• POLITICAL INSIDER READERS OVERWHELMINGLY PREFER TOPINKA
• IDOT SECRETARY CONFIRMED AMID SCATHING AUDIT AND SWIRLING ALLEGATIONS
• VOTER TURNOUT GETS LOWER AND LOWER
• SIGN OF THE TIMES; GOVERNOR ORDERS MANDATORY SIGNS IN BUSINESSES
• CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS TO RETIRE
• EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK: State Journal-Register - "A Budget Mess in the Making"

POLITICAL INSIDER READERS OVERWHELMINGLY PREFER TOPINKA

In a highly unscientific poll conducted on-line since the primary, 412 Political Insider recipients responded to the question, "If the election for Governor were held today, who would you be voting for?  Democrat Rod Blagojevich or Republican Judy Baar Topinka?

Of the 412 respondents, Topinka captured more than 85% of the poll with 353 votes, Blagojevich trailed with 7.5% or 31 votes and 28 (6.8%) people were undecided.

The most recent Rasmussen poll shows the race for Governor to be a toss up between Topinka and Blagojevich.  Topinka leads with 43% to the Governor's 41%.  Blagojevich, however, is viewed favorably by only 44% of voters and only 39% believe he is doing a good job compared to 59% who disapprove of his job performance.

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IDOT SECRETARY CONFIRMED AMID SCATHING AUDIT AND SWIRLING ALLEGATIONS

Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Tim Martin was re-confirmed late last week by the narrow margin of one vote.  Martin has been criticized from both sides of the aisle for his handling of one of the state's largest agencies.  Last week, Auditor General Bill Holland released an audit of IDOT that indicated widespread irregularities and forwarded his findings to state and federal authorities for potential criminal investigation.

Holland's audit questions $700,000 in reimbursements to PR contractors involved with the Dan Ryan reconstruction.  In many cases, proper documentation was not provided to IDOT by the contractors before receiving reimbursement.  In addition, thousands of dollars were spent on items and activities that do not appear to directly impact driver information or education as it pertains to the reconstruction project.  Such expenditures included sponsorship of a parade, health insurance premiums for a former state legislator and give away items such as temporary tattoos.

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VOTER TURNOUT GETS LOWER AND LOWER

Official statewide voter turnout numbers won't be available for a while, but a Political Insider analysis of turnout in three contested primaries shows that voter turnout was abysmally low this spring.

A look at the 31^st Senate Republican Primary, 95^th House Republican Primary, and 99^th House Democrat Primary showed 2006 turnout numbers to be the lowest in the last three primaries.

Total voter turnout in these districts hovered at 20%.  Compared to the last gubernatorial election year, this figure was significantly lower. 

• In the 31^st Senate, over 3,000 fewer ballots were cast for the state senate despite the fact that Sen. Geo Karis ran unopposed in 2002. 
• The 95^th House Republican primary also saw a drop in turnout, but not as much as the 99^th House Democrat race, which saw nearly half as many Democrat voters turned out in 2006 as did in 2002.

Lessons learned:  Accurately targeting likely voters for campaign mail, door to door canvassing, and other direct voter contacts can save candidates thousands of dollars.

Get Out the Vote efforts have always been important, but are even more crucial as voter turnout dwindles, and elections are decided by less than 20% of registered voters.

Employers and their employees, chamber of commerce members, and other business groups can play a crucial role in campaigns by educating themselves on where the candidates stand on business issues, and organizing grassroots get out the vote efforts for candidates that will support a healthy jobs climate.

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SIGN OF THE TIMES; GOVERNOR ORDERS MANDATORY SIGNS IN BUSINESSES

Last week, Governor Blagojevich announced that he would be issuing an executive order that will mandate each of the 2,700 pharmacies throughout Illinois post a sign spelling out options that women have in purchasing contraceptives.  This order comes on the heels of the Governor's executive order forcing pharmacists to dispense contraceptives, including the morning-after pill.  The Governor contends that pharmacists have lied to customers telling them that the medication is not in stock.

The order which will go into effect around Labor Day will include information about alternatives if medication is out of stock and that customers can choose to have a prescription filled at another pharmacy.  The signs must be approved through the legislative process and will include a hot-line phone number for customers to call.

It is unclear if the new signs will include the Governor's name, however, in the past Blagojevich has not been shy about affixing his moniker to other mandatory signs.  Earlier in his administration, Blagojevich mandated that businesses display a sign indicating the perceived pay difference between men and women.  Blagojevich's name is also emblazoned across the tollway system connected to "open road tolling". 

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CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS TO RETIRE

Having served for 24 years in Congress and for the last 8 with Parkinson's Disease, Congressman Lane Evans announced last week that he will retire from Congress at the end of his term.  Evans has served the 17^th District since being elected in 1982 and is known for his ardent support of veteran's rights and his constituent services.

The announcement has placed Democrats in the unusual position of defending the 17^th District.  The GOP nominee, Andrea Lane Zinga, who won the March 21 primary has enormous name recognition throughout the district given her candidacy two years ago.  Late last week, Evans endorsed his long time aide, Phil Hare to be the Dem nominee.  There are several other names under consideration including, State Sen. Mike Jacobs, State Rep. Mike Boland, Knox Co. State's Attorney Paul Mangeri and Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert.

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EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK: State Journal-Register - "A Budget Mess in the Making"

"Most parents have experienced it. Your kid isn't very good at saving up his allowance, but that doesn't deter him from wanting those expensive new basketball shoes or maybe the latest, greatest and priciest video game.

No money. No plan to raise the money - but still the desire, and sometimes the demand, for new gear. That is not good behavior on the part of a 9-year-old, though we can chalk it up to immaturity. However, we aren't sure what excuse to use for the General Assembly and the Blagojevich administration, where all concerned are long past their ninth birthdays, but many are still acting like irresponsible kids.

The spring legislative session is scheduled to end on April 7. Including weekends, that leaves the governor and the General Assembly just nine days to wrap up the many loose ends - including a $54 billion budget - and get out of town."  Read the whole thing...

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