Illinois Governors Race Could Be Interesting (Plus Poll)

I looked back over the last 350 diarys and didn't see anything about this. It looks like Senator Meeks may actually make a run for Governor after all.

AP) CHICAGO State Sen. James Meeks stopped short Thursday of saying he will run for governor, but he said he would unveil a third-party slate of candidates for statewide office May 20.

Meeks, a Chicago minister, said he then would begin collecting the 25,000 signatures of registered voters he needs to get his slate on the November ballot and deal with any resulting challenges to his petitions.

"I doubt if we have gone through all of that for nothing," Meeks told The Associated Press.

June 19 is the first day Meeks can file his nominating papers, according to the State Board of Elections.

Meeks, who was elected to the Senate as an Independent but filed his re-election papers to run as a Democrat, declined to identify his slate of candidates.

News of a possible gubernatorial run by Meeks has circulated since he criticized Gov. Rod Blagojevich for renewing his no-tax pledge in seeking a second term. Meeks has called the tax pledge the "death knell" for education funding.

The talk of a run has prompted speculation that Meeks was using it as a way to leverage concessions from Blagojevich, who could lose black voters to Meeks. Meeks is black and leads a megachurch on Chicago's South Side that boasts a 22,000-member congregation.

Meeks has said that a poll he commissioned shows him taking voters away from the Republican candidate, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

In a statement reported on the Chicago Defender's Web site, Meeks said once his slate of candidates was announced on May 20 in Chicago, they all would then travel to Rockford, Springfield and East St. Louis to meet voters and launch petition drives.

He said Thursday that neither the Blagojevich nor Topinka campaigns have tried to convince him not to run.

Blagojevich campaign spokeswoman Sheila Nix said they welcomed Meeks to the race if his petition drive is successful, calling the development "great" and saying it's "part of the American process."

Topinka called Meeks a "good person."

"This potential candidacy shows the enormous dissatisfaction with Gov. Blagojevich's performance in office -- even from within his own political party," she said in a written statement.

In other government news on Thursday, Topinka was in Springfield where she warned the Illinois Association of Minorities in Government that she wouldn't create new programs or initiatives until the state's finances are in shape.

"I suppose I should be making promises cause it's an election year and telling you about all the wonderful things I'm going to be doing, but believe me that's what I would like to do," she said. "And when there's some money available, then we will try those. But this state right now is in a mess. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything for you."

But the state treasurer said she does see many opportunities for minorities to take part in her cabinet or other positions within the administration if she's elected. Topkina also told the group that she welcomes their ideas and understands the importance of recruiting bilingual state employees.

If this happens, who do you think will win the race?