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* It’s a bit frustrating watching some politicians play with the idea of running for various offices like they’re picking out a new toy…
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan appears to be leaning strongly toward running for governor– not US Senate.
She’s not ruling out a senate race, but tells ABC 7 News the possibility of moving to Washington, D.C. doesn’t appeal to her.
“My focus has long been on looking at a race for governor as you know I’ve made no decision yet,” said Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General.
I understand the problem with schlepping back and forth to DC, especially with young kids. But that’s not exactly a high-minded reason to avoid a race. Pick a lane, please.
* The Hill takes a look at the odds of GOP Congressman Mark Kirk getting into the Senate race…
One GOP operative in the area labeled Kirk “highly risk-averse,” while another said he is “very cautious.”
“Probably to a fault, he over-calculates everything he does,” the latter operative said.
That GOP operative estimated the likelihood of Kirk running at 60 percent, while others pegged it closer to 50-50.
I think the odds are higher in favor, but that’s just a plain, ol’ guess.
* This response from Jan Schakowsky is much less Hamlet-like…
I’m taking a very, very careful look at this, and actually may make that run. I’ve set for myself an arbitrary deadline of June 8th where I’m gunna make a decision. And you know, I feel confident, actually, that if I ran I could win. Here we are though, at this incredibly opportune moment to really make big change. Big change moment today in our country. So I have to decide if I want to spend the next 18 months basically raising money. You know what I mean?… Rather than, I’m on the Energy and Commerce Committee, health care, energy. I’m on the Intelligence Committee, I’m in the Leadership of the House. So, I have to weigh all that. Clearly being in the Senate would give me an even larger opportunity to move an agenda.
Watch the video…
She also talks about US Sen. Roland Burris…
I don’t see how he can, at this point, win a primary. The numbers speak very loudly to that. And he’s just been embroiled in this toxic situation, and it hasn’t really gotten any better for him. And so I would say, that’s not, you know, I don’t see him as being competitive in a Democratic Primary.
And muses on the GOP’s chances in the contest…
Cenk Uygur: Is there a Republican in the state that can make a real run against a Democrat in Illinois?
Representative Schakowsky: For U.S Senate? I… no. And here’s why I say that: we are Barack Obama’s home state, and having a Republican who would run against the Obama agenda is a loser in Illinois. It just, you know, for our mostly blue state, I don’t see how that could happen. You know, there are things, I suppose that, you know, 2010 became a bad year because a lot of the hopes and dreams weren’t realized. But even then, I think there’s going to be a distaste for someone who’s part of the “just say no” group as a candidate for U.S Senate.
Discuss.
…Adding… The IL GOP’s new Web ad, “100 Days of the Same,” contains an interesting clip of Chris Kennedy that could be used in the upcoming campaign if he runs for US Senate…
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 9:42 am
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For U.S Senate? I… no. And here’s why I say that: we are Barack Obama’s home state, and having a Republican who would run against the Obama agenda is a loser in Illinois. It just, you know, for our mostly blue state, I don’t see how that could happen. You know, there are things, I suppose that, you know, 2010 became a bad year because a lot of the hopes and dreams weren’t realized. But even then, I think there’s going to be a distaste for someone who’s part of the “just say no” group as a candidate for U.S Senate.
I believe there are probably 50 regulars who blog here that could sound a lot more intelligent than this - and they aren’t running for the US Senate.
Sit down Jan!
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 9:50 am
Jan sounds as intelligent as Judy Biggert during her disastrous appearance on Chicago Tonight last fall.
Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 9:55 am
Really good ad by ILGOP. The best part is that it is right. 100 days after Rod and we still have Burris as our Senator and no new ethics reforms. At least Alexi has something new….an SUV
Comment by Easy Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 9:58 am
Jan’s talking a little too loudly on the Senate race. Illinois isn’t totally Dem by geology — things can change rather quickly in politics, under the right circumstances.
The Dems have given people plenty of reasons to consider GOP candidates who aren’t foaming at the mouth (I’m sure there are some; it’s a big state).
Obviously, the Washington Dem power brokers flirtation with Lisa on the Senate seat gives you an indication of what they think about other possible Dem candidates — including Jan.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:01 am
Unsolicited Advice to Politicians:
Pick the problem(s) you want to solve. Then choose the office in which you can best solve them.
There is a big difference between what you can do as a Governor of a State and a as a Senator in DC. Very different issues. Very different responsibilities.
This applies to pretty much every statewide politician right now with the exception of Jesse White and Dick Durbin.
Comment by George Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:05 am
(Standing and applauding VanMan’s post)
Comment by Vote Quimby! Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:06 am
I havew to say it is a very good infomercial. Thank God no one will see it.
Comment by Thanks for taking my call you idiot Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:06 am
Schakowsky as Senator would be, uh, you know, uh, a disaster. Maybe she could get Caroline Kennedy to help her out with her oratory skills. Whether or not Obama will be an asset or liability in 18 months remains to be seen.
Madigan should stay right where she is. She won’t identify a strategy for addressing the monumental issues that are crushing the state except to take a few veiled swipes at PQ. Not my candidate for Gov.
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:07 am
Jan Schakowsky is worried about how the GOP will remind voters about her convicted felon husband fundraiser who ran a check kiting scam.What did Jan know and when did she know it? Did Jan Schakowsky cut a deal with the Fitzgerald’s office to stay out of jail? Was her name on those tax returns? Anyway,Jan was an early Blago backer and her husband made a lot of money off of Blago.Does Jan Schakowsky think people aren’t going to find out about that?
Comment by Steve Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:07 am
Thanks for the compliment V-Man. I understand I am number one out of 50, but you didn’t want to point me out as I tend to be modest and humble.
Smart move by Madigan. She has law enforcement experience, now will get the Executive Experience prepping her for a 2016 Run for Pres.
Comment by Wumpus Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:08 am
I don’t think there is anything wrong with Madigan test driving her options in public. She’s been courted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee…kind of a big deal. I believe her when she says her main consideration is the Governor’s Office. But it would be foolish to not look at options at this stage. She’s not Brett Farve-like in her teetering.
Give her a break for now, and let her cruise the open highway for a little while before asking her to pick a lane.
Jan doesn’t have a chance with all the heavyweights in her class. Alexi/Lisa/Chris…all more likely to win than her.
And poor IL Republicans. Kirk is the best option for any race and he has an uphill climb no matter who his opponent might be.
Comment by BandCamp Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:09 am
Steve,
There will be plenty of people out there who will work to remind the folks about Schakowsky and her husband. I will be one of them. Her ethics are absent, her politics are toxic.
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:10 am
George, you hit the nail on the head. The debate should be about service and problem-solving, not commute times.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:19 am
Rich-
They are debating about problem-solving…but their own problems, not the people’s:-)
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:26 am
Likely congresscritter response:
“I, uh, didn’t, uh, have any idea about what my husband was doing, uh, you know what I mean? I mean, uh, how should I know what he, uh, does?
If she were a GOP’er, she’d have been toast. Speaking of which, I think all the GOP senatorial toast is pretty burnt for this election. Nobody of name will be able to raise enough money to compete, and I don’t see some relatively unknown businesman buying the seat away from the Dems with $50M a’la Peter Fitzgerald (I know he spent less, but the price just keeps going up; what did Blair Hull spend, $35M?).
Anyway, uh, while, uh, it might be an interesting Dem Primary (read, “general”) election, uh, the result will be more of the same Blue buffoonery.
Comment by Snidely Whiplash Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:27 am
While the Dems run around chasing any camera or microphone they can find to promote their senate candidacies, Kirk is laying low, raising money and watching the spectacle unfold. As The Hill points out, he doesn’t need to rush in. If he does get in, it’s unlikely he’ll face a serious primary, he can raise money and watch the Dems crucify each other in a primary, driving up each other’s negatives and wasting money.
Comment by Abe Froman Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:32 am
Five of the last six people, who were elected to the U.S. Senate, from Illinois, were state legislators. Those five were Barack Obama, Peter Fitzgerald, Carol Moseley-Braun, Paul Simon, and Alan Dixon. The exception is Dick Durbin. Since Schakowsky has been a state rep. and a congresswoman, she would probably receive a higher percentage, in the primary, compared to Alexi Giannoulias and Chris Kennedy. I hope that she’ll run.
If Jan runs for the U.S. Senate, the candidates for her U.S. House seat should be former St. Sen. Dave Sullivan and St. Sen. Jeff Schoenberg.
Comment by ConservativeVeteran Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:35 am
Wow… Jan… that is just embarrassing…. Two things you really need to work on…
1. Diction
2. Grammar
GOP, good ad, now if the party could only run ads like that… uh… when it matters… like around election time….
Comment by Heartless Libertarian Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 10:36 am
I think Jan is one of the least sincere politicians in Illinois. She portrays herself as a good government progressive but the reality is that her husband is a cheat while she is out raising tens of thousands if not more for Blagojevich. And this wasnt in 2002 this was in 2008. I hope she runs, I hope she loses and then we can move on.
As an aside, what if it were Alexi”s spouse (i know he isn’t married) or Lisa’s spouse or Mayor Daley’s spouse who went to prison for check kiting and tax evasion? Do you think it would just go away? Water under the bridge? There seems to me a double standard at play.
Comment by Cosmic Charlie Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 11:00 am
Fortunetly for the Dem’s, the conservative arm of the IL gop will help to quash or hinder moderate repuibs from emrging and working to capture these various seats.
They need a new startegy then association to blago. First, Blago was associated with blago and still won re-election. Second, the Repubs did a meida blitz supporting bloago and trying to get the dems to stop standing in the way of giving blago billions of pay to play money. If they push this whole blago association issue they may begin to see ad’s showing newpaper articles and press conferences where they were siding with blago themsleves and only the dems kept the situation from getting worse by standing in blag’s way.
Comment by Ghost Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 11:00 am
I thought some Hamlet quotes were in order:
Alexi G. - “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”
Jan S. - “You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance.”
Lisa M. - “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
Roland B. - “For ’tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard.”
Chris K. - “though I am (not) native here and to the manner born”
Mark K. - “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.”
Comment by 10th Indy Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 11:50 am
I hate to sound so Springfieldian, even though I am a Springfieldian. If Lisa Madigan is shying away from the senate seat because of moving to Washington, has anyone asked her how she feels about living in Springfield if she becomes governor? Dang, I hate asking that question, but it’s going to come up.
Comment by Cheswick Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 11:55 am
Jan’s tried to beat Kirk 3 times (2000,2006,2008) and failed horribly all 3 times. If she was as confident as she says she is about winning the seat she’d be in by now. It’s also a sign of glaring weakness in her, alexi, and kennedy that despite their ties to Obama, the impotence of the state gop, and Obama’s popularity here that they aren’t doing better than even against a GOP congressman who represents the far northeast corner of the state and has never been a state or national player.
Comment by Shore Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 11:58 am
A more honest video would just substitute State GOP chair Andy McKenna’s face for Blago’s, and refer to the 1,500 days.
News flash folks, Blago is gone, and the Dems are the ones who got rid of him. The IL GOP couldn’t even beat Blago when he was around.
Plus, there is the problem of the Blagojevich Republicans, the many GOP lawmakers who helped Blago last year on the gambling expansion and who were okay with giving him more money to spend.
Thank you Mike Madigan for stopping Blago and the Blagojevich Republicans on that scheme.
Comment by been there done that Thursday, May 14, 09 @ 12:57 pm
the idea that the DSCC is “courting” Lisa is a fiction of her own narcissistic mind. Did the DSCC talk to her? Yes, the same way they have had discussions with all potential major candidates (Chris K, Jan, Alexi…). Did they tell her she would be a good candidate? yes, again just like they told Alexi, Chris …
Courting? C’mon. Lisa seems to think that she is “entitled” to whatever seat she deems worthy of her particular skills. (this coming from someone who actually likes her, but her self back patting is a little goofy)
Comment by WhiskeyRebel Friday, May 15, 09 @ 1:29 pm