President
Two U.S. senators are facing off in a battle that will dictate the future of the country.
John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., have been running for president for more than 18 months.
McCain, a 72-year-old Navy veteran who has been in the Senate for 22 years, was once a long shot before beating several rivals for the Republican nomination. He and his running mate, 44-year-old Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have tried to paint Obama as inexperienced, elitist and radically liberal.
First-term senator Obama, 47, became the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party after a close primary race with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). Running with 65-year-old Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., he has tried to tie McCain to unpopular Republican President George W. Bush.
Obama, who is well ahead in Illinois, is also expected to win the general election. Several “swing states,” including Ohio, Virginia and Colorado, will be essential for McCain if he is to pull off an upset.
U.S. Senate
According to polls, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is a lock to stay in Washington.
Durbin, the Senate’s second-most powerful member, is facing a challenge from Berwyn doctor Steve Sauerberg. But the latest survey of Illinois residents found the 12-year incumbent with a 25 percent lead over Sauerberg.
The current Assistant Senate Majority Leader, Durbin was recognized in 2006 as one of America’s 10 best senators by Time magazine. He has been outspoken in his support of increased health care coverage and in his opposition to the invasion of Iraq, among other issues.
Sauerberg, a Republican who has never ran for office before, attacked Durbin’s liberal connections and pledged to lower taxes and fight illegal immigration.
Kathy Cummings (Green), Larry Stafford (Libertarian) and Chad Koppie (Constitution) are also running.
U.S. Representative
Despite a crowded field, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from the 9th District, is expected to easily win back her seat in Congress.
Schakowsky, a five-term incumbent who has never garnered less than 70 percent of the vote, has spent much of her time working for the Obama campaign, of which she is a national co-chairwoman.
Her main opponent is 33-year-old Republican Michael Younan, a medical administrator and United States Air Force veteran. Younan, in his first political race, has campaigned as a “middle-class maverick.” Also in the mix is 75-year-old Green Party candidate Morris Shanfield, who has focused his campaign on his opposition to the war in Iraq.
But with Schakowsky’s victory likely, the main drama might be her political future if Obama wins the presidency. The 64-year-old, who serves as the chief deputy whip of the House of Representatives, is seen as a favorite to fulfill Obama’s potentially vacant Senate seat.
Illinois State Senate
Incumbent State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg from the 9th District has amassed a huge fundraising advantage over an opponent who has never before sought political office.
Glenview attorney Brendan Appel, 33, is challenging Schoenberg on a conservative platform of lower taxes and limited government. He’s also sought to tie his opponent to unpopular Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
But Schoenberg, who served as a state representative for 12 years before being elected to the Senate, has already made a mark in his first term. Known for working to bring down the cost of health care, he’s the chairman of the Appropriations II Committee and is expected to make a run to replace retiring Senate President Emil Jones.
Reports in August showed Schoenberg a 13-to-1 fund-raising advantage for a race he’s expected to win.
Illinois General Assembly Representative
Neither the Republican Party nor anybody else decided to challenge Democratic State Rep. Julie Hamos from the 18th District in the upcoming election.
Hamos has served in Springfield since 1999. The 59-year-old former policy adviser to then-State’s Attorney General Richard Daley has carved out her niche as a public transportation guru.
She chairs the Mass Transit Committee and also serves on many other committees. Her “legislative priorities” include prison reform and expanding health care insurance, according to her Web site.
