Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee
North Carolina Yankee
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« on: May 05, 2021, 12:46:57 AM » |
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Illinois was not as Democratic as it is now. Bush only lost it by about 10% in 2004 and while Obama won over 60%, a lot of this was favorite son effect. Consider also that Republicans had a long history of winning the Governorship of Illinois as they held it for a couple decades (24 years I think) ending in 2003.
So in a midterm of an unpopular Democratic trifecta, with Democrats harmed by multiple scandals in the state and with a candidate represented the Kerry voting ILL-10, Republicans were in a great position to win that Senate seat.
Republicans would have won the Governorship also had they nominated someone else.
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