Illinois intrigue
PRESIDENTIAL RACE | GOP keys in -- thanks to Obama
WASHINGTON -- The unintended byproduct of Illinois moving up its primary to boost White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is putting the state in major play for the GOP presidential candidates.
"It really is wide open on the Republican side," said Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna.
"It's ironic," he said. "A move to help Obama helps the Republican Party.''
When Gov. Blagojevich signs the legislation setting Feb. 5 as the primary date, switching from March, Illinois joins more than 20 other states holding elections that day, creating a new national primary. While Obama has a near lock on Illinois, the three top Republican contenders -- former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) -- see Illinois as fertile territory and are establishing statewide campaigns.
In order to draw attention to Illinois, McKenna said the party is considering organizing a straw poll on Aug. 16, five days after the influential Aug. 11 Iowa Republican party straw poll.
Each of the three frontrunners on the GOP side have tapped leading Illinois Republicans as chairmen -- all with statewide political networks.
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Westchester) ran McCain's Illinois operation in 2000 and is signed on again, giving McCain a running start.
McCain begins with backing from GOP congressional members Ray LaHood, Mark Steven Kirk, John Shimkus and former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. During the 2000 McCain bid, Durkin was the only elected official in the state with McCain. Now McCain is endorsed by 23 state House and Senate members and state Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville) is the Illinois co-chairman.
"We are building on top of what we did a few years back," Durkin said.
Romney tapped state Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) to chair his Illinois campaign. "It's about [Romney] building his persona out there and fielding an organization," Rutherford said. Rutherford -- as has Durkin -- has run statewide and still has expansive contacts.
Romney is running with the support of one of the state's most influential Republicans -- former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.
Giuliani landed House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego). "Giuliani has a certain amount of star power like Obama," Cross said. Cross has already lined up some 20 county GOP chairmen -- including from Lake, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties.
The former mayor has business executive and former GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz as his state finance chairman.
While there are more candidates -- including former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who has many friends among Illinois Republicans -- none of the others is mounting a real drive to win any of the 70 Illinois delegates.
The primary could provide a shot in the arm for the Illinois GOP that is much needed -- what with the Democrats in every statewide office and in control of the House and Senate.
McKenna sees the primary as a "basis for re-engaging volunteers who may have been dispirited the past couple of years.''
The GOP rivals, said McKenna, will be "viewing Illinois not just as a place to raise money but a place where they want to win."
