It is Madigan-Quinn showdown in Illinois governor race

Lisa Madigan with Mujeeb Osman
Lisa Madigan with Mujeeb Osman

CHICAGO: The result of first gubernatorial poll of 1,255 likely Illinois Democratic primary voters out in January has elated many a supporter of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Ms. Madigan is a front runner for likely Democratic nomination for the Illinois governor with 31.9 percent voting in her favor and 22.9 percent supporting incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn. A somewhat surprise entry of former US Commerce Secretary Bill Daley two months ago was feared to hurt Madigan’s bid but he polled only 11.9 percent.

The overall outlook is still hazy as a considerable 28.4 percent of voters were still undecided. And that could topple anybody’s applecart. The survey, from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University also shows a similar result.

Ms Madigan is silent on this predict but big supporters of Ms. Madigan were joyous. Mujeeb Osman, one of her foremost supporters, said “Our community is looking for a change and it can be achieved under the strong leadership and direction from Ms. Madigan.” He commended Madigan for bringing a high level of activism to the office of Illinois Attorney General.

According to Ms. Madigan’s website, Madigan is the first Illinois Attorney General in over 25 years to personally argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court (Illinois v. Caballes) in which the Court upheld the ability of law enforcement to detect the presence of illegal drugs during traffic stops. Under her leadership, the Attorney General’s office has argued five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ms. Madigan has demonstrated principled leadership, he added, putting policy before politics and focusing on her work. Under Madigan’s leadership, the Consumer Protection Division has established a national reputation for aggressively safeguarding consumers from financial fraud and unsafe products. Madigan has dedicated the energy and resources of her office to protecting children and women from the dangers of sexual predators. Additionally, Madigan has been widely praised for implementing a series of proactive law enforcement strategies to protect seniors in nursing homes and to combat the spread of methamphetamine throughout the state.

From a fiscal standpoint, the Attorney General’s office has generated more than $8 billion for the state since Madigan took office in 2003.

Surendra Ullal