Way too early to crown Chris Kennedy

Ed Murnane may have gotten ahead of himself when he wrote on Feb. 14 that Chris Kennedy is likely to be unopposed in a Democratic Primary for Illinois Governor.

A recent straw poll indicated that Daniel Biss and Ameya Pawar have part of base's attention more than Kennedy does right now.

Nearly one million people voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Illinois Primary. I suggest not ignoring this or by all means do so at your own peril. Does the Kennedy name hold as much sway in 2017 and beyond as much as it did in 1987? Do Millennials really "get" who Chris Kennedy is?

Ed has been around a while and as a member of Generation X, I too understand the gravity of the Kennedy legacy, but you can bet Biss and Pawar are going to command some attention from younger voters.

For Ed to say it would take an African American or an established white woman to mount any kind of challenge to Kennedy is also pure nonsense. Kwame Raoul was part of the same straw poll and only received 2 percent of the vote, placing him eighth among nine candidates polled.

Don't presume anything, Ed; Democrats made that mistake and the result was a reality show guy winning the White House.

People would be wise to pay attention and actually be engaged rather than making grand assumptions. The base is ready for leadership and ideas that will defeat Bruce Rauner out and put Michael Madigan on notice that he works for us.

Let's see everyone's agenda and platform before we start penciling in the next governor. Don't condescend to Democrats by assuming we're going to vote for a candidate based on race, gender or last name.

Jake Serafini

Carpentersville