Free Republic

This is an open thread for Illinois Freepers to talk about the GOP Primary Election today. Can Judy Baar Topinka be stopped?!?!? Stay tuned!

At the end of a political campaign it's not uncommon for a candidate to grasp at straws, but Jim Oberweis literally proposed drawing straws to decide who should stay in the race for the Republican nomination for governor, two of his rivals said Saturday. On the Democratic side, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) extended his feud with his son-in-law, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, by featuring primary challenger Edwin Eisendrath at a bingo game of senior citizens in the ward. But Mell stopped short of a formal endorsement. As the GOP candidates for governor fanned out across the state on the final...

CHICAGO, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich maintains a comfortable advantage over his Democratic primary rival, while Judy Baar Topinka, the state's three-term treasurer, is losing some of her sizable lead over the pack of potential Republican candidates for governor, according to a new Chicago Tribune / WGN-TV poll. Complete story and poll results appear in the Tuesday, March 14, edition of the Chicago Tribune and online at chicagotribune.com/elections . The poll, surveying 600 likely voters in the Republican primary and another 600 indicating they would cast a Democratic ballot, was conducted March 8-12 by Market Shares Corp. of...

Hopefuls put politics on parade By Mickey Ciokajlo and Ofelia Casillas, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters Liam Ford, James Kimberly, Carlos Sadovi and John Chase contributed to this report Published March 12, 2006 ......During the session at the Rose Garden restaurant, Oberweis received the endorsement of conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, founder and president of the Eagle Forum. "You were one of my heroes," Oberweis told Schlafly, adding that her 1964 book "A Choice Not an Echo" inspired him. The book, used that year to promote Barry Goldwater's presidential run, argued that grass-roots elements of the Republican Party must stand...

The first televised debate, between all four GOP candidates: Bill Brady, Judy Baar Topkina, Jim Oberweis, and Ron Gidwitz Wednesday, January 25 6:00 - 7:00 P.m. CBS - Channel 2 The debate will be held at North Centeral College, Naperville Sponsors are: CBS - Channel 2, IL Chamber of Commerce, NFIB, and the Naperville Chamber of Commerce

Conservative Elgin state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger will drop out of the Republican governor’s race today to become the running mate of moderate Ron Gidwitz in an attempt to salvage both men’s statewide hopes next year. The move to form a balanced ideological team comes a week after state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka entered the GOP governor primary amid a state party poll that showed her with a wide lead with many voters still undecided. While Gidwitz and Rauschenberger had been talking prior to that, the meeting helped speed up their decision to join forces after perceiving the party establishment was...

(AP) CHICAGO Steve Rauschenberger plans to drop his bid for the Republican nomination for governor and instead run for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Chicago businessman Ron Gidwitz, an individual familiar with the arrangement said Tuesday. A Rauschenberger aide would not discuss the conservative state senator's plans. "We have no comment on the rumors," campaign manager Dan Proft said. The plan would combine Gidwitz's personal fortune with Rauschenberger's appeal to conservatives, creating a potentially powerful challenge to the front-runner for the GOP nomination, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka. Rauschenberger is one of several candidates who have been splitting...

Thanks you for your question. Personally, I think abortion is a terrible thing. Like many families my wife and I disagree on this issue and that’s OK. I support bans on partial birth abortion or late term abortions. I am in favor of parental notification. I feel adoption is an alternative that should be promoted more aggressively. I believe that the Supreme Court speaks to the issue of Roe vs. Wade and I support the rule of law. I don’t know where you stand on this issue, but I believe this election is going to be about issues that unite...