Even Mike Madigan is unsure how the Illinois Democratic Party’s process to pick a new lieutenant governor candidate will work.
Democrats are working toward a self-imposed deadline of March 27 to pick a candidate from more than 250 people who have applied.
Madigan, D-Chicago, the speaker of the Illinois House, was unanimously elected to his fourth four-year term as party chairman Monday.
Asked later how confident he is about the lieutenant governor selection process, Madigan said, “I am not confident at all.”
“We’re just very hopeful that since it’s open and transparent, that we’ll be able to work our way through it, and on the 27th of the month, we’ll have a nominee,” he said.
Online applications are still being accepted to fill the ballot vacancy left when Scott Lee Cohen, a Chicago pawnbroker who won the primary election for lieutenant governor, later dropped out of the race.
Madigan announced last week that candidates can present their credentials at a series of subcommittee meetings this Saturday.
Nancy Shepherdson of Deer Park, who represents the 8th Congressional District on the state committee, asked if there would be a way to avoid having to hear from candidates who signed up online, but clearly are not qualified.
“I’m reluctant to be telling people, ‘you ought not come,’” Madigan responded.
Shepherdson said later that the response made sense to her, because it is necessary to avoid the appearance a decision is being made in a “smoke-filled room.”
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago, a representative of the 7th Congressional District, said after the meeting that he thinks the committee ultimately will appoint state Rep. Art Turner of Chicago, who finished second in the primary.
“ I don’t think we will come up with anybody, any reason, any possibility that would diminish Art Turner’s desirability,” Davis said. “You know what happens after tryouts – you still got the stars.”
Former state Sen. Bill Marovitz of Chicago, who represents the 9th Congressional District, wondered if there would be a deadline for applications.
If a last-minute candidate becomes the nominee, Marovitz said, “It’s going to make all of us look really foolish.”
“There needs to be a chance for all of us to question the person, not just have the person foisted upon us,” he said.
“We’re kind of going step by step here,” Madigan said after the meeting. “I don’t plan to close the applications. I don’t plan to restrict my options.
“We’ve been surprised by the number of applicants, but I think that it’s a good message to the Republicans that there’s a high level of interest in the Democratic Party of Illinois,” Madigan said. “At the end of the day, the process will be open, transparent, and I think that the governor and the Democratic Party of Illinois will be together.”
Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at 788-1540.
Meeting schedule
One of the subcommittees set to interview prospective Democratic lieutenant governor candidates will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Statehouse Inn in Springfield.
Five other sessions apparently will be held that day in the Chicago area.
The full central will meet March 27 in Springfield to select a nominee.
New local applicant
A recent applicant for the Democratic nomination to run for lieutenant governor is Ann Ferguson Ramsey, who lists her voting address at the Ramsey Family Farm Estate in Rochester. She has an Urbana mailing address.
Ramsey, 53, was president of the Rochester Public Library Board for an eight-year period during which the Rochester Public Library was built.
“I have remained a Democrat because of the liberal policy on environmental, health care and human population issues, which are among the greatest problems faced by Illinois and by the rest of the world,” she said on her application.
Several other central Illinois residents submitted applications earlier.
Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.