George Ryan, whose three decades in public office have made him one of Illinois’ most formidable politicians while saddling him with the hefty baggage of a political insider, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor.
Ryan, 63, a two-term Illinois secretary of state, is influential enough to be expected to ward off any possible challenges for the GOP nomination even while his would-be Democratic challengers brace for what is expected to be a bruising four-way primary battle.
But Ryan was still scrambling Tuesday to build the sort of overall ticket Republicans will need to woo moderate voters and extend their hold on the state’s top offices, including the governor’s office being vacated by Jim Edgar.
Ryan is touting his long record in office–as a state representative, lieutenant governor and secretary of state–and his ability to broker a deal with Democrats and Republicans alike as the right antidote for public dismay over state government. That dismay has grown with the recent failure of the legislature to pass school-financing reform and the recent bribery and fraud convictions of public officials and top campaign contributors.
“I represent the vast majority who want to see an end to the partisan bickering and government gridlock,” Ryan said during a Chicago rally that was part of an eight-city announcement tour.
Ryan highlighted his relationship with Mayor Richard Daley, who has battled fiercely and publicly with Edgar over airports and stadiums, among other things. But Ryan’s Democratic opponents already are pointing to his lengthy political career, his history of extending political patronage to friends and relatives and his willingness to cut a deal in hopes of convincing the public that he is the business-as-usual politician that voters are most likely to reject.
John Schmidt, one of those seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, called Ryan “the embodiment of the old-style, Republican Springfield bureaucratic establishment.”
