 Quinn has made three trips in as many days to cities in central and
southern Illinois, touting several infrastructure projects
spearheaded by his administration.The state is dedicating
$800,000 from the governor's Illinois Jobs Now initiative, as part
of a $12 million public-private partnership, which will increase
Internet accessibility in Litchfield and put an estimated 35 people
back to work. And airport renovations in Peoria and Cahokia will
create hundreds of jobs in a region that has been hit hard by the
recession, at a cost of $5.5 million and $7.1 million, respectively.
But Quinn is hoping to save one job in particular through such
announcements: his own.
Quinn made himself visible at all three events, highlighting job
creation and the importance of infrastructure -- two central points
in his underdog campaign against state Sen. Bill Brady,
R-Bloomington.
The governor trails Brady by in nearly every poll, but his
biggest deficit can be found in downstate Illinois, where he trails
his Republican challenger by 20 percent.
Illinois is a big state -- a fact that is not lost among
candidates vying for support in a statewide race. Quinn has a
distinct advantage over Brady in that he can make the five-hour trip
to St. Clair County to announce a job-creating infrastructure
project -- without shelling out campaign money for travel and other
expenses.
"All incumbents take advantage of their office," said David
Yepsen of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale. "When you're trailing, you gotta
go everywhere, and when Pat Quinn does this, it maximizes the use of
his office and the media."
The question of regional support has hung over Quinn since the
February primary, when Democrats nominated six Chicago politicians
to its statewide ticket. Quinn hoped to narrow that gap by selecting
Sheila Simon, a Carbondale native and daughter of late-U.S. Sen.
Paul Simon, as his running mate last spring.
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The most recent poll numbers bring a definitively negative answer
to Quinn's prospects of closing the regional gap by November. His
lack of popularity has led some Democrats in the region to distance
themselves from Quinn. Decatur Rep. Robert Flider, for example,
stressed his opposition to Quinn's proposed income tax increase
after Flider’s opponent, Republican Adam Brown, criticized the
proposal.
"The fact that the Democratic governor polls unpopularly
downstate is a weapon Republicans are using to attack all downstate
Democrats," Flider said. "It's very important for my support to
cross party lines, and I definitely think a number of conservative
voters support my views on the tax increase."
Yepsen said it is going to be "a tough year for Democrats,"
especially downstate. He says Quinn's visits indicate the Democrat's
commitment to that region.
"He could either write off the area or redouble his efforts
here," Yepsen said. "And it looks like he is doubling down."
If Quinn's "campaign through governance" is effective, it could
spell trouble for Brady.
"Brady needs a good margin," Yepsen said. "In traditional
Illinois elections, the Republican needs to do well downstate and in
the suburbs."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
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