Musings on DuPage County's political landscape

Poor Joe Birkett. Wednesday just wasn't his day.

That's what several of us were saying when news came down that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan - to many people's surprise and delight - announced she was not going to run for governor or the U.S. Senate. Instead, she said, she'd be happy to remain the state's top law enforcement officer.

That means Birkett, the DuPage state's attorney who lost semi-narrowly to Madigan almost eight years ago, will have to tangle with her after she's built a name and two terms of pretty good will (she won her last election with 72 percent of the vote).

If that weren't enough, as he declared his candidacy for governor, Hinsdale Republican Kirk Dillard, expressing near-joy that he wouldn't have to face Madigan, seemed to take her re-election to the AG's office for granted.

Birkett, reached Thursday by reporter Jake Griffin, seemed to take it all in stride, if not waffling just a tad on whether he'll still wage what has to be seen as an uphill fight against Madigan. He quickly pointed out the far-reaching tentacles of her father, House Speaker Mike Madigan, and the sway he holds over so many. Birkett was magnanimous, too, toward Dillard. Any pol, Joe said, can make a slip of the tongue, and the media is there to pounce. Indeed, Dillard, when asked if he was conceding the election to Lisa, quickly said, "It will be a heck of a rematch between Joe Birkett and Lisa Madigan."

Some think Birkett ought to just forget about the attorney general's office and reconsider a run for, oh, what the heck, governor.

Dillard expressed some concern about the crowded field, and said he'd try to broker some kind of deal where everyone else would drop out so the GOP might avoid a divisive primary next spring.

But, personally, I'd kind of like to see the plethora of candidates mix it up on the campaign trail, and let voters decide who's the best Republican to try to put the GOP back in the top seat in the capitol. I also have to say it's pretty neat to see DuPage County so well represented on the statewide stage. If Birkett were to join the fray, we'd have three of our most prominent GOP leaders duking it out. Maybe that's not ideal for the cohesiveness of the party, but, doggone it, it might sell a few newspapers.

In other news:

A very wise editor in this office called it "a continuation of a celebration of life." He was talking, of course, about the plethora of local festivals that continue this weekend in DuPage County. Yes, Naperville's Ribfest and Taste of Chicago, a couple of the biggies, have run their course.

But there's a ton of fun on tap this weekend: Glendale Heights Summerfest, West Chicago Railroad Days, Itascafest and art fairs in Naperville and at Oakbrook Center. If that isn't enough, Itasca also is hosting an effort to corral all the Subaru drivers known to man to participate in what they hope will be a Guinness Book of World Records-setting event.

But if that isn't your cup of tea, consider these concerts:

9 p.m. Friday: Davy Jones at Railroad Days

9:30 p.m. Friday: Starship (featuring Mickey Thomas) lands in Glendale Heights.

8 p.m. Saturday: Ides of March at RR Days.

Or, you could hunker down in Itasca and make it an all-tribute-band weekend. A Jimmy Buffett copy band opened Itascafest last night, and is followed by Led Zeppelin and Eagles wannabands on Saturday and Sunday.

Does it get any better than that? I think not.

jdavis@dailyherald.com