Poshard: Abortion "Litmus Tests Dangerous for a Party"
Glenn Poshard, then-President of Southern Illinois University, testifies before an Illinois House committee in 2013.
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The last moderate Democrat to be nominated for Governor in Illinois says there won’t be any following in his footsteps anytime soon.
Former Congressman Glenn Poshard, who was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1998, losing to George Ryan by around 3.5 percentage points, was notably a pro-life Democrat, a rarity in modern politics.
Speaking on The Illinoize Podcast this weekend about his new book “Son of Southern Illinois: Glenn Poshard’s Life in Politics and Education”, Poshard said he believes his moderate stance on the issue drove enough progressive voters away to cost him the Governor’s race a quarter century ago.
“When I ran for Governor and won the primary, it was the progressive end of the Democratic Party that held that one position against me to the point of not being able to support me,” Poshard said. “I think I lost the race for governor primarily because of my position on that issue. I needed them to get behind me and I could have won if that happened. They didn’t.”
He says Democrats should have a bigger tent on the abortion issue.
“Those kinds of one issue litmus tests are dangerous for a party. There are millions of pro-life Democrats throughout this country who feel like they don’t have a place to go,” he said. “They’re good Democrats. Do they deserve to be deserted when they run for office and they need that progressive wing to get behind them? It’s problematic, there’s no doubt about it.”
That said, as the Democratic base has moved left, he expects future major nominees, like for Governor or U.S. Senate to look more like Chicago liberal JB Pritzker and less like a southern Illinois moderate.
“I don’t think a moderate Democrat could get the nomination. It would be too divisive in the party right now,” he said.
Though Poshard, who still serves on the State Democratic Central Committee, heaped praise on Pritzker’s time as Governor.
“He has been an excellent Governor,” Poshard said. “He’s done more for southern Illinois in the time that he’s been Governor than [anyone]. I think he’s done an excellent job for this area, particularly.”
Poshard cited investments in ports along the Ohio River, a new casino, college funding, and transportation infrastructure improvements as good for southern Illinois.
After his run for Governor, Poshard served as President of Southern Illinois University from 2006-2014.
Poshard and his wife, Jo, still live outside of Carbondale and continue to run the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children.
You can buy Poshard’s book on Amazon.
