An early look at the 2014 state executive elections in Illinois

October 11, 2013

By Maresa Strano

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois: Six state executive positions will be up for election in 2014 in the state of Illinois. The primary election is scheduled for March 18, 2013, and the general election for November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run on a major party ticket is December 2, 2013, and June 2014 for third party candidates.

Below is a preview of the races for the top two offices up for election in 2014, governor and lieutenant governor, as well as an early listing of the candidates bidding for the offices of secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and comptroller.

Governor

Incumbent Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn’s re-election woes in 2014 have centered on the concern that he might fail to win the Democratic nomination in the primary. In a Democratic-trifecta state like Illinois, the threat from fellow members of his party -- namely, William "Bill" Daley, a past U.S. Commerce Secretary and White House chief of staff and attorney general Lisa Madigan -- loomed large over the beleaguered governor.

By September 2013, however, Quinn had managed to dodge both challenger-bullets. First, Madigan, who had been expected to enter the primary race, announced that she would instead seek re-election to her current post. Daley subsequently declared his bid, but then abruptly exited the race for reasons which he did not immediately specify. Daley cited an unanticipated "enormity" factor to the that drove the decision, telling reporters, "I've lost sleep ... and struggling over the last couple weeks over whether or not what's needed I can provide over a long period," he said. "It's not about a campaign of 6 months or 14 months. It really is about a minimum of 5 to nine years to begin to straighten out this state."

Daley's withdrawal from the Democratic primary field marked a veritable coup for Quinn, whose bleak prospects for winning a second term stand to improve considerably in the absence of a strong primary challenge. Indeed, Daley's early donor reports showed his promise as a campaigner. He raised $800,000 in the three week period bridging the exploratory and formal launch phases of his gubernatorial bid. The Associated Press called Daley "a member of Chicago's first political family," being the brother and son of two of Chicago's longest-reigning and most influential mayors.

Quinn is the fifth out of a total of forty-six previous Illinois lt. governors to have succeeded to the governorship mid-term. As governor, Quinn has emphasized improving the state government's ethical standards and protecting public-sector labor unions. His tenure thus far has been marred by steep, deeply unpopular budget cuts and tax increases stemming from long-term state debt, among other issues that have factored into his status among the least popular governors facing re-election next year.

Candidates from the Republican end include state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, state treasurer Dan Rutherford and venture capitalist Bruce Rauner. So far, polls have shown Rutherford as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Lieutenant Governor

First term incumbent Lt. Gov Sheila Simon (D) is eligible for re-election, but said earlier this year that she would retire the post at the end of her term. Simon wanted to pursue a new office that would allow her to have a "greater impact," and later declared her candidacy to become the next state comptroller. Subsequent to Simon's thinly veiled swipe at the office's unsatisfactory "impact" potential was the Illinois House of Representatives' approval, in April, of a proposal seeking to eliminate the position of lieutenant governor altogether by constitutional amendment. In order for the measure to be passed, it must win approval of both the State Senate and Illinois voters. If the proposal is approved in a statewide public vote, the office will remain intact for one final term following the 2014 election.

The 2014 electoral cycle will mark the first time in Illinois history that candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor will run on a single ticket in the primary election phase. Spurred by the 2010 fiasco where the independently elected Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Scott Lee Cohen had to drop out of the race after being arrested on charges of steroid use and domestic battery, the law was promptly changed with the notion that the introduction of a dependent selection process will create a stronger perception, right off the bat, of the office's partnership with that of the governor. Since the gubernatorial candidates will be hand picking their running mates - most likely starting next week, though a few candidates have stated plans to wait until closer to the December petition filing deadline to make their selection - the hope is that their campaigns will be induced to "better define their priorities for voters and cover more ground as election season gets underway."

Individuals aiming to qualify for a slot on the March 2014 primary ballot officially were able to begin gathering signatures on September 3.

Quinn said he’s looking for “a people person,” to replace Simon, and anticipates holding off on a decision until later in the fall.

Declared primary candidates and Libertarian Party Convention nominations

On the weekend of Sept. 21, 2013, the Libertarian Party of Illinois convened at the Holiday Inn in Bolingbrook for its annual meeting. By the time they concluded the convention, the party's state delegates had nominated its 2014 candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer and state comptroller. This left attorney general as the sole unfilled state executive slot. The candidate would likely face Democratic incumbent Lisa Madigan next November, and the party "is expected to have a candidate selected soon," according to a convention summary posted on the Illinois Libertarian Party's official Facebook page.

Governor: Running mates listed together in order of "Governor/Lieutenant Governor"

General election

Pat Quinn (Incumbent)/Paul Vallas
Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti
Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings

Lost in the primary

Tio Hardiman/Brunell Donald
Bill Brady/Maria Rodriguez
Kirk Dillard/Jil Tracy - State Senator
Dan Rutherford/Steve Kim - State Treasurer

Failed to qualify

Scott Summers/Bob Pritchett, Jr.
Michael Oberline/Don Stone
Michael Hawkins/Kimberly Kusch

Lieutenant Governor:

• Paul Vallas (Pat Quinn)
• Evelyn Sanguinetti (Bruce Rauner)
• Alex Cummings (Chad Grimm)

Attorney General:

General election

Lisa Madigan - Incumbent
Paul Schimpf - Attorney, Retired U.S. Marine Corps Officer
Ben Koyl

Failed to qualify

David Black - Lawyer
Joe Bell - Attorney, 2010 nominee

Secretary of State:

General election

Jesse White - Incumbent
Mike Webster - Cass School District Board of Education President
Chris Michel

Failed to qualify

Sheldon Shafer
Ted Stufflebeam Treasurer:

• Michael Scott Carter - Financial executive, U.S. Navy veteran
• Tom Cross - State Rep. and House Minority Leader
• Bob Grogan - DuPage County Auditor, CPA
• Mike Frerichs - State Sen.
• Matt Skopek - Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Illinois

Comptroller:

• Judy Baar Topinka
• Sheila Simon - Current Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
  

Julie Fox - Certified public accountant

See also

• Illinois gubernatorial election, 2014
• Illinois Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014
• Illinois attorney general election, 2014
• Illinois secretary of state election, 2014
• Illinois down ballot state executive elections, 2014
• Illinois state executive official elections, 2014