The Cook County Democratic Party won’t endorse a candidate in the Senate race to replace outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin, one of the most contentious and expensive races the state will see next year.
Members of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee met for day two of slating on Friday on the South Side, and opted for an open primary in the race after pitches from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Rep. Robin Kelly was represented by a surrogate amid a late night House vote in Washington.
And committee members also chose to endorse Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes over incumbent Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.
Gov. JB Pritzker was also absent, with his new running mate, Christian Mitchell, citing a “family event.” With no other major Democrats challenging Pritzker, the incumbent governor was easily endorsed.
Krishnamoorthi, the fundraising leader in the Senate race, called himself “a racial, religious, ethnic minority, immigrant with 29 letters in my name from Peoria, Illinois.”
Krishnamoorthi said, if elected, he’d want to open satellite offices throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods, and said he’d create federal funding liaisons for committee members to understand their funding opportunities.
He also touched upon his fundraising for other Democratic candidates, including party committees, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the state Democratic Party and the Cook County Democratic Party.
“I’m not personally wealthy, but I’m hard working,” Krishnamoorthi said. “I’m accessible, and I’m not changing my cell phone number.”
Meanwhile, Stratton cited legislative wins she’s achieved alongside Pritzker, including paying down the bill backlog, passing balanced budgets, creating jobs, raising the minimum wage and protecting women’s rights. The lieutenant governor said the race marks a “rare opportunity to send a new voice to Washington voters.”
“Everything we stand for is under threat, and the status quo in Washington is just not cutting it. We don’t need more of the same tired playbook. We need a fighter who will join Sen. Tammy Duckworth in meeting this moment with the urgency It demands,” Stratton said. “I am that leader, and I’m ready to go to the mat fighting for Illinoisans to make life more affordable, to create opportunities for the middle class and to protect our rights and our democracy. I want to do it with your partnership.”
Chicago Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) spoke on Kelly’s behalf, crediting her for standing alongside Illinois families against gun violence and closing health inequity gaps.
“Robin is running for the United States Senate to make Illinois safe from crime and gun violence, lower costs for families and tackle health inequities,” Lawson said.
Committeepeople met behind closed doors in executive session for several hours to hash out their slate. And following Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s announcement that she won’t seek a fourth term, the party opted to endorse State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, over her competitors, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim and Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago.
The party initially endorsed Croke, then reversed the decision amid a discussion over diversity and geography, then again gave her a stamp of approval. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon had pushed for an open primary in the race.
The endorsement of Hynes over Kaegi came after three challengers on Thursday pointed to issues uncovered by media outlets including the Sun-Times, which found in May that his office has mistakenly handed out more than $930,000 in property tax breaks to homeowners and businesses during his tenure. Hynes said the incumbent was behind “wild swings in property assessments.”
Kaegi on Friday said in a statement that he’s “confident that the voters will continue to support the critical work we’ve done to make Cook County a national model for transparency and fairness.” He also said he respected the process and the party’s consideration.
Earlier, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Mendoza, two candidates widely viewed as future mayoral candidates, made their rounds.
Giannoulias wouldn’t commit to finishing another full four-year term, despite getting the party’s endorsement.
“I don’t like making campaign promises – ‘I promise to do that’ nor would I hold anyone else to a promise. I love the work that I’m doing. I care deeply about helping people and that’ll never change,” Giannoulias said.
As for a mayoral run, Giannoulias said he was focusing on his reelection.
“I could never tell you what to say. I know there are a lot of rumors out there,” Giannoulias said. “People have asked and talked to me about it but again today is about reelection.”
Mendoza was a bit more direct, telling reporters she’s not closing the door “on any elected office” and will be going on a listening tour.
“I want to do a little bit more listening than talking and hear what the voters think I should do as my next big challenge,” Mendoza said.
As for a mayoral bid, Mendoza said, “it’s definitely open.”
“I’ll leave that door wide open,” Mendoza said.