Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Republican, announced Thursday he will not run for reelection next year, leaving former Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman as the only Republican candidate for his seat.
Morrison has represented the 17th District, which includes a wide swath of the southwest suburbs including Orland Park, Palos Heights and Lemont, since 2015. He was appointed to replace Gorman, who held the position from 2002 to 2015 before resigning to accept a job at an accounting firm in the private sector. Gorman supported Morrison as her successor.
In a statement announcing his decision, Morrison said the choice was driven partly by his belief in the importance of term limits.
“The responsibility of the office and the trust placed in me made it difficult to step away, but in the end, staying true to my principles of term limits mattered most,” Morrison said. “I firmly believe that public service should be a season of contribution, not a lifetime occupation, and it is important that I lead by example.”
Morrison also withdrew his candidacy for Palos Township Republican committeeperson. There is one other candidate filed for that position, Victoria Finegan, who will now run unopposed.
Morrison’s statement made clear that his choice was also a product of frustration with Democratic control on the city, state and county level. Of the 17 Cook County commissioners, Morrison is the only Republican.
“Cook County, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois are now firmly governed by a one-party supermajority whose policy direction and ideological priorities diverge sharply from my own deeply held personal, ethical, and spiritual convictions,” Morrison said in the statement. “Remaining true to the values and principles that guided me into public service, I have chosen to make a clean and honorable break.”
Morrison was reelected in 2018 and 2022. Gorman ran to unseat Morrison once before in 2022, but lost in the primary. With Morrison dropping out and the filing deadline past, she will run uncontested in the primary.
Gorman has been on the Regional Transportation Authority board since 2021, and was formerly executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.
“I was probably just as surprised as anybody else, and, you know, wish him and his wife and kids well in their next chapter,” Gorman said Friday.
Morrison resigned as chair of the Cook County Republican Party in April of this year, a position he had held for nine years.
Aaron Del Mar, who succeeded Morrison as party chair, said in a statement Morrison left a lasting positive impact on the party.
“Sean has been a steadfast advocate for fiscal responsibility, government accountability, and common-sense leadership during some of the most challenging years our county has faced,” Del Mar said. “Commissioner Morrison has never been afraid to stand up for taxpayers, push back against reckless spending, and hold this county’s leadership to a higher standard.”
One Democrat, Elyse Hoffenberg, is also running for the seat. The district has only had Republican commissioners since its inception in 1994.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
