Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is racking up an A-list of key Democratic supporters — including two presidential candidates, the state’s two U.S. senators, the governor and the mayor — but if a 13th Ward palm card is any sign, the embattled incumbent lacks the support of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
One of the state’s most powerful Democrats, Madigan left the first-term prosecutor off his palm card, the handout of endorsed candidates that 13th Ward foot soldiers give to voters before they hit the polls.
Madigan’s card, which was first reported by the Capitol Fax political blog, and a mailer sent to voters’ homes list nearly all of the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates — with the exception of Foxx and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District candidates M. Cameron Davis or Kimberly Dubuclet.
Madigan’s camp offered no explanation for the slight.
“We’ve weighed in on these races to date, and will continue to monitor all of the races,” Eileen Boyce, a member of the public relations firm that represents the 13th Ward, said in an email.
The Foxx campaign did not immediately have a comment.
Madigan, who is state Democratic Party chairman and 13th Ward Democratic committeeperson, does list embattled U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski on the card. The congressman, whose father is a close ally of Madigan, is locked in a fierce primary battle with challengers Marie Newman and Rush Darwish.
Rep. Dan Lipinski, Marie Newman and Rush Darwish meet with the Sun-Times Editorial Board in January.
Rich Hein/Sun-Times file
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who doubles as chair of the county Democratic Party, said she has “no control” over the palm cards of individual committeepersons.
“The Cook County Democratic Party slates candidates. It has always been true, and it is still true, that not every committeeman puts on their palm card every candidate slated by the party,” Preckwinkle said. “And the chairman of the party has no control over the individual decisions [made] by a committeeman.”
When asked if that means the speaker isn’t a team player, Preckwinkle, who is also mentor to Foxx, said “I think I’ve said all I’m gonna say.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle last year.
Colin Boyle/Sun-Times file
Foxx’s string of endorsements includes Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, presidential candidates Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. J.B Pritzker, Preckwinkle and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
But the prosecutor has been dogged by her handling of the Jussie Smollett case. Her office initially hit Smollett with a 16-count indictment before dropping the charges.
The issue was reignited earlier this month when special prosecutor Dan Webb decided to reinstate charges against the former “Empire” actor for allegedly filing four separate false reports to the Chicago Police Department and claiming to be the victim of a hate crime.
Besides Foxx, Democrats running for state’s attorney include former Ald. Bob Fioretti and former prosecutors Bill Conway and Donna More. Two Republicans are also running: Pat O’Brien, a former Cook County circuit judge, and Christopher Pfannkuche, who ran against Foxx in 2016.
Top row, left-right: Democrats Kim Foxx; Bill Conway and Donna More. Bottom row, left-right: Republicans Pat O’Brien and Christopher Pfannkuche and Democrat Bob Fioretti. File Photos.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Rich Hein/Chicago Sun-Times files
A direct-mail flier the 13th Ward Democratic Organization sent to voters’ homes on behalf of Ward Committeeperson Mike Madigan and Ald. Marty Quinn (13th).
