15 Days to the Election
Gubernatorial Race
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Apparently it was possible for the Illinois elections to get more ugly. The debates are even more vicious, and the ads are delusional. But there is hope for the Republican in that Joe Biden dislikes him for being overly anti-union. Still, tag-line for the last two weeks? “This Time it’s Personal.“
Senatorial Race
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Poor Alexi Giannoulias — he looked to be getting so much better. But things aren’t so good for him now – he just flip-flopped on a free trade agreement with Korea, got outraised by Kirk by about $1 million in the third quarter, and has to resort to paranoid, overly PC claims about potential voter intimidation at a time when his big backers are campaigning inside polling places, to say nothing of hitting tired old attack lines. Small wonder Mark Kirk racked up three new endorsements.
House Races
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The Pollak Campaign in IL-9 sends out a shocking press release – Pollak has outraised incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky 2-to-1 in the latest quarter. That’s the most liberal member of the United States House of Representatives, and her head is on the chopping block. It might have something to do with the fact that she’s bad enough on Israel to bring Alan Dershowitz into the fight on behalf of her opponent, but that’s just a thought.
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Phil Hare in IL-17 is desperate – so desperate that he has to try to channel Grover Norquist and attack his opponent on taxes. Oh, and he has to rely on Dick Durbin to save him. One way or another, things won’t end well when Hare debates Bobby Schilling, his Republican opponent, who currently has him out-raised.
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But money isn’t everything. Just ask Debbie Halvorson in IL-11, who’s got Michelle Obama and $1.4 million in ads behind her and yet is still 20 points behind her opponent, Adam Kinzinger. Granted, it’s a very diverse district and Halvorson has a strong war chest, but that’s cold comfort.