I’ve covered the 17th congressional district of Illinois — the one currently held by retiring Democrat Lane Evans — for NR. It’s one of those seats that the post-94 GOP always has thought it should pick up but never has managed to do so — a mix of union Dems in the Quad Cities area and GOP farmers surrounding it. Two years ago, Evans beat Zinga 61-39 and Kerry beat Bush 51-48. The district includes the town of Tampico, which is the birthplace of Ronald Reagan.