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| Democrats brace for another Senate blow | ||
| 2010-02-01 | ||
| [Iran Press TV Latest] The Republicans, emboldened by a recent Senate victory in Massachusetts, are preparing themselves to occupy yet another Democratic seat: This time in President Barack Obama's state, Illinois. Illinois for long has been a Democratic domain, but Republicans think they can capitalize once more on the public dismay with Democrats that they think are responsible for Scott Brown's capturing of the late Edward Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts in January. Opinion polls ahead of Tuesday's party primaries in Illinois suggested that Mark Kirk, a moderate five-term Republican House member, may snap up the Senate seat very easily.
Kirk, 50, is the likely GOP contender to emerge Tuesday. He is seen as a reputable, well-funded nominee, a Navy Reserve officer who has done two tours in Afghanistan and who can withstand the pressure from a Democratic White House. Giannoulias, 32, has secured himself about a third of the vote, according to an independent survey. However, his party colleagues are concerned about his lack of experience and the fact that he has failed to acquire a commanding lead over his rivals. "The Illinois seat is going to be top of the Republican priority list, not for symbolic reasons that it's Obama's home state, but because it's one of the most likely seats for them to win," said political analyst Dick Simpson of the University of Illinois at Chicago. During the past 40 years, Illinois has sent seven Democrats and two Republicans to the Senate. Democrats govern all major statewide offices and sustain the majority in both houses of the Illinois legislature. | ||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 And he just picked up Rush and Becks' endorsements, to go with Lech's. It is very unlikely, but with a massively split vote, he could win with a 20-25% plurality. It would make the Brown victory look puny, and would make for a fascinating November race, particularly if Hynes (i.e. - machine) wins the Dem primary. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-02-01 16:40 |
| #9 N G F ski ... is running for governor, not against Kirk. Correct. My bad. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2010-02-01 13:15 |
| #8 I live in the Kirk district and have no problem voting for him or supporting him. A couple of points. 1 - As even Rush noticed, his cap and trade vote is not because he's a liberal, or a RINO, but because of the "trade". This is the north shore, home of MERC and CBOE "traders". Yes, it's a comparatively liberal district, but there's plenty of money from the traders. For the state race, he's backed off. He's also probably the only vote (aye or nay) to vote on the trading aspect of this, rather than the capping aspect. 2 - N G F ski (that's how Andrzejewski is pronounced) is running for governor, not against Kirk. 3 - Downstaters will easily vote for Kirk. Aside from not having a choice, he's one of the few elected GOPer's left in the non-machine wing of the party. Many of his fellow congressmen have since retired or been defeated or LaHooded. 4 - His strengths far more than offset his RINO tendencies, which are just that, tendencies - not committed principles. I expect he'd be much more conservative a Senator than Scott Brown will be - more akin to Lugar or McConnell. A long long way from the Mainers, or even Graham and McCain.. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-02-01 11:14 |
| #7 Kirk may not be a fait accompli: Adam Andrzejewski Surges to Within 2 Points in Latest Polling Andrzejewski is a conservative. Kirk supported Bammo in 2008. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2010-02-01 11:02 |
| #6 The Pubs in Illinois have been pretty awful this last decade. They're part of the 'combine' in Springfield that divides the spoils with the Dems. As long as the Pub power brokers get theirs, they don't complain. Kirk is in a divided, center-left district, and he's a master at staying alive as a moderate Pub. He won in 2008 when Pubs on both sides of his district went down. He voted for cap-and-trade because his district favored it, but now says he regrets the vote. I do know that a LOT of downstaters dislike him intensely. They may sit on their hands in November. His major challenger, Patrick Hughes, is a Hinsdale real estate guy who has appealing convictions and positions, and no electoral experience whatsoever. He'd get eaten alive in the fall. I just may have to hold my nose and vote for Kirk. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-02-01 09:23 |
| #5 I met Kirk once. He seemed like a decent sort and he gets the WoT. However, he voted for cap-n-trade (I presume because his district is pretty liberal), so I'm conflicted. There's no way I would vote for any Dem, but sadly the Pubs in Illinois aren't much better. |
| Posted by: Spot 2010-02-01 08:41 |
| #4 The voting dead have historically been a low-cost mulitiplier in Cook County. Voting dead absentee ballots slightly more due to postage and handling. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-01 07:51 |
| #3 What makes it tricky is that the dead are generally not called for polling purposes, so when they vote, it skews the polls. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-02-01 05:53 |
| #2 Fear not. Illinois Dems have a deep and experienced bench ... of dead people. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-02-01 01:29 |
| #1 my two sons are registered democrats. Their are voting in the primary but then voting for the pubs in the general. Obama and the Illinois Dems have just freaked them out too much. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2010-02-01 00:23 |