CHICAGO (AP) — The Republican candidates for governor talked health care and taxes. The Democrats bickered over haircuts and budgets. And Senate candidate Mark Kirk tried to make friends with a certain ex-governor of Alaska.
The week in Illinois politics:
PLANS & PROMISES
Washington hasn't approved a health care overhaul. If it ever does, a public option may or may not be part of it. But the Republican candidates for governor are already lining up to say Illinois should try to drop out of any such program. Sen. Kirk Dillard even said he would "be damned" before he'd let Illinois participate in a socialist program like that.
Jim Ryan was the only one of the seven Republicans not to promise he'd try to withdraw Illinois from a public option. Ryan criticized President Barack Obama's health plans but said he would wait to see details before making any promises.
Democrats Dan Hynes and Pat Quinn both rejected the idea of trying to opt out if anything passes.
STICKS & STONES
Quinn went after Hynes with a TV ad accusing the comptroller of running for cover when it was time to make painful choices about the state budget. The governor even accused Hynes of enjoying a Chicago spa when there was work to be done. (See the "spa" ad at www.quinnforillinois.com/videos ) Actually, Hynes' schedule shows he simply stopped for a haircut in the morning before heading to his office.
Immediately after going on the attack, the Quinn campaign called for a truce. He promised to end all negative advertising and in the future talk only about his own plans — if Hynes did the same.
The Hynes campaign dismissed Quinn's ad as "bizarre" and ignored his belated offer to stick with positive messages.
NAME GAME
There's a Senate candidate whose first name is Cheryle. That much is certain. The rest of her name is a bit of a mystery.
She used to be known as Cheryle Jackson. That's the name she used as a spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich and as president of the Chicago Urban League. But after she launched her Senate campaign, she decided to use the name Cheryle Robinson Jackson.
She uses her maiden name on her Web site and press releases — but not on the ballot. There, she'll be listed simply as Cheryle Jackson.
ALLIES
— You'd think one Republican asking another Republican for a few kind words would be the farthest thing from controversial. Nope. Senate candidate Mark Kirk's decision to seek support from Sarah Palin angered people from both ends of the political spectrum.
Conservatives saw it as an example of a "Republican in name only" trying to camouflage his beliefs by linking himself to a star conservative. His Democratic rivals accused Kirk of pandering to the right wing and flip-flopping on his criticism when Palin was named to the Republican ticket last year.
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias produced an Internet video (http://www.alexiforillinois.com/media ) accusing Kirk of "going rogue ... on himself."
— Quinn picked up the endorsement of Chicago alderman Dick Mell, better known as Rod Blagojevich's father-in-law. Mell probably had more to do with Blagojevich becoming governor than any other single person.
Hynes cited the endorsement as the latest example of Quinn contradicting his reputation as a reformer. "Pat Quinn will say or do anything to cling to power, including embracing the Machine he once railed against," the Hynes campaign said.
WHERE THEY STAND
— When voters in Maine voted to repeal a law allowing same-sex marriage there, the Democrats running for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat weighed in.
Giannoulias, Illinois' treasurer, lamented the loss and said "we must not stop moving forward." Attorney Jacob Meister, an openly gay man, compared gay marriage to watershed civil rights issues such as the right to vote and the right to a quality education regardless of race.
Jackson called gay marriage a complicated issue but didn't endorse it. She called for action on other gay rights issues, such as ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing gay marriages.
— Jackson also spoke up when a judge and a state board cleared the way to begin enforcing Illinois' law requiring parental notification before girls can obtain abortions. She said it was a mistake that would put some girls at risk of physical and emotional abuse.
Andy McKenna, a Republican candidate for governor, raised the issue, too. He called the law "mainstream" and said it should be enforced as quickly as possible after years of being put on hold for legal reasons.
ON THE RECORD
Republican comptroller candidate William Kelly on facing Judy Baar Topinka, who lost the 2006 governor's race to Blagojevich:
"I think if the election were held today she would still lose to Blagojevich. ... I'm running against Judy Baar Topinka, who I can tell you has 100 percent name recognition in Illinois. The bad news for Judy is that it's 100 percent bad."
WHAT'S NEXT
— Election officials conduct a lottery Monday to determine which candidate's name is listed first in each race — a spot that politicians covet on the theory that some voters will simply pick the first name they see.
— Democrat Danny Davis says he'll announce his decision on whether to seek another term in Congress or run for president of the Cook County Board.
A weekly look at Illinois campaigns and politics
