Elections are coming. Again. In Chicago and Cook County, elections never seem to end.
The Nov. 3 midterms are just months away, when voters elect members of Congress, as well as Illinois’ legislative, statewide and county offices.
Three months later, Chicagoans will go to the polls in the city’s Feb. 23 municipal elections to select a mayor, city clerk, treasurer and 50 aldermanic seats.
Some politicians are so enamored with getting elected that they campaign for and accept their party’s nominations for one office, while at the same time planning, plotting and raising money for another.
I call it a double run.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley is the latest to declare a double run. In the March 17 Democratic primary, voters handed Quigley the nomination to stand in November for a 10th consecutive term representing Illinois’ 5th Congressional District. On Saturday, he announced he is also running for mayor in February.
I live in Quigley’s district. I was chatting with a neighbor the other day. “Did you know that Quigley is running for both mayor and Congress at the same time?” I asked.
“No. He should run for one,” my neighbor replied.
Quigley is telling voters: “Vote for me for Congress in November, and then, right after I start my next term, I want you to elect me mayor.”
His website touts: “Mike Quigley, Proudly Serving Illinois’ 5th District.” Until he’s not.
Maria Pappas is running for reelection to an eighth consecutive term as Cook County treasurer. She has also announced a mayoral bid.
George Cardenas was nominated for a second term on the Cook County Board of Review, where he also serves as chairman. He is also running for mayor.
Then there’s Alexi Giannoulias, up for reelection as Illinois secretary of state. He has not yet announced but is widely expected to jump into the mayoral race.
Not only does Illinois law allow these politicians to run for two offices at the same time, but they also can hoard the campaign funds they are collecting for one race to fuel another.
“The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 just broke the caps in the Illinois secretary of state race by spending $255,000 on advertising” through an independent expenditure political action committee that supports Giannoulias, Politico reported last week.
The big spend “is large enough to lift contribution limits for all candidates in the race and open the door to unlimited donations for Giannoulias’ reelection campaign, even though he is expected to breeze by little-known Republican challenger Diane Harris,” according to the news site.
Illinois law allows Giannoulias to transfer money raised for his secretary of state campaign into a potential mayoral fund. He “can take unlimited contributions and, under Illinois law, potentially roll that war chest into a future mayoral campaign,” Politico reported.
In Cook County, the power equation heavily favors incumbent Democrats, making them shoo-ins for reelection. For instance, in his last congressional bid, Quigley clobbered his Republican opponent with nearly 70% of the vote.
So, he can spend minimal time campaigning for Congress this year, while focusing on a parallel bid for mayor in 2027. Legal? Unfortunately, yes. Credible, democratic or fair? Certainly not. The hypocrisy of these politicians is stunning.
In these Trumpian times, the Democrats are wringing their hands over the assaults on democracy by the evil influences in Washington. They are pounding the podiums about how the Republicans are stealing our voting rights and electoral integrity. Democrats are “fighting” attempts at gerrymandering and voter suppression, they say.
Do they speak up about the double runners, who are gaming the electoral process in their own vested interests? Not a peep.
Let’s hope the voters notice. In 2019, Susana Mendoza did a double run. She jumped into the mayor’s race while also pursuing a reelection bid as Illinois comptroller. She came in fifth in the crowded mayoral race, with just 9% of the vote. This time around, she wisely opted out of a reelection bid and instead has set her sights on the mayor’s office.
Voters, beware: The city faces many challenges. There will be a horde of candidates who want to take on a politically vulnerable mayor.
There is much to debate about who is the right person to lead the city forward. The most credible candidates are the ones who are bringing forward one message in one campaign, instead of flimflamming the voters with a double run.
Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. Her columns appear in the Tribune each Wednesday. Write to her at LauraLauraWashington@gmail.com.
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