Oct 20, 2008 5:22 pm US/Central
Early Voting Soars In Suburban Collar Counties
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (CBS) ―
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At Romeoville's Village Hall, 104 people have cast ballots since early voting began.
CBS
Illinois Republicans admit they're running scared - worried that a Democratic tidal wave could be coming - not just from the Cook County Clerk's record-breaking early voting numbers, but also from the suburban collar counties.
CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that at Romeoville's Village Hall on Monday, workers brought in new polling booths, doubling those available. The number who have cast ballots since early voting began last Tuesday - 104 - is already bigger than the total of all who voted early here prior to last February's primary.
This section of Will County once was a Republican stronghold. Democrat Barack Obama, though, appears now to have a big, double-digit lead here. Many Obama-backers are voting early.
Those straight-ticket Obama voters have grabbed the attention of the local state representative here. Brent Hassert is the powerful second-ranking Republican in the Illinois House. He knows he'll lose unless some of those Obama voters cross over down the ballot.
"I don't think this race it about Obama, I think this race is about Springfield, and that's where the difference is" Hassert said.
The 16-year Springfield veteran faces Democratic challenger Emily Klunk McAsey. A spokesman told CBS 2 that McAsey was too busy knocking on doors to talk to CBS 2 News. She rarely talks to reporters, has declined to debate Hassert or to make joint appearances. Like other Illinois Democratic candidates, she's apparently hoping to ride Obama's coattails.
Hassert's hoping to tie her to some less popular Democrats.
"You can only point to Blagojevich, Madigan and Jones, and keep saying that, and as soon as you mention their names, you can change the tempo of the conversation immediately," Hassert said.
The problem for those Republicans is that Blagojevich is not on the ballot this time - Barack Obama is. The polls indicate that those Democratic Obama voters are far more motivated to get out and vote early than their Republican counterparts.
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