Well, it's nice to be writing about my home state of Illinois on here for the first time in a while since the dust from the Wisconsin recalls has settled down.
Incumbent Democratic Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn has not yet decided whether or not he will seek a second full term as Governor of Illinois. Quinn has low approval ratings, so I doubt that he will run for re-election, but he might.
List of Potential Candidates - Democrats
Pat Quinn - Governor
Sheila Simon - Lieutenant Governor
Lisa Madigan - Attorney General
Bill Daley - Former White House Chief of Staff
George Gaulrapp - Mayor of Freeport
Rahm Emanuel - Mayor of Chicago
Colleen Callahan - Former Agriculture Reporter, WMBD-TV and WCIA-TV
Mike Quigley - U.S. Representative, IL-5
Mike Frerichs - Illinois State Senator, SD-52
Dave Koehler - Illinois State Senator, SD-46
Jack Franks - Illinois State Representative, HD-63
Dennis Kucinich - U.S. Representative, OH-10
My thoughts: If Quinn faces a credible primary challenger, I would consider voting for whoever runs against Quinn in the Democratic primary, although that's no guarantee, as I wouldn't vote for Kucinich in a Democratic primary because I would consider him to be a carpetbagger, for example. We're not exactly fond of carpetbaggers here in Illinois, and we're consistent about it. If Quinn decides not to seek re-election, which is what I'm thinking he might do, there will be a wide-open primary, that's for sure.
List of Potential Candidates - Republicans
Bill Brady - Illinois State Senator, SD-44 and 2010 Republican Nominee for Governor
Jason Plummer - 2010 Republican Nominee for Lieutenant Governor
Dan Rutherford - Treasurer
Scott Eisenhauer - Mayor of Danville
Jim Oberweis - Buisinessman
Becky Doyle - Former Illinois Department of Agriculture Director
Randy Hultgren - U.S. Representative, IL-14
Aaron Schock - U.S. Representative, IL-18
Erica Harold - Miss America 2003
Adam Kinzinger - U.S. Representative, IL-11/IL-16
Mike Bost - Illinois State Representative, HD-115
Chad Hays - Illinois State Representative, HD-104
My thoughts: Brady came close in 2010, so he might give it another shot, Plummer is currently unopposed in IL-12 pending the selection of a Democratic replacement nominee, Rutherford rode the 2010 Republican wave, Eisenhauer and Hays have built a well-organized GOP machine in Vermilion County rivaling that of the Cook County Democratic Organization, Oberweis is currently running for state senate, Doyle and Harold ran for the IL-13 replacement nomination after Tim Johnson withdrew from the race after the primary, but lost, Schock and Kinzinger are rising stars within the Illinois GOP, and Bost garnered brief national attention during the pension reform debate with an now-infamous rant. Of course, I'm not going to vote for a Republican candidate for Governor in 2014. Expect a wide-open primary on the Republican side under any circumstances.
List of Potential Candidates - Other
Patrick Fitzgerald - Former U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois
Rich Whitney - Civil Rights Attorney
Patrick Fitzgerald is a well-respected man in Illinois, having prosecuted George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, and Scooter Libby, among other famous criminals. If Fitzgerald runs for Governor, he would probably do so as an independent, although he could run as a Republican or a Democrat, depending on his stances on social and fiscal issues, which are virtually unknown at this time. The Illinois Green Party no longer has major party status in Illinois, so Whitney or anyone else running under the Green banner would have a tougher time getting on the ballot in 2014 than they did in 2010.
Comments are welcome, as always.
Next State Featured: New Jersey