Gov. Pat Quinn has chosen Sheila Simon, daughter of the late Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Simon, as his running mate.
Quinn announced his pick this afternoon, despite rumors that state Sen. Susan Garrett was his favorite, and a late boost for Rep. Art Turner. His announcement confirmed rumors swirling last night that Simon was, in fact, his top choice.
Simon, a law professor at Southern Illinois University, brings the downstate clout Quinn and fellow Democrats yearned for in the nominee. She is a former member of the Carbondale City Council and serves on Quinn's Illinois
Reform Commission.
Simon also brings historical weight to her nomination for the state's No. 2 position, since her bespectacled, bowtied father has long been a beloved party figure in Illinois.
Simon beat out Garrett, who never came around to supporting the governor's proposal to raise state income taxes, and Turner, the second-highest vote getter for the position in the Democratic primary.
Turner also got an extra bit of support this week from Rep. Mike Boland, who dropped out of the list of finalists for the nomination. Boland's wife, Mary, sits on the Democratic State Central Committee.