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I voted for Barack Obama in the Illinois primary because he seemed to be a nice guy, wasn't a negative-ad-airing attack dog, had the Law Review leadership qualities, had an interesting personal background (geographically as well as racially), had state senate experience, and seemed to actually mean what he said, as opposed to the other candidates. He didn't engage in any poking at Jim Ryan, nor at the democratic candidate that was the front-runner until a divorce scandal popped up. I was really excited that Obama won. And the more I read about him and hear him speak, the better I feel about my vote. I think he can be a positive force for change in the US Senate.
If I was a Republican, I would've voted for Steve Rauschenberger (I can't spell his name correctly most of the time, either!), who also seems to be a great guy, represents the nearby area, had state congressional experience, and had more moderate views than many of the other candidates. He came in third. I would love it if he was tapped to run against Obama, since I know that even if Obama were to lose, I could trust Steve R. to do a good job and not be an asshole or totally screw everything up.
Judy Barr Topinka (Treasurer, I believe) would be another decent Republican to run against Obama; I voted for her when she last ran for office. She seemed to stick to the issues and actually work to make a difference.
Unfortunately, I don't think either of them would want to accept the nomination to run against Barack Obama. But either would be really awesome. Imagine-- a positive campaign that didn't focus on digging up dirt on your opponent, but actually stayed to the issues!
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