* 4:35 pm - In a move that will surely stun the political establishment, sources say that Congressman Tim Johnson (R-Urbana) intends to drop out of his reelection race. I’m told by sources that the timing is “imminent” and there will likely be an announcement on Thursday.

Johnson apparently believes that this is now a safe seat since perennial candidate David Gill won the Democratic primary race, so it’s OK to leave without partisan worry.

Possible replacements include Rodney Davis, Rep. Chapin Rose, Rep. Adam Brown, Sen. Sam McCann, Johnson’s former chief of staff Jerry Clarke and his current chief of staff Mark Shelden.

* Meanwhile, Brad Halbrook was appointed to retired state Rep. Roger Eddy’s seat this week…

The man running to replace former State Rep. Roger Eddy in the new 110th House District is going to get a head start in Eddy’s current district.

Shelbyville businessman Brad Halbrook, who won the Republican primary in the newly-configured 110th, has been tabbed by a group of Republican county chairmen to fill out the rest of Eddy’s term in the current 109th District.

Eddy resigned his House seat recently to prepare for his new gig as executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

Effingham County GOP chairman Steve Donaldson said some of the chairmen met Monday night in Beecher City, while others hooked up via telephone. The current 109th includes all or parts of Effingham, Shelby, Cumberland, Clark, Edgar, Crawford, Lawrence and Wabash counties.

* Rep. Rosemary Mulligan didn’t formally withdraw as a write-in candidate, and she was clobbered by the House Republicans’ pick…

Weeks after the primary election, and unofficial results are in for Illinois’ new 55th district. Susan Sweeney will be the Republican nominee. That sets up what is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive state legislative races this fall. Amanda Vinicky reports. […]

There were no official choices on the primary ballot. Incumbent State Representative Rosemary Mulligan had filed to run, but was forced to withdraw her petition when it became apparent the paperwork lacked enough signatures.
Instead, she ran as a write-in-candidate.

But the House Republican Organization decided to instead support Susan Sweeney, a former IBM employee and Park Ridge Native. According to an unofficial canvass, Sweeney easily defeated Mulligan, with 2319 votes to Mulligan’s 63. Republican Political Director Kevin Artl says to get that much support in a write-in campaign is impressive. It’s four times the number of signatures a write-in-candidate needs to make it on a general election ballot.

* And Chris Welch has been declared the victor…

Emanuel “Chris” Welch was named winner Tuesday in the Democratic primary in the 7th District state representative race.

He won by 36 votes over his closest opponent, Rory Hoskins.

While Welch must still win the vote in November, there is no Republican candidate for the seat.

Gail Siegel, spokeswoman for Cook County Clerk’s Office, said the votes in most of the March 20 primary have not been certified, but she believes that is a formality.

“That’s what the numbers should be,” she said. “I don’t expect the totals in the race to change.”

“We feel really good about where we are at,” he said on election night at his election night headquarters in Berkeley. “We worked really and we feel really good about the position we are in