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Lisa Madigan Will Not Run For Governor

lisamadigan.org

Lisa Madigan will NOT run for Illinois governor next year. The state’s Attorney General announced today she has been considering a run for governor for months, but decided to stick with her current job.

The Chicago Democrat says one factor in her decision is that her father is Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, and it wouldn’t be good for the state to have a governor and speaker from the same family. Speaker Madigan has been under scrutiny since revelations last week that he allegedly tried using his political clout to force the suburban rail agency Metra to give one of his and his daughter's campaign contributors a raise.

Madigan says she had entertained the idea of running for governor because "of the need for effective management from that office and the frustration so many of us feel about the current lack of progress on critical issues facing Illinois."

Madigan has been vague about her plans up until now, raising a lot of money for her next political run: that fueled talk that she would run against Democratic Governor Pat Quinn in next year’s primary election.  Her decision to run for Attorney General instead leaves Quinn and former White House chief of staff Bill Daley as the two lead Democrats intending to run for governor.

Madigan's decision may put a damper on the political aspirations of others who were considering a run for Attorney General. Names that have been mentioned as possible candidates include House minority leader Tom Cross, State Senator KwameRaoul, and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon.

Susan is an award-winning reporter/writer at her favorite radio station. She's also WNIJ's Perspectives editor, Under Rocks contributor, and local host of All Things Considered.