Durban would have been the overwhelming favorite no matter who won that primary, because no one well-known bothered to run. The ‘Rat dominance of Chicago, the leftward trend in the Chicago suburbs, and the economic & demographic decline of downstate Illinois guaranteed that.
This country is SOOO f’d. We’re giving these criminals and cretins carte blanche to destroy everything in sight, preserve and augment their own power and line their pockets. It’s disgusting.
Jim Durkin had no shot against Senator Durbin in 2002 because he had no money, and couldn't even run TV ads. However, he did unify all the anti-Durbin base in the state, and won nearly 40% of the vote, as well as probably two dozen counties in Illinois (mostly the safe Republican areas)
Steve Sauerberg, at best, is polling about 10 points BELOW Durkin's numbers. Generally, even a lousy GOP candidate should get at least a third (33%) or so of the electorate to vote for them statewide, simply because at least one third of the electorate is going to oppose the other party no matter what. If you get less than 33% (Keyes got 27%), the candidate has probably not only failed to get any crossover Dem votes or independant votes, but probably lost some of their "base" of Republican-leaning voters as well.
Sauerberg is a rather successful doctor and basically got the state GOP to support him by pledging to spent millions of his own money to make up the difference, so money isn't the problem. Sauerberg is.
I just think it's really pathetic that Sauerberg's volunteers have resorting to lying and trying to con conservatives into thinking Sauerberg is conservative to get their votes.