My buddy Jim Anderson over at the Illinois Radio Network mentioned the other day that he is seeing some eerie similarities between this governor's race and the last one. He could very well be right. Back in 1998, George Ryan was the heavy early favorite.
Republicans have controlled the governor's mansion in Illinois since 1977, and that stranglehold has been a consistent theme in the campaign of Democrat Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich, a member of the U.
No real drama was expected out of Illinois House campaigns this year. The Democrats have a lock on the chamber. A combination of a new and loss-proof legislative-district map and the political might of House Speaker Michael Madigan's campaign operation guarantee that the Republicans can't take the House for the next 10 years - barring a cataclysmic political event that would have to surpass the Great 1994 Republican Landslide.
I have been writing about Illinois politics for more than 12 years now, and, believe it or not, I've never called anyone a liar. That's a pretty harsh thing to say about someone, even a politician. But I'm starting to wonder whether Republican attorney general candidate Joe Birkett is capable of telling the truth.
A little over a week ago, Illinois House Republican Leader Lee Daniels told his leadership team that he would seek re-election to his post in January. The announcement reportedly stunned his team members, who had been assured privately that Daniels would step down at the end of this term.
For months now, Lisa Madigan has allowed her staff or some other surrogates to attack Joe Birkett, her Republican opponent in the race for Illinois attorney-general. The personal high-road strategy hasn't worked too well so far.
The Illinois Supreme ruled last week that you, as a taxpayer, have no right to sue when your state tax money is spent illegally. The case, brought by the Better Government Association (BGA), sought to recover tax money that was allegedly used to subsidize Governor George Ryan's campaign operation.
For years, Carrie Gammell has been trying to convince a disinterested press corps to cover her battle with the DuPage County powers-that-be. And for years she's been ignored, and often called a head case. Never mind that she can back up much of what she says with reams of documentation.
The news media, particularly in Chicago, has expended huge amounts of time and energy researching every nook and cranny of attorney-general candidate Lisa Madigan's life and political connections. But almost nothing has been written about her opponent, Joe Birkett.
What follows was assembled using DuPage County grand-jury testimony given by police detective Greg Figel. According to the testimony, William Stoltz was unemployed for the last six months of 1999. Stoltz lived in a house with his wife of 18 months, Dawn.

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