[Rate_Determining_Step]

> Keyes doesn't have a chance against Obama.

How does IL politics work? If it's like every other state I've studied, there's one big liberal metro area and then the rest of the state.

Obama will write off everything outside of Chicago. Keys will charge into Chicago and take the fight to him on his turf.

Will the "rest of the state" turn out to vote for him?

Will he peel enough votes outta Chicagoland to help?

This "him getting stomped" seems perhaps a bit premature...

[EternalVigilance]

If it's like every other state I've studied, there's one big liberal metro area and then the rest of the state.

Nothing could describe Illinois better.

[Jorge]

This "him getting stomped" seems perhaps a bit premature...

I hope you're right. I just can't see Keyes winning at this point.

[nopardons]

Chicago is the BIG city,but the suburbs,such as Evanston,etc. will go for Obama.Actually,there are more GOPers in Chicago,than there are in Evanston and such.

And Keyes will NOT attract many GOPers in Chicago.Some will gladly vote for him,some will hold their nose,and many(the Limousine GOPers of LSD)won't vote for him at all.

[WillRain]

I'm trying to compare a "Bush Country" county map to a county map of Illinois (The bush Country map doesn't blow up real clearly).

If I'm reading this right...
>the Chicago area went Gore - all lakefront counties;
>Seven counties in Northwest Illinois stretching from Carroll county down to Peoria went Gore;
>A Cluster of counties near East St. Louis went Gore (more heavily black? I know down here in the South the closer to the river a county is the more likely it has a high black population)
>Champaign county (college town, right?)
>Lasalle county and a couple of others (don't know the stories on these)

I could be reading it wrong - a better researcher than me can probably find a rundown on it.

Long story short, there ARE apparently Democrat pockets of note outside of Chicago.