Politicians line up early for spot on Illinois ballot

SPRINGFIELD -- Hundreds of Illinois politicians and their aides swarmed a state office Monday to grab a good spot on the 2008 primary ballot, a ritual that came earlier than ever thanks to a law meant to help Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Anyone in line when the State Board of Elections opened its doors Monday had a chance at being listed first in their race on the ballot. People started gathering before dawn on Sunday morning, and a record 650 candidates filed petitions by 8:00 a.m., up from 350 four years ago, officials said.

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Usually, the first day to file nominating petitions doesn't arrive until mid-December. But Illinois officials moved up the date of the primary election by six weeks -- to Feb. 5 from mid-March. That meant the date to file petitions had to shift, too.

Officials moved the primary election to help Obama, a Chicago Democrat. His supporters thought that holding the Illinois election earlier would give him a win in a big state early in the nominating process, boosting his presidential campaign.

They also said it would make Illinois more relevant in choosing the Republican nominee. Often, the Illinois primary has come after the nominations are locked up. But many other states have moved up their primary dates, too, so it's now unlikely that Illinois will be a major factor for Obama.

Obama's aides filed the necessary paperwork Monday to get him on the ballot in Illinois. Supporters of Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton did the same.

Obama reported gathering 55,000 signatures, while Clinton said she had 15,000. Only 3,000 are needed.

Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, also filed petitions to run for a third term. On the Republican side, Steve Sauerberg of Western Springs submitted the forms to run for the GOP Senate nomination.