Bill Daley said considering Ill. gov run

CHICAGO, June 25 (UPI) -- Sources say former U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley is considering a run for Illinois governor to succeed the scandal-tainted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Daley, the brother of Democratic Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and son of late Mayor Richard J. Daley, is an executive for the Midwest branch of Wall Street financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase and is seeking a political challenge, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper said William "Bill" Daley has regretted he didn't try harder to mount a gubernatorial challenge against Blagojevich in 2002 and is seriously considering running for the governor's office in 2010. Bill Daley reportedly has begun sounding out Democratic leaders and fundraisers about the possibilities.

Associates of Blagojevich, a former Democratic congressman first elected governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, have been the subject of investigations into alleged kickbacks and political influence peddling. His approval rating was 42 percent earlier this year in a poll conducted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When asked about his brother Tuesday, the Chicago mayor told the Sun-Times, "I don't know. He's doing very well in the private sectors. That would be up to him -- not to me."