The Seminal has a great scoop:
Last night at the Midwest Academy Awards and 35th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown introduced Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky by saying, “We may have a special election in Illinois, and if Jan Schakowsky runs, I’ll support her.”
At the end of her speech, Schakowsky threw her hat in the ring, announcing that she was “passing around a clipboard” for people to sign up to be on an organizing committee for her “Senate race, and a basket for donations will follow right behind.” The audience cheered.
In related news, it looks like GOP Rep. Peter Roskam might be interested as well:
Kirk isn’t the only credible Illinois Republican mulling a Senate bid. A source close to Rep. Peter J. Roskam said the second-term congressman is also “very interested” in running for the Senate seat and wouldn’t automatically defer to Kirk. Roskam has a more conservative voting record than Kirk and has won election to a suburban Chicago seat during two rough election cycles for the GOP.
This is potentially great news. I’d love to see Roskam and Kirk bash each other to bits in a GOP primary. And I think, despite Kirk’s seniority, there’s a good chance Roskam could win by appealing to conservative elements in the Republican Party. Who knows – maybe the Club for Growth would get involved on his behalf.
Jeremiah has more in a diary here.
The great news, in my view, is that a progressive woman is running for senate! I was hoping she’d run.
Could we really have a fight in the Republican primary? We can’t be that lucky.
I’d much rather Blagojevich resign or get removed by the state legislature than have to go through a special election that will cost Illinois taxpayers $60 million.
If he will hurry up and make his exit, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn becomes governor and he can appoint a senator without the taint of scandal who can run in 2010.
As much as I love special elections and all the drama that comes with it, I just don’t see the need for going through this one if the underlying problem (Blagojevich’s corrupt ass) can be fixed.
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS DESERVE A SPECIAL ELECTION
I would prefer special elections with entrants from both parties, as many candidates as possible, and a runoff between the two top vote-getters. Since there has never been a special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, that is just as legal as anything else and much more democratic.
And the “underlying problem” is a loophole in the Constitution that gives one person the power to choose a senator (but not a U.S. rep). This is anti-democratic and anti-American.
I support progressive groups that are seeking to change the law so this outrage ends. John Nichols of Nation Magazine has written extensively on these efforts for a constitutional amendment or state laws changing the system.
Whatever the cost of a special election is, it is way, way, way less than the cumulative corruption tax us Illinois residents pay for tax monies used for a wide variety of corrupt purposes.
We want to vote. And, by the way, Patrick Quinn is very, very populist and very, very, very anti-Democratic establishment so frankly you’re not going to like the person he appoints if he’s given the opportunity. He’s apt to appoint an independent who is relatively conservative.
Shalom,
ZWrite