Edgar set to back Dillard in GOP primary for governor
Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar is set to endorse his former aide, state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, in the crowded Republican primary for the state's top post, according to a GOP source.
Edgar is the last Illinois governor to not leave office under a storm of corruption allegations, having served two terms ending in 1999. The Republican leader's tip of the hat to Dillard could provide an early boost for the veteran DuPage County lawmaker.
Petitions to get on the ballot are due in Nov. 2. Currently, about half a dozen Republicans say they will be on the ballot as the party hopes to regain power following the ouster of Gov. Rod Blagojevich and a big Democratic push for tax hikes.
Most recently, former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, who lost to Blagojevich in 2002, started floating his name for the race. He has now set up a Web site promoting his potential candidacy.
The endorsement from Edgar is expected to officially take place in the coming days.
Dillard has struggled to differentiate himself in a crowded field since stepping in the ring this summer. Also in the running are DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom of Naperville, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, conservative commentator Dan Proft of Wheaton, former GOP Chairman Andy McKenna of Chicago and businessman Adam Andrzejewski of Hinsdale, who recently started running TV ads to improve his name recognition.
Meanwhile, Democratic candidates for governor continue to fight over whose plan to raise taxes is better.
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, who is challenging Gov. Pat Quinn, said his campaign today dropped off a dozen 2009 calenders to remind the sitting governor what year it is.
In responding to a Hynes TV ad that characterized Quinn's tax hike proposal as unfair to the poor and middle class, the governor had said he long supported plans to raise taxes on only the wealthy - which is Hynes' current proposal.
The problem is, doing so requires a constitutional amendment and that was voted down last year in the General Assembly. Quinn's 50 percent tax rate hike proposal would provide breaks for families making under about $59,000 a year.
"We appreciate his nostalgia for simpler times, before he actually had the position and authority to effect change, but the fact remains his only constant position as governor has been to push for a 50 percent income tax increase," Hynes campaign spokesman Matt McGrath said today.
Quinn's campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Austin responded by pointing out lawmakers have opposed Hynes' plan in the past. She called Hynes' calender bit a "stunt."