Rauschenberger is Out

By Amy Hart in News on Dec 7, 2005 1:07PM

Earlier this week we told you that none of the five Republican contenders for governor were willing to give in just yet, but now that has changed.

State Senator Steve Rauschenberger has decided to drop out of the governor's race and instead run for lieutenant governor under candidate Ron Gidwitz. You know, the guy with all the commercials.

Rauschenberger and Gidwitz both have poll numbers in the single digits. The move is a bit of a surprise because Gidwitz is a social moderate who supports abortion rights, and Rauschenberger is more conservative, but the two must think that combining Gidwitz's money with Rauschenberger's conservative support could give Topinka more serious competition, or help out Oberweis and Brady, the two remaining conservative candidates.

Chicagoist doesn't see this happening. Voters vote for governor and lieutenant governor separately, so support for either Gidwitz or Rauschenberger does not automatically mean votes for the other. Also, we think most conservatives want Blago out so badly that they will vote for Topinka because she has the best chance of beating him, even though she may be more moderate than some Republicans would like.