#jay hoffman

[justinspoliticalcorner]

The Madigan era is finally over in the Illinois State House, as Chris Welch is the new House Speaker

My story at Daily Kos: 

The long-awaited announcement in Illinois politics has arrived: Michael Madigan (D) will no longer be the Illinois State House Speaker, as Chris Welch (D) will be the Speaker to begin the 102nd Assembly.

Welch got 69 votes to become the next Speaker, and 3 Democrats voted Present in their private party meeting to determine who was going to fill Madigan’s shoes. He beat out Jay Hoffman (D) for that honor. He becomes the first Black person to lead the Illinois State House.

For the first time since the 89th Assembly (1995-97), there will be someone other than Madigan presiding over the House, as Lee Daniels (R) ran the House during those two years. Daniels is the last Republican to serve as House Speaker. Madigan’s first stint as House Speaker began in 1983 under the 83rd Assembly, succeeding Arthur Telscer (R).

[...]

Madigan’s long run at the helm has hit into some roadblocks in recent years, including handling of sexual harassment probes and the ComEd Bribery Scandal— the last of which finally led to his downfall.

Read the full story at Daily Kos.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

ALERT: State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-113) will be voting YES for Marriage Equality in Illinois.

ALERT: Jay Hoffman will vote YES on #ILSB10. #IL4M #TWILL #JayHoffman #P2 #ILequality #ILCantWait #SB10 #ILove

— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) November 5, 2013

Good to hear. 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

A former southwestern Illinois lawmaker seeking a return to the state House says he has no plans to pursue the seat being vacated by Congressman Jerry Costello.

Democrat Jay Hoffman's disinterest in running for the 12th Congressional District seat comes after he was mentioned as a possible replacement for former Democratic nominee Brad Harriman.

h/t: STLtoday.com

[justinspoliticalcorner]

While the Democratic Party chairmen of each of the 12 counties represented by the 12th Congressional District will get a vote to determine who replaces Brad Harriman on the November ballot, metro-east leaders will have the final say on the candidate whose name appears on the November ballot.

The 12 party chairs will vote with their ballots weighted by how many people voted in the 12th District race in their county's Democratic primary, according to Illinois Board of Elections Deputy General Counsel Ken Menzel.

According to Jane Gasperen, director of the Illinois Board of Election's Election Information Division, the last day for Democrats to choose a replacement for Harriman and get his name on the November general election ballot is Aug. 23.

Harriman won the primary in March to replace Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, who plans to retire after being on the job since 1988.

Costello and Barb Brown, who is the Randolph County circuit clerk and Democratic Central Committeewoman for the state, will co-chair the committee of county Democratic Chairmen. The group hopes to name a replacement by the end of June.

Von Nida, of Granite City, said he is not a candidate to replace Harriman on the ballot because he is committed to running for Madison County circuit clerk in November. St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, a Belleville Democrat, and State Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton, have both denied interest in replacing Harriman.

Other names that have surfaced are former state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, former state Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, and Madison County Circuit Court Chief Judge Ann Callis, who was briefly a candidate before dropping out prior to the March primary. They could not be reached for comment about their potential interest.

Another name that has been mentioned is state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion. When asked about the prospect of running, Bradley said Tuesday it was "intriguing," but declined further comment. However, if Bradley had the support of party chairman from the 10 other counties in the district besides St. Clair and Madison counties, he wouldn't have enough votes to gain the selection. 

h/t: BND.com

[justinspoliticalcorner]

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Former Illinois state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, is abandoning his campaign for Congress and running instead for the Illinois House seat vacated this week by Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville.

"After much reflection and consideration, I have decided to run for State Representative in the new 113th district," Hoffman said in a statement.

Hoffman, a long-time state legislator, lost re-election last year to state Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Glen Carbon, and later announced he would challenge U.S. Rep. Timothy Johnson, R-Champaign, in 2012. Johnson represents what will be the 13th Congressional district after next year's redistricting.

Hoffman had already begun campaigning in that largely unfamiliar territory when Holbrook announced this week he was resigning from the Illinois House to serve as Gov. Pat Quinn's Pollution Control Board chairman. Holbrook's district is closer to home for Hoffman.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis lives near Troy, just north of the 12th Congressional District.

But Callis plans to move into that district once she formally declares her Democratic candidacy to represent it, said Matt Melucci, the chairman of the county Democratic Party.

As a candidate, Callis "would most likely move down the road a piece towards O'Fallon," Melucci said Tuesday.

U.S. House members are not required to live in the districts they represent, according to federal law.

Callis, 47, also intends to comply with the state Judicial Code of Conduct, which forbids sitting judges from campaigning for elected office, Melucci said.

The code, under its Rule 67, Canon 7, stipulates that a "judge shall resign from judicial office upon becoming a candidate for a non-judicial office either in a primary or in a general election."

Callis declined comment Tuesday for this story. On Monday, she told a reporter she planned to make an announcement within a week's time.

Callis declined to confirm or deny the upcoming announcement was related to a campaign for the 12th Congressional seat being vacated by Jerry Costello, D-Belleville.

Meanwhile, Jason Plummer, a businessman seeking the Republican nomination for Costello's House seat, said he had already moved from his home in Edwardsville -- which also lies outside the 12th District -- to a duplex in O'Fallon, which is within the district.

Callis and Plummer will run for their parties' nominations for the seat being vacated by Costello, who said earlier this month that he will leave Congress after 11 terms to pursue other interests.

Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires members of Congress to live in the states where their congressional districts are located, but not in the districts.

Nonetheless, congressional candidates face a big public relations problem if they don't live in the districts they seek to represent, said Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

I think Callis has a good chance of winning the Donkeys' Primary, unless Hoffman switches to this one.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—

Jay Hoffman served in the Illinois House for 22 years, and now he says he's running for Congress. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Hoffman said Sunday he'll run for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District. Hoffman narrowly lost a race for Congress in 1996.

The 49-year-old Collinsville resident is already up against two other Democrats -- Bloomington physician David Gill and retired Litchfield educator James Gray. Gill has lost three previous runs for Congress. Two Republicans -- six-term incumbent Tim Johnson and Springfield truck driver Sam Spradlin -- are also seeking the seat. The new 13th District stretches from Champaign-Urbana on the northeast through Decatur, Bloomington-Normal and Springfield down to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis.

H/T: Chicago Tribune

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Former State Representative Jay Hoffman will file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission this week to form a committee to explore a bid for Congress in Illinois’ new 13th congressional district.

“While Illinois families are hurting, those in Congress have failed miserably to create jobs, get our economy going, or seriously reduce the deficit,” said Hoffman. “Like most Americans, I am disgusted with Congress’s failure to get things done. Central and Southwestern Illinois need a voice in Washington that will work in a bi-partisan fashion to find common-sense solutions to put people back to work.”

Hoffman has authored a book “Hope from the Heartland: Jobs, Clean Air, Energy Security,” that outlines how the Midwest can lead the nation in research and the production of alternative energy by utilizing the Midwestern state’s natural resources to create jobs in the declining manufacturing sector.

Hoffman said he will immediately begin travelling the district talking about jobs and the economy directly with the district’s voters and expects to make an announcement of candidacy by the end of September. This weekend Hoffman will appear at several events honoring working families as part of Labor Day festivities. On Sunday Hoffman will appear at the Laborers Labor Day picnic in Decatur. On Monday Hoffman will participate in the Decatur Labor Day parade and will appear at Labor Day picnics in Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana.

Filing paperwork with the FEC is the first step towards running for Congress. Creating a committee will allow Hoffman to raise and spend money on behalf of his candidacy.

Hoffman lost his state House seat last year in a close and bitter election and then voted for the income tax hike two months later, so that won’t help him much. He is, however, a very energetic campaigner. He does have baggage. He was, after all, Rod Blagojevich’s House floor leader. But unlike many around the former governor, Hoffman was not tainted all that much by Blagojevich’s criminal trial. No shoes dropped.

H/T: CapitolFax