Here are the five things I’ll be watching that aren’t the Governor’s race. Good luck to everyone today.
- Rodney Davis vs. Ann Callis: This was supposed to be the race to watch after Rodney Davis barely won the last election. Rodney Davis supporters seem to be breathing easier after Callis supporters decided to pull some of their support and focus on more contested house races. Regardless who wins, I’ll be looking at the county-wide results closely to see how effective the ground games were locally. David Gill won Champaign County by 20% in 2012 while Tim Johnson carried the district by 10% in 2010.
- Carrol Ammons vs. Kristin Williamson. Any betters out there? Kristin Williamson is a huge underdog in this race, but has run a solid campaign. Carol Ammons took on the Madigan machine and won in the primary and has an impressive army of supporters working to her advantage. The Dems won this race by 38% in 2012 and by 26% in 2010. My favorite s*** talker Craig Walker projected in the N-G comment section that Ammons will win by 25%. If Kristin pulls off the upset, it would be one of the most epic upsets of all time. But what should be the over/under? Even though the last race was won by 38%, I’d easily take the 25% bet. Any takers? I’m obviously rooting for the upset, but think it would be huge victory for the Williamson team if this ended up being close. I’m already impressed there is so much buzz surrounding this race in a gerrymandered district that is supposed to be a give-me for the dems.
- Unit School Board Referendum: I don’t think it will pass, but how close will it be? If it doesn’t pass, it will be interesting to see how the current school board handles the public relations over the coming days and weeks. In other words, what will Laurie Bonnet say? Plus, if the referendum passes it just might free up some time for John Bambenek to run for mayor.
- Frerichs: The State Treasurer’s seat is nothing more than a political stepping stone for prospective Governors. Since Frerichs is the sitting State Senator, what really makes this interesting will be watching who Al Klein (Champaign County Dem Chair) appoints to the seat if Frerichs wins and which Republican will run against that appointee in the next election. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but a Frerichs victory is a political junkie’s dream.
- County Board: These districts were gerrymandered to benefit the party in power. I don’t expect any upsets, but it will be interesting to see how close they are.