The Capitol Fax Blog » This just in… Politico: Sen. Halvorson to run for Congress *** House debates vetoes ***

This just in… Politico: Sen. Halvorson to run for Congress *** House debates vetoes ***

Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007

* 12:42 pm - From the Politico…

In a big recruiting coup for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Illinois Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson (D) will be announcing that she is running for the seat held by the retiring Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.).

“She sees this as a historic time in Washington and she wants to be a part of it,” said one Democratic operative familiar with her decision-making process. “She wants to bring the things she accomplished in Illinois to Washington.”

Halvorson met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this past weekend as part of her meetings with Democratic officials in Washington. She also met with EMILY’s List, which funds and supports Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.

Many operatives had speculated that she wanted to move up in the state legislative leadership, but the wooing by top Democrats helped convince her otherwise.

* 1:20 pm - The House is now debating the override motion of the governor’s vetoes. Listen here and live-blog it below if you want.

* 1:25 pm - Check out the banner ad just above this WREX story about the veto overrides. I wonder if the guv cut anything important to the Illinois Pork Producers….

* 2:03 pm - Yesterday, I told you about a hideous flier that was distributed across Illinois. Bernie Schoenburg attempted to get a response from the governor’s office about the flier, but didn’t receive or see the email before his deadline. Here is the statement from the guv’s office…

We had nothing to do with the flier you’re asking about and, in fact, hadn’t seen it until you sent it along. Our focus is on passing a $25 billion capital program to fund critical infrastructure projects around the state and launch a program to provide every single Illinois woman with access to live saving breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment.

* 2:04 pm - A whopping 104 House members just voted to override the governor’s line-item vetoes of the budget. Just 4 voted “No.” Reduction veto overrides are next.

* 2:19 pm - The second veto override motion passed 105-4.

- posted by Rich Miller

51 Comments

- wndycty - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 12:54 pm:
I look forward to Debbie’s campaign, she will do very well. I think its very interesting that the Republicans are considering a pro-abortion rights woman for this congressional district.

- Super Mega - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:05 pm:
The GOP is looking at a pro-abortion candidate? Who’s that, Christine Radogno?

Considering she lives 15 miles away from the district line in LaGrange, maybe we should throw Frank Watson’s name into the ring.

She lives too far outside the district to run in it.

Halvorsen’s views will not play well in this district.

- Pot calling Kettle - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:07 pm:
This may clear the dem field a bit.

- Also fan - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:16 pm:
Her running will clear the Dem field.
Senator Halvorson has a great reputation in her district as a real constituent-based legislator.
I think she will do well in the campaign and will be a welcome addition to Washington.

- Pot calling Kettle - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:35 pm:
She will need to introduce herself to everybody west of Will County.

- Levois - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:53 pm:
I had better luck watching the Chicago City Council streaming than I have ever had trying to peer into the Illinois House of Representatives. Feed keeps crapping out while Rep. Black seems to be tearing Rep. Hannig up.

- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:54 pm:
Use the audio. Their video feed often sucks.

- Skeeter - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 1:56 pm:
Sen. Halvorson is a class act and will make a great candidate. Although I don’t live in the district I will probably contribute to her campaign if only because the attacks on her from the far right have been so brutal. Anyone who gets the far right into such a tizzy has to be a great candidate.

- Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:07 pm:
Vote to override total vetoes was 104-4.

- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:11 pm:
House debate: Black is upset because the vote will be primarily to restore member projects that were cut and leave agency cuts and reductions as the gov. left them.

I’m with Black on this one. Up to this point, it looked like the gov. was a bit off when he cut his own stuff, and Madigan was calmly restoring everything to its rightful level. This makes it look more like the gov’s portrayal as pork projects is true.

I don’t think it’s true, but I don’t think selective restoration will play well.

- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:35 pm:
If Radogno doesn’t run, the seat is Halvorson’s to lose. Nancy Pelosi and Chris Van Hollen wouldn’t spend that much time with her if they did want to commit serious $$$ to her campaign.

- Ghost - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:36 pm:
Ohh what a possible coup for the democrats. She has a great chance of winning and giving them another seat. Go Debbie!

- Diamond Dog - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:41 pm:
Who voted “NO”? Anyone, Bueller, Bueller

- Bill - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 2:48 pm:
all in all it was a good day

- Anon - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:06 pm:
Pot calling Kettle: Halvorsen needs to introduce herself to people west of New Lenox first.

- Levois - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:06 pm:
Sing kum-bi-yah?

- Fan of the Game - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:10 pm:
So does Jerry Weber simply stay at KCC? Got to be a kick in his pants.

Is Halvorson ever going to let the ethics bill she co-sponsored come out of committee?

- This Guy - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:18 pm:
I don’t understand why the House is bothering with this. If Emil Jones stays true to his word and doesn’t allow the process to start in the Senate (which, IMHO, is beyond evil), then the issue is moot.

Is there a real chance Jones might change his mind?

- Fan of the Game - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:20 pm:
Sen. Jones won’t change his mind if the House never overrides the vetoes.

- Just My Opinion - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:23 pm:
In the physical absence of the President of the Senate, is the Senate still called into session and is business still conducted? Or does the Senate President make the rules, which are abided by no matter who is present to preside?

- Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:33 pm:
2008 is shaping up to be a brutal election cycle for the GOP on the national level and within the Illinois delegation.

I will remind any Republicans who are being sweet talked that they are getting played for suckers.

The Democrats are killing Republicans in fundraising already.

When it gets to crunch time Republican candidates for U.S. House aren’t even going to get crumbs from the table.

If the GOP has even a remote shot at winning POTUS, the top priority will be to send the money to swing states. And Illinois is not going to be a swing state.

The next highest priorities for national GOP donors is to keep 40 seats in the U.S. Senate. Dems could win 60 seats which would leave the Republicans win no way to block Dem legislation.

Another priority will be governor’s races.

The next-to-last priority will be to help defend GOP incumbents in the U.S. House.

And the lowest priority will be to help Republicans running for open U.S. House seats.

Say the match-up is Aaron Schock (R) vs. Dick Versace (D). Schock needs to go into the final weeks with a big lead. Because if Versace is in the game, he’s going to get money from national sources. And Schock is going to have his phone calls ignored.

Radogno is up for election in 2008. She already knows what it’s like to lose b/c the GOP is getting drubbed across the country. Giannoulias was a weak candidate compared to Halvorson. Radogno hangs out in the Senate and waits to get her pension, I predict.

- Bill - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:39 pm:
Anon 3:06,

Halvorson’s Senate district doesn’t go that far West of I57, but last time I checked, AJ Wilhelmi’s does, Larry Walsh is well known in the Western part of Will, and last time I checked, Careen Gordon is pretty popular in Grundy County. You can bet all of those folks will be enthusiastically supporting Halvorson. Oh yeah, Halvorson should carry Kankakee County too.

- Legaleagle - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:42 pm:
What is the legal authority for the Senate President, or the House Speaker, to simply refuse to call an item for a vote? This practice in effect gives him an ultra-constitutional veto power. Can the Senate rebel and force a vote? Any parliamentarians out there?

- Princeville - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 3:48 pm:
AFSCME is coming to Springfield tomorrow to show support and nag Emil to reconsider his ‘case closed’. I can’t say about any other groups, but hope there is a good turn out. AFSCME’s bunch usually makes enough noise as several groups combined. Emil should at least hear the noise.

- Larry - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 4:07 pm:
Who voted no?

- Chief Kay - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 4:12 pm:
As for what Weber will do. I understand the trustees are not very happy with him right now. First he very publicly sought the Joliet Junior College presidency then his public “exploration” of the house seat. If he is so uninterested in Kankakee Community College they may help him in his new job hunt.

Pingback Jill & Fran’s jolly porn follies may last and last « Illinois Reason - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 4:15 pm:
[…] Rich Miller’s “This Just In” reports via Politico that State Sen. Halvorson will be seeking to replace the controversial Republican Congressman Jerry Weller, who is retiring amidst a storm of questions over his Central American land deals and simultaneous legislative activity bolstering the profitability of people conducting business in the field of Central American land deals… […]

- Just My Opinion - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 4:53 pm:
I have listened to some of the audio today from the House and noticed that Madigan was not always the person the reps referred to as Mr. Speaker, and yet business was conducted as if it were Madigan. So I’m wondering will Emil have to sit in the President’s seat each and every minute the Senate is in session to keep someone from getting around his wish to not call the House Bill for an override? There’s gotta be a way around this.

- Boone Logan Square - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 5:04 pm:
Halvorson will win this district and serve in Congress as long as Roskam (who ought to be there 20 years from now) if she chooses.

- Rob_N - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 5:19 pm:
Could Jerry Weber run for Halvorson’s seat? Not sure where he lives.

- True Observer - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 5:46 pm:
If Halvorson wins, the Democratic Chairman of Will County will name her replacement to serve until 2010.

- P.O.'d at the partyliners - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:10 pm:
I am offended and upset with the explanation Rep. Hannig has provided for not overriding all the Gov’s vetoes – and I paraphrase here but—simply because the Gov. wishes to under fund agencies he controls, that authority does not absolve the responsibility to the public, the entire state, those agencies serves. Foolish party-line politicking at the expense of the greater good is repulsive. This Gov and his administration have been very poor stewards of this State’s natural and cultural history. Those irreplaceable and invaluable assets, who’s primary guardian is the Gov’s Office and the agencies under his control, have withered on the vine, starved by funding cuts, personnel and programming reductions and a lack of leadership which has stifled short-term and long-term planning.

It is wholly irresponsible to not evaluate the funding needs with the funding provisions of this budget. How could anyone but a blind fool trust that this Gov is capable of funding the agencies he is, unfortunately, entrusted to administer. Sad.

- Tyler - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:48 pm:
Who were the 4 reps who voted against the override?

- luca brazzi - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:49 pm:
Weber just got “squeeze-played”. I don’t think Debbie is too big a fan of Weber. She should have some influence on naming her replacement and I don’t see Weber being high on her list. Weber has been very active in seeking opportunity beyond his responsibilities at KCC. The Board has a right to be irritated by his (lack of) focus.

- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:50 pm:
Along with her suburban/exurban base, Deb Halvorson will attract support from many in the business community and moderate Republicans. She has been fairly business and transportation friendly in the IL Senate. She will have to work hard to sell herself to areas where she is unknown like LaSalle, Livingston and McLean counties.

- The Four (P)reps - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:51 pm:
Who were they?

- Super Mega - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 7:16 pm:
Sounds like it will be a showdown between Debbie Halvorson and Chris McNeil/Tim Baldermann in the general.

- Kreskin predicts - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 7:33 pm:
Looking into my crystal ball, I see Emil Jones coming down with a very bad cold or flu shortly.

Not necessarily a Soviet-style flu, the kind preceeded by three days of dour music on the radio and a big parade later, but debilitating enough that someone else will have to preside in the big chair… when the overrides from the house will be introduced and passed.

All Emil’s pet causes will be protected. The most heinous of the cuts will be reversed, the members who got shafted will get betwen 50 and 70% of their member initiatives back. The gambling expansion will be cut down to one for Chicago and a modest bloom of seats in the existing casinos statewide, but nothing more. A very modest tax increase will cover the gap. Some token version of ultrasuperdoopermegahealthforall will be passed, with token funding, but the bulk of money will go to ongoing operations, debt service, another lift of the foundation level for schools, a partial Chicago transit bailout, and a modest capital program. It will pass with enough votes to show a goobernatorial veto woud only delay but not stop passage.

Afterwards, poor Emil will shrug and say to Rod:

“I’m just doing to you what you were planning to do to me all along, pal.”

- fed up - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 9:30 pm:
Halvorson is a hack and shill for blago and E jones. Has she called on E Jones to let the senate vote to overrride blagos cuts has she called on E. Jones to let the senate vote on an ethics bill how much money did she get from com ed with E Jones for stopping real electric rate reform. Does she agree with Daley and stroger and most DEMS that tax increases are the answer to every problem. She is a majority leader in the state senate giving her full support to E Jones and Blago. Plaster that all over will co. and she is done

- beavis - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 9:31 pm:
The 4 NO votes were: McCarthy, Granberg, Arroyo and Hoffman. They voted NO on both motions.

The present votes were: Dunkin, Reitz, Phelps and Ryg.

- anon - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 9:42 pm:
Thanks Beavis. I am voting Republican for State Rep. come next fall. Most of my friends in Orland Park don’t follow politics too much, but when informed will have no problem voting against a Corrupt Blago accomplice. Thanks for the info.

- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 10:59 pm:
Is Granberg trying to lose his seat? How much more tightrope can he walk on before he falls?

- Smart Money - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 11:21 pm:
Team Sleep

You most not follow the political landscape very well. Most insiders expectd Granberg to lose the last race.

He won’t lose cause he won’t run again. He trades some votes for a high ranking position in Blago’s administration. Simple as that

- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 11:56 pm:
Will Madigan toss the rest of the cuts in for an override vote in the next few days?

Just wondering what the back story is on the decision not to override them all. It’s probably all laid out in the password protection section, right Rich? ;)

- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 12:07 am:
From my personal experience with her, anyone who thinks Halvorson is a hack doesn’t know what they are talking about.

- anon - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 7:04 am:
Why does anyone think the chairman of the will county dem party would appoint a successor to Debbie? Her district covers 4 counties, not just will.

- Henny Penny - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 7:17 am:
I live in the 11th in rural McLean County and am thrilled Halvorson is running. Talking to women in my moms group, I find they are thrilled too.

- jwscott72 - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 7:56 am:
Let’s say Halvorson wins the seat (I don’t know her chances and don’t really care). Who takes over as Majority Leader? Will there be a big fight for the spot? Does Emil’s handpicked candidate go down? Is there any backbone in the caucus to go against Emil in the first place?

- Anon - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 8:05 am:
Big deal on the votes. Its emil’s game now.

- True Observer - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 8:06 am:
Will County Democratic Chairman appoints because it is a weighted vote and he has most of them.

Not only will he appoint the replacement for Halvorson, but if he picks a state rep. from the district as expected, he will appoint the replacement for the state rep also.

The county chairman will be elected after the primary at the county convention. Part of the politics of the convention will involve commitments regarding these vacancies.

Hold your hats.

- Bill - Wednesday, Oct 3, 07 @ 8:08 am:
Kevin McCarthy is NOT corrupt. He’s just been hanging with a bad crowd.

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