* Tom Roeser writes about the hottest rumors of the week…
It appears that Andy McKenna who has long dreamed of a successful elective political career will shortly announce that he will be a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. But McKenna has a lot of wood to chop since as state Republican chairman, he didn’t win many adherents given the low estate of the state GOP under his tenure.
Be that as it may, the view is current that he has chosen young, vigorous State Sen. Matt Murphy, Palatine, to run for lieutenant governor. Although the primary does not allow linkage there is no problem with the two of them running unofficially as a team. Up to now Murphy has been a declared candidate for governor but will drop that bid. Murphy is a hugely popular candidate with conservatives. True, the two of them are Irish Catholics from the suburbs but geography may not mean much anymore in Illinois. Look at the Democrats: Quinn, Hynes, Lisa Madigan, Alexi Giannoulias, White-all from the Chicago area.
Murphy’s campaign is playing very coy. “We’re not responding to rumors,” was the standard line yesterday. Murphy did not return two phone messages left for him.
Today’s e-mail from the Murphy campaign read simply: “Sneed is wrong.”…
Sneed hears rumbles former GOP state party chief Andy McKenna will announce his bid for governor this week.
If Murphy was planning to stay in the governor’s race, you’d think he would be more forceful about knocking down these rumors.
* Back to Roeser…
Also it appears that State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) will run with the same kind of unofficial linkage with a fresh, young face from downstate Edwardsville: Jason Plummer, 27, former Republican chairman of Madison county, the scion of Robert Plummer, a multi-millionaire CEO of R. P. Lumber, who owns a string of lumber retail stores throughout southern Illinois. Both Plummers are strong conservatives, Robert having been a mainstay financial backer of the Illinois Civil Justice League which has successfully supported tort reform. Jason Plummer will announce his formal campaign for lieutenant governor shortly.
Interesting combo. Moderate and conservative.
…Adding… I’m not so sure, though, that Dillard has actually signed on Plummer or even asked him yet.
* Meanwhile, Cheryle Jackson is doing just one announcement today - on Chicago’s South Side - and skipping the statewide fly-around/bus tour…
Chicago Urban League president Cheryle Jackson kicks off her campaign for President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.
The former aide to ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich is set to formally announce Wednesday at an event on Chicago’s South Side.
* The Politico profiles David Hoffman’s Senate bid…
For much of this year, Democrats in Washington have been looking for a white knight in the Illinois Senate race, a chaste candidate who represents a dramatic break from the status quo after the debacle surrounding the appointment of Barack Obama’s successor.
Now, they have one whose reform credentials seem to fit the profile — former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman — but he’s been greeted with a yawn.
Despite a record of taking on some of the most powerful politicians in Illinois, Hoffman has been virtually ignored by the Democratic establishment. Party officials are skeptical he can raise enough money in the compressed period of time before the February primary to compete or that there’s enough time for him to introduce himself to voters across the state.
It’s mostly a good piece, so go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* More candidates running for Ill. lieutenant gov.