Attorney General Lisa Madigan decides not to run for governor

By Jamey Dunn

Attorney General Lisa Madigan has made her much awaited choice for the 2014 election. She will run again for her current office, in part because her father, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, plans to keep his current position.

As it did in 2010, speculation was running rampant that she would make a bid for the governor's race. For months, she has not made a public appearance without the topic popping up, and other Illinois politicians have been holding their breath waiting to see what Madigan would do. Several state lawmakers' names have been floated as potential candidates for attorney general if she were to leave the office to run for governor.

But Madigan said today in a statement released by her campaign that she plans to stay put. “For the last several months, I have considered the best way to continue serving the people of Illinois. Deciding whether to seek reelection or to run for governor has not been easy. I love my job as attorney general and continue to be excited about the important work we are doing and what we can do for people and families in the years ahead. I considered running for governor because of the need for effective management from that office and the frustration so many of us feel about the current lack of progress on critical issues facing Illinois,” Madigan, who has served as attorney general since 2003, said in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, however, there has always been another consideration that impacts my decision. I feel strongly that the state would not be well-served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for governor if that would be the case. With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for governor."

At this point, her move leaves Gov. Pat Quinn facing Bill Daley in a Democratic primary and a four-way race on the Republican side of things.

“General Madigan's decision not to run now gives voters a clear choice between a proven leader who gets things done and a governor who can't seem to get anything done,” said a statement from Pete Giangreco, spokesman for the Daley campaign. “Bill Daley looks forward to laying out a clear agenda to improve the lives of people across the state.”