Atty. Gen. Jim Ryan became the first politician to step into the vacuum created by Jim Edgar’s retirement, announcing Wednesday that he was forming a committee to explore a challenge to U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.).
Edgar had been considered the GOP’s best hope to unseat Moseley-Braun, and many Republicans were awaiting his decision before making plans for the 1998 campaign.
Urged on by Edgar and other Republican leaders, Ryan said he will make his decision by Sept. 22.
“What’s prompted me is people asking me to look at it–the governor and a lot of other people. It’s piqued my interest,” said Ryan, a Bensenville Republican in his first term as attorney general. “I have to be convinced I can make a difference in a broader, federal office–more of a difference, maybe, than I can make as attorney general.”
Perhaps the biggest hurdle facing Ryan, 51, are doubts about his health. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma a year ago.
But Ryan tried to put any concerns to rest Wednesday, saying aggressive chemotherapy has paid off. He will soon undergo two weeks of focused radiation as an outpatient.
“(My doctor) has told me he believes I am in remission or will soon be in remission,” Ryan said. “He is optimistic I am on my way to full recovery. I asked him point blank if I can campaign for this office, my present office, or the United States Senate and he said he saw no reason I couldn’t.
“I might get started a little later than some other candidates because I’m still recuperating. I’m getting stronger every week. Week to week, I feel much stronger. I’m ready to get back on the campaign trail.”
U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R.-Ill.) will chair Ryan’s exploratory committee.
Ryan added that he wanted “to test the waters to see how strong my candidacy would be. Then I have to search my own soul, my own mind, to determine if this is the office I want.”
But Ryan said he would not run if Secretary of State George Ryan, who is no relation to the attorney general, decides to challenge Moseley-Braun.
Moseley-Braun reacted to Jim Ryan’s announcement by saying that regardless of her opponent, her strategy is the same. “I intend to run for election based on my strong record of productivity for my state as opposed to running against anybody,” she said. “I’m going to work hard and do the best I can to get my record out there.”
Ryan said he called the state’s other constitutional officers to inform them of his decision.
He also called Republican Al Salvi, who lost a U.S. Senate bid to Dick Durbin last year, as well as GOP state Sen. Peter Fitzgerald of Inverness, the only Republican to declare his candidacy for Moseley-Braun’s seat.
Should Ryan not seek re-election as attorney general, possible contenders for the post include Salvi, Illinois House Minority Leader Lee Daniels (R-Elmhurst) and state Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst). Private attorney Clint Krislov, a Democrat from Wilmette, has already declared his candidacy.
Officials with the National Republican Senatorial Committee called Ryan’s office Wednesday to talk about his possible candidacy, and Ryan plans to fly to Washington soon to meet with officials.
Mike Russell, a committee spokesman, said the committee had considered Edgar its best hope against Moseley-Braun. But, he added, she is vulnerable regardless of her opponent.
George Ryan and Fitzgerald have already met with the committee to talk about a Senate bid, according to Russell, who added that some candidates who have already removed themselves from consideration may now rethink their decisions.
A Tribune poll conducted this summer showed that Jim Ryan has a favorable rating of 49 percent among Illinois voters, compared with Moseley-Braun’s overall favorable rating of 37 percent.
