Quinn Plays Coy on Petition Challenges

Won't admit to what he defends

Could Pat Quinn become any more baffling?

On Tuesday, Quinn wouldn't say whether his campaign was behind the petition to challenge trillion-to-one longshot candidate William "Dock" Walls, whose only chance at winning the Democratic primary is if both Quinn's and Dan Hynes's campaign planes disappear over the Bermuda triangle. And not even then.

On Wednesday, Quinn conceded that "supporters" of his "may" be behind the challenge.

Well, don't you think you should find out? Why the big secret? 

Hynes aides have told the Chicago Tribune that they didn't file the challenge, though one of their workers pulled copies of Walls' petitions. A Quinn worker also pulled copies. Connect the dots, governor!

"I know there are rules in Illinois with respect to running for office and gathering signatures on petitions and all of those must be complied with in order to be eligible to run for any office," Quinn said on Wednesday. "You know, I have to do the same thing as everyone else, file petitions and file everything in order."

As the Tribune points out, though, Quinn blasted Sen. Dick Durbin in 1996 for challenging the petitions of a lesser candidate in that year's U.S. Senate primary.

Even worse was the coy and disingenuous way Quinn responded on the Greg Jarrett Show when he was asked if he had anything to do with the Walls challenge.

"Personally, I don't," Quinn said.

You mean you yourself didn't personally file the paperwork? Good answer!

"I think there are people who are supporters of mine that may have challenged his petitions."

You think there are people who may have.

One question, governor: If there's nothing wrong with challenging petitions, then why are you so afraid to admit that you've done just that?

Steve Rhodes is the proprietor of The Beachwood Reporter, a Chicago-centric news and culture review.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us