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It seemed like a good idea at the time: Calling Rudy
Giuliani the party’s “best chance at victory in the general
election,” on Dec. 19 the Sangamon County Republican Party gave the
ex-mayor of New York City its endorsement for president. For much of December — really, for the better
part of 2007 — Giuliani held an edge over his Republican rivals in
most national polls. Giuliani’s compassionate-cowboy persona was also
expected to play well going into the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses even though he
didn’t campaign there.
But not only did the former frontrunner finish in
sixth place in the Hawkeye State, Giuliani has yet to even break into the
top three among vote-getters in any primary contest so far. That hasn’t deterred county GOP chairman Tony
Libri from supporting Giuliani, however. “I’ll put it to you this way: You can win
all the Shermans and Chathams you want, but you still have to win the big
city,” Libri says. Libri, who serves as Sangamon County circuit clerk,
still believes that Giuliani is the most electable Republican come
November. He adds that Giuliani is the only Republican seeking
the nomination who is committed to winning Illinois. Libri acknowledges
that Giuliani’s moderate leanings on abortion and gay rights may not
sit well with some local conservatives.
“You can support all the losing candidates you
want, and at the end of the election you won’t have anything,”
he says. “Giving us 85 percent of what we want is better than 40
percent of what we want. He might not give us everything we want, but he
gives us more than the other side.”
Giuliani has spent several weeks campaigning in
Florida — a veritable buffet of Republicanism that was key to
deciding the outcome of the 2000 general election. Voters in the Sunshine
State go to the polls on Jan. 29; if Giuliani doesn’t do well in that
critical test, the atmosphere at the local Republican Party’s annual
Lincoln Day Luncheon, which Giuliani is scheduled to keynote, is likely to
be glum. Illinois holds its primary on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Libri says Giuliani’s willingness to spend time in Springfield before
the critical vote was one of the reason precinct committee members endorsed
the candidate.
None of the other Republican contenders, Libri says,
has made plans to campaign in central Illinois. “They assume
it’s [Barack] Obama country,” he says, “and that may be
true, but why ignore the state’s Republican voters?”
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2008.
