Bill Daley laying groundwork for gov bid

DENVER -- Mayoral brother Bill Daley has arrived at the Democratic National Convention, adding a fifth (at least) potential candidate for Illinois governor to the mix here.

Though Daley says he will not talk about whether he might run until January, he appears further along than some of the other potential candidates.

He talked to possible donors before arriving here, asking one to stay neutral and not take sides in what could be a crowded primary field. And Daley has already polled statewide and found that he could sell the Daley brand Downstate.

Daley, who was President Bill Clinton's secretary of commerce and is now Midwest Chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase, said he was at the Democratic National Convention to cheer on Obama, and he didn't want to talk about the 2010 governor's race.

"January" he said. "I'm going to talk about it next year in a serious way."

Three of the top Democratic gubernatorial prospects -- Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias -- all spoke at the convention Monday.

Madigan said she would make no decision until after the presidential election. She said she found it "a bit strange" that Gov. Blagojevich didn't arrive until Tuesday and planned to leave before the convention is over.

"It's certainly something I'm thinking about," Madigan said of the governor's race. "I'm not going to be supporting Gov. Blagojevich for a third term."

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn is also interested in the spot.