If you were watching the pre-primetime coverage, you may have noticed that several Illinois politicians were front and center during the first day of the Democratic National Convention. This is hardly surprising, given that someone will have to be appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace Barack Obama when he is elected the next president. The lineup of politicians may indicate Obama's preferences for his replacement. Here's a rundown of some of the potential candidates who appeared at the convention today, as well as some other potential candidates -- including, regrettably, Blagojevich himself.
More beneath the fold . . .
First up is Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Madigan was first elected attorney general in 2002 with about 50% of the vote; she was reelected in 2006 with about 72% of the vote. She was also an Illinois state senator for four years and she worked alongside Barack Obama. She is the daughter of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, and her family apparently has a long rivalry with Gov. Blagojevich. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch article from March 23 suggests that Blagojevich may appoint her to the Senate to prevent her from running against him in the 2010 Democratic primary for governor. Illinoisans may in fact be better off if Madigan challenges Blagojevich. Madigan is relatively young (42), she is extremely bright, she represents change in Illinois politics, and she has made history in her own right -- she is the first woman to be elected Illinois attorney general.
Next is Comptroller Dan Hynes, who won his first election in 1998 with about 59% of the vote and who won his most recent reelection in 2006 with about 64%. Like Madigan, Hynes is relatively young (40) and has been a thorn in Blagojevich's side; but unlike Magidan, Hynes has demonstrated a desire to go to Washington, as one of Barack Obama's primary opponents in 2004. By appointing Hynes to the Senate, Blagojevich would be enabling himself to appoint a new comptroller who would be less critical of his fiscal policies.
What about State Senate President Emil Jones, Jr.? Jones is incredibly close to Barack Obama and has served in the Illinois State Senate for 25 years (having served in the Illinois House of Representatives for ten years prior to that). Jones is also a Blagojevich ally. However, Jones announced earlier this month that he will retire from the State Senate next year, so it seems unlikely that he would be appointed to the U.S. Senate. But it's not impossible that a shot at making national policy would lure Jones away from retirement.
My favorite is probably Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, the first Democratic Illinois treasurer in over a decade and the youngest state treasurer in the nation. Giannoulias is another Blagojevich opponent, in February calling him "the anti-Obama" and accusing him of dividing the Illinois Democratic Party. He is young, only 32 years old, and he would be a fresh face in Washington. He would reinforce Obama's message of change and, like Obama, he would be a strong voice for ethics reform as he has already proven to be in Illinois state politics -- despite accusations by Republicans, intraparty opponents, and yes, Clintoncrats (bearing an ever-decreasing resemblance to actual Democrats), that Giannoulias has been involved in unethical and criminal activity in the past. His current commitment to ethical politics and his 54%-41% victory over Republican Christine Radogno would suggest that Illinoisans rejected allegations that Giannoulias was associated with criminal activity and that these allegations are about as bogus as Obama's alleged association with Tony Rezko's criminal activity.
My next favorite is U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Jackson has served as the co-chair of the Obama campaign and is extremely close to Obama, defending him against an outrageous personal attack by his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. Jackson is a lot like Obama, a young man (43) perceived as a Washington outsider but perhaps better acquainted with the ways of Washington than Obama was when he came to the Senate. Jackson is also one of the new faces of the African American community nationally, and Blagojevich could generate a lot of political goodwill within the Illinois African American community if he appoints Jackson.
Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle, who also spoke at the convention today, is perhaps a dark horse candidate.
Other potential candidates who did not appear at the convention today include Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, Secretary of State Jesse White, State Sen. James Clayborne, or former Obama rival U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush.
The last and worst possibility is that Gov. Rod Blagojevich would appoint himself. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (same link as above) points out that no Illinois governor has ever appointed himself to the Senate, but Blagojevich is just the corrupt opportunist to make history in this way. As a U.S. representative, Blagojevich was the only Illinois representative to vote in favor of authorizing the Iraq War, so there's no chance that he will continue Obama's change legacy. As recently as July, only 13% of Illinoisans approved of Blagojevich, in large part due to his involvement in corruption after promising to clean up the corrupt Republican state government.
The Chicago Tribune's D.C. bureau blog, The Swamp, points out that Blagojevich was not given a speaking role at the convention. It seems very unlikely that Obama would want Blagojevich to replace him, but it's ultimately Blagojevich's own decision. The only upside to a self-appointment would be that Blagojevich would clear the way for the Illinois Democratic Party to clean up its image and possibly retain the governor's mansion in 2010, but that might mean little if the national party loses a U.S. Senate seat in the process.
It seems to me that Blagojevich is likely to maximize his own political benefit, and that will probably mean appointing either Madigan, Hynes, or Giannoulias to get one of them out of his hair. That will give him a better shot at winning the Democratic primary for governor in 2010 and then going on to seek, and probably lose, reelection. On the upside, any of these three would likely make good replacements for Obama in the Senate and they would likely represent Illinois well.
Cross-posted to Nate, Uncensored.