Posted on 12/13/2008 8:54:40 AM PST by Maelstorm
In Illinois, all eyes are on GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, who is considering running for the Senate seat in a special election. He would give Republicans a battle-tested candidate with no ties to the tainted Chicago and Springfield machines. He might otherwise have been unlikely to run statewide, since as a moderate Republican he could be vulnerable in a primary where conservative voters would hold sway.
Kirk isn’t the only credible Illinois Republican mulling a Senate bid. A source close to Rep. Peter J. Roskam said the second-term congressman is also “very interested” in running for the Senate seat and wouldn’t automatically defer to Kirk. Roskam has a more conservative voting record than Kirk and has won election to a suburban Chicago seat during two rough election cycles for the GOP.
“When you’re a party that has had two bad election cycles in a row, you look for the first rays of light at the end of the tunnel,” said Cook Political Report Senate analyst Jennifer Duffy. “And they saw them in Georgia, saw them in Louisiana, and now there are opportunities in Illinois.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Good family, too. I used to know his brother. Go Roskam!!
We don’t need scandals, we need actual conservatives.
It’d be sweet irony to turn that senate seat over to the GOP but I won’t hold my breath.
I’d second that!
The Dems are going to do everything in their power to get Bago out and let Lt. Governor Quinn appoint a Dem to the Senate seat. I doubt there will be a special election.
The Democrats will not turn out in a special election so there would be a chance if the Republicans turned out in high enough numbers.
Dems will skate on this as well. With the media not wanting to screw things up for their messiah, all hands will be on deck to provide cover for Obama, Dems, and all things liberal. With the added fact that the Republican party can’t find it’s way out of a paper bag, be sure that Dems will take control of the seat.
Agreed. The MSM couldn’t stand the thought of the Messiah’s senate seat being taken by a Republican.
I think there will be a special election. To help Guarantee this the GOP should start holding press conferences demanding it and labeling the whole thing an indication of Democrat corruption in Illinois and that we need a process that is transparent. Simple let the people decide. Every other word coming out of conservative Radio hosts mouths should be Democrat Corruption. Get on the same page and use these scandles to deflate the Democrat brand. This contrarian crap that has allowed the Democrats to scoot through unscathed while that smear the GOP every chance they get while conservative press do the same has to stop.
If there isn’t a special election this will never go away and the GOP should be committed to not letting it go away.
We need new blood; not the run of the mill politicians. We need to vet these people carefully.
Does he work for the Republican family in Chicago that is tied in with Daily? You have to change that.
This guy is a good guy, a down the line conservative who also worked for Tom Delay. He also knows how to fight and knows how to win. That is what we need.
...his ability to motivate low propensity conservative voters of both parties in a special election is nonexistent.
And that won't happen with a liberal Republican on the ticket.
A conservative Republican could win over a moderate...especially at this time! Opportunity possibly awaits but will the GOP elitist get behind a conservative?
Democrats turned out in 2008 in the special election to replace the lackluster Dennis Hastert. A Democrat now holds that seat and could for a generation.
That was a special case. I don’t see that happening this time. They are fat and happy. I also don’t think Obama will set foot in Illinois given the scandal to campaign on behalf of the Democrat candidate. If he does the GOP should scream foul and throw a fit like the Democrats do and talk over and over about Democrat corruption. “Democrat corruption” should be the buzz phrase. It should be repeated over and over on every TV show, every radio show.
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