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 ›

Two downstate state lawmakers think Cook County should be its own state because it is always bossing around the rest of Illinois. more ›

The freshman congressman suggests the rich be able to donate to the federal government as a charitable donation. more ›

Amid the political wrangling over state budgets that's taking place across the United States (except North Dakota - they seem to have it under control), another Republican is leaving Illinois for warmer climes and lower taxes. Roger Keats, a former Illinois State Senator and the Republican sacrificial lamb to Toni Preckwinkle candidate for Cook County Board President, told the Wilmette Beacon that he and wife Tina will be leaving the Midwest for warmer climes, less corruption and a state with a brighter financial future: Texas. "This is a wonderful place to live," Keats told the Beacon Herald. "But I am tired of subsidizing crooks, and I don't want any more of it." Family ties also influenced their decision. more ›

In Illinois, the GOP picked up 11 House seats and the Senate seat formerly held by President Obama. Three of those were extremely tight races, with wins in single digit margins. Mark Kirk won over Alexi Giannoulis by under 2 percentage points, while nearly 6% of the vote went to independent candidates. While Bill Brady won't concede the race for governor, it looks like incumbent Pat Quinn will remain governor by a razor thin margin. more ›

For me, like many voters that tend to punch the Democratic button in the ballot booth, this election is a shock, even if we saw the train wreck coming months in advance. I remember being in Washington, D.C. on election night 2008, when a spontaneous demonstration of Obama supporters broke out in front of the White House, when I heard people running through the streets of DuPont Circle shrieking and yelling in elation. I remember thinking that, like we still talk about "Reagan Democrats," we might soon be talking about "Obama Republicans." Like some of the president's advisers, I think I underestimated the newly-minted minority party, and overestimated the Democrats in congress. more ›

R. Emmett Tyrrell, founder and editor of The American Spectator, intends to run for mayor of Chicago. Tyrrell, born of a long line of Chicago conservatives, told Patrick Hickey in an interview with his blog "...With Both Hands" that he intends to "announce my candidacy very soon in a proper venue." In the interview Tyrrell says that he has a plan to face Chicago's budget crisis, as well as to deal with crime and violence in Chicago's neighborhoods, all of which he has "outlined in my latest book. It will be a roadmap for the campaign ahead." more ›

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh celebrated President's Day by saying that he was frustrated with the partisan gridlock in Washington. "After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,'' Bayh announced in a press conference. Bayh's announcement was a shock to Democrats bracing for rough midterm elections. But Bayh was hardly the darling of the Democratic Party. “He’s finished,” a Democratic political consultant active in national races told Politico. “His party needed him to stay and fight, and he ran away. People won’t forget.” Meanwhile, former Republican Dan Coats, who replaced Dan Quayle in 1989 and left congress in 1999 has moved back into the state to run for senate, leaving Indiana Democrats struggling to run a candidate that can carry a conservative midwestern state. more ›

Six Republican candidates for governor met in a debate Monday that focused hard on the issues of government spending and corruption in Illinois. Each candidate vowed to slash spending and restore ethics to a state government that has seen its share of scandal over the past few years. How this will be achieved, however, is still up for, well, debate. more ›

Having already given way to fellow Republican Rep. Mark Kirk in the race for U.S. Senate, Andrew McKenna has set his sights on Springfield, officially launching his bid for Governor in 2010. McKenna made the announcement this morning in Chicago and is already coming out swinging with this campaign video, titled "Hair Today." more ›

It's not a big secret (at least in Chicago) who stands to win if the city gets to host the 2016 Summer Games. Billions of dollars in construction contracts, the real estate transactions, and the concession agreements will be up for grabs. And that's just the official, big dollar stuff. But what if Chicago doesn't get the Olympics? Who stands to lose? Aside from the political implications for Mayor Daley (and if you listen carefully, you can hear the knives being sharpened, just in case), President Barack Obama has certainly raised the stakes by heading to Denmark to lobby for his hometown. more ›

Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, himself a Republican, offered up some advice to Illinois Republicans trying to find their way out of the deep dark political wilderness they've been in since George Ryan left office. “Part of our formula here has always to keep the debate very civil—never personal criticism—and always try to have a better answer,” Daniels told the Tribune. “If Illinois Republicans think they’ll come back simply by putting up a picture of the former governor or lamenting the decline of this or that, then that’s not enough, and they wouldn’t deserve a return to office.” Daniels also said that having a better balance between the parties in power would lead to better governance. “I’m a fan of competitive politics,” said Daniels. “It’s not healthy when either side has a long-term monopoly. They get sloppy. They get arrogant. I do wish them well. I think Illinois would be well-served by a better balance, and then therefore a more active debate.” more ›

We're occasionally referred to derisively as "Leftcagoist," a proclamation meant to imply we're not fair and balanced. But we're always thinking of our right-leaning brethren. Need proof? The Cook County Republican Party, in conjunction with the Chicago Republican Party, the Chicago Young Republicans, the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, the Chicago Republican Women's Network, the 21 Club, the Illinois Republican Party and the Republican Jewish Coalition (whew!), is hosting a wild and crazy beach party tonight at Castaways on North Avenue Beach. more ›

Rush Limbaugh gets a dose of good old Chicago sense, thanks to Charles, a local Republican. Not that he's the only Chicagoan taking on a conservative talk show host. [Progress Illinois, via Media Matters] more ›

Strange happenings in Inverness. Depending on who you believe, former Cook County GOP Chairman (and current Palatine Township GOP committeeman) Gary Skoien was caught with two prostitutes in his children's playroom , prompting his wife to beat him up with her fists and a guitar. But now Skoien is disputing some of those claims made in the police report. He said he was talking with a friend, not prostitutes, and that they were talking around 1 a.m. when he was attacked by his wife Eni. All 110 pounds of her. Skoien told the Daily Herald, "She heard talking and went crazy. Toy guitar understates it. I thought I was going to die." He added, "No money was exchanged. Nobody was naked." more ›

As everyone gears up for Sarah Palin's big speech tonight—I for one have never been this excited to hear an Alaskan governor's address—members of the Illinois Republican delegation are "banished to the farthest, most unnoticed corner of the hall where the Republican National Convention is being held." The Illinois GOP is apparently "weak and demoralized," and struggling to find strong candidates and a clear party mission, especially for a 2010 gubernatorial campaign. [Crain's]
more ›

With how nasty the race for Dennis Hastert's vacant seat has gotten recently, you'd think a couple of high school girls were running the campaigns leading up to tomorrow's special election for Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois 14th Congressional District. more ›

In a race that may be a precursor to the Ohio and Texas Democratic primaries in March, Barack Obama won a decisive victory in Wisconsin last night, leading Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 points. He also won Hawaii, taking over 75 percent of the vote in a state where he had campaigned as a "native son." His victories last night mark his ninth and tenth consecutive primary or caucus wins and put his pledged delegate count at 1,140. Clinton has 1,005 pledged delegates. When you add in committed superdelegates, Obama leads Clinton 1,301 to 1,239, with John Edwards's 26 delegates still in play. Chris Bowers at OpenLeft points out that Clinton has now surpassed Jessee Jackson's 1988 total of 1218 delegates. 1988 saw the highest number of delegates ever won by a Democrat who did not win the nomination. more ›

John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will visit Illinois next Wednesday, appearing at a fundraiser at the Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove to raise money for 14th District Congressional candidate Jim Oberweis. Oberweis's campaign spokesman Bill Pascoe said the appearance will give Oberweis a boost with independents as well as an infusion of cash heading into the the March 8 special election to choose a successor to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. "Republicans are united and energized about holding this seat," Pascoe told the Tribune. more ›

It wasn't just Presidential candidates that were running for nominations in yesterday's vote. A handful of local Democrats and Republicans also ran for their party's spot on the November ballot as well. more ›

In a political season that has been marked by the theme of change, Illinois's 3rd Congressional District has become one of the battle grounds over what the Democratic Party might look like going forward in 2008. Critics of the incumbent, Dan Lipinski, are unhappy with his opposition to abortion rights and stem cell research, and his siding with moderate Republicans on the war in Iraq and domestic spying. Besides his voting record, they also don't like how he came to congress: If you don't remember the 2004 general election, the elder Lipinski won renomination in the primary, withdrew during the campaign year, and then led the process to pick his replacement on the November ballot - his son Dan, a political science professor from Tennessee. Although Dan won handily in 2004, angry challenges in 2006 held him at only 54% in the primary, with the opposition split between two opponents. more ›

John McCain changed careers last night, from the candidate who was almost out of money (and the race) last summer to quite possibly the Republican presidential nominee. He's now the man to beat. The close but critical win in Florida gave him 57 delegates and a solid lead going into Super Duper Tuesday, (there are no superdelegates at the Republican National Convention). Hillary Clinton won the non-binding Florida race, a largely symbolic victory that featured virtually no campaigning and earned her no delegates to the convention. more ›

With this year's presidential primaries perhaps the most exciting in recent memory, the media, and the nation, have paid very little attention to today's Democratic primary in Florida. Unlike the Republicans, who will let half of the state's delegates vote at the convention, the Democrats stripped Florida of its delegates to the August convention for holding a primary earlier than party rules allowed. As part of the party's castigation of the state, Democrats have agreed not to campaign in Florida, an agreement that has been honored until now. more ›

We know, you're a little disappointed that your short-lived run for the presidency never included any debates. If you've been waiting for the right time to speak up in public on your views, tonight Glenn Hurowitz discusses his new book, Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party. more ›

With lots of delegates and potential momentum going into Super-Duper Tuesday, Nevada's primary has been both contentious and significant this year. Earlier this week a federal judge settled a lawsuit brought by the Nevada Teachers Union that should have helped Obama. Instead, with more than half of the precincts reporting, CBS, CNN and other major news outlets are projecting Clinton the winner today. Mitt Romney was the big winner in the GOP caucuses, taking his third primary win, and some serious momentum heading into Florida. more ›

Now that the Michigan primary is safely behind us, all eyes are focused on Nevada and South Carolina. For Democrats, who need at least 2,025 delegates to win the presidential nomination, Nevada's caucuses this Saturday offer 33 delegates. Not only is the nation looking at the Silver State, where early voting is a new experience for a mix of Latino, rural and urban voters, but so are the federal courts. Hillary Clinton has been polling well there, but Barack Obama has been endorsed by the state's largest union, the Culinary Workers. This endorsement is significant not only because it is the largest union in the state, but also because the state's Democratic party has opted to hold nine "at-large" caucuses, open to anyone within 2.5 miles of the Las Vegas strip, where the bulk of CWU members work. Intended to make voting easier for shift-workers in Nevada's casino industry, the move prompted a lawsuit by the Nevada Teachers Union. The lawsuit claimed that those voting in at-large precincts being held on the Strip would have too much weight compared with those voting at their polling places, infringes on the right to equal protection guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and violate state statute in the way they were drawn. more ›

Michigan defied the conventional wisdom yesterday, giving Mitt Romney 30 delegates to the national convention and his second primary win. more ›

Last week, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly passed a law that would enable Illinois to bypass the Electoral College in future presidential elections. The move came just before New Jersey Governor John S. Corzine signed similar legislation on Sunday that would eliminate New Jersey's participation in the Electoral College. The only other state to have passed a similar law is Maryland, which was the first state to take up the cause. more ›

For Michigan Democrats, the choices in today's primary are pretty stark. Late last year, Michigan Senator Carl Levin supported moving Michigan's primary up to January 15 in an attempt to make the state more relevant in this year's race. That move backfired, however, when the Democratic National Committee punished the state party by stripping it of all its delegates at the convention. Party rules mandate that Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina hold the first primaries. more ›