WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Sen. John McCain, riding a wave of primary victories and favorable polls, is seen by many Illinois Republican insiders as the front-runner in the state's presidential primary. ... Romney's Illinois highlight was a presidential straw poll at the state fair last August, when about 1,000 people cast votes and he won with 40 percent - twice as much as the second-place finisher, Fred Thompson, who now backs McCain. ...
