Palatine's Murphy may step back from bid for governor

SPRINGFIELD - Palatine Republican Matt Murphy is abandoning his bid for governor, planning to instead seek the party nomination for lieutenant governor next year.

The move comes as former Illinois GOP Chairman Andy McKenna plans to enter the race for governor, Republican sources familiar with the developments told the Daily Herald.

Murphy would not comment Wednesday, saying a statement about the situation would be released within days.

McKenna abruptly resigned as party chairman last month during a meeting of GOP officials before Republican Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair. At the time he said was looking forward to having the freedom to work on campaigns. He was briefly mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate.

McKenna, who could not be reached Wednesday, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, finishing fourth in the Republican primary with 15 percent of the vote. Jack Ryan, the GOP nominee that year, later dropped out of the race amid personal scandals and conservative commentator Alan Keyes was imported from Maryland to take on Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Keyes lost in record-setting fashion.

Murphy's campaign drew early attention last month when it ran a television ad downstate questioning the Republican credentials of Hinsdale state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who also plans to run for governor.

At the time, Murphy told reporters he was the "only proven winner in this race", pointing to his ability to win his state Senate race against a stiff Democratic challenge in the increasingly competitive Cook County suburbs. Murphy was elected to the state Senate in 2006 and re-elected in 2008.

Numerous officials and potential candidates have declared their intent to run for the litany of positions on the ballot next year. However, at this point, all of the campaigns are unofficial as nominating petitions needed to get on the state ballot cannot be filed until Oct. 26.