State Representative Kathy Ryg will resign her position in the General Assembly to take the position of President of Voices for Illinois Children. Here's the official press release off the organization's website.
That gives GOP front-runner Dan Sugrue quite a boost, but it may also open the floodgates for additional contenders who didn't quite have the guts to enter the race when it looked like Ryg was the opponent.
On the Dem side, wonder who they will appoint to fill the remainder of her term. Whomever it is will have a leg up on the Dem nomination, unless the plan is to nominate a place-holder and let the primary be a free-for-all. Given how things are shaking out in the popular 10th Congressional District race, I would expect plenty of competition on both sides to come in.
However, the smart money is that Ryg has already got someone in mind that Michael Madigan has blessed. Given Ryg's new position is likely to have a heavy lobbying component that will be looking for state support, she's not going to leave Madigan in the lurch without a good candidate who can keep the 59th District in Dem hands. However, someone else told me this morning that Ryg is pretty much taking off from the GA and not giving it much of a look back, so we'll see.
Look for Madigan to spend as much as he needs to in order to keep this seat. Heavy Dem spending on this race may also have a ripple effect in other local races, including the 10th District Congressional race.
I should add that it's nice to see a Democrat resign from office for a reason other than scandal, for a change. We didn't like Kathy's politics, but we liked her as a person, so we wish her the best of luck in her new position.
UPDATED 12:40 p.m.: The Daily Herald has a story up, with a quote from Dan Sugrue.
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6 comments:
Congrats to Dan Sugrue!
smells like the beginning of the beginning of the end for 10th Dems. Hamos the Hog surrenders her seat in 9th CD to desperately run, Ryg throws in the towel, Hynes makes a last ditch attempt to move up the ladder, lisa doesn't have the guts to move up, and comrade jan looks like she's getting a challenger from a republican jew and ex-democrat. People don't abandon parties that are going strong.
FOKLAES
Foklaes,
You have a point here. I always thought it was somewhat fishy that AG Madigan did not take the next step. She knows a storm is brewing and she is batting down the hatches. Ryg Gone, Bond gonna be gone, Link for intents and purposes is gone.
The great thing about obama getting elected president and not losing and sticking around means the only place he can go from here is down and out. Had he stuck around, he and his party would have only heated up. Now him going to d.c. +inevitable corruption+inevitable policy fail from elections won on corruption not ideas+natural burnout=room for republican resurgence.
8 years ago dems had obama losing congressional seat, durbin winning, young guns madigan, hynes and blago, plus a gop destroyed from 26 years of governing. Alexi and this little blago press shop leader of horrors cheryle jackson aren't anywhere close to that league. Plus a ton of local dem talent is either cashing out in private sector or off to d.c. hatch act-ed out of politics.
FOKLAES
Hamos the hog: great ):
Just because someone isn't a Republican does not mean that they should be slammed, labeled, or referred to in a less than neutral or cordial manner.
It occurs to me that if there is such disdain on a consistent basis, even when it is not present, the blog and the Party will be associated with such labeling and judgement (judge not lest you be judged). Compassionate? No. Conservatives? No.
And I'm referring to something from TODAY. What's the excuse to avoid addressing it?
Kudos to Rep. Ryg who chose not to put up with the mess in Springfield and to continue serving others.
Not only were there Dem's that failed to maintain safety-net programs, we had Repubs (one a former social worker) who thought anything was fair game to be cut.
To me, if we fail to spend on early intervention, wellness, and court diversion programs now, we'll be spending on prisons, alternative education, and sustinance programs in the future.
To a certain extent, we either spend modestly now or we spend gobs later.
That's Ryg's party's mess in springfield, we're as burned out on it as she is. Cry me a river.
I've seen animals more behaved than the barn animals down in springfield and chicago. Yesterday I learned in my chicago tribune that aldermen pay political consultants with taxpayer dollars. At the federal level that would get you 5 years in jail and an end to your political career.
FOKLAES
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