Topinka's In...
Brandy Witherspoon sheds some light on the race for Illinois Governor.
From the Columbia Chronicle...
http://www.ccchronicle.com/paper/opinions.php?id=1907
With Jim Edgar’s decision not to run for Illinois’ Governor, Judy Baar Topinka has declared that she will be yet another republican candidate in the 2006 elections. According to the Columbia Chronicle, Topkina’s “stiffest challenges” are former salesmen/businessmen, State Senator Steve Rauschenberger and Jim Oberweis. Although Judy Topinka has name recognition for job as State Treasurer, her association with the Republican National Party has also brought negative attention. The Columbia Chronicle made mention of her connections to indicted former Governor George Ryan, not to mention her previous support of controversial people like Allan Keyes and Jack Ryan, yet the article equally probes the other top candidates.
The article points out Jim Oberweis’s apparent doubled standards regarding his handling of the illegal immigration issue. He is being accused of having allowed illegal immigrants clean his store for $3.23 an hour. This comes after his 2004 commercial standing against illegal immigration. Reference is also made to Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich’s hiring practice scandal and Steve Rauschenberger’s support of replacing the theory of evolution with that of “intelligent design” in science classes. Each of the four cited candidates has notoriety damaging their candidacy, so there is no reason why Judy Topinka shouldn’t have a chance; even with the GOP’s dignity being dragged in the mud.
Judy Topinka is classified as a pro-life, gay-rights-supporting, social moderate, whose beliefs “…could appeal to more mainstream voters who don’t favor some of the hard right stances offered by Rauschenberger and Oberweis,…” as stated by the Columbia Chronicle.
Brandy's commentary: Although the article devotes quite a few paragraph to the other candidates, I feel it gives hope to Topinka’s campaign. I say “hope”, because I think it will be needed, once the Democrats and Republicans get a hold of her tarnished history. Most often, voters focus on the negative issues that turn them off of a candidate, and Topinka’s name is ridden with negatives, even in this optimistic article. Some of the other candidates have direct involvement in public scandals, which may be helpful throughout her campaign. I also agree with the Columbia Chronicle, that her open-minded stance on social issues could boost her approval ratings.
Overall, the article was non-biased, or could be called equally discriminative. Either way, Topinka’s only evident flaws are being a Republican and a corrupt-Republican-supporter.
My commentary: This is going to be a tough Republican primary. Along with Topinka, Oberweis, and Rauschenberger, are State Senator Bill Brady and businessman Ron Gidwitz. DuPage State's Attorney Joe Birkett has not formally entered the race yet. If Birkett runs, then the number of conservative candidates would total four (Oberweis, Rauschenberger, Brady, Birkett). Topinka needs to survive not only a conservative challenge, but also a challenge from the more moderate Gidwitz. Gidwitz who is polling in the low single digits, recently sent out his third piece of direct mail. This bit of Gidwitz information proves that (for the time being) he will not drop out of the race for Governor, even with the more well-known moderate Topinka in the mix.
From the Columbia Chronicle...
http://www.ccchronicle.com/paper/opinions.php?id=1907
With Jim Edgar’s decision not to run for Illinois’ Governor, Judy Baar Topinka has declared that she will be yet another republican candidate in the 2006 elections. According to the Columbia Chronicle, Topkina’s “stiffest challenges” are former salesmen/businessmen, State Senator Steve Rauschenberger and Jim Oberweis. Although Judy Topinka has name recognition for job as State Treasurer, her association with the Republican National Party has also brought negative attention. The Columbia Chronicle made mention of her connections to indicted former Governor George Ryan, not to mention her previous support of controversial people like Allan Keyes and Jack Ryan, yet the article equally probes the other top candidates.
The article points out Jim Oberweis’s apparent doubled standards regarding his handling of the illegal immigration issue. He is being accused of having allowed illegal immigrants clean his store for $3.23 an hour. This comes after his 2004 commercial standing against illegal immigration. Reference is also made to Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich’s hiring practice scandal and Steve Rauschenberger’s support of replacing the theory of evolution with that of “intelligent design” in science classes. Each of the four cited candidates has notoriety damaging their candidacy, so there is no reason why Judy Topinka shouldn’t have a chance; even with the GOP’s dignity being dragged in the mud.
Judy Topinka is classified as a pro-life, gay-rights-supporting, social moderate, whose beliefs “…could appeal to more mainstream voters who don’t favor some of the hard right stances offered by Rauschenberger and Oberweis,…” as stated by the Columbia Chronicle.
Brandy's commentary: Although the article devotes quite a few paragraph to the other candidates, I feel it gives hope to Topinka’s campaign. I say “hope”, because I think it will be needed, once the Democrats and Republicans get a hold of her tarnished history. Most often, voters focus on the negative issues that turn them off of a candidate, and Topinka’s name is ridden with negatives, even in this optimistic article. Some of the other candidates have direct involvement in public scandals, which may be helpful throughout her campaign. I also agree with the Columbia Chronicle, that her open-minded stance on social issues could boost her approval ratings.
Overall, the article was non-biased, or could be called equally discriminative. Either way, Topinka’s only evident flaws are being a Republican and a corrupt-Republican-supporter.
My commentary: This is going to be a tough Republican primary. Along with Topinka, Oberweis, and Rauschenberger, are State Senator Bill Brady and businessman Ron Gidwitz. DuPage State's Attorney Joe Birkett has not formally entered the race yet. If Birkett runs, then the number of conservative candidates would total four (Oberweis, Rauschenberger, Brady, Birkett). Topinka needs to survive not only a conservative challenge, but also a challenge from the more moderate Gidwitz. Gidwitz who is polling in the low single digits, recently sent out his third piece of direct mail. This bit of Gidwitz information proves that (for the time being) he will not drop out of the race for Governor, even with the more well-known moderate Topinka in the mix.
posted by Political Science Prof at 8:19 PM
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