State GOP upbeat, Dems bummed at state fair

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republicans are bullish on their chances in November, attendees at Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair said Thursday.

“I think that there will be a lot of opportunities for us to pick up voters for the first time, and I think there’s much more of an opportunity for the Democrat voters to stay home,” said Randy Pollard, president of the Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association.

As if to underscore his point, the Republicans’ upbeat gathering was dramatically different from one held on Governor’s Day on Wednesday, when protesters representing state employee unions booed and heckled Gov. Pat Quinn and other top state Democrats.

Union protesters did not show up at Thursday’s Republican breakfast or the party’s rally on the director’s lawn of the state fairgrounds in the afternoon.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said GOP leaders and voters are united because of dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership, from the Illinois Capitol to the White House.

“I look at what’s going on in our races, and we’ve got a lot of folks from the far right to the middle and the left that are working with us. People are disgusted with what’s going on. This is all about finances, about the budget, about the pension,” Cross said.

For the complete article see the 08-17-2012 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 08-17-2012 paper.