The Democratic Party of Illinois says it'll meet later this month to consider slating statewide candidates in next year's election. But as IPR’s Brian Mackey reports, at least one of those candidates thinks it’s a bad idea:
It's been rare for the state Democratic Party to get involved in recent primary elections. That makes the announcement of the meeting something of a surprise.
Democratic Party chairman Mike Madigan — you may also know him as speaker of the Illinois House — says the meeting "will give the candidates an opportunity to convey the strengths they bring to the ticket."
But at least one of those candidates — Bill Daley, who's running for governor — says he think's the party is making a mistake. His campaign manager is Tom Bowen:
"The Democratic Party of Illinois should allow its voters to hear more about the candidates for governor and their choices for lieutenant governor before selecting a candidate for endorsement."
The Daley campaign says the party should not endorse anyone for the primary.
Daley is taking on Gov. Pat Quinn in what's become the only contested statewide Democratic primary so far.
The Quinn campaign did not respond to a request for comment.