The scandal-plagued legacy of current Gov. George Ryan haunts the candidates vying to replace him.

Soon after Ryan was elected governor in 1998, prosecutors broke a licenses-for-bribes scandal that occurred during his tenure as secretary of state. In August 2001, Ryan announced he would not seek a second term.

Now the major party candidates, Democrat Rod Blagojevich and Republican Jim Ryan, are trying to avoid any hint of controversy before Tuesday’s election.

“The primary issue in this campaign has been confidence in government,” said John Pelissero, chairman of the political science department at Loyola University Chicago and an observer of state politics. “They’re not really giving us many specifics on other issues.”

Instead each candidate has been trying to tarnish his opponent, he said. For example, Blagojevich has stressed Ryan’s real and imaginary connections with the governor.

“Blagojevich has been trying to imply that (Jim) Ryan is part of the problem,” Pelissero said. “It’s easy to say Ryan, as a Republican, is part of the problem.”

The licenses-for-bribes scandal, which resulted in the indictments of more than 40 state employees, involved alleged payouts for commercial drivers licenses at several testing facilities — mostly when the governor served as secretary of state from 1991 to 1999.

Jim Ryan, who for now is the state’s attorney general, is not related to George Ryan — though there has been much confusion among voters.

Jim Ryan’s campaign issued an Oct. 29 press release that accused Blagojevich, a U.S. Representative from the 5th District, of “cynically trying to confuse the public about George Ryan and Jim Ryan.” The release charged Illinois AFL-CIO representatives who support Blagojevich with distributing mailings that “portray George Ryan as the candidate for governor.”

Meanwhile, Ryan’s campaign slung some mud of its own, accusing Blagojevich of having close ties to the Chicago political machine and accepting $83,000 from the city of Chicago without disclosing how he earned the money.

Blagojevich released a statement calling Ryan’s claims are unsubstantiated.

“Competence is another issue that Ryan has brought up,” Pelissero said. “Ryan is saying Blagojevich never had to do anything (in the House). His record is pretty weak.”

But Blagojevich’s low profile in the state has allowed him to run on a platform of bringing change to the Illinois political system, Pelissero said.

“He’s saying that there’s a potential for real change in government,” Pelissero said.

The last Democratic governor, Daniel Walker, was elected in 1972.

“This is much larger than an election,” Blagojevich said at a rally in Skokie on Saturday. “It is the opportunity to make things change. Illinois can do so much better, and that’s why this election is so important.”

When it comes to actual issues, Pelissero said the candidates are “saying some of the same things.”

At the rally Blagojevich said the key issues were creating a universal health care system, expanding O’Hare International Airport and increasing the minimum wage.

Although his staff could not be reached for comment about his stance on the airport and minimum wage issues, Ryan has called affordable health care “a basic human right.”

Ryan has made education the “No. 1 priority” in his campaign. He has said he would commit at least 51 percent of the state’s projected new revenues to schools. He also has pledged to introduce initiatives that would improve third-grade reading levels.

Blagojevich also has stressed the importance of funding education, but he plans to target spending on programs that have been effective in the past.

Neither Ryan nor Blagojevich have commented extensively on issues involving higher education, even though Illinois’ state universities experienced significant tuition increases last year, Pelissero said.

“This is a significant issue,” he said. “The state may not be providing enough support (to the universities).”

But Pelissero said the events of the governor’s tenure may do more to decide this election than either candidate’s positions.

“It’s going to take a lot for Ryan to overcome the lead Blagojevich has — largely because of the scandal,” Pelissero said.