The February 2010 Illinois primary produced a Democratic Party winner for Lieutenant Governor, but he resigned a few days after the primary. State law gives the party the ability to choose a replacement nominee. This interesting Illinois newspaper story says that 200 individuals have applied, and that the party, not the incumbent Democratic Governor who is running for re-election, has the power to choose the new nominee. This is so, even though in Illinois, the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor run as a team in November, and voters vote for them as a package, similar to President and Vice-President.
Pat Quinn ran as a team with Rod Blagojevich?
Yes.
Twice.
Blagojevich is to Jefferson as Quinn is to Burr?
One would think the Democratic legislature would pass a law saying that Governor-Lieutenant Governor candidates run as a team in the primary also. Twice the Illinois Democratic Party has been embarrassed by the outcome of one of its Lieutenant Governor primaries. In 1986 a LaRouche supporter won for the nomination, and in 2010 someone with an unsavory past won the nomination. In 1986 the LaRouche supporter wouldn’t resign, so the gubernatorial nominee, Adlai Stevenson, had to resign instead. In 2010 the Democrats persuaded the primary winner to step down.