Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says her father's job ... as speaker of the Illinois House ... IS a factor in whether she'd ever run for governor.
Madigan did not elaborate. But she stepped back from a possible 20-14 bid, saying it would not be good for Illinois to have two members of the same family in those positions.
Anyone seeking the governor's office is asking to take on acute fiscal problems brought on by a political stalemate, piled on top of chronic underfunding and massive pension debt. Despite that, Madigan says it's a job she would be willing to do.
"It's a tough job, I mean let's not, you know. But it's not an impossible job, right. There are so many important issues that the state needs to be working on that have not been attended to because of the budget problem, and because of the budget problem that has been created."
Earlier, Madigan had slammed Republican Governor Bruce Rauner's policies ... in a speech to the Illinois delegation at the Democratic National Convention.
Rauner has already said he plans to seek another term.
The attorney general's dad is not ONLY the longtime House Speaker; he's also head of the Democratic Party of Illinois, and has become Rauner's political nemesis.
The speaker would not say much about his daughter's future and how it relates to him -- saying only that Lisa Madigan can, and should, do what she wants.
Chris Kennedy - of the famous political family - is entertaining the idea of running for Illinois governor.
Kennedy - the son of Robert F. and Ethel Kennedy - addressed the Illinois Democratic delegation in Philadelphia.
He admits he's introducing himself to a lot of Illinois Democrats - as he considers running for office, including governor.
In his speech - Kennedy pivoted from talking about the American Dream...to criticizing incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner for prioritizing his Turnaround Agenda.
"Chaos, uncertainty and the unknown are the enemies of our economy and they've been brought to our doorstep by our current governor and his political allies."
Michael Madigan says Kennedy would be a good candidate for governor - in part because of the history of the Kennedy family name.
