19 Comments - Rick - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 7:10 am: Wow! Policy Wonk becomes Punching Bag. Nice. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 7:24 am: Looks like some guy named Undecided is winning that one. Rauschy is a strong closer. That’ll tighten up. - Lovie's Leather - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 7:33 am: After going over all the polls… I have no reason to believe them accurate. I don’t know why, it is just a sixth sense. Maybe it is because Gidwitz has had way more exposure and he dropped like 7 points while Brady has had almost no exposure and has gained 6 or 7 points. I am just a little unsure. I would really like to see the base numbers they worked with but I don’t know where to find them. Rich, any idea?… - Beowulf - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 7:50 am: I think Rauschenberger has failed to get the necessary advertising exposure from Ron Gidwitz that Joe Birkett has managed to get by riding on Judy Barr Topinka’s coattails. Everytime I see a Judy television commercial on television, I see Joe Birkett standing there beside her. The only time I see Steve Rauschenberger in a Ron Gidwitz political commercial, Rauschenberger is sitting in the distant background at a conference table. Nobody watching the political ad would even know that it was Rauschenberger in the background of the commercial. I think Steve Rauschenberger was promised mostly “hooey” by Gidwitz when he agreed to drop out of the governor’s race in exchange for Gidwitz’s financial support. It was an understandable decision by Rauschenberger but a bad strategic political decision by Steve, none the less. Both Birkett and Rauschenberger are good guys. The Lt. Governor primary race will be decided by which of the two candidates has his face and name in front of the GOP voters the most frequently. Judy is taking care of Birkett much better than Gidwitz is taking care of Rauschenberger when it comes to the media exposure angle. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 8:16 am: Birkett is outworking Rauschenberger by a lot. I see him everywhere. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 8:49 am: The problem for Rauschenberger is not that he hasn’t been featured in commercials — he has. More so than Birkett. You can’t get much ruboff from someone at 9 percent. - So-Called "Austin Mayor" - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 9:40 am: Can Rauschenberger ever win a statewide race now? Or is he fatally wounded by his recent repeated electoral failures? Is a comeback possible or has he been relegated to a footnote? - Thom Yorke - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 10:29 am: Rauschenberger is done. He would have been better staying in the Gov race and banking his future on his ability to campaign and distinguish himself in that race than try to ride on Gidwitz coattails. He sealed his fate when he signed on with Gidwitz. - In the Land of Silos and Cows - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 11:25 am: I think everyone here is missing the big picture, Sandy Wegman is crushing Bob Kustra, I mean, “Koostra” is not even polling! You take your wins where you can, and Sandy Wegman is destroying “Koostra” and if this poll fails to recognize that, then how credible can it be. Next thing you know, you are going to tell me Cosentino is not running for Secretary of State. - Establishment Republican - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 1:03 pm: Please please let Birkett beat Rauschenberger. - scoot - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 2:13 pm: Talk about going out on the bottom. Senator Rauschy should state just that…a senator. Instead he is going to lose the Lt. Guv race and the GOP might lose his senate seat as well. Thanks for nothing senator. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 2:18 pm: A test of name recognition, nothing else. Whoa unto the poor GOP gubernatorial nominee that is saddled with Birkett’s baggage in the General. As the Tribune pointed out in 2002, Birkett is out of step with the mainstream and unethical to boot. Plus, Madigan has placed a permanent target on this guy, and his running mate will be hit by the crossfire. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 3:00 pm: Lisa Madigan is the one who ought to worry. When the feds start indicting people in Blago-land, she will be exposed as the do-nothing AG she is. How about just one clue that she has a clue about public corruption? - B Hicks - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 5:06 pm: Oh Lord, now the indictments are going to take down Lisa, too. I just can’t believe that these people are going to waste their time and money in a campaign. For real, if you political wizards that post here know about the indictments, you’d think that the candidates would know, too. You people are brilliant! - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 5:48 pm: With about seven investigations going and subpoenas flying, it is a fair bet there will be indictments. - scoot - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 6:08 pm: Hicks- Just like every single dem connected every republican to Ryan in the 02 elections. I saw his mug on every campaign ad. Why not connect them to Blago’s misery? Lil Lisa barely won over Birkett anyway. - ONE M.C.M.A.D - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 6:14 pm: Not only is the Feds investigating, but Lisa Madigan and Richard Divine are as well. So if another investigation arises, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for IAGLM and CSRD to take on another investigation when they have one pending that has been pending for years now. Why haven’t we seen the results of these investigations? Why is it that the Federal gov’t finds out about corruptionin the state and the city, investigate it, indict, but CCSARD and IALM have played little to no role in rooting out corruption in these neck of the woods. They sit back and wait for OUSA. What they’re not paying attention to is that their investigations of the same relevant allegations that the Feds are investigating is a conflict of interest. If the Federal gov’t is investigating any part of the state of illinois, unless the IAG is assisting the OUSA, an investigation of the same allegations by the IAG is a conflict of interest. The IAG’s interest is the state of Illinois. - B Hicks - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 6:54 pm: Judy had better hope that an indictment comes down, that’s the only way she could win. It would have to be a direct hit, too. Not just some flunky deputy. Just remember, Edwin was banking on an indictment, too. Don’t hold your breath! Hey, One, you’re a regular legal eagle. - B Hicks - Tuesday, Mar 14, 06 @ 6:55 pm: P.S. God, I hope Birkett wins. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.