CHICAGO – Through his own insistence, the next few weeks will offer a critical test of leadership for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.

He has set an early January deadline for solving the state’s pension crisis – a decades-old problem he says he was “put on this earth” to solve. He’s facing lawmakers intent on expanded gambling in the state despite his veto. And all of it is magnified by the emerging 2014 campaign for governor, with Republicans already lining up to take him on and a few of his party colleagues considering it, too.

A self-styled outsider whose first job was cleaning up after the Rod Blagojevich corruption scandal, Quinn’s leadership has been challenged from the start. His populist style, his wavering on some issues, his almost-singular focus on pensions at times and his ability to work with lawmakers all have been questioned.