Lisa Madigan: Still no 2014 decision but says she's “seriously considering” gubernatorial bid

GALESBURG, Ill. – Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Saturday she still has not determined what political route she plans to take in 2014 but acknowledged she is “seriously considering” a run against incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

When asked when she intended to decide her political plans, the three-term Democratic attorney general offered up no timetable about opting either to stay put, to run against the incumbent Democratic governor or perhaps to prepare for a 2016 run against U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

“Well as you now, I’m seriously considering running for governor, but at the same time, I’m also full time the attorney general of the state of Illinois and there’s a lot of work to be done,” said Madigan after being awarded an honorary degree at the Knox College commencement ceremony.

During her brief remarks on the subject, the longest-tenured female attorney general in the country sounded very much like a candidate for higher office, rattling off a string of accomplishments from the past 12 months.

“I’m very proud of the fact over the past year, we brought in over $1.1 billion to the state in collections. In addition, we were also able in the past year to bring in over $1.8 billion of relief to homeowners in the state. So there’s a lot of very important work going on at the office. That is the first and foremost priority,” she said.

“Deciding what I’m going to do with the rest of my life will come second,” Madigan said.