Free Republic

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois public health officials announced Thursday nearly 56,000 people in the state were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday as state Republicans questions Gov. J.B. Pritzker on why Illinois’ efforts in the area is lagging.

Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee, marginally leading his Democratic opponent in previous surveys, is trailing for the second Rasmussen Reports election poll in a row. Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse now leads 44% to 38%. A month ago, Whitehouse was ahead 46% to 41%. Chafee faces a primary battle with Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey, not the GOP's best hope here. In a match-up with Laffey, Whitehouse leads 55% to 31%. Chaffee's tribulations are not unique. Our recent polling shows that Democrats are holding their own in Senate contests, including in states where it was thought the GOP had a decent chance to pick...

FRANKFORT - At first glance, turmoil in the governor's office and within the state Republican Party appears to favor Democrats in the fall legislative elections. But with just over three months to go before Election Day, the state Democratic Party lags far behind in fund-raising, with just $61,000 in its main accounts as of June 30. ... "There's a big controversy out there as people are saying, 'How much have we raised and how much have we spent?'" said Rep. Kathy Stein, a Lexington Democrat. ... In comparison, the Kentucky Republican Party has raised about $650,000 in 2006 and spent...

With Hollywood desperately trying to end its 14-week box office slump, the release of superstar Tom Cruise's newest summer blockbuster ought to guarantee a big payday. But the star's erratic behavior lately - including a love-struck appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with new girlfriend Katie Holmes and his out-there promotion of the Church of Scientology - could backfire and turn off the huge potential audience for the costly science-fiction epic "War of the Worlds" being released June 29 by Paramount Pictures, industry experts said Thursday. "He just seems so outside himself and so bizarre," said brand and image consultant...