Candidates for governor overwhelmingly Catholic

(POSTED: 10/26/09) Those running for Illinois governor have their share of differences, but religion is not really one of them.
Of the 11 likely candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries, a whopping nine are Roman Catholic, according to a survey by ChicagoCatholicNews.
There is just one non-Catholic on the Republican side -- former state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who is Methodist -- and one on the Democratic side -- William "Dock" Walls, a Baptist.
To be sure, Illinois is a heavily Catholic state, and many elected leaders here are Catholic, including Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. But even in the Archdiocese of Chicago, which includes Cook and Lake counties, the 2.3 million members represent only about 40 percent of the overall population.
All nine Catholic gubernatorial candidates consider themselves active members of the faith, to at least some extent, citing a "home" parish that they attend or identify with.
Two candidates have a connection to the same church. Gov. Pat Quinn (shown below) and Democratic rival Ed Scanlan, an attorney, each attend St. Giles Parish in Oak Park, according to their respective camps.

The fourth Democrat expected to be on the Feb. 2 primary ballot -- Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes -- is a native South Sider now attending St. Andrew's Parish near Wrigley Field, according to a campaign spokesman.
On the GOP side, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom is a convert to Catholicism who attends Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Naperville, according to an aide. (Inspired by a grandfather who was a Protestant minister, Schillerstrom majored in religion in college.)
A potential GOP candidate -- former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan -- has been described by those who know him as "very Catholic." Ryan said he attends Visitation Church in Elmhurst.
Conservative commentator Dan Proft grew up in St. Michael's Church in Wheaton and said he's still affiliated with that faith community.
Andy McKenna, the state's former GOP chief, also is weighing a run on the Republican ticket. According to a spokesman, he attends Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago, which also is Daley's home parish.
Republican state Sen. Bill Brady describes himself as a lifelong Catholic who attends Holy Trinity Church in Downstate Bloomington.
Businessman Adam Andrzejewski said he attends St. Isaac Jogues Church in Hinsdale -- and used to be part of Visitation in Elmhurst. (His campaign web site includes a quotation from Catholic thinker G.K. Chesterton.)
Paul Green, a professor at Roosevelt University and an expert on local politics, said what's more interesting to him than the sheer numbers of Catholic candidates: how few Catholic governors there have been in Illinois.
Until Quinn assumed the post -- which occurred after Rod Blagojevich was charged with corruption and booted from office -- there had not been a Catholic in the job in recent memory, Green said.
Indeed, a review of historical records found there had not been a Catholic governor since the early 20th Century. It appears Edward F. Dunne -- who (shown below) served as the state's top elected figure from 1913 to 1917 -- was the last Catholic governor in Illinois before Quinn.

Meanwhile, Dillard's campaign noted that, although Dillard attends services at an Evangelical congregation in Oak Brook, he has ties to the Catholic Church: he went to a Catholic law school, DePaul University.
Walls identified himself as a Baptist, but said he currently is affiliated with Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. (That was Barack Obama's congregation until controversy erupted over inflammatory remarks made by the now-retired preacher Jeremiah Wright.)
It's worth noting that the field could change significantly before the primaries. Today (Monday, Oct. 26) is the first day for "established party candidates" to file petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections to get on the primary ballot. The last day is Nov. 2.
By ChicagoCatholicNews
Contact: info@chicagocatholicnews.com
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