After weeks of consideration, former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin said Tuesday he will not seek the GOP nomination for Cook County state’s attorney, saying he thinks Donald Trump’s likely spot at the top of the Republican ticket would be disastrous for any GOP candidate running countywide in next year’s general election.
Durkin, 62, of Western Springs, said after crunching the votes cast in the past few cycles, an already “daunting challenge” of running as a Republican in Cook County grew greater with former President Trump as the likely GOP nominee for president.
“One, it’s difficult enough as a Republican. But more importantly, having Trump, who seems like he is the probable nominee of the party, is going to be even more, I would say, destructive on any Republican running in Cook County based on his performance four years ago,” Durkin said.
“If I’m gonna get in the race, I have to know I can win it. I can’t run to compete. I can’t run to make a statement. And I just see no pathway to success under the circumstances in this environment in Cook County,” he said.
Durkin’s decision left former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti, who has lost previous bids for Chicago mayor, Cook County Board president and state’s attorney, as the only announced Republican candidate for the office that embattled incumbent Democrat Kim Foxx is leaving after two terms.
Clayton Harris III and Eileen O’Neill Burke are the announced Democratic candidates for the office. Harris formally filed his candidacy petitions on Monday with Burke expected to file her petitions before the weeklong filing period ends.
“Do I want to share my name on the ticket with someone who is so divisive, so vindictive, so hate filled? To me, it won’t work,” Durkin, a former assistant Cook County state’s attorney, said of Trump.
“I am as anti-Trump as anyone. I am a John McCain Republican. But the fact is, I’m going to be painted with Trump and MAGA and all that other nonsense,” Durkin said, referring to the independent late Arizona senator and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
“Until this party exorcises Donald Trump from its ranks, we’re going to continue to be going into a downward spiral in Illinois, in Washington, and many other states,” he said.
