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Hiram Wurf thinks it’s a good time to start contemplating a possible gubernatorial bid by House Republican Leader Tom Cross.

Yes, I know the governor’s race is a long way off, but what do you think Cross will do? And how will he do if he jumps in?

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 9:52 am

Comments

I wouldn’t put it past him, but he’ll have competition from the right, i.e. Bill Brady.

Comment by Fire Ron Guenther Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:02 am
I am a Republican and I like Cross but our next Governor will be either Lisa Madigan or Barack Obama if this Presidential/VP thing does not work out. Why would Obama want to waste time working up the Senate’s archaic seniority system when he can be a (still young) Governor of a big state. Look at the recent Presidents - they were Governors: W, Clinton, Reagan, Carter.

Comment by Suburbs Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:07 am
I think Cross will run for Attorney General, if Lisa does indeed run for governor.

Comment by Leigh Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:13 am
Although a Cross candidacy might sound plausible, few voters if any have ever heard of Tom Cross outside his district and Springfield. He’s got a ton of name ID work ahead of him, and I’m trying to think, issue-wise, what he’s accomplished in the legislature. Don’t get me wrong, Tom’s a great guy and I think a better GOP candidate. But those qualities alone won’t be enough. He needs to start campaigning today if he really wants to campaign…and let’s remember that when a House member runs, it’s all or nothing. There’s no mid-term protection.

Comment by Willie Wontee Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:18 am
For Cross to run for governor will take two things:

1. A record in his present position on which he can run.
2. Approval by the old elephants.

I think it is more likely that Andy McKenna would be the choice. He has done nothing to irritate the powers that be and he fills his own requirement that a candidate be self funding. If that is the requirement Tom Cross does not have the dough.

Bill Brady is alleged to have been offered the race by being the third party which split the vote and enabled JBT to get the nomination.

Carrot wise, if Obama is lected as either President or Veep, that race becomes open as well and Cross is a better fit there.

No Republican can win unless he attracts back much of the Conservative wing without alienating the rest of the base.

Comment by Truthful James Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:18 am
Cross would be fine as a GOP candidate, but I have no idea what his platform would be. Of course, the platform for the entire Illinois GOP is rather murky at the moment.

Comment by Fan of the Game Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:20 am
I concur with Suburb’s view - Madigan or Obama or Hynes will be our next Governor even if Quinn gets there first.

Cross hasn’t exactly distinguished himself on the Hamos mass transit funding bill. His obsructionism sugessts parochialism rahter than statesmanship.

Brady has no “prayer” (pun intended) of being elected given his socially conservative agenda. It may play in Peoria, but it’s going to make him a huge loser in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Soenhow the the Illinois Republican Party does not seem well-positioned to take advantage of the Democratic leadership meltdown. But a lot can change in three years.

Comment by Captain America Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:22 am
Cross is OK, with me. I think the time is now, though.

Life is short.

Comment by Shelbyville Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:25 am
If Cross runs, will we still have to put up with another Oberweis campaign?

Comment by Keep Smiling Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:37 am
Leigh is right. Tom Cross has done some good things, but hasn’t shown an eagerness for brutal fights. He’s maintained cordial relations with Speaker Madigan, but if he runs against the Speaker’s daughter, all of that is off. He’ll run for AG and be a credible candidate.

Comment by Gus Frerotte's Clipboard Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:37 am
I don’t know if Cross is really interested in being Governor. I could see him going for AG as a leap-frog to the Senate one day. But if he wants to go for the mansion, I do think 2010 is his best chance. Why? Because I think Blago is going to run again, and as unpopular as he is, the Speaker is not going to let Lisa get into a bloody, expensive primary fight. So Cross would either be facing either Blago or perhaps a bloodied Hynes. Either way, I think he’d win.

Comment by grand old partisan Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:49 am
My thought is most people are concerned with the “National” landscape. Interest rates, credit cruch, mortgage problems, etc. The real big problem is when the dollar tanks and is no longer the “Reserve Currency”. Until things cool down nationally, people (in very general terms)will not care about who their next governor will be…IMHO

Comment by Siyotanka Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:53 am
If the R’s cant elect anyone to a statewide office after the past 5 years of antics, they are probably toast in this state for the next 10-15 years, except for a few safe seats in Congress and the GA.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:57 am
Cross is a pragmatist, the kind of Republicans that Illinois likes to elect statewide. However, the GOP primary will take a backseat to the Dem primary in ‘07. It will be fun to help my friends take down a sitting governor of their own party - regardless of who runs.

Comment by butt head Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:57 am
I mean 2010, not ‘07. huh huh - I said pragmatist

Comment by butt head Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:58 am
I’m with GOP Partisan on this one–AG–not the rest, The Governor won’t run again. He may think he will right now, but he won’t.

Comment by archpundit Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 11:18 am
I don’t know if Cross will run, but he has my vote. I think his message will appeal to all R’s and some moderate D’s who are sick of all the political nonsense in Springfield.

Comment by Joliet Jane Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 11:22 am
Who cares what he thinks, really?

Comment by Jake Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 11:49 am
Tom’s The One!
He haa all the credentials
1. Lee Daniels Roommate
2. Stell Cell Advocate
3. Close to Skip
4. Wants GOPs to work together
5. Thinks Fast Rudy — the 9-11 millionaire– should be president

Need we say more
4.

Comment by Sock Puppet Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 11:58 am
Whoever the Republican candidate may be, I imagine Fitzgerald will be the campaign chairman.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 12:00 pm
Jake, Hiram is a pretty darned good blogger.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 12:07 pm
I don’t think that Cross will run for Governor; but that’s just a guess, and I could be wrong.

Comment by Squideshi Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 12:32 pm
First we have to get Oberweis out of the way. Maybe he could be appointed to something like the RTA Board. Otherwise he’ll surely throw that size extra large hat in the ring.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 12:54 pm
If he ran I would back him 100%. But I dont see it happening. I think Cross would have little primary opposition…and he would match up well against Madigan or Hynes in the General.

Comment by scoot Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 1:15 pm
Cross is probably the only Republican who can win the general. He also doesn’t have a lot of ties to the old guard. As a Moderate Republican, I hope he does run. Brady would get slaughtered in a general

Comment by Lance Stevens Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 1:37 pm
Brady is NOT governor material. He said to a few of us at a Republican day dinner that the governor told him that he(the Gov) knew that if Brady had been the candidate that he couldn’t have beat Brady. OHMIGOD. What are these people smoking?

Cross does have name recognition. He’s on WGN Radio often. He visits southern Illinois often. He’s moderate.

Everyone knows Lisa will win. I agree with another blogger here, he should run for attonrey general if Lisa tips her hat. The Repubs are in trouble in the House. Too many of them are retiring. Dems will pick up their seats because repubs are flipping to dems. They’re also going to lose seats in tough areas.

NOT a good time to be a Republican.

Comment by game plan Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:07 pm
I don’t get all this Obama talk. Why would he give up national presence to be Governor of Illinois? Come home to debt up to your eye balls and lose most of the National Spot light. If Obama doesnt get the VP job he will stay a Senator and become a national mouth piece, and try again. Hynes is the favorite. Do not forget his ties to the speaker (i.e. his family ties), not to mention I think its pretty well known Lisa is looking for a seat on the bench (the biggest bench).
Oh yeah, ot the question, Cross. He might run, but I don’t give it a 1 in 3 chance. Brady IS running (hes running already). It really doesn’t matter, Repubs don’t have a shot in hell with any canidates i have heard of so far. Not saying something won’t happen to them that would turn them into something viable in the next few years (eithier by their doing, or someone elses), just saying right now, its not in the cards.

Comment by what? Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:21 pm
Cross has practically taken up residence downstate, he has plenty of name recognition down there. He has plenty in the ‘burbs I am just not sure about the middle of the state.

Comment by Leigh Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:34 pm
If I were Cross I’d go for AG. Why would any repub. want to run against Lisa. Fro that matter why would any democrat want to do it either. Someone should do a poll ( if one hasn’t been done already) to see where her numbers are….I’ll bet their sky high.

Comment by downhereforyears Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:25 pm
Cross would make a great gov, but I know he has told close friends he does not plan to run in 2010.

Comment by Oswego Dan Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:00 pm
“Hynes is the favorite…” I think “What” got this one right. Hynes made himself a big player with the handling of the budget impasse… Also, He has $1.3 million in his campaign fund.

Comment by What! you got it Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:26 pm
What make everyone so sure that Lisa’s a slam dunk?? I can think of two votes she won’t get.

Comment by anon Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 7:30 pm
The problem (mentioned above) is ‘who does the GOP have that can win?’ I don’t know why Jake is floating Tom Cross as a potential gubernatorial candidate - and it certainly has been Jake’s MO in the past to suggest one thing while trying to accomplish something else (remember Ditka for Senate?). So maybe this trial balloon was a serious attempt to see what people thought about Cross for governor - or maybe it was to measure support for something else. What I can say with some certainty is that both Cross and his former staffer Jake are smart people - and like State Senator Kirk Dillard (and here), Tom Cross right now has no where to go. As one of the few notable GOP moderates who might win statewide, he might as well try to go up, because the prospects of taking over the state house don’t look too good for the GOP House Minority Leader.

Comment by Hiram Wurf Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:12 pm
why would hynes be the favorite after he got smoked in his own ward? Being comptroller is the statewide version of water rec, just not as funny

Comment by JJ Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:33 pm