Illinois DUers...what do you know of our Senate candidates?

[jmags]

I'm ashamed to say I really don't know much about the Senate candidates, but as the TV ads are beginning I figured I should try and learn a little about them before March. Anyone have any info for me?

[La_Serpiente]

1. I'm not from Illinois, but I like Obama

http://www.obamaforillinois.com/

Find out for yourself.

[jmags]

2. Thanks for the link

[alcuno]

3. I'm with you jmags. I know nothing.

Hopefully someone is paying attention because it certainly is not me.

[buycitgo]

8. here you go

http://www.ilsenate.com/candidate.asp?ID=19

links to info pages on ALL Illinois senate candidates: pug or dem

[NewJerseyDem]

4. Also, not from Illinois, but here is what I know

Basically, Barack Obama is the most liberal it appears. He is very smart, was editor of Harvard Law Review, and is also young.

Dan Hynes has the backing of the AFL-CIO and seems to have some organizational backing. He is even younger and has won statewide, twice i believe. He has some DLC connections, but so does Obama.

Blair Hull seems like a rich guy who is willing to spend millions to get a senate seat. He appears to be pretty liberal but he has no record so it is hard to know.

Nancy Skinner is a now former talk radio host who has done some work on Fox News filling in for Alan Colmes. She is also quite liberal but hasn't polled very well.

I don't know much about the rest but here are all their websites:

http://www.gerychicoforsenate.com/
http://www.blairhull.com/
http://www.danhynes.com/
http://www.obamaforillinois.com/
http://www.mariapappas.com/
http://www.skinnerforsenate.com/
http://www.washingtonforussenate.com/
http://www.ejh4lawmaker.org/

[Nailzberg]

10. No voting record, but Hull's got a great resume nonetheless.

National board member of NARAL, active with Emily's List and Planned Parenthood, the only union card holder in this race, and he will not take PAC money.

He's got my vote.

[tritsofme]

5. I'm a big fan of Blair Hull,

but no matter who we nominate, he should be a shoe in.

For the pukes, Andy McKenna is completely unelectable, and is better suited for Alabama, and yet he seems to be a darling of IL gops.

And Jack Ryan might have posed a real threat if he wasn't cursed with his name.

[lovedems]

7. I live in Illinois and I like Blair Hull too.

He just seems so happy. I love his commercial where he is taking a bus full of senior citizens to Canada to buy their medication. I was up in the air between Hynes and Hull but after the circus with Hynes money, and being sick of corruption in Illinois, Hull gets my vote.

Andy McKenna sounds like * and I want to barf every time I see him speak.

Edit: I will have to learn more about Obama. Thanks everyone for the links. He isn't doing any advertising in central Illinois.

[jmags]

12. I like what I've seen from Obama so far

although everyone looks pretty good when you read their website.
Blair Hull has lead quite an interesting life...it's not everyday you see a Senate candidate who started his own business by going to Vegas and winning it by playing black jack.

[La_Serpiente]

6. here is the most recent polling data

http://www.obamaforillinois.com/artman/publish/article_106.shtml

[tritsofme]

9. This from: www.ilsenate.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27

Candidates are jostling for position as the race draws closer and many voters don't even know who is running. With exactly seven weeks to the election the number of undecided voters seems to be hovering between 30%-50%. The Daily Herald highlighted this problem in a front-page story (Do you know these people?) :

A random survey last week by Daily Herald reporters and editors last week found 87 percent of 162 suburban residents could not name even one Senate candidate from either party.

Only 20 people, for example, could name at least one candidate. This includes the five respondents who simply referred to GOP hopeful Jim Oberweis of Aurora as "the ice cream guy" or "the dude with the dairy."

Three people, for example, thought presidential candidate John Kerry of Massachusetts was running for the Illinois seat. That's three more than the number of participants who remembered radio personality Nancy Skinner, a Chicago Democrat, actually wants the job.

State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger of Elgin was the most frequently cited candidate among the respondents in the Northwest suburbs and DuPage, Lake and Kane counties. The Republican hopeful earned the distinction with 12 participants able to recall his name.

Millionaire businessman Blair Hull of Chicago netted 11 responses, the most among any Democrat. Nine people answered state Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago, with full credit given to two who could remember only that his name rhymed with Osama.....
<snip>

[Doctor_J]

11. I went to the DuPage Co forum a couple weeks ago

I was really hoping to fall in love with Skinner, but thought she was kinda flat. She started her talk with, "We really need this seat, since we're probably going to lose 6 in the South". :-( Hard to recover after that start.

The other woman running (Joyce Washington) was pretty unimpressive, too. All of the candidates have great things to say, I think we'll take the seat easily regardless of who gets the nomination.

That being said, Obama's presentation, demeanor, eloquence, and life story make him my fave by fair margin. He is going to be a GREAT Senator. The other 3 guys who were there (Hull, Hynes, and...the Chicago Public Schools guy(?)) were also very bright, energetic, well-spoken, and any of them would represent us well. But my money and time for the primary will go to Barrack.

[Robbien]

13. I am still trying to decide between Obama and Hull

Hull has a new ad where it starts stating how schools and other state programs are underfunded. He goes on to say that the Republican solution to this is tax cuts for the wealthy. Good ad. He outlines what he wants to do while getting a good slam against the general repub party.

Hull and Obama are the most non-corporate viable candidates in my opinion. The worst candidate is Hynes. He is in with the party bosses and big money.

[never cry wolf]

14. Barak ROCKS!!!

I think this guy has a wonderful senatorial demeanor, and may have an even higher future than that. The first minority editor of the Harvard Law Review, his CV is absolutely outstanding and he is very liberal.

Young, smart, good looking, well spoken, he's got the whole package, IMHO.

[tritsofme]

15. kick!