2010 Illinois Elections, The Tech Perspective

The 2010 election cycle has begun and it is time to start to focus on the state-wide political races that could impact the Chicago tech community.  So, between Labor Day and the primary election (February 2, 2010), expect a brilliant display of mud-slinging, half-truths and outright lies.

Although there are other races that could impact the Chicago tech community, it would take too much of your life to follow every U.S. Congressional race and every state legislative race.  So, for the sake of brevity and sanity, the two races to watch are for Illinois Governor and the U.S. Senate currently held by Roland Burris (aka the seat formerly held by President Obama that former Governor Rod Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell). 

These races are important because the Governor, far more than any other Illinois constitutional officer, can enact programs and promote legislation that directly impact the technology industry.  The U.S. Senate vote is critical because of the ability to impact federal legislation as part of the Illinois Politico Network in the Beltway.

Before anyone questions why the Cook County Presidents race isn’t mentioned, it’s because outside of some tax issues, Cook County does little to positively or negatively impact the technology industry. It would be something to behold if someone running for county government actually pushed a pro-technology agenda.  Maybe someone is listening.

With that out of the way, here is an initial introduction to the current candidates:

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR

Democratic Party

Pat Quinn is Illinois’ current governor.  This will be the two-term Lieutenant Governor’s first gubernatorial campaign (he obtained the office via Illinois Constitution succession order when Rod Blagojevich was impeached).  Quinn has historically been a champion of the technology industry and should continue to do so as Governor.  But, he doesn’t have much time left to show it.

Dan Hynes is currently Illinois’ Comptroller. Initially, he was expected to run for either U.S. Senate or Attorney General, but that all changed when Attorney General Lisa Madigan decided to run for a third term in her current office.  Hynes’ office does not lend itself to running business programs (he is essentially the state’s chief fiscal officer).  So, he will have to lay out a business/technology platform for us to review.

Republican Party

Kirk Dillard is currently the front-runner for the GOP nod.  The State Senator from Hinsdale has been a long – time champion of promoting and supporting the technology industry in Illinois.

Bill Brady is a State Senator from Bloomington, IL. This is his second run for governor after having an impressive showing in the last contest. That race may have been for name recognition.  This is the real one.  He touts that he would create a job-growth focused business climate, if elected.  We will look for tech industry specifics as the race continues.

Matt Murphy is a first term State Senator from Palatine.  His campaign and office web-sites do not reveal much about his background or ideas for business (let alone the tech industry).  This will probably get fleshed out as the race progresses.

Dan Proft is a commentator for WLS-AM radio.  Billed as an ultra-conservative, Proft is also a small-business owner.  As the campaign continues, hopefully, he will detail a tech-industry agenda.

Andy McKenna? – Rumors abound that the real reason McKenna left his post as head of the Illinois GOP Party was to set-up a run for either Governor or U.S. Senate.  With the national GOP all but anointing Mark Kirk as their preferred candidate, McKenna may be eyeing a run for Governor.  Expect him to expose his hand in the next two weeks.

U.S. SENATE

Democratic Party

Alexi Giannoulias is currently Illinois’ Treasurer and is considered the front-runner in the Illinois Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate.  Giannoulias has consistently pushed for pro-technology industry legislation, such as expanding his office’s venture capital program.  He is also an ally of President Obama (which can’t hurt).

Cheryle Jackson is the President of the Chicago Urban League.  Ms. Jackson represents a new generation of leadership for the organization and promotes entrepreneurship and pro-business support in her organization.  She may have a problem in that her previous employer was Rod Blagojevich.  She was his press secretary before joining the Urban League.

David Hoffman recently resigned from his position as Inspector General for the City of Chicago to run for the U.S. Senate seat.  He is running on a corruption reform platform, which is needed in Illinois.  But, he has not presented a business or technology platform, yet.

Tom Dart? – There are rumors that the current Cook County Sheriff may be looking at entering the U.S. Senate race. Dart has become a national figure with his response to the Burr Oaks Cemetery problem, amnesty for innocent evictees of apartment foreclosures and stopping prostitution promotion on Craigslist.org.  If Dart waits another cycle, he will have to be considered a threat for every office from Governor to Cook County President to Mayor, if his star keeps rising.

Republican Party

Mark Kirk is a Congressman from the 10th Congressional District (Northern Suburbs).  Running on a platform that includes being “pro-science,” he could be the lone Republican running for the Obama/Burris seat.  With the primary field essentially cleared for him, he could present a formidable challenge to the winner of the Democratic Primary.  Illinois could be a national battleground state with Kirk representing an opportune chance for the GOP to actually pick up a U.S. Senate seat.

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As the campaign cycle evolves, we will re-visit the candidates and examine their positions on promoting and supporting the technology industry. At this point, the fields are too full.  But, they should get smaller and clearer by the end of October and culminate in the general election on February 2, 2010.

This commentary was prepared by Levi Moore, President of PROXY 2.0.

For more information call 312-972-0900 or e-mail levimoore@aol.com.