Bill Daley, brother of former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and successor to Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff for President Obama, is considering a run for Illinois governor.
A Daley run has been circulating in the rumor mill for several months, but in a radio interview with WLS Chicago’s Bill Cameron, Daley sounded more likely than not to announce he will seek the governorship in 2014.
Cameron: It’s probably the worst job in Illinois. Why would you want it?
Daley: (laughter) Ya know, somebody said, this is like when there’s a fire, do you run into it or are you smart enough to run away from it!”
Daley added: “We need serious people to solve to serious problems.”
The race for Illinois governor is shaping up to be an interesting one. There is speculation that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s stepdaughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is also going to run on the Democrat ticket against current Governor Pat Quinn.
For the Republicans, multi-billionaire Bruce Rauner–a close personal friend and ally to Rahm Emauel–announced his run on Wednesday. Other likely Republican candidates, including Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady, are also expected to announce their bids soon.
Word on the street in Chicago is that Daley has the support of the White House, who has told urban-grassroots activists to stay out of his way. With Rahm’s friend Rauner on the GOP ticket, drumming up early support from grassroots conservatives for his stance against Big Labor, plus the House Speaker’s stepdaughter, the battle for power will likely get interesting in the “Land of Lincoln.”
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