Dillard: Veteran politician likely to be back in spotlight

State Sen. Kirk Dillard is not worried about being only remembered as that guy who came this/close to winning the Republican primary for governor.

"I'll hopefully have a distinguished epitaph and I'm a long way from getting out of government or politics," said the 54-year-old seasoned politician. "My legacy is I'm a great dad. I've been a distinguished state senator, was Governor (Jim) Edgar's chief of staff and turned around Illinois' economy (in the 1990s)."

Dillard, of Hinsdale, conceded Friday to state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington after a month of waiting for votes to be finalized. Out of 767,485 ballots, the official tally put him just 193 shy of being the one to lead Republicans against Gov. Pat Quinn in the November general election.

The last month of uncertainty - of being just so close to making all the long nights and debates and pleading for donations pay off - was no doubt agonizing.

But Dillard says he focused on his family, taking his wife out to quiet dinners and his young children to a water park. Then he dove into his Senate work as he waited for the final vote to confirm what seemed inevitable: defeat in one of the closest races in Illinois history.

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way for a deliberate politician who has been a top aide to governors, party boss and veteran officeholder with a knack for crafting bipartisan deals.

With big financial backers and a long resume, Dillard was a favorite when he began campaigning for governor in June.

But the dynamics of the race dramatically shifted when former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna and former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan entered the race. Ryan was more popular than Dillard and McKenna appeared to have a bottomless trough of money to campaign.

Though Dillard presents a positive attitude publicly about losing, he understandably struggles with a litany of "what ifs."

What if DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom dropped out earlier and scrubbed his name from the ballot?

What if early polls had reflected his chances better?

What if some Chicago area editorial boards had given him the nod?

What if he didn't cut that 2008 commercial for his old state Senate colleague Barack Obama, the one where he said the future president was bipartisan?

Chiefly, though, Dillard says he longs for the days of a strong Republican Party that would have avoided such a primary mess, where the victor secured just a tad more than 20 percent of the total vote.

For example, as DuPage County Republican chairman, Dillard helped clear the field for then-state Sen. Peter Roskam of Wheaton to run for Congress.

In the Feb. 2 GOP governor primary, six of the seven governor candidates drew their support from the Chicago region. Two had relatively little political experience.

Dillard said he wishes someone from the party or DuPage County business community would have stepped in to hold a powwow to feel out which contenders might be better suited for other races.

"It takes strong leaders for people to put together a strong ticket," Dillard said, adding later that he doesn't blame the current party chairman who just took over in the fall. "Everyone's chances from the U.S. Senate to the statehouse and courthouse are all intertwined and the state party needs to be thinking about how it builds a ticket."

The party has lacked clout-heavy leaders for years as Democrats have dominated statewide offices and veteran GOP congressmen retired in the suburbs.

Party bosses did clear the field of GOP Senate candidates with a real shot at beating U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland. But the governor's race was left as a free-for-all.

The balance of Dillard's anger over the race focuses on McKenna, who he calls an "ethically challenged" man only "in it for himself."

McKenna rebutted such allegations during the campaign, saying his departure as GOP chief and entrance in the field wasn't plotted. The Chicago businessman has said he found himself to be the only viable contender to win the general election.

Leaning on his personal wealth from heading a successful supply company, McKenna spent about $2.7 million of his own cash and raised about $3 million more, blowing his competitors out of the water.

The cash blanketed the airwaves with attacks on Dillard, alleging he would raise taxes and ripping him for the Obama ad.

Dillard raised about $2.3 million.

Moving forward, however, is the top priority now, Dillard says.

Few would doubt he will make a run for higher office again or take a shot down the road at leading the Senate Republicans, a post he has sought before.

Dillard has two years left on his Senate term.

"I had much more fun campaigning, and so did my family, than we thought we would," Dillard said. "We will see."