* The Sun-Times takes a look at the ever-growing field to replace Congressman Rahm Emanuel…
Ald. William Banks (36th), who will convene the slatemaking session, said at least 15 candidates have expressed an interest in replacing Emanuel, making it difficult for any one of them to get the weighted votes needed to secure an endorsement.
Man, the list is long…
The crowded field of candidates includes at least six aldermen: Manuel Flores (1st), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Tom Allen (38th), Margaret Laurino (39th), Tom Tunney (44th) and Eugene Schulter (47th). Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40th), Daley’s unofficial City Council floor leader, is a long-shot possibility.
Also calling Banks to express an interest were state Representatives John Fritchey, John D’Amico and Sara Feigenholtz; state Rep.-elect Deborah Mell; former Emanuel challenger Peter Dagher; Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley; Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Cynthia Santos, and John Borovicka, Emanuel’s former chief of staff.
“When you have that many officials running, many of whom are committeemen or aligned with committeemen, it’s harder to form coalitions. It would be very difficult to slate one individual. That could result in an open primary,” Banks said.
An open primary would be fascinating.
* Mayor Daley went all out for Emanuel back when the Rahminator was first elected. Not this time, perhaps…
But a top mayoral aide predicted Daley would remain neutral this time around.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune editorialized this week about our crazy redistricting/reapportionment process…
Were voters really so impressed by the quality of representation they’re getting in Washington and Springfield? Hardly. The reason so many incumbents got a free pass to a term in office, or won by such lopsided margins, largely depended on how state politicians draw boundaries for congressional and legislative districts. Those influential pols aren’t interested in giving voters competitive political battles. They’re interested in protecting themselves and their cronies in their parties.
Voters? Who cares about voters? The politicians redraw the maps by law after the census every 10 years. Illinois gives the legislature first crack at this. When legislators deadlock — and they have every 10 years since this system was adopted in the 1970 state constitution — the job is turned over to a commission of four Democrats and four Republicans. When that commission deadlocks — and it has every 10 years except in 1971 — the politicians pull a name from a hat or flip a coin to decide whether to add a Republican or a Democrat. […]
The desire to protect incumbents explains why parts of the state have become secure fiefdoms for one party or the other. Voters are bit players in this rigged game. In Chicago, for example, redistricting essentially has blocked Republicans from building even small geographic bases. And while suburbia has grown more Democratic in recent elections, the Republican Party has its protected pockets there.
All true.
* And a study of the 2008 election results shows that self-funding candidates don’t do well at all…
49 Congressional candidates spend $500,000 of their own money, and of them, only 6 House candidates and 1 Senate candidate won.
Perhaps the saddest case of this was Sandy Treadwell, who ran against Kirsten Gillibrand in NY-20. Treadwell poured in at least $5.9 million of his own money. (Gillibrand spent $3.6 million, but only $250 of that was her own money.) The return on Treadwell’s investment: priceless. If by ‘priceless,’ you mean losing to Gillibrand by a 23-point margin.
The Illinois GOP might take that as a broad hint to stop recruiting those self-funders.