THE RACE
Gov. Pat Quinn’s nearly unprecedented ascendancy from the lieutenant governor’s office to the state’s top spot has renewed interest in what’s long been seen as a do-nothing job. Thirteen candidates — six Democrats, six Republicans and on
THE RACE Gov. Pat Quinn’s nearly unprecedented ascendancy from the lieutenant governor’s office to the state’s top spot has renewed interest in what’s long been seen as a do-nothing job. Thirteen candidates — six Democrats, six Republicans and one Green Party candidate — are vying for a chance to be one heartbeat away from the governorship. Most say the job is what you make of it, and they plan to use the office to advocate for everything from youth to veterans. — THE CANDIDATES Democrats: — Mike Boland, 67, is serving his seventh term as a state representative from East Moline. He says he’d continue former Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s emphasis on veterans and focus on small cities. He’s the only Democratic candidate from outside the greater Chicago area. — Thomas Castillo, 33, an Elmhurst electrician, is highlighting his political inexperience by saying his opponents have had their chance to make the state better and need to move aside for a fresh perspective. — Scott Lee Cohen, 44, a Chicago businessman, is another political newcomer. As founder of Rod Must Resign, he sought the exit of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He owns Cohen’s Green Cleaning supplies, a distributor of environmentally friendly cleaning products. — Rickey Hendon, 56, is assistant majority leader in the state Senate and has represented his West Side Chicago district since 1993. He says the role of the lieutenant governor is to assist and partner with the governor, something he says he’s been doing since Quinn unexpectedly took office last year. — Terry Link, 62, has been a state senator for a district along the Wisconsin border since 1997. He says he’d bring to the office not only his experience as a state legislator but also a small business owner. — Arthur Turner, 59, took office as a state representative from Chicago in 1981. He says his 30 years with the legislature have taught him that the issues affecting rural communities are much the same as those facing Chicago’s inner city: education, jobs and juvenile justice programs that work. Republicans: — Brad Cole, 38, is serving his second term as mayor of Carbondale. He says he’d use the lieutenant governor’s office to advocate for rural communities, particularly on economic development and access to health care. He’d also establish a citizen advocacy office to help connect people to government services and resources. — Jason Plummer, 27, helps run his family’s southern Illinois lumber business and is an intelligence officer with the U.S. Navy Reserves. If elected, he says he wouldn’t accept a state paycheck or benefits until the state’s unemployment rate falls below double digits. This is his first run for statewide office. — Don Tracy, 59, a Springfield attorney, made an unsuccessful run for state Senate in 2002. He says he’d draw on his legal background and experience as co-owner of the family business, Dot Foods, to make the state "less antibusiness, less corrupt, more financially responsible and better managed." — Randy White, 52, Hancock County commissioner, says he’d spend three days a week living at the little-known governor’s mansion in Du Quoin. He’d like the next governor to let his second-in-command "run the rural part of the state." — Matt Murphy, 39, a state senator from Palatine since 2007, is running alongside gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna. Both he and McKenna oppose any tax increase to solve the state’s budget problems, and Murphy says he wants to "make it easier for people in the state to succeed." — Dennis Cook, 32, is president of a school board in Chicago’s suburbs and a newcomer to state politics. He says his experience turning around the finances of a large school district will serve him well in dealing with the state’s financial crisis. — THE ISSUES —Rural affairs: Among the lieutenant governor’s statutory responsibilities is chairing the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, which focuses on housing, transportation and health care issues in small-town Illinois. Many candidates, particularly Republicans, have been clamoring to establish themselves as most in touch with the needs of rural communities. —Experience: Many of the longtime elected officials and legislators in the race make the same point when talking about their experience: this is no time for on-the-job training for political newcomers. Quinn’s unexpected promotion makes clear that lieutenant governors need to be ready to step into the top job at a moment’s notice, even if that moment comes only once every 30 years or so. —Special projects: Lieutenant governors, assuming that their bosses are amenable, can have a great deal of flexibility in taking on special projects to supplement their duties. Quinn, for instance, made veterans and military affairs his focus, and several of the candidates hoping to succeed him have said they’d do the same. Others would create programs for young people or advocate for education. —Streamlining: Some critics have called for eliminating the post of lieutenant governor and letting some other official replace the governor in an emergency. Tracy agrees, saying he can’t justify keeping the office. Murphy says he would be willing to consider eliminating it. THE HORSE RACE By teaming with a candidate for governor, Murphy has gotten his name out to more voters more often than the other Republicans. He has the endorsement of the two top Republicans in the Illinois Legislature and of the Chicago Tribune editorial board. The Sun-Times endorsed Cole. On the Democratic side, Turner was endorsed by House Speaker Michael Madigan, Secretary of State Jesse White, a long list of legislators and both Chicago newspapers. Link has the support of many Senate colleagues, the Illinois AFL-CIO and the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. THE QUOTES —Castillo: "I am the candidate most in touch with the peoples’ needs. I am a working-class citizen, which gives me a unique perspective of how the current political system affects the little guy." —Cole: "If you show up every day committed to getting the job done and helping people, there’s plenty of work to do. If you show up to work every day waiting for the governor to have a heart attack or for the U.S. attorney to call, that’s a different story." —Hendon: "We are supposed to work for the people, the people are not supposed to work for the government." —Murphy: "We feel the enthusiasm because the Republican base knows I’m the only true free-market believer with a proven track record of legislative action who is not tied to the past." —Turner: "I have been able to show my colleagues that I understand their issues and have at least gotten them to buy into some of the concerns in my district. Illinois needs that more now than ever." — THE NET Democrats: Boland: www.bolandcampaign.com Castillo: www.tom4ltgov.com Cohen: www.scottleecohen.com Hendon: www.hendonforltgov.com Link: www.linkforillinois.com Turner: www.turnerforillinois.com Republicans: Cole: www.teambrad.com Cook: www.citizensforcook.com Murphy: www.murphy2010.com Plummer: www.jasonplummer.com Tracy: www.tracyforillinois.com White: www.randy4ltgov.com Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
About Post Author
