With repeal, IL wouldn’t elect another GOP Senator for the forseeable future. Not just 10 years, perhaps 50, maybe 100. Even if one would get elected, they would be like the execrable Mark Kirk, not Peter Fitzgerald. The last legislature that had enough Republicans MIGHT have been able to elect a Senator was the 1997 session (which Durbin won when it came open), when the total number of Republicans and Democrats was 89 each.
The last time there was an outright majority during a Senate race was in 1981, when Adlai Stevenson 3d retired, and the GOP had 120 members to the Dems 115 (back when you still had the “big” House). Of course, at least 1/3rd of those members were potential “phonies”, those districts that required a member of the minority party whom were often puppets put up by the majority in a given district (the most notorious being some of the Chicago “Republicans”). So there’s no guarantee GOP then-Lt Governor Dave O’Neal would’ve beaten then-Dem Sec of State Alan Dixon.
But again, does show you that it has already been 32 years since they would’ve (on paper at least) had a majority to elect a Senator.
Hey what happened if state chambers were divided? Did they sit as one body and go by overall majority or did each House have to approve?
Cause in 1981 the rats had the IL State Senate by 1 vote.
Sometimes the legislatures failed to elect someone and split chambers (rarer back then I think) may have been a reason.
You know I never bothered to look up the IL leg results from the last election cause I figured it was bad. It is. They gained 5 in the Senate and now have it 40-19. And they gained 7 in the House for a 71-47 edge. Biggest rat majorities ever in IL? IL Senate a worse disaster than the US Senate.
That puts the House at over the 3/5 needed to override a veto and Senate at over 2/3s.
A GOP Governor in 2015 could be of limited use if we can’t put a dent in that. Oy.