* Like I told you yesterday, there wasn’t much news generated at Republican Day, but reporters did their best to write something relevant. Abdon Pallasch (the Sun-Times’ new political writer) had the best lede by far…

Forced to cling together under “one big tent” by a thunderstorm at the state fair Thursday, Illinois Republicans said state Democrats’ disunity would clear the GOP’s way back to relevance in the next election.

“I have no doubt none of us will be booed today the way the Democrats boo their own leadership,” U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood said.

“This big tent is what carries us to election victories,” U.S. Rep. John Shimkus said, referring to the philosophy that the party should welcome supporters of different views and backgrounds.

* Despite the optimism, however…

But officials acknowledged the party has its own troubles, too.

Many people are unhappy with President Bush’s handling of the Iraq war. Closer to home, some key Republicans are retiring from Congress and the General Assembly, meaning the party must fight to keep those seats before trying to pick up new ones.

“It creates a challenge,” said Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego. “To be blunt about it, we’ve got to first hold before we can start playing offense, and that becomes a money issue.”

* Daily Herald…

The day was devoted to Republicans, but the state’s Democratic leaders got plenty of bashing. Democrats had their state fair day on Wednesday. It was marred by infighting and at one event, Democratic Comptroller Dan Hynes offered an apology. That wasn’t lost on Republicans.

“Like Dan Hynes, I want to apologize for the Democratic Party,” House Republican Tom Cross of Oswego said.

Still going: Few lawmakers attended either the Republican or Democratic rallies, largely because after more than two months in overtime budget session, they wanted to get out of Springfield.

“I never imagined I’d be coming straight over from session to the state fair,” said state Sen. Christine Radogno, a Lemont Republican. “We need some partisan balance in Illinois politics. If there’s any doubt about that, just look at what went on last session.”

* The Tribune compared yesterday’s GOP presidential straw poll to Iowa…

Although more than 14,000 votes were cast in the Iowa straw poll, only 922 ballots were cast at the Illinois event, which was held in rainy weather as part of Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair.

* Then again…

Illinois isn’t Iowa, where the first in the nation real voting takes place next January, so the closest thing to a candidate at the fair Thursday was Chicagoan John Cox, who says he is running but can’t even get on the straw poll ballot because this campaign is not being taken any more seriously than his recent races for US Senate, Congress, or the Cook County recorder of deeds.

* Funniest story of the day from a GOP poll-watcher at the Fair: “A woman came up to vote in the straw poll and asked me what name was on her shirt.” The name? Mitt Romney. Lots and lots of ringers for that guy yesterday.

* The more important vote may have been the one by the Republican County Chairmen’s Association earlier in the day…

Members of the Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association, meeting at the Crowne Plaza, had a secret-ballot poll of their own. Thompson got the most support with 22 votes, followed by 13 for Giuliani, nine for Romney, two for Huckabee, one for Hunter and one for McCain.

* Cross explains Giuliani’s miserable straw poll showing…

Other campaigns chose not to do that. State. Rep. Tom Cross, the Illinois House Republican leader from Oswego, is the chairman of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign. He recently told reporters he did not plan to bus in supporters or otherwise try to manipulate the outcome. On Thursday, Cross downplayed the event’s significance in the 2008 presidential race.

“I think this straw poll, and I applaud Andy for doing it, but I think without the candidates here, it doesn’t have the same meaning or the same significance like you saw in Iowa. But it’s a starting point,” he said.

* The Ron Paul folks added a lot of color…

Just before state GOP chairman Andy McKenna announced the results from the podium at the Director’s Lawn at the fair, sign-carrying supporters of Paul, who has developed an Internet-driven following, traded chants with the gathered supporters of the ultimate winner.

And shortly after Thursday’s program, Republican Day at the state fair, some state troopers calmed participants in a disagreement spurred by Paul supporters waving their signs behind the heads of Craig Romney and Illinois Romney chairman Dan Rutherford, a state senator from Chenoa, during TV interviews being done away from the stage.

* More Paul stuff…

Paul’s libertarian stylings and campaign of strict interpretation of the Constitution has earned him an unorthodox band of sign-carrying supporters. They frequently interrupted TV reports of the event and at one point, Romney’s Illinois chairman, state Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa), ripped a sign out of one Paul supporter’s hands and threw it on the ground.

* Hot dog and beans? Not exactly a State Fair tradition. Then again, Mitt Romney’s son Craig, who was in Springfield yesterday, is from Beantown…

He also grabbed a hot dog and beans and washed it down with lemonade.