Is Anne Stava-Murray the AOC of Illinois?

The idealistic progressive in me welcomes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) to the US House. She has charisma to burn and is already shaking up the national political landscape with her widely publicized progressive rhetoric calling for universal health care, gun control, abolishing the private prison system, government subsidized college education and a guaranteed job. Her unabashed democratic socialist policies are what I want to see enacted. But at the end of her two year term what accomplishments will we see on her now blank legislative resume? I hope they're sufficient to ensure her re-election or even advancement to higher office.

It turns out we may have an Illinois version of AOC in newbie state legislator Anne Stava-Murray who we might christen ASM in honor of the congresswoman she appears to be channeling. Stava-Murray has some of the same charisma of AOC in garnering publicity for her progressive views on issues facing the Land of Lincoln. She's already the most well know Illinois House rookie, making good on her campaign pledge to vote against Mike Madigan for House Speaker; the only Democrat to break ranks. And like AOC, ASM is a newbie with a blank slate of accomplishments. Alas, that didn't stop her from declaring for Senate Minority Whip Dick Durban's US Senate seat next year even though Durbin has already announced his re-election bid. She did this before serving a single day in the Illinois legislature. I'm puzzled. Did ASM already decide she's accomplished all she can for Illinois with that blank slate staring back at her?

On her Anne Stava-Murray for US Senate Facebook page ASM states "I also know that I’m a human being and sometimes I make mistakes and sometimes I learn something new that changes my mind; so I try to let everyone know when that happens too." Given her short list of accomplishments in the IL House, I hope she will soon be informing us of her intention to build a solid legislative record here in Illinois before attempting the springboard to the US Senate.