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 In
the final few days of the '06 campaign, Treasurer Judy Baar
Topinka takes her case to the voters in every corner of
Illinois while the final
endorsements come in for her candidacy. The Bloomington Pantagraph
endorsed Topinka saying, "Republican
gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka has put together a
financial plan that looks ahead four years, not just to the
next crisis. As
treasurer and a former lawmaker, Topinka has a good grasp of
finances. And she knows where to turn for advice." The Pantagraph follows a
string of endorsements for Topinka including: Chicago Tribune, Champaign
News Gazette, Peoria Journal Star, Daily Herald, Crain's
Chicago Business, State Journal Register, Herald & Review,
Quad City Times, Belleville News Democrat, Mattoon Journal
Gazette, Oak Park Journal, Charleston Times Courier, and
Moline Dispatch.
Topinka is in the
midst of a statewide fly around which began on Sunday with
stops in Bloomington and
Springfield. Blagojevich was
hitting the streets in Chicago hoping to drum up
last minute votes for a large turn-out in the city. Blagojevich, however,
couldn't escape mention of the scandals swirling around his
administration even as he stumped for votes on friendly
ground. Two
ministers pointed to the scandals but asked voters to
"look past that."
Topinka was joined
by former Governor Jim Edgar and his wife Brenda on
Sunday. Edgar
recalled how going into the final weekend of his 1990 campaign
he trailed Neil Hartigan but was able to win because of
turnout. "We
need you to get every voter that we can to the polls, because
if we get our vote out on Tuesday, Judy Baar Topinka will be
the next governor of the state of Illinois," Edgar said at
a stop in Sangamon
County. |
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In
the final days of his campaign for re-election, Gov.
Blagojevich has rolled out even more campaign promises with no
information on how any will be paid for or what
consequences they may have on Illinois' tenuous economy. Blagojevich is now
promising to increase the minimum wage, again, by a dollar in
his next administration.
He doesn't believe that this will lead to furthering
the drain of jobs and business to surrounding states.
In a play to his
base, Blagojevich is now also promising universal health care
during the next four years. According to his
campaign, this will not be a single-payer system but
Illinois will begin
allowing anyone to enroll in Medicaid for their health
coverage.
Finally, Blagojevich will seek an additional $100
million for stem-cell research over the objections of members
of his own party. |
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 The most recent polls have the race to
replace Treasurer Topinka in a dead heat between State Senator
Christine Radogno and former Euopean basketball player Alexi
Giannoulias.
Radogno made another downstate swing last week to trump
her near universal editorial endorsements. "All but one
newspaper group has endorsed my candidacy," Radogno said
in Quincy
last week.
The
race for Treasurer has been overshadowed by potential
connections between Giannoulias' family bank and loans made to
reputed crime figures.
Radogno's campaign went up on TV and radio last week
for the final stretch. "The undecided voters
are finally falling into the decided category and they are
choosing to vote for experience, integrity and good
government," Radogno said. |
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 In a surprise move, the national VFW PAC
endorsed State Senator Peter Roskam over his challenger
Tammy Duckworth.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsement surprised many
in the 6th Congressional District because of
Duckworth's service in
Iraq. Roskam and
Duckworth are seeking to replace Congressman Henry Hyde in the
DuPage
County
district.
"As we move
forward, it's local veterans that are saying, 'Who is it
that's going to be an advocate for local veterans? And when asked that
question, it's local voters (who) said it's Peter Roskam who's
going to do that," Roskam said in reacting to the
endorsement. The
Roskam race is on of the most hotly contested in the nation
and is seen as a move the disrupt years of GOP domination in
DuPage
County.
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Tony Peraica is
confident going into the final days of his campaign against
Todd Stroger to become the new Cook County Board
president. In
what has become a closely watched race between the son for the
former president and a suburban Republican bent on reform, the
polls show Peraica leading by 9 points. The
Daily Herald/ABC 7
poll last week showed Peraica polling at 51% and Stroger at
42%. Stroger
is clearly nervous as exampled by a personal loan he took last
week for $500,000 for campaign
purposes. |
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"The days are
dwindling, Gov. Blagojevich. You owe the people of
Illinois answers to seven
questions that already have been posed here three times. Yet
you don't come clean. In fact, you don't say much beyond your
slander of a woman who, after all your attack ads, stands
taller than you.
Governor, these questions are not
going away. Nor are the FBI agents and Department of Justice
prosecutors who are unraveling your fundraising machine and
your patronage hiring."
Read
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crank it up on last day of
campaign |
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