Seven Democrats are running in the March 16 senatorial primary, including Gery Chico. He used to be Mayor Daley’s chief of staff, and Daley slated him to be president of the Board of Education. But Daley hasn’t endorsed him. Also in the race is state comptroller Dan Hynes, whose father, Tom Hynes, is a longtime friend of the Daley family. Daley hasn’t endorsed Dan Hynes either.
“Well, he doesn’t often get involved in Democratic primaries.”
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He’s also made several significant primary endorsements in the past few years. Two years ago, in the primary for attorney general, he endorsed Lisa Madigan over John Schmidt, a longtime Daley ally and appointee. He also endorsed Rahm Emanuel over two other prominent Democrats in the primary for representative of the Fifth Congressional District. Most observers say he supported Emanuel partly out of gratitude–Emanuel helped him raise money back in 1989–and partly out of loyalty. “Daley appreciated all the help Rahm gave him when he was a White House aide,” says a north-side alderman. “I mean, he really came out for Rahm.”
So why hasn’t Daley endorsed Tom Hynes’s son?
Richard M. Daley doesn’t seek out reformers to anoint. If he did he probably would have endorsed Schmidt, who was highly regarded by most good-government groups, over Madigan in the primary for attorney general. “I think Daley the son learned a lesson from Daley the father in these kinds of endorsements,” says Wilson. Richard J. Daley endorsed Paul Simon over Dan Walker in the 1972 primary for governor only to see Walker turn the endorsement against Simon, labeling him a political hack who was part of the Daley machine. Walker defeated Simon in the primary and went on to serve a term as governor. “The lesson,” Wilson says, “is that just because you want a candidate to win, it doesn’t mean you can deliver.”
“I don’t think politicians should,” says Hill, “particularly if they want to run strong in the black community.”
Absolutely not, says the north-side alderman: “Remember, before Hull got into the Senate race he was letting it be known that he was thinking of running against Rahm [for Congress]. Well, I don’t know what happened, but I can imagine. Daley doesn’t want a guy with $40 million to blow running against his guy.”
