Comptroller Hynes making bid for governor

Gov. Pat Quinn is set to face a tough challenge from a top member of his own party.

Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has decided to run against Quinn in the upcoming primary for governor, a source familiar with the Chicago Democrat's thinking tells the Daily Herald.

"He is planning a run," the source said.

Hynes, 41, is no doubt hoping to take advantage of Quinn's vulnerability as an appointed governor.

As a campaigner, Hynes is an effective fundraiser and political insider with a handle on the campaign machinery in the Democratic Party.

Quinn, on the other hand, is a veteran politician but a poor fundraiser with few insider ties.

From a policy perspective, Hynes can run against Quinn's top issue - a controversial, failed push for a 50 percent income tax hike.

Party insiders say this challenge is not unexpected, given Quinn's rise to the governor's mansion only after the ouster of his running mate, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"In one regard, this is like an open seat because Pat Quinn is governor, but he was not elected governor," said state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat. "I don't think Dan could be chastised for this by any means."

Quinn, meanwhile, has been touting his successes as the campaign season begins. He recently signed a $31 billion public works package that pleased powerful labor unions, and that will provide him with an endless series of ribbon cuttings leading up to the primary.

Plus, he has shown he may be willing to use the bully pulpit against potential foes.

For example, Hynes has taken some heat for the illegal removal of graves at Burr Oak Cemetery because his office is in charge of auditing financial records for cemeteries.

In the fallout, Hynes pushed new legislation giving him more power over cemeteries. Quinn stopped that and instead appointed a blue-ribbon panel that may end up questioning Hynes or his employees on oversight of Burr Oak.

Quinn has been in front of the public for decades as a crusader for veterans care, good government efforts and social services.

Yet, that image has been tarnished since he has had to actually govern.

That public works spending plan is funded by a massive expansion of video gambling, something Quinn has long opposed, and he was criticized for supporting a watered-down reform package opposed by his own reform commission.

Meanwhile, Hynes enters the race with the perception of an insider's edge and a thick wallet. Hynes has been comptroller since 1998 and is a member of a powerful South Side political dynasty.

So far, party leaders have said they won't openly pick a horse in the primary for governor. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and state Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, have both said they will stay out of the race.

Hynes has long been eyeing higher office.

In 2004, he made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate, picking up 24 percent of the vote in the seven-way Democratic primary won by Barack Obama. Recently, he was debating a run for attorney general, but when incumbent Democrat Lisa Madigan decided to run for a third term, he turned his attention to the governor's mansion.

As of late June, Hynes had about $3.5 million in his campaign fund, with large donations coming from state unions. Quinn, notoriously a poor fundraiser, had about $700,000 in the bank for his election campaign.

Hynes has not scheduled an official announcement date, but petitions to get on the ballot are set to be circulated next month for the February primary.

Other potential Democratic challengers include state Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat, and Merchandise Mart boss Chris Kennedy.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom and political commentator Dan Proft are among those in the running.

Primary: Quinn hurt by his own fundraising