Both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum spent Monday campaigning across Illinois in a final push before today's primary. more ›

In case you didn't know, Ted Nugent really, really, really likes guns. The Motor City Madman is known for his conservative views on... well, everything. So why did he decide to endorse the relatively moderate Mitt Romney in the Republican nomination competition? more ›

Illinois congressional candidate Arthur Jones is running for the GOP nomination in the 3rd Congressional District in the Chicago suburbs. Jones also arranges family-friendly, neo-Nazi events around Adolf Hitler's birthday. more ›

Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady told the AP it’s a good venue for what he predicts as a “tremendous” year for Republicans. You have to be an optimist to be an Illinois Republican. more ›

In case you were wondering what those Dementors were doing swarming around Schaumburg last night, Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove was at the Mariott talking strategy with Illinois GOP members at a fundraiser and general pep-talk for candidates and their Republican supporters. Topic of conversation: Beating the Democrats in 2010, of course. more ›

Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar is expected to endorse Rudy Giuliani's presidential candidacy today, according to the Chicago Tribune. The endorsement comes as Giuliani makes several fundraising stops in Illinois. Besides Edgar, he has the backing of former governor Jim Thompson and Illinois Republican House Leader Tom Cross. With the Illinois GOP divided ideologically and Republicans desperately seeking Ronald Reagan, the Giuliani campaign is hoping that an endorsement by Edgar will help shore up his... more ›

Tony Peraica, Cook County commissioner and state’s attorney candidate, is having the worst week ever. As if being a homophobe right-winger in Cook County wasn’t bad enough, now the rest of the local GOP combine has turned against him. Joe Birkett, Judy Baar Topinka’s running mate for lieutenant governor, is backing Mary McMahon, an assistant state’s attorney in Democrat Dick Devine’s office, as the GOP candidate for State’s Attorney. This after he spoke at a... more ›

Yesterday Willowbrook family practitioner Steve Sauerberg announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, hoping that he will be the lucky Illinois Republican to challenge Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin for his seat in Congress. “Sen. Dick Durbin has been on the government payroll for the last 37 years.... Quite simply, he is part of the problem in Washington, D.C.” Sauerberg told Crain's Chicago Business earlier this week. With no other name-brand Republicans willing to... more ›

Is Dick Durbin untouchable this season? It's starting to look that way. The intrepid senator from downstate is preparing to run for his third term in the Senate in '08, and the Illinois GOP is having a hard time fielding anyone to take him on. Even that perennial standard-bearer for the wacky-right in the Land of Lincoln, Jim Oberweis, is dodging this bullet, eyeing instead Denny Hastert's seat. Besides being the new Senate whip, and... more ›

Just when things were really starting to get hot for Governor Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Republican Party rides to the rescue! This week Republicans contributed to Rod's Rescue through the indictment of Michael Tristano, former chief of staff to former Illinois House Republican Leader, Lee Daniels. Tristano, in a nine count federal indictment (read it here), is charged with sending state employees to do campaign work while on the state payroll from 1998 to 2000,... more ›

There's a whole lotta hoopla starting in our nation's capital today. There's gala balls, parades, a big speech, and probably at least one or two beer bashes. Our compadres in Washington, DCist, have the whole coverage, but here's the meager Illinois angle: Basically, Chicago Democrats have all come home, or gone elsewhere. Chicagoist has spotted a number of Chicago Congressmen in Chicago this week, and we've heard stories of more than a few elected Illinois... more ›

It was a bad year for the Illinois GOP. Illinois went totally Blue for the presidency, Obama won, Alan Keyes was their Senate candidate, the Democrats kept hold of both houses of the state legislature, and Democrat Rod Blagojevich continued his popular reign as governor. Now it looks like the last Republican governor, George Ryan, is beginning a long, torturous journey to the federal pokey. Just this afternoon, federal judge Rebecca Pallmeyer decided to unseal... more ›

It will be discourse not fisticuffs tonight, however, who knows with Alan "The Gentleman" Keyes (can't get enough of that picture). The second debate between Barack Obama and Alan Keyes, candidates for U.S. Senate in Illinois, is tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. on ABC 7. The debate is sponsored by both ABC 7 Chicago and the League of Women Voters of Illinois. The national League of Women Voters used to sponsor the presidential debates... more ›

Clearing up any mystery, yesterday the Illinois GOP officially asked Alan Keyes to be their nominee for U.S. Senate (here too) against Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Keyes, who had scheduling conflicts preventing him to come to Illinois to interview for the position, responded from a press conference in Maryland that he was "deeply honored and deeply challenged" by the offer and that it would require a "deep and serious and committed deliberation." It would be... more ›

Whoo-hoo! This is SO exciting! The Illinois Republican Party has scoured the nation for candidates that accurately reflect their values to lead their party through the U.S. Senate race against the nation's potentially only African-American Senator! And imagine that! The GOP has narrowed down all their potential candidates to two African-Americans! We at Chicagoist are breathless! Illinois politicians are so progressive! Coming next: Lynn Martin for President! Let us catch our breath. Ah, now we... more ›

Two-time presidental candidate, and two-time Maryland U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes is the current nom du jour the Illinois GOP is tossing about for U.S. Senate candidate. "It would be a classic race of conservative vs. liberal,'' said state Sen. Dave Syverson, a member of the panel looking for a candidate to go up against Obama. ''It would put this race on the map in this country -- just for excitement.'' Yeah, but that's not... more ›

Everyone in Illinois breathed out last night -- Democrats sighed relief, Republicans sighed disappointment -- as former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka announced in front of his restaurant that he was no longer planning to run for U.S. Senate as the GOP nominee. As we all suspected, it was the potential of the media dredging up his past that made him pause. "I had so many phone calls, I didn't know what was going... more ›

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Jack Ryan's campaign has officially headed into "Goat Stage" (scroll to bottom) as the GOP Illinois Congressional Caucus gathered in Washington yesterday to determine not only whether or not Ryan should drop out, but who should take his place. Through all this, two brave politicians with nothing to lose, Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and former Senate candidate Blair Hull have stepped up to point out the inconsistancies of the Illinois GOP.... more ›