Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has focused like a laser on his absolute disgust with public employee unions like AFSCME, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. The wealthy former business executive claims the unions are the root of most of Illinois’ problems and has decried the “corrupting” influence of their campaign […]
political columns
Posted inOpinion
Democratic ties plunge GOP governor contenders in polls
I had heard that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s longtime personal and business connections to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were “killer” issues among GOP primary voters, so I decided to commission a poll. The question I settled on is pretty mild in comparison to what could be used in a TV ad, so the response […]
Posted inOpinion
Did Lisa lie?
“Ask her,” Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told a Sun-Times reporter last week. The journalist wanted to know why Madigan’s daughter Lisa would consider running for governor knowing that the father had no plans to step down as Speaker. So I tried to ask her. But I didn’t get very far. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, […]
Posted inOpinion
The check’s in the mail, veto out of mind – not!
House Speaker Michael Madigan has always strongly guarded the powers of the General Assembly as a coequal branch of government, so it was a little surprising when he appeared to support Gov. Pat Quinn’s line-item veto of legislative salaries back in mid July. The governor vetoed the salaries in retaliation for the GA’s failure to […]
Posted inOpinion
The good, the bad and the potential ugly
Gov. Pat Quinn is leading his sole Democratic primary rival, and challenger Bill Daley will have some serious problems with his blue chip résumé, according to a new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll. The poll of 1,394 likely Democratic primary voters found Quinn leading Daley by five points, 38-33. That’s exactly where the two stood […]
Posted inOpinion
Rauner moves some numbers in gov bid
Back in early February, not a single person picked Bruce Rauner’s name in a Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll of likely Republican primary voters. Other polls taken since then have shown the retired financier Rauner in the low single digits in his bid for governor. But Rauner has been dumping money into downstate TV, […]
Posted inOpinion
Daley takes his gloves off
I think a lot of people believed that if Bill Daley ran for governor his campaign would be as bland and vanilla as his public persona has been over the decades. Instead, he’s turned into the fieriest candidate in the race so far. Daley is even “out-angering” wealthy Republican financier Bruce Rauner, who has tried […]
Posted inOpinion
Latest numbers in governor’s race
In a sign that some truly awful publicity for her father may be hurting her possible gubernatorial bid, Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s poll numbers have plunged in the past several months. And Bill Daley has considerably improved his standing since he announced his candidacy. Back in January, a We Ask America poll had Ms. Madigan […]
Posted inOpinion
Gay marriage bill failure and the Black Caucus
There’s more than enough blame to go around regarding the failure of the gay marriage bill during the final days of the General Assembly’s spring session, which ended May 31. Gov. Pat Quinn knew that African-American House members were reluctant to support the bill, mainly because of pressure from their churches. So, why did he […]
Posted inOpinion
Illinois’ rocky political landscape
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady resigned last week just as a new statewide poll showed big trouble for his political party’s brand. Brady had been under pressure to resign ever since the disastrous 2012 elections. The pressure increased publicly after Brady announced his support for a gay marriage bill. Multiple attempts to oust Brady […]
Posted inOpinion
State Senator Matt Murphy out
In yet another blow to the Illinois Republican Party, state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, has withdrawn his name from contention for the state GOP chairmanship job. And, no, it didn’t have anything to do with Murphy being injured during the annual House versus Senate softball game last week. Murphy was approached a month or so […]
Posted inOpinion
A state divided on guns
A new statewide poll shows a majority of Illinoisans favor concealed carry. But an overwhelming majority in every area of the state also say it’s OK with them if Chicago and Cook County police have additional authority over who gets to carry in their own jurisdictions. The Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of 1,284 likely […]
