June 14, 2005

Analyst: Boland wants shot at Treasurer, has potiential to win

Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader who pointed me to a piece first published back in May by Russ Stewart, a Park Ridge attorney, writer, and political analyst. Stewart writes:
Hope springs eternal, as a number of ambitious politicians aspire to run for Illinois treasurer in 2006.

"I'm running if she doesn't," said state Representative Mike Boland (D-71), an 18-year legislator from the Quad Cities area, referring to the expectancy that Judy Baar Topinka, the three-term incumbent Republican state treasurer, will run for governor in 2006.

Presuming that Topinka opts for a run against Democratic Governor Rod Blagojeivch, which is likely, her post looms as the only down-ballot statewide constitutional office that will be hotly contested in 2006. The three incumbent Democrats, Secretary of State Jesse White, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Comptroller Dan Hynes, are locks for re-nomination and re-election.
Stewart believes that if two or more Chicago candidates split the vote in the Democratic primary, then Boland will have a good shot of winning, much in the way Glenn Poshard was able to rack up 71% of the downstate vote in 1998.

Steward provides an excellent historical overview as well. It all sounds reasonable to me. What do you think?

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3 Comments:

At 6/14/2005 9:42 PM, Blogger The Inside Dope said...

Politicalwind, thanks for your excellent analysis. That really fleshes things out and you provide a great perspective on this scenario.

 
At 6/15/2005 1:37 PM, Blogger The Inside Dope said...

Thanks to all commenters. So great to see varied and valid comments from all points of view.

PoliticalWind... good points, but as far as your taking issue with the comparison to Poshard... Your point that Boland is not as charismatic or dynamic as Poshard may be valid, however, Poshard got over 70% of the downstate vote. Even if Boland doesn't do near as well as that, he'd still have a shot at winning, wouldn't he?

 
At 6/15/2005 7:20 PM, Blogger The Inside Dope said...

I'm torn. On the one hand, if Boland jumps for the Treasurer's spot, it avoids a collision with the Jacobs, which of course would be best. If he decides to stay put, it will preclude some quality younger candidates from going for his House seat.

But the blogger in me has a morbid desire to witness the bloodbath that would be a Boland/Jacobs clash.

But then again, that could get so ugly, maybe I should watch what I wish for. That scenario would likely be so low, so ugly, and so disgusting that everyone in the area would find themselves trying to scrub the grime off themselves for years to come.

And it has the potential that such a race would turn off EVERYONE and even Dems might end up voting for a Repubican just to get rid of both of them.

 

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