Can the votes of a handful of
Chicago and Cook County residents change Illinois? We are about to find out.
Winning 22 percent of the vote is
not usually considered an overwhelming mandate, but winners write the history
books. And Democrat Mike Quigley's congressional primary victory last week is
already being touted as an occasion worthy of at least a chapter.
Cook County Commissioner Quigley
defeated 11 candidates, including two state legislators, to win the 5th
Congressional District special primary election last Tuesday with 12,100 votes.
His smart, well-managed campaign was vastly outspent by his top two opponents.
Quigley successfully tapped into
rising voter anger in the wake of Rod Blagojevich's arrest, Roland Burris' US
Senate appointment and, most importantly, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's
tax hikes and innumerable missteps.
This is not rocket science.
Freshman Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) spent several months last year
carrying a petition from door to door against Stroger's tax hikes. Stroger and
Blagojevich were the objects of attack by both parties last year, quite often
with success. And with the economy in freefall, voters are even more sensitive
to tax increases than before.
For whatever reason, no other top
tier Democratic candidate used these potent issues until it was too late.
Quigley went into the race leading in all the polls partly because he was
widely seen as a Stroger nemesis and a budget hawk. He sent out early,
unanswered and well-done direct mail which burnished his reputation further.
His twin newspaper endorsements, based mainly on his independence and anti
Stroger and anti tax ways, made it impossible for one of his opponents to tie
him to Stroger with a last-minute TV ad.
Last Tuesday was the first time
Democratic voters have had an opportunity to express their outrage at the
dismal state of their party's affairs. The humiliation many Democrats have
suffered after the ecstasy of Barack Obama's win apparently proved too much to
bear.
The two candidates most closely
affiliated with the regular organization received a combined 29 percent of the
vote. Quigley even won some wards that "reformers" normally don't,
and finished a close second in several more.
In other words, the vast majority
of Democrats told their precinct captains "No." That doesn't happen
too often, to say the least. Several people who walked precincts last Tuesday
reported witnessing a tangible anger at the doors. Quigley was the only
candidate who really expressed any outrage at the current situation, and it
worked.
So, is Quigley's win the start of
something new or just a fluke? Well, the district does include some of the more
liberal areas of Chicago. And, of course, this was a special election, not the
"real" thing. But the serious mistakes by those in charge are coinciding
with an obvious decline in the regular organization's strength.
Precinct captains are getting older
and are less motivated since their jobs and promotions are no longer on the
line. This isn't universal. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's
organization is still strong, as are others.
The far more serious problem is
that the Machine has foisted too many candidates on voters - like Stroger and
Blagojevich - who have thoroughly repulsed the electorate. The organization is
rapidly losing its credibility.
Even if this is not a shift,
politicians are sure to take notice, particularly state legislators who are
likely to face a tax hike vote within weeks. Quigley brutally attacked two of
his state legislator opponents for supporting a small local sales tax hike to
bail out public transit agencies.
Gov. Pat Quinn is probably closer
to Quigley in populist temperament and ideology than anyone, but he, too, is
faced with the uncomfortable task of raising revenues in what appears to be an
increasingly hostile environment. Some voters might have ignored Stroger's
perceived incompetence if it wasn't for the fact that his incompentence was
subsidized by tax hikes.
Maybe voters will calm down by next
year. Or not. President Stroger appears set to run for reelection, so he'll be
a constant reminder of the Democratic Party's mistakes. Blagojevich's new
"tell all" book is expected to arrive on newsstands by then,
accompanied by yet another national media tour. And then there are the
potential state tax increases which won't help matters much.
That angry fire could spread and
burn a while longer.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol
Fax, a daily political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com