... most of the Pubs left in IL are “moderate” ...
I'm not so sure about that. Although Dumbo got 62% in 2008 and 58% last time around, there are a cubic buttload of "red" and deep "red" counties south of Chicago.
They're kinda like NY ( my state ) just upside down. If we just detach that cancerous tumor from the rest then the state is an overall very light purple magenta. :-)
2012 Presidential Election :: Illinois
See my PM to you — I do have substantial experience with IL. There are some quite conservative citizens around - my Dad certainly was! Their numbers are significant. But many more are inclined along the lines of liking former Governor’s Jim Thompson & Jim Edgar, and are a bit uncomfortable with (current) Gov. Rauner. The “Jim’s” were at least competent and not crooks. Rauner does not seem to be a crook, but is locked in a titanic budget battle with the Dems & has not been able to garner enough public support for his position, IMO. Granted that most of the press opposes him: he somehow needs to overcome that.
Quite a bit of the downstate attitude is a reaction to the tone of too many Chicagoans toward downstaters, the Daley “machine”, way too much corruption, and so on, rather than ideological conservatism. (Sadly, IL has had plenty of corrupt Pubs, too, former Gov. Ryan being a prime example.)
Labor unions’ influence outside the Chicago area has diminished too, due to the near death of industry downstate, not to mention the same for coal mining in Southern Illinois.
All this regarding voter attitudes is a generality, of course(!) — I just don’t see IL pubs in general as being quite comparable to, say, Mississippi’ or Texas’ Pubs.
One interesting note: You’d think that Sangammon County would be blue, due to the numbers of State employees in and around Springfield. There must be lots of holdovers from the Thompson / Edgar / Ryan days...