2014 IL US Senate Election.

[NPolitics1979]

Durbin-D is going to run again. Is his Republican challenger going to be the deadbeat dad?

[Rochester]

1. The Governor's race looks more interesting

Dick Durbin will win easily no matter who the sacrificial lamb is.
The governor's race is going to be a lot more interesting! I'm wondering if Lisa Madigan will jump in and try to knock off Pat Quinn in the primary, thinking she might have a better chance than Quinn to hold the seat in November.
On the one hand, Pat has made a lot of enemies lately, and would be vulnerable even in the best circumstances. (To be fair to him, though, he's doing the best he can given the mess he has to work with.) Lisa will get a lot of help from her father; the last name alone is enough to bring in lots of votes in Chicago.
On the other hand, I can't imagine Pat going down without a fight, and if Lisa wins an ugly, bruising primary, she may be no better off than Pat would be. She also might be thinking about trying to unseat Mark Kirk in 2016 instead.

[NPolitics1979]

2. Lisa Madigan for Governor in 2014.

She is the only Democrat that could unseat Quinn in the Democratic Primary and defeat the Republican nominee- Rutherford in the November General Election.
Regarding the 2016 IL US Senate Election. Whoever the Democratic nominee is will recieve help from Hillary Clinton coattails. Democratic nominee could be either
Michelle Obama, Dan Hynes, Rahm Emanuel, Chris Kennedy, Sheila Simon
Robin Kelly or Kwame Raoul. It would probally take an IL version of Liz Warren to defeat Kirk.
If Madigan decides to run for US Senate in 2016.
Pat Quinn wins the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2014 but loses in the November General Election. In 2018 -Rahm Emanuel runs for Governor and defeats the Republican incumbent in the November General.

[mucifer]

4. My gut feeling is that we are gonna get a republican governor.

The state is in a huge mess and people are very angry and we have a history of having lots of republican governors.

[mucifer]

3. Deadbeat dad couldn't win. He lost in a landslide in the congressional race.

I wish we could do better than Durbin. But, I probably as always, will vote for him.

[NPolitics1979]

5. It was gerrymandered to be a Democratic friendly district factor in Obama coattails- Duckworth was

Able to win by a 55-45 percent margin. Had the district remained the same, would the deadbeat dad lose by a double digit margin.

[mucifer]

6. Considering how poorly oberweiss has done running for senate and governor,

I think deadbeat dad would do even worse in a statewide race.