Tom Dart For Senate? Anxious Democrats Reportedly Courting Sheriff To Challenge Kirk

It's been a rough week for the Democrats hoping to take over President Obama's former Senate seat from retiring incumbent Roland Burris.

First, a Rasmussen poll showed Republican front-runner Mark Kirk edging out Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and completely dusting Democrat Cheryle Jackson.

Congressman Kirk beat out State Treasurer Giannoulias 41 percent to 38 percent in Rasmussen's survey of 500 likely Illinois voters, with 17 percent unsure of their vote and 4 percent picking "some other candidate."

Kirk led Jackson, the president of the Chicago Urban League, 47 percent to 30 percent, again with 17 percent unsure and 6 percent saying some other candidate. However, Kirk's slim lead over Giannoulias falls within the poll's 4.5 percent margin of error.

Also this week, Merchandise Mart boss Chris Kennedy decided against running after a long flirtation with the race. That doesn't help Jackson, whom Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington recently advised to get her on her knees and pray that Kennedy runs and splits the white male vote with Giannoulias.

More bad news for Jackson came Thursday, when the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen's Association endorsed Giannoulias.

On Friday, Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed quotes an anonymous "top Dem" saying the party wants Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to run.

"The sheriff is seriously considering it," an anonymous source close to Dart told Sneed, "and will announce his decision by the end of the month."

Dart has enjoyed a good run of publicity, beginning with his moratorium on enforcing evictions to his suing Craigslist over its erotic services ads to his recent handling of the Burr Oak cemetery scandal. Dart even made this year's Time 100 list of the world's most influential.

Sneed thinks Dart won't do it, because it would mean giving up the platform-- and income-- of his sheriff's job.

If true, the Dart courtship wouldn't be national Democrats first foray into the Illinois Senate race. Back in June, top Democrats tried to woo Attorney General Lisa Madigan into the race and brought her to the White House to make their pitch. Madigan spurned the President's overture, opting instead to stay in Chicago and run for re-election, leading the White House to declare that "the President is not going to pick a candidate in the Illinois Senate race."

The election is still a ways off, though, and that 17 percent of undecided voters will start picking sides as the campaigns move along.

Comments

[Lakeview Greg]

Kirk's mouth is too big for his own good. He will pull something like the Oberweis helicopter ad and then he will be done. The likely winner of the Senate race? Probably someone who is not even on the radar as yet.

[sushi27]

Kirk is a BUSH republican - that includes saying stupid things in public - Do Not Be Fooled - He is NOT moderate.

[VOTER]

Correct.

[Cogs]

The Dems had better get serious and find someone to challenge Giannoulias. He cannot win. The GOP will hammer him on his lack of experience and some very questionable dealings involving his family's business. Dart vs Kirk offers voters a real choice.

[mamala4]

And Kirk will be hammered on his pro- Bush stances for much of his career.

[mamala4]

For anyone believing that Kirk is a moderate, below I have noted the latest survey on Kirk.house.gov..
health reform is a government takeover? he's just afraid of losing his $1.5 million in health insurance company donations. Kirk is no moderate!

Do you support Speaker Pelosi’s plan for a $1.3 trillion government takeover of healthcare?

[poomplet]

Ummmm...

no

[mamala4]

As Barney Frank said "On what planet do you live?" At no time was this health care reform program EVER intended to be a government takeover....and it never will be...did you attend a public university? Do you drive on public highways? Do you get Veterans benefits?Are your parents receiving Medicare?
All government programs...

[Max01]

Why waste any comments to a dining room table.

[Ergon]

Much as I would like a progressive democrat to win, it'll probably be some shmoe until 2010.

[VOTER]

Heath Care Video Cartoon - Politicians and Insurance Companies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNuCfD5bICQ

Sing Along - Go Ahead and Die!

[VOTER]

Congressman Mark BUSH KIrk

Town Hall Meeting
Monday, August 24th

Time: 3:00 PM
(What? No evening meeting? Well, the unemployed of the 10th can show up.)

Arlington Heights Village Hall
Village Board Room
33 South Arlington Heights Rd.

[VOTER]

BTW - Is Monday's meeting a Republican Loyalists ONLY Event?

The Topic:
HEALTH CARE REFORM.

Kirk didn't announce this important Town Hall Meeting until LATE Friday, August 21st.

He doesn't even have it posted on his own website.
Why doesn't he have a calendar on his website?
Are we suppose to guess where he is?
(South Carolina Voters recently went through a "Guess Where Our Elected Politician Is.")

What other important issues does Kirk want Illinoisans to guess about?

Monday's Meeting - If possible, please be there.

[mamala4]

We in the 10th district need to call his office and complain about the daytime event and the small venue...

[VOTER]

America has been BUSHED.
We, in Illinois. do not need, want or deserve to have Mark BUSH Kirk in Office.

Is he a "moderate" birther?
Does he fully support the Republican mythical Death Panels or just "moderately?"
Is he For or Against Health Care Reform ........... of course, "moderately" for or
"moderately" against?

Take it from 10th District Constituents, we don't want him as Congressman and
Illinoisans shouldn't want him holding us hostage to the far-right wacko Republican Party.

[poomplet]

Saying that....over and over again forever
doesn't make it true. The Wash Post link shows Kirk voting against the GOP on many key votes...BEFORE 2006 http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/k000360/key-votes/

And....AGAIN....wingnuts absolutely hate him, which Kirk can/should use as a campaign platform. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1787025/posts

Admit it...you're scared to death about how big the Blago Backlash is gonna be, so you're making stuff up ("Kirk=Bush!!") and repeat it ad nauseum....HOPING someone might believe it.

I'm still a dem, and I AM scared about the possibility of a national GOP backlash (smaller scale), but I'm not gonna vote for a skum like Giannoulias vs. an experienced, honest, MODERATE like Kirk.

The idea there may be hoardes of voters who feel the same way also scares you sheet less.

[VOTER]

So sorry you find the Mark "Bush" Kirk disturbing; I imagine
Mark only feels PRIDE.

[mamala4]

Balgo backlash is a joke, just as he was...EVERYONE knew he was corrupt and it doens't matter which party he affiliated with...the repubs had no one decent to run against Blago...they still don't have anyone decent...some things never change.

[John Hedges]

Kirk's pandering and straightline Republican voting record are distasteful but Obama's senate seat is Kirk's to lose. Kirk is a public servant - a reserve officer and senior staffer to previous Congressman John Porter - without a hint of "taint." The bloom is off Democratic rule in DC (hell I am a progressive and I think I am being sold down the river on health reform, civil liberties and KStreet-run government). Democrats in Illinois are wallowing in corruption and incompetence. Alexi may think he is the second coming of Obama; by November 2010 he will look like Blago 2.0. Alexi's liberal platitudes may have less appeal in the face of his apparent incompetence as Treasurer in tanking the bond side of the state college savings plan and his selince while Blago made a mockery of state government. Only when untouchables-wannabe Fitzgerald put the cuffs on Blago did Alexi and other democrats express shock at corruption happening in state government. In short Obama better get anything he wants passed this year, because his senate seat is vulnerable. Illinois Democrats, from Obama and Durbin on down have shown contempt for the voter by blessing the undemocratic tactics that gave us incompetent nepotarch Todd Stroger in Cook County, and empty suit Dan Lipinski in the House. And these two have failed to show Democrats can govern in DC on health care. When a party fails to govern and takes voters for granted, its candidates tend to lose. Pretty simple.

[poomplet]

For those who will attempt to say Kirk is a Bush clone, take a look at what the hardcore right-wing GOPers have to say about Kirk....it's actually a ringing ENDORSEMENT for sane people!!

excerpt (a great ENDORSEMENT, noy the slam it's supposed to be): http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1787025/posts

FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL'S TOP 10 RINOs IN THE HOUSE(FROM 2005):
Rep. Christopher Shays (Connecticut) 1Rep. Michael Castle (Delaware) 2 Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (New York) 3 Rep. Mark Kirk (Illinois) 4

NATIONAL JOURNAL'S TOP 25 MOST LIBERAL REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE (FROM 2005)
Ranked by a weighted analysis of selected roll call votes by National Journal magazine.
Rep. Jim Leach (IA-2) 61.3 Rep. Ron Paul (TX-14) 60.3 Rep. Christopher Shays (CT-4) 53.7 Rep. Michael Castle (DE-AL) 52.7 Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (NY-24) 52.0 Rep. Nancy Johnson (CT-5) 51.7
Rep. Mark Kirk (IL-10) 51.3

[poomplet]

more wingnut disdain of Kirk:

KIRK'S RECORD ON KEY ISSUES
In 2005, "Citizens for Global Solutions" gave Representative Kirk a rating of "A"
In 2006, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Kirk a grade of "F"
Based on information available in 2006, Sierra Club chose to endorse Representative Kirk.
Based on information available in 2006, Planned Parenthood chose to endorse Representative Kirk.
Representative Kirk voted their preferred position of Taxpayers for Common Sense 36% of the time in 2001.
Kirk voted their preferred position of Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 100% in 2002
Kirk supported the interests of the NARAL 100% in 2005.
Kirk supported the interests of the National Council of La Raza 100% in 2004.
Kirk supported the interests of the Republicans for Environmental Protection 75% in 2005.

[Dr Manhattan]

Some of you can keep drinking the Kool-aid, but this reaching out to Dart just shows how little quality there is in the IL Democratic party. Sadly the last decent Democratic politician (never mind senator) was the late great Paul Simon.

[poomplet]

Paul was great, and again, I vote mostly Democratic. But the hard-left bias here seems to ignore all the decent/honest GOP politicians we've had; Jim Edgar, Chuck Percy, Jim Thompson (when he was gov he was great, he got slimy after that)...Dirksen, um..LIncoln. Even Peter Fitzgerald...who I voted agains & was such an insufferable simp everyone in Congress hated him....was honest to a fault, to the point he appointed PATRICK Fitzgearald to our district ,explicitly/specifically to root out state corruption (I like him 1000x more NOW than I did when he was in office!).

I'm a registered Dem, but I like Kirk a lot (and I live in his district). That's true for a lot of moderates, Dem and Repub...and THAT'S why the Dems are right to be looking for someone stronger and CLEANER than Don Giannoulis.

I really can't see a Dem I'd vote for over Kirk, but it's early.

[veracity]

ALRIGHTY then !! The FIIRST FRUITS of president obama's
"RUN as a liberal/moderate/progressive Democrat,
but RULE as a RIGHT-WING GOLDMAN-SACHS, BIG-BIZ, and LIKUDNIK NEO-CON NY/DC establishment authoritarian" agenda are starting to ripen.

Obama Co. (which is to say "the Rahm Emanuel/Goddamn-Sachs White House) has SO CLOUDED the (genuinely) "Democratic" agenda, that the State which JUST GAVE US A "Democrat" President, CAN'T produce a Democratic senate candidate ??!!

CHALK ANOTHER "victory" UP in RAHM EAMNUEL's gun-belt!!

(IF he is a Joe Lieberman Republican operative, that is.)

[BushBites]

Kirk's ahead by 3 points and everybody's panicking?

Jeeze.

[BushBites]

And it's a Rasmussen poll!

They always tilt Repub.

In the real world, it's probably at worst a toss-up.

[poomplet]

Once the GOP starts painting the Dems with a big 'ole coat of "BlagoTaint", it's over.

Dart MIGHT have a prayer, Don Giannoulias will hand the seat to the GOP on a silver platter

[scorpioleidy]

Cheryle Jackson: forget it - not gonna happen

Alexi Giannoulias: still a little wet behind the ears, has family baggage (but President Obama supports him)

Tom Dart: seasoned, viable candidate

There is no way a repug (Kirk) is going to win this state.

Things are about to get interesting around here!

[poomplet]

WHAAAAATTTTT???

IL has had zillions of gop senators, and in case you haven't noticed, the DEMOCRATS have completely soiled their credibility (and selves) and made our state an international laughingstock. If you don't think there's gonna be a GOP bounceback nationally, you're deluuded, and if you don't think it will be a shreiking, vehement backlash here in IL, you're just plain gone.

If you want me to dig up Kirk's moderate creds, the fact he's garnered top appointments & respect from both sides of the aisle in Congress...I will. Giannoulias is a mob-tainted chicago goon, JUST what the GOP will be hoping to run against. They will rally around Kirk (THAT is even a revelation, given how far left he is) and they will rain down a deliciously viscous campaign that will remind us all of the sickening taint the Dems have spewed upon us (and it won't even need to be fabricated!!).

I voted Obama, but this will be an uphill battle for ANY Dem, even Dart. 'Don' Giannoulias will be a cakewalk for him.

[mamala4]

Kirk voted with George Bush 98% of the time...that's moderate? Just because he says he's a moderate doesn't mean he is one...his actions tell anyone who can read that he is far from moderate.

[ekoorb]

I'll take the judgement of the county chairmen over an anonymous "top dem".