State Rep. Daniel Biss of Evanston has announced that he plans to run to succeed State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, who announced Tuesday that he won’t seek re-election.
Biss, who was elected to the state House just last year, after an unsuccessful race in 2008, told suppporters in an email message this afternoon that he’s already lined up endorsements from U.S. Rep Jan Schakowsky, several other state senators and representatives including Robyn Gabel of Evanston, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin of Evanston, Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and other local officials from around the district.
Biss said moving to the Senate “will allow me to have a bigger impact on the exact same issues I’ve been addressing in the House—fiscal policy, education, environmental policy, and political reform.”
Biss says that to get on the ballot he will need to collect “thousands of signatures in little more than a week.” He urged supporters to attend a campaign kick-off event at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mallinckrodt Center, 1041 Ridge in Wilmette, and to volunteer to gather petition signatures.
Time to end the one-party system, give us political diversity
So Senator Democrat Jeff Schoenberg waits until two weeks before the petition deadline to announce he won't run for another term. Interesting.
Two days later Democrat Daniel Biss announces he will run for Schoenberg's seat and that he had already garnered the support from Democrats Jan Schakowsky, Robyn Gabel, Elizabeth Tisdahl and Larry Suffredin.
Are we to believe that after Schoenberg announces he won't seek re-election that Biss on a whim decides to run for the senate seat and gets all these endorsements in two days time? The same day Democrat activist Jeff Smith decides to run for Biss' seat.
What clearly happened here is the Democrat power players – Schakowsky, Biss, Gabel, Suffredin and Smith – went behind closed doors and brokered these arrangements and waited until the last minute to announce the changes so that other potential candidates won't have time to prepare and get the needed petitions and endorsements.
It's clear they want to limit the choices for voters.
I hope Republicans field quality candidates because it's time we elect politicians who are not connected to the arrogant Democrat political machine. We need political diversity and to end the arrogance of the one-party system.
Time to end the one-party system, give us political diversity
Actually, from the Bliss's own statement (in the article) it looks like Jeff's delay in announcing his retirement means Bliss has to scramble to get on the ballot. The Rebuplicans have known all along the the opportunity for them to get someone on the ballot.
Doesn't look orchestrated to hedge the local GOP options at all.
Democratic Party
not Democrat Party.
Now that wasn't so hard, was it?
Anonymous Al’s got it mostly
Anonymous Al's got it mostly right. There had to be conversations before the Senator announced. This is standard fare for team Jan and the candidates she recruits. The only part that's dead wrong is thinking that Jeff Smith was in on the play. Pretty sure he would have accepted an invitation to discuss had he been asked (as would most any active, committed Dem in the 9th CD) but Jeff is the guy that says, "Dude, really. No clothes?" and history shows—-and our state budget evinces—-that telling it like it is, well, it's not their thing. Pretty sure Smith is the outsider in Al's scenario. But he shouldn't be. I hope Smith runs.