Tennessee Republicans put up a FIGHT against Al Gore in 2000 and relentlessly hammered him.
Illinois Republicans ROLL OVER for Barack Obama, and have been doing so for the last decade. Alot of the "Republican leaders" leader here, like Ray LaHood and Kirk Dillard, even ENDORSE him.
Again, if you think this state's electoral votes will go for Romney, I have a bridge to sell you. Would you care to bet money over how the state will vote for President in November? Not only will Obama win it, he will win it by a comfortable margin, thanks to Crook County overwhelmingly voting to re-elect him.
Gore carried his “home state” of DC in 2000. ;-)
Actually, TN Republicans hardly had to do much of anything to rally the state against Gore. He was pretty toxic by the end of the second Clinton term. Our worry was the unpopular RINO Governor Sundquist (no surprise, an IL-born RINO, like a Combiner) would damage the GOP brand and help Gore. The party practically had to keep him hidden for a year (before he worked his magic in helping the Democrats in ‘02 via both redistricting and electing Pharoah Phil).