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Pat Quinn (Former governor of Illinois)
Pat Quinn (Democratic Party) was the Governor of Illinois.
Quinn (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Illinois. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2018.
Quinn was the 41st Democratic Governor of Illinois. He served in this position from 2009 to 2015. Quinn replaced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office. As the state's lieutenant governor at the time, Quinn was first in line to succeed Blagojevich. Quinn later won a full four-year term in the 2010 gubernatorial election. His term expired on January 12, 2015.
Before becoming governor, Quinn spent six years as the state's lieutenant governor. He was first elected in 2002 and again in 2006.
From 1991 to 1995, Quinn served as state treasurer for Illinois.
Education
- Fenwick High School (1967)
- B.A. in international economics - Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University (1971)
- J.D. Northwestern University School of Law (1980)
Political career
Governor of Illinois (2009-2015)
Quinn was the 41st Illinois Governor. Quinn, formerly the lieutenant governor, ascended to the governorship on January 29, 2009, after the Illinois State Senate impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Quinn won election to a full term on November 2, 2010, which he began serving on January 10, 2011. He lost his bid for re-election in 2014. Quinn's term ended January 12, 2015, and he was succeeded by Republican Bruce Rauner.
Issues
State of the State address
In January 2014, Quinn gave his State of the State address, outlining his agenda for the year. It included a building program for Illinois, new early childhood education initiatives, and a higher minimum wage.[1]
Pension reform
During the July 2013 legislative session, Quinn announced that Illinois state lawmakers would not be receiving another paycheck until the legislature found a fix to the debt from the public employee pension plan. At that time, the state's debt from the pension plan had reached $100 billion because of "high borrowing costs, low credit ratings, and money being squeezed from social services." Quinn used his line-item veto power on a budget bill to eliminate lawmakers' pay for August 1 from the budget. Quinn's veto cut $13.8 million from the budget by eliminating salaries and stipends for state lawmakers. Quinn also voluntarily suspended his own pay until a deal could be reached.[2][3][4]
On July 30, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D) and President of the Senate John Cullerton (D) responded by filing a lawsuit against the governor, arguing the denial of pay was unconstitutional as it undermined the separation of powers. They sought an injunction that would force the state comptroller to issue paychecks with interest.[5][6][7] On September 26, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen ruled that Quinn had to reinstate lawmakers' pay immediately. The judge declared Quinn's act of withholding paychecks as unconstitutional.[8]
Firearms
According to Quinn's spokeswoman Brooke Anderson, in 2013, the governor said that restrictions on semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines should be passed.[9]
Tax money taken from charities
On June 26, 2011, the News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, IL) reported that Quinn's Office of Management and Budget took $1.18 million from charitable donations made on Illinois tax returns to help pay the state's bills during the fiscal year 2011. The money came from 11 tax checkoff funds, financed by the contributions of Illinois taxpayers who can check off a box on their tax returns to automatically donate to one of several charities. A government spokesperson claimed the state was borrowing the money temporarily and would repay it within several months, but some of the affected charities complained the funds were being misused. Tracy Smith, executive director of Feeding Illinois, which runs a network of food banks, claimed the organization had yet to receive any tax checkoff money from the past two years of tax returns.[10]
Job creation ranking
A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quinn was ranked number 30. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.[11][12]
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (2002-2009)
Quinn was elected Illinois Lieutenant Governor in November 2002. After winning the Democratic primary in March of that year, he ran together with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rod Blagojevich in the general election. In March 2006, Quinn again secured the Democratic nomination, this time running unopposed. He and Blagojevich won re-election to their respective offices on November 7, 2006.
Prior to 2014, candidates for Illinois Governor and Lieutenant Governor ran separately in the primary election and were then joined together as a ticket in the general election. The rule changed, effective 2014, so that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run together in both the primary and general elections.
Illinois State Treasurer (1991-1995)
After serving one term as Illinois State Treasurer, Quinn ran for the office of Illinois Secretary of State in 1994, losing in the general election to the incumbent (and future Governor) George H. Ryan.
Elections
2018
- See also: Illinois Attorney General election, 2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of Illinois
Kwame Raoul defeated Erika Harold and Bubba Harsy in the general election for Attorney General of Illinois on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kwame Raoul (D) | 54.7 | 2,488,326 |
 | Erika Harold (R) | 42.7 | 1,944,142 | |
 | Bubba Harsy (L) | 2.5 | 115,941 | |
| Total votes: 4,548,409 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kwame Raoul | 30.2 | 390,472 |
 | Pat Quinn | 27.2 | 352,425 | |
| Sharon Fairley | 12.7 | 164,304 | ||
 | Nancy Rotering | 9.5 | 123,446 | |
 | Scott Drury | 7.9 | 102,193 | |
| Jesse Ruiz | 5.4 | 70,158 | ||
 | Renato Mariotti | 4.0 | 51,902 | |
 | Aaron Goldstein | 3.0 | 39,196 | |
| Total votes: 1,294,096 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois
Erika Harold defeated Gary Grasso in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Erika Harold | 59.2 | 389,197 |
 | Gary Grasso | 40.8 | 268,688 | |
| Total votes: 657,885 | |||
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2014
- See also: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2014
Quinn lost his bid for re-election as Illinois Governor in 2014.[13] He was rated one of the most vulnerable incumbents facing re-election in 2014 gubernatorial election cycle.[14][15] Quinn selected former Chicago Public Schools director Paul Vallas as his running mate. Quinn and Vallas overcame Tio Hardiman and Brunell Donald in the Democratic primary election on March 18, but were defeated by the Republican ticket of Bruce Rauner and Evelyn Sanguinetti in the general election. The Libertarian ticket of Chad Grimm and Alex Cummings were also on the ballot. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary election
| Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Pat Quinn & Paul Vallas Incumbent |
71.9% | 321,818 | ||
| Tio Hardiman & Brunell Donald | 28.1% | 125,500 | ||
| Total Votes | 447,318 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections. | ||||
General election
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti |
50.3% | 1,823,627 | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn/Paul Vallas Incumbent | 46.3% | 1,681,343 | |
| Libertarian | Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings | 3.4% | 121,534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0% | 1,186 | |
| Total Votes | 3,627,690 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Race background
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) lost his bid for re-election in 2014 to Republican Bruce Rauner. Quinn previously served as lieutenant governor under Rod Blagojevich. He became governor after Blagojevich's impeachment in 2009 and won a full term in 2010. Quinn was the second-least popular governor up for re-election in 2014, according to approval ratings compiled by FiveThirtyEight. According to multiple outside ratings, Quinn was among the most vulnerable governors in the 2014 electoral cycle.[16][17]
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) announced in February 2013 that she would not run for re-election in 2014 alongside Quinn, her 2010 running mate. Simon later declared her candidacy for state comptroller.[18][19] Quinn chose former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas as his new running mate.[20]
The 2014 electoral cycle marked the first time in Illinois history that candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor ran on a single ticket in the primary election phase.[20]
As a result of the 2014 elections, Illinois became one of 20 states under divided government and did not have a state government trifecta.
Minor party candidates
Quinn and Rauner ran against Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm. Initially, there were three other minor party or independent tickets in the race, including Michael Oberline (Constitution), Scott Summers (Green), and Michael Hawkins (independent). The Illinois State Board of Elections ruled on petition challenges on August 22, 2014, disqualifying Oberline, Summers, and Hawkins from appearing on the November 4 ballot. It was the first time in a decade that the Libertarian Party was the only minor party to compete for Illinois statewide office in the general election.[21]
Debates
Debate media
|
October 9 debate
Bruce Rauner (R) and Pat Quinn (D) participated in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and WTVP. Quinn criticized Rauner as a political novice who had not been effective at turning around businesses as an equity investor. He cited bankruptcy proceedings for a nursing home operator run by Rauner's firm that was sued for wrongful deaths as examples of Rauner's alleged lack of business acumen. Rauner responded by pointing to state management of a $54.5 million anti-violence grant that had been under investigation by federal officials. The Republican candidate claimed that Quinn and state Democrats used the funds to shore up African American votes in the state, while Quinn argued that he eliminated the program when irregularities were brought to his attention.[22]
Quinn asserted that the state's economic fortunes improved in the past four years, with increases in jobs throughout the state and decreased unemployment. Rauner argued that Quinn had not been a successful governor, claiming that "a small group of Chicago machine politicians" led the state down the wrong path.[22]
Endorsements
Quinn's 2014 re-election campaign is endorsed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.[23]
2010
- See also: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2010
Quinn was elected on a ticket with Sheila Simon. The pair defeated Bill Brady/Jason Plummer (R), Rich Whitney/Don Crawford (G), Lex Green/Ed Rutledge (L) and Scott Lee Cohen/Baxter B. Swilley (I) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
Quinn's competition in the February 2, 2010 Democratic Party primary was Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes.[24] After a long election night, Quinn emerged victorious over Hynes in the Democratic race.
| Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn & Sheila Simon Incumbent |
46.8% | 1,745,219 | |
| Republican | Bill Brady & Jason Plummer | 45.9% | 1,713,385 | |
| Independent | Scott Lee Cohen & Baxter Swilley | 3.6% | 135,705 | |
| Green | Rich Whitney & Don Crawford | 2.7% | 100,756 | |
| Libertarian | Lex Green & Ed Ruthledge | 0.9% | 34,681 | |
| None | Write-in | 0% | 243 | |
| Total Votes | 3,729,989 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Pat + Quinn + Illinois + Governor"
See also
- Governor of Illinois
- Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
- Illinois Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014
- Illinois Constitution
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Executive actions:
- Fact-checking:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
Footnotes
- ↑ WatchDog.org, "Illinois governor lays out ambitious agenda, forgets to mention how to pay for it," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ "Chicago Tribune," "Quinn hits lawmakers 'in the wallet' as pension dispute simmers," July 11, 2013
- ↑ "Huffington Post," "Pat Quinn Pay Freeze: Lawmakers React After Illinois Governor Pulls Harsh -- And Maybe Illegal -- Move ," July 11, 2013
- ↑ "New York Times," "Illinois: Lawmakers May Miss Payday," July 11, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Madigan, Cullerton sue Quinn over blocked lawmaker paychecks," July 30, 2013
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "Judges Set September Arguments in Lawmaker Pay Suit," August 6, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Illinois lawmakers to miss 2nd paycheck," August 6, 2013
- ↑ foxnews.com, "Judge says Illinois governor must reinstate lawmakers' pay," accessed September 27, 2013
- ↑ USA Today, "Where each state stands on gun-control legislation," January 14, 2013
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Illinois Borrowing Money From Charities To Pay Bills In Budget Crisis," June 28, 2011
- ↑ The Business Journals, "Governors and jobs: How governors rank for job creation in their states," June 27, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "How state governors rank on their job-growth record," June 27, 2013
- ↑ Quinn for Illinois Official Campaign Website, "Home," accessed June 11, 2013
- ↑ Governing Politics, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Vulnerable?" December 11, 2012
- ↑ ChicagoBusiness.com, "Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn taps Paul Vallas for running mate," November 8, 2013
- ↑ Governing Politics, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Vulnerable?" December 11, 2012
- ↑ St. Louis Today, "Illinois Gov. Quinn 2nd least popular incumbent going into 2014," April 9, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Simon will not run again for lieutenant governor," February 13, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Magazine, "What Happens After Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon Quits Pat Quinn’s Team," March 26, 2013
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 CBS Local - Chicago, "2014 Governor Candidates To Choose Running Mates," August 24, 2013
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Will Appear on Illinois Ballot," August 22, 2014
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Chicago Tribune, "Quinn, Rauner try to create fear about the other guy during debate," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ ABC 7 Chicago, "Rahm Emanuel to back Gov. Pat Quinn for re-election bid," October 24, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Major union snubs Quinn, Hynes in Democratic governor's race," December 12, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rod Blagojevich (D) |
Governor of Illinois January 29, 2009 – January 12, 2015 |
Succeeded by Bruce Rauner (R) |
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State of Illinois Springfield (capital) |
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