politicians is like Prince Charles stuck waiting for someone to die
Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 10:54 am
A lot of Lori Lightfoot’s 75% was more anti-Toni than pro Lori. Preckwinkle is even more unpopular in the suburbs. By announcing, she gets to raise money and try to look strong after her crushing defeat. It’s a long time until 2022. The Cook County Democratic party is slipping. It will be interesting to see what they do locally in 2020.
Comment by Trapped in the 'burbs Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:02 am
She is vulnerable based on the Mayor’s race, but she still has many institutional advantages. One, and I stress the word one, youthful independent or progressive Democrat could give her a run. Not two or more. One interesting factor will be if she is on the ballot with her protege the even more vulnerable Kim Foxx, and how that might impact the race.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:12 am
One thing she could “do for the south suburbs” is renew her previous support for the South Suburban Airport, a long overdue economic engine for the State that would also connect the already booming e-commerce clusters (including 5 Amazon Fulfillment Centers) in South Cook and Will Counties to the rest of the country, hemisphere and world. You can’t seriously help the Southland without creating a massive number of new jobs, and only an airport can do that.
Comment by Southland Strong Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:13 am
@Ron Burgundy, SA Foxx is up in 2020. Or maybe down….
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:15 am
The right candidate could beat Toni but I have no idea who that would be. I didn’t predict Lori Lightfoot would be the one to beat Toni for Mayor but she did it in a blowout.
Kim Foxx’s race in 2020 could be seen as a test for Team Toni. The Sun Times is reporting that a young former State’s Attorney who happens to be the son of a billionaire is looking at running againat her.
Comment by Fax Machine Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:17 am
Here’s the Sun Times article on the guy who wants to run against Kim Foxx
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/6/25/18758525/unknown-former-prosecutor-with-wealthy-father-bill-conway-eyes-campaign-against-kim-foxx
I also heard that Richard Boykin was thinking about it. We’ll see shortly
Comment by Fax Machine Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:20 am
“universe of people who can beat her”
Kind of amazing people can say that about somebody who didn’t even when the majority of precincts were they used to be alderman.
I imagine when the time comes there will be a host politicians who think they can beat her.
3 years ago if I said she would be blown out by somebody who’s never been elected to office, who would have taken me seriously??
Comment by Fav human Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:25 am
@Fax Machine, re that potential candidate against Kim Foxx, 41 is young? Young is getting older and older every day.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:27 am
The more impressive thing to do would be to is bow out gracefully and try to get some things accomplished in the remaining three years without having to be so nakedly political.
Of course she doesn’t do that because her team doesn’t know any other path than being nakedly political.
She will not be re-elected if she runs again. She is about as popular as typhus these days.
Comment by LP Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:31 am
Who would want it?
Chico, Vallas, Enyia, Joyce, Bill Daley, John Daley, Patrick Daley Thompson, Mendoza, Wilson, ?
Who would win? In a one on one race———-
Joyce, Anyone with Daley in the name, Mendoza
Comment by Law Man Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:31 am
She’s putting up spikes in the road to discourage anyone from from thinking about pursuing “her” job. I was so hoping she’d get the message and go gracefully after the mayor debacle — and would spend her remaining time in office helping develop the next generation of pols.
Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:34 am
Three years is an eternity politically. A formidable opponent could easily materialize. It is hard to present oneself as both the past and the future.
Significant examples of the electorate being willing to take a chance on somebody “new” on the local, State and Federal level. The Mayor, Governor and President all share that distinction.
Comment by Dude Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:37 am
I think Mendoza will challenge her.
Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:39 am
I agree with the “new” for Mayor and POTUS but I think the governor was actually more of the “old” than Rauner even given his closeness to the party apparatus.
There is a path for someone noteworthy to run as an independent and beat Toni in the general *if* the GOP doesn’t run someone.
Can’t primary her by going left because there isn’t any space there but she is very vulnerable on corruption and an independent/unaligned could totally play that up.
Comment by LP Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:41 am
== she’s the Cook County Democrat boss. ==
Did that help her in the mayoral race, or was it used effectively against her? Did it help Joe Berrios, or hurt him?
Being the “boss” makes it easier to collect signatures and make a few judges, but otherwise it’s become a pretty heavy anchor. You can expect Kim Foxx to be portrayed as the “machine” candidate after Preckwinkle engineers her slating. It might not be fair to Foxx, but the endorsement of the committeemen can be easily turned into a scarlet letter in top-of-the-ballot races.
Comment by Roman Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:42 am
@Dude and LP: Dude can add Congressman Sean Casten, Congresswomen Lauren Underwood and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to that list of yours. And like Lightfoot, AOC came out of nowhere and successfully primaried a 10-term incumbent. Beto O’Rourke did a similar thing in 2012 against an 8-term incumbent, but he had served 2 terms on El Paso City Council prior to 2012.
LP is right, Pritzker had run for something before (the Shackowsky congressional seat when Yated retired?), so he can’t be compared completely to President Trump and Mayor Lightfoot.
Comment by Former Quigley Supporter Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:48 am
If the election were held right now, I’d argue “anyone Lightfoot endorses” might beat Preckwinkle. But it’s not. Preckwinkle has a lot of time to improve her reputation, and she did receive more votes than Daley or Mendoza just a few months ago.
Comment by Robert the Bruce Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 11:53 am
This is about paying down campaign debt and avoiding the lame duck label.
Comment by Shytown Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 12:49 pm
Her campaign was so bad she actually regained her status as a nobody that nobody sent.
Comment by Sonny Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 1:34 pm
Commissioner Jeff Tobolski
Comment by Honeybadger Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 2:20 pm
__ Preckwinkle will be very vulnerable in 2020, or
__ Preckwinkle will face only one serious challenger in the Democratic primary.
Seems like you gotta pick one or the other.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 3:02 pm
==Joyce==
Isn’t he set to take Kim Foxx’s job?
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Jun 26, 19 @ 5:28 pm
Smile
Comment by Publius Thursday, Jun 27, 19 @ 8:57 am