"It's No Longer Science Fiction In IL-14"

[orleans]

YESS!!

Despite the NRCC's pouring in over $1.2M to save IL-14 for a supposed self-funder, the GOP has lost Denny Hastert’s (R) seat. It’s a stunning loss for a party that’s been hit with one bad break after another after losing its majority in ’06.

With 99% reporting, scientist/businessman Bill Foster (D) defeated '02/'04 SEN candidate/'06 GOV candidate/dairy magnate Jim Oberweis (R), 52-48% in a special election.

Foster ran a very aggressive and focused general election campaign. He came out swinging just days after his primary victory, hitting Oberweis on Iraq in TV ads, and kept Oberweis off balance throughout the rest of the one-month campaign. In the final week, Foster ran an ad featuring an endorsement by homestater Barack Obama.

But as well as Foster ran his campaign, this race was mostly about Oberweis. Polling in the final weeks of the race showed Oberweis’ past had caught up with him, and his favorable ratings continued to sink. He did have John McCain in for a fundraiser and a press conference, but none of McCain’s popularity among indies appeared to have rubbed off.

Because of both of their involvements in the race, many described this contest as a proxy war between Obama and McCain. And if it was, Obama came out the big winner.

Democrats will trumpet this as a harbinger of things to come for ’08. And they may be right. Foster didn’t try to hide his Dem label at all, featuring it prominently in TV ads. He also campaigned on big issues like Iraq and health care like a liberal. Those are strategies not usually pursued in GOP-leaning CDs like Hastert’s, but they don’t appear to have hurt Foster. Could this be a sign that Reps. like Sam Graves (R-MO 06) and Tim Walberg (R-MI 07) are in trouble?

GOPers, meanwhile, will claim that this loss was due heavily to Oberweis’ poor campaign and candidate skills. And they’d be right. But even terrible GOP candidates usually find the winner’s circle in such GOP-leaning CDs as IL-14.

Like we’ve pointed out before, this loss may be as symbolic to a Dem ’08 wave as then-Speaker Tom Foley’s (D-WA) loss was symbolic of the GOP '94 triumph. We’ll have to wait and see.

But back in IL-14, the GOP has a decision to make. Oberweis is the GOP nominee for the fall. If he continues as the nominee after tonight’s brutal loss, can the NRCC afford to play here in the fall, with a possible Obama heading the ticket?

(TIM SAHD)

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/03/its_no_longer_s.html

[rosesaylavee]

1. Foster ran a very smart, straight-forward campaign.

I am SOOOOOO glad he has been rewarded with this win.

[murielm99]

2. Yes, the republicans could find someone else

to run against Foster for that seat in the fall. But who?

Does the reporter understand the disarray in the Illinois GOP? Do they recall how hard it was for the state party to find a replacement for Ryan, who was the GOP Senate candidate versus Obama?

Ryan's campaign imploded over a sex scandal. Remember the GOP candidate Alan Keyes? LOL! The GOP even tried to get Mike Ditka and Orion Samuelson to run against Obama, just to have a celebrity with some name recognition. No one would touch it.

I wonder what scapegoat they could get to run against Foster if it is not going to be the Milk Nazi (Oberweis).

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. Oberweis will probably run a campaign that's twice as slimy in November.

He's that candidate.

[Gary Kleppe]

6. Loserweis has the nomination.

He won the Republican primary for the regular election as well as the special, so the party can't run anyone else unless he voluntarily steps down.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

4. I'm so happy and relieved!

Oberweis is the last thing we need in Congress.

[stevebreeze]

5. reality check time PLEASE

it's not just that the GOP made that bad of mistake. It was the hard work of a lot of good democrats throughout the district. In Kane county Mark Guethle the thrice elected Kane county dem chairperson. who has made great strides in the county deserves much credit. we have gone from 1/3 to more then 1/2 Democratic in the county under Mark and the previous chair, Ken Vondrack. It has been a long hard slog but well well worth the effort.

[mopinko]

8. congrats to all out there.

turning it blue is hard work. a big round of applause from a grateful party.

[Saturday]

7. I'm thinking the GOP might bring in their main man....out with

Oberweis....in with Alan Keyes. ROTFLMAO