Fresh Off a Massachusetts Victory, G.O.P. Aims at Illinois

By MONICA DAVEY
Published: January 25, 2010

CHICAGO — Republicans in Illinois hold no statewide offices, are minorities in both chambers of the State Legislature and struggle some years to recruit viable candidates even at the top of the ballot.

Harry Hamburg/Associated Press

Representative Mark Steven Kirk, a Republican candidate.

But the election last week of a long-shot Republican, Scott Brown, to the Senate in Massachusetts, a similarly blue state, has invigorated Republicans here.

Next Tuesday’s statewide primaries — the first in the nation this year — have suddenly turned into a pep rally for November and could provide a window into what is to come nationally as the 2010 primary season unfolds.

“Illinois is next,” said Pat Brady, chairman of the state Republican Party. “The political environment is worse here for Democrats than it was in Massachusetts.”

Representative Mark Steven Kirk, the front-runner in the Republican primary for the Senate seat once held by President Obama, has even taken to echoing Mr. Brown’s campaign remarks.

“No one should make the mistake by calling this the Obama seat,” he said in an interview. “This is the seat of the people of Illinois.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/us/26illinois.html

pretending that the Illinois seat that Obama held for 3 years is just like the seat Kennedy held for 50.

The Progressive, Hoffman is a good guy but with zero personality and little money and exposure. Giannoulis, the establishment candidate isn't much better. The one advantage he has over Captn Kirk is he's won statewide office but he better to ready to work for every vote.

The upside of Kirk going for the Senate is it opens up his House seat and could be a Democratic pick-up. Previously I had laughed off Kirk but with the fates of Democrats going south, a weakened President and a lot of unemployed, underemployed and angry voters, it's working in Kirk's favor.

Castle and others alongside Hoeven. I now think it's possible for the repukes to take both houses in November.

And this comes from someone whose worked campaigns for the past decade...not this year. I'm just tired of all the bullshit, right and left...and the polarization that has made governing impossible. I'll leave it for the younguns to work out...it's their world, mine is moving into the twilight...