Peter Fitzgerald (R) is up for re-election in 2004. He is a highly independent maverick who votes mostly conservative, Illinois press tags him as the "member of the Senate least-liked by his colleagues.".
In '98 he won against the hapless Carol Mosely Braun. In his self-financed television ads, he never spoke once (he has a very squeaky voice), preferring to rely on voice-overs, and avoided public speaking.
The GOP leadership (If the Illinois GOP can be said to have "leaders") is openly seeking another candidate to replace him.
We lost our chance with Drab Durbin in November, the #1 obstructionist after L'il Tommy. Unfortunately, we picked a candidate, Jim Durkin, who had zero money, no organization, and no discernable personality, Furthermore, he tied his hopes to the useless "star" of John McCain, who made exactly one 45 minute visit to Illinois for his young loyalist.
In Alaska news, Sen. Murkowski can't make up his mind and has left for Washington for 10 days to pack up his things, and probably won't announce a decision until he gets back. How the hell hard is it, Frank? SARAH PALIN! Tax-cutting pro-growth pro-life conservative!