Free Republic

Sen. Peter Fitzgerald is keeping mum about who he would like to see succeed him, but some of the Republican's political people are urging RTA Board Chairman Thomas McCracken Jr. to jump into the wide-open GOP primary. "Several people from the Fitzgerald organization have contacted McCracken and asked him to run," a GOP source said. "Some of his people have called and said, 'If you run, the organization is with you.' " Fitzgerald refused to comment. McCracken said he has spoken with members of Fitzgerald's camp and planned to speak to the senator himself--but he declined to elaborate on what...

Can the working people of Illinois afford another millionaire in the U.S. Senate? It has been five years since banking heir Peter F. Fitzgerald spent more than $14.6 million of his personal fortune for the prestige and prominence of membership in the U.S. Senate. Since Fitzgerald announced that he is stepping down, five GOP millionaires have expressed an interest in his seat: Andrew McKenna Jr., Jack Ryan, former Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood, John Cox and James Oberweis. (The Democrats also have a millionaire candidate, Blair Hull.) Where do they come from? Fitzgerald, 42, is among the least effective legislators ever...

Can the Illinois GOP compete for the U.S. Senate? It has been 63 years since a Republican, the late C. Wayland "Curley" Brooks, last won an open U.S. Senate seat in the Land of Lincoln. Next year, for the fourth time since 1980, Republicans have a chance to fill a soon-to-be vacated senatorial seat. In the previous three contests, each GOP nominee lost by pluralities of more than 500,000 votes and received about 42 percent of the overall vote. If former Gov. Jim Edgar had made the race for the seat of the retiring Peter G. Fitzgerald, he would have...