Can Topinka Turn Illinois Red?

Washington Post Writers Group ^ | April 6, 2006 | George F. Will

[RWR8189]

CHICAGO -- Illinois' northernmost bit is north of Cape Cod and its southern tip is south of Richmond, Va. Scattered the length of the state, from the Wisconsin to the Kentucky border, are fragments of wreckage from the state party that produced the first Republican president -- who was born in Kentucky and nominated by a Republican Party born in Wisconsin, at Ripon.

In the last four presidential elections, Republican candidates have averaged just 40 percent of the Illinois vote. In 2004, the Republican Senate candidate, a raging resident of Maryland, won just 27 percent of the vote. Judy Topinka, 62, the effervescent three-term state treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, thinks she can put Humpty Dumpty together again. Republicans everywhere should hope a new poll is accurate in showing her three points ahead among registered voters.

In California, Republican presidential candidates have not been competitive for three elections. Since 1994, when California Republicans backed an anti-immigrant measure offensive to the Latino population that now is more than one-third of the state's population, Republicans have won an average of just 41 percent of the presidential vote.

In New York, where Republican presidential candidates in the last four elections have averaged just 35 percent, one candidate for the Senate nomination against Hillary Clinton this year has zero political experience and less than zero credibility, having inflated her resume. And if the state party chairman gets his way, the senatorial candidate will be a former Yonkers mayor, who as a married man had two children with his unmarried chief of staff, which he says was "ironically'' fine because "I didn't have to make an appointment with my chief of staff to go over everything.'' (He has now married her.)

From Illinois, California and New York, Democratic presidential nominees currently

[RWR8189]

Ms Topinka carried DuPage by a far greater margin that the rest of the state last month.

No doubt due to being teamed with favorite son Joe Birkett.

[TitansAFC]

---"Ms Topinka carried DuPage by a far greater margin that the rest of the state last month."---

And yet, every Topinka voter I have encountered was a Democrat in DuPage.

I hope she doesn't actually have that much crossover appeal......sheesh!

[RWR8189]

I severely doubt there was a massive crossover in the GOP primary in DuPage seeing as the Dem primary for the 6th congressional district was one of the most expensive and high profile events statewide, and even to a lesser extent nationwide.

[TitansAFC]

True.

Roskam did manage more votes than the three of them combined, though, and he ran unopposed.

A good sign for keeping that seat, perhaps?

I did phone banks and a little door-to-door (trying to help Oberweis). In my personal experience, there sure were a lot of DuPage Dems crossing over to vote Judy; most didn't even try to hide it. You'd be surprised how many yards had Topinka & Cegelis or Topinka & Duckworth signs in West Chicago. Sad, very sad. :-(

I even saw one sign with Birkett scratched-off with black permanent marker. Of course, I still remember all of the McCain Democrats from the 2000 GOP primary. We really need to keep GOP primary votes amongst the Republicans in Illinois. There are just too many Dems in the state to risk it anymore.

[Flavius Josephus]

topinka bojinka