Democratic Party chair bows out in re-election bid, paving way for state Rep. Lisa Hernandez
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
Jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – A contentious race for leadership of the state’s Democratic Party appears to be down to a single candidate ahead of a Saturday morning vote after the party’s current chair pulled herself from the running Friday.
State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, backed by Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, appeared to have the race sewn up less than 24 hours before the scheduled Saturday morning Democratic State Central Committee meeting in Springfield.
It’s the second time in two years the election of DPI chair has proved a power struggle between some of the state’s most prominent Democrats.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly, a Matteson Democrat, was elected to the post in March 2021 following the resignation of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, who had been the party’s chair since 1998. With the backing of U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, Kelly defeated Pritzker’s preferred candidate, Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, by a vote tally of about 52-48 percent.
The party chair is chosen by a weighted vote of the Democratic State Central Committee, which is made up of one man and one woman from each of the state’s 17 congressional districts, based on the number of Democratic ballots pulled.
Kelly announced in a statement Friday afternoon that she did not have the support to gain a full four-year term.
“I was elected as the first woman and the first Black chair of the DPI because of my vision for an inclusive, diverse, and people-first party,” she said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it has become clear that support for my re-election as chair will come up just shy of the necessary majority. Therefore, I have decided to withdraw my name from the running.”
Durbin, who has served in Washington, D.C., since 1997, quickly issued a statement of his own after his preferred candidate bowed out.
“Congresswoman Robin Kelly made history as the first African American woman to chair the Illinois Democratic Party,” he said. “Her challenge was not just to build a Democratic team, but to move from one man rule to a diverse leadership reflecting our party. She worked hard, and I was proud to back her re-election. Representative Lisa Hernandez has always been a friend. I wish her well, and I look forward to working with her.”
The “one man rule” cited by Durbin referred to Madigan, who largely used the DPI chairmanship to elect state House Democrats.
That’s something Pritzker alluded to at an unrelated news conference earlier in the day.
“And that’s not how state parties normally operate,” he said of the way Madigan ran things. “And so with the changing of the guard, the hope was that that would free the organization to do the things that it really needs to do across the state – building field organizations, for example, and lifting up the Democratic Party in areas of the state where really, Democrats have been sort of forgotten, but there are plenty of Democrats, but they just need some organizational help.”
Pritzker’s camp and Hernandez’s backers have frequently cited a concern that was raised before Kelly’s election in 2021 – that she was prohibited from directly raising money for state races because she was a sitting congresswoman.
It’s a concern that Kelly and the party addressed by creating a separate committee to raise funds for state races.
The party maintains two main campaign funds, one regulated by the Illinois State Board of Elections and the other by the Federal Election Commission. DPI’s spokesperson earlier in the week noted the two funds raised more than $2 million between them during Kelly’s leadership, not including money that Pritzker himself had pumped into the party.
Still, Pritzker said Friday, he believed that workaround “wasn’t working,” so he backed Hernandez with the hope that Kelly would stay on as a newly-created “federal chair.”
A spokesperson for Kelly, however, said she had no plans to serve in such a position.
In Kelly’s statement, she noted her time as chair had been a “true honor.”
“Over the past 16 months, I have had the immense privilege of serving as chair of the Democratic Party,” she said. “In that time, the DPI has taken dramatic steps forward by modernizing our party operations, developing new and impactful programming, and re-engaging with the National Democratic Party in a way not seen in decades. Simply put, our party has made amazing progress in a short amount of time.”
Pritzker, who bankrolled a handful of central committee candidates in the June primary, ended up flipping enough seats to sway the vote in favor of his candidate. Friday afternoon support from Latino Coalition members U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, state Rep. Delia Ramirez and state Sens. Cristina Castro and Omar Aquino appeared to tip the scales toward Hernandez, along with the support of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush.
Still, Kelly maintained staunch support from many.
State Rep. Will Davis, a member of the state’s Legislative Black Caucus known for his independent streak in the General Assembly, praised Kelly as the first Black and female party chair who “built out a robust, diverse, and accessible party.”
“Now we have a governor who wants her out. Why?” he said in a statement. “Because he has to control the party. It’s shameful that he wants this fight now on the eve of an important November election, and while concurrently jeopardizing our chance of getting the DNC Convention in Chicago.”
Officials from the Democratic National Committee were in Chicago earlier this week, downplaying the role the party chair vote would play in their decision between Chicago, New York City, Atlanta and Houston as a 2024 nominating convention host city.
Pritzker was asked Friday if the rancor the fight created was “worth it.”
“Is it worth it? Look, what we’re looking to accomplish, I think all of us who care about the Democratic Party, is to make sure that we have representation from all the diverse constituencies, and making sure that we have leadership that can accomplish the goals that we want to set out to do, which is to beat Republicans and make sure that the party is doing what it needs to do,” Pritzker said.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Palos Heights tax preparer convicted of Covid-relief fraud
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Palos Heights tax preparer who operates a business in Bridgeview has been convicted on federal charges for fraudulently assisting customers in obtaining loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 10 convicted Hadi Isbaih, 42, on all…
Renovations begin on Shepard High School theater
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Shepard High School, which prides itself in the fine arts, will soon have a beautifully reconstructed theater right on its Palos Heights campus. The Community High School District 218 Board of Education recently unanimously approved funding for the renovation of the Fine Arts Center at the high school at 13049…
Young Spiderman fan wishes students a great summer
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Spiderman-kid bids farewell and wishes a beautiful summer break to students of Glen Oak Elementary in Hickory Hills. Since the summer of 2023, when he discovered the movie “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse,” a story about multiple Spidermen from different dimensions, 6-year-old Ribhi Gaber has been more than just a fan…
Worth finalizes rules for open burning in village
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle After several discussions over the past month, the Village of Worth has new guidelines for open burning by businesses and in residential areas. Mayor Mary Werner mentioned during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night that a discrepancy in an ordinance regarding open burning had a 10 p.m. deadline. However,…
Orland Township event focuses on mental health
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Orland Township is taking the time to focus on mental health. Residents were invited out to join Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady for an event called, Minds Matter 2024, on May 16 at Orland Township, located at 14807 S. Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park. “This was an excellent opportunity to…
Bridgeview shooting not related to Summer Smash
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Bridgeview Police Chief Ricardo Mancha on Monday wanted to emphasize that a shooting in the village Saturday night had nothing to do with the Summer Smash music festival that took place over the weekend at SeatGeek Stadium. “It was an isolated incident,” he said. “Completely unrelated to the Summer Smash…
Summer jobs available for youths through Lyons Township
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The summer jobs program offered each year by the Township of Lyons is up and running. The program for high school and college students “is designed to give young individuals an opportunity for summer employment,” Trustee Donna McDonald said at the township board’s June 11 meeting. The jobs program started…
Pair busted for Summit phone store robberies
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Two Chicago men have been charged with robbing two phone stores in Summit earlier this year. Jacari Franklin and Austin White are charged with robbing the T-Mobile store at 5640 S. Harlem Ave. on March 28 and the AT&T store at Archer and Harlem avenues on April 18, police said.…
Car enthusiasts crowd annual Father’s Day show in Lyons.
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Held under sunny and warm skies Sunday, the annual Father’s Day Car Show in Lyons was deemed a smashing success by participants and visitors. Not only were car lovers able to admire the four-wheeled beauties, some owners spent quality time with Dad or a spouse. Don Raschka, 80, of Central…
Neighbors
‘Grizzled’ sophomores help Naz beat Marist
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Nazareth’s “grizzled veterans” have won 19 of their first 20 games. The Roadrunners’ were victorious in a big East Suburban Catholic Conference showdown with Marist, with two sophomores doing most of the damage in a 53-42 win in LaGrange Park on Jan. 19. Nazareth improved to 19-1, 4-0.…
Postseason Sports Report: Area stars ready for state bowling and dancing
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The first two IHSA state tournaments for winter sports will take place this weekend, and an army of area athletes will be competing in both. The boys bowling and competitive dance championships will be held Friday and Saturday, with the bowlers heading to St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon…
Strus tops former coach in Stagg’s win over Sandburg
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Marty Strus has nothing but good things to say about his former high school coach, John Daniels. “He’s meant a ton to me,” Strus said of the coach he faced off against last week when his Stagg Chargers took on Sandburg. “He meant a lot to me as…
Palos Area Chamber dedicated to promoting area
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Dedicated to helping local area businesses strive is the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was formed in 1949 when a small group of merchants joined together for the purpose of advancing economic, industrial, professional, cultural, and civic welfare of the Palos Heights area. For 68 years, the Palos…
We need real solutions to crime
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Crime and safety concerns are the number one topic of all the calls and texts I receive. It seems that many politicians offer no solutions except the usual lists of ways to keep safe. I think everyone knows about locking…
Icy spill yielded plenty of good will
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 Here is a giant shout out to our first responders in the community. On Jan. 9, when a sheet of ice descended on Chicago, I was walking the dog. Walking around Peck School was great.…
It’s a busy January in Gage Park
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Neighborhood correspondent at large Greetings, Gage Parkers! I’m pleased to be filling in this week for Karen Sala. It’s fun for me to report on Gage Park, the neighborhood where I lived for the first 26 years of my life. There’s always something happening in this big, exciting part of…
You can bank on good service here
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 In this world of corporate takeovers, it is kind of hard to feel safe in the hands of big business. First, we have to supply some of our personal information to the automated system. Then there’s…
Palos Park police to hold active shooter drill
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Palos Park Police will fine tune their strategies for dealing with an active shooter to ensure the safety of both officers and citizens later this month. The end goal of the January 30 drlll is to test the department’s active shooter response plans and fine tune them. “Palos Park effective…