Steve Neal died.

This is so sad.

Steve Neal, a fantastic columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, died. He was only 54.

He was a great writer. Insightful. He covered the nitty-gritty of campaigns and the infrastructure of the parties. He was a scholar and a daily reporter.

I feel like a friend of mine died.

I would always use Steve Neal's columns as a curriculum for people new to getting engaged as citizens. I'd tell people to read Steve Neal's columns -- every week -- to learn about what's going on.

I only met him once. We were on a panel together talking about cumulative voting for the House (he favored a return too). Very nice guy.

I was struck by his voice -- sort of gravelly. Soft and low. His writing is so sharp and peppy, and I expected his voice to be the same.

I'm very sad. My heart goes out to his family and friends. He taught me a lot about politics.

I will really, really miss reading his columns.