Posts Tagged ‘Illinois’

Check out some of those who’ve submitted their names for consideration here.

From Hotline On Call:

IL Dems will meet 3/15 to choose a new LG nominee and running mate for Gov. Pat Quinn (D). There’s no front-runner for the spot, and dozens of names have been tossed around for consideration. Most observers assume a prominent state legislator or another well-known IL activist will land the gig.

But that hasn’t stopped IL Dems from taking resume submissions on their party website.

The website, announced last week, has more than 40 names who have submitted their resumes for consideration as of this morning. LG contenders also have to answer a one-page questionnaire, which includes such questions as “Why are you a Democrat?” and “What strengths would you bring to the ticket?” Anyone who submits an application will see it posted online, including contact information and references.

Read the Rest…

From the Daily Herald:

– The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor insists there aren’t any skeletons in his closet that could bring him down amid a blaze of damaging allegations like his Democratic foe Scott Lee Cohen.

“I don’t think there’s anything in my past,” 27-year-old Jason Plummer told the Daily Herald. “I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’m proud of what my family’s done.”

Plummer, of Edwardsville, whose campaign was largely financed with family money, said he’s never been arrested or taken illegal drugs. That’s a far cry from charges Cohen faced following the Feb. 2 primary for the lieutenant governor’s office.

Read the Rest…

From Chicago Sun-Times:

After criticism for failing to properly vet Democrat Scott Lee Cohen, House Speaker Michael Madigan filed legislation today to amend the state Constitution to abolish the lieutenant governor’s office.

“There has been an elevated discussion about the need for the office in the wake of the Cohen matter,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. “I think the speaker believes it’s worthwhile to take a good look at it.”

Read the Rest…

From TheSouthern.com:

SPRINGFIELD-The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor said he’s not picking sides in the still-undecided gubernatorial race.

Jason Plummer, a businessman from Edwardsville, said all outstanding votes in the GOP primary need to be tabulated first, echoing calls from gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard, who trails Bill Brady by a just a few hundred votes.

Plummer said the picture may become clearer in the coming weeks as more ballots come in. The possibility of a recount also has been discussed, which would further delay the process of knowing who will be at the top of the GOP ticket next November.

Read the Rest…

From Chicago Sun Times:

Illinois has been without a lieutenant governor for more than a year, and Democrat Scott Lee Cohen’s political implosion poses even greater doubts about whether the state really needs the office.

But at the moment, the only plan to eliminate the lieutenant governor’s post is languishing in the Illinois House.

The lieutenant governor’s position has been around since the state formed in 1818, and seven of the 47 lieutenant governors got promoted when a governor died, moved to a higher political office, resigned or was impeached.

Read the Rest…

From Chicago Sun-Times:

The debacle of Democrats nominating pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen for lieutenant governor — a candidate so politically toxic he could bring down the Democratic ticket in November — highlights the awful job House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is doing as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Unlike every other state party chairman in the nation, Madigan refuses to run a viable statewide political organization.

With Democrats now facing uphill battles to elect Gov. Quinn and Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias, they head into the nine-month general election campaign without a real, working statewide party. The Illinois Republican Party has a very engaging, energized chairman, Pat Brady. Illinois Democrats have Madigan, who shows little interest in doing the job of state party chairman, including mapping strategy to win in November.

Read the Rest…

From Red State:

A Chicago pawnbroker who financed his campaign with nearly $2 million of his own wealth, Scott Lee Cohen Tuesday won the Democratic Party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor. But with new details of Cohen’s sordid past emerging today, Democratic primary voters will soon be wishing they had given his five rivals a second look.

Cohen allegedly held a knife to his then-girlfriend’s in October 2005. Charges were later dropped after the woman, once convicted of prostitution, failed to appear in court to testify against Cohen.

A police report of obtained by the Chicago Sun Times said the woman had scaring and defensive wounds on her hands “from trying to defend herself against the arrestee swinging the knife at her.” Additionally, Cohen “pushed [the] complainant’s head against [a] wall, causing a bump on the back of her head.”

Read the Rest…

From the Edwardsville Intelligencer:

With the midnight hour fast approaching in Tuesday’s primary, Edwardsville’s Jason Plummer found himself embroiled in a nail-biter of a race for lieutenant governor that was still too close to call.

Things changed Wednesday morning when Plummer claimed victory in a heated Republican race.

The Associated Press, however, reported at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday that with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Plummer held the slimmest of margins over state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine, 34 percent to 33 percent. Plummer was ahead 236,445 votes to 231,469.

Read the Rest…