Who will be Donald Trump's main challenger in Illinois?
As Donald Trump won his third straight primary Tuesday in Nevada, it was unclear which of Illinois Republicans' preferred candidates might emerge as the real estate mogul's most serious challenger here.
Some of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's local delegate candidates haven't yet picked a second choice after their candidate dropped from the race over the weekend. Both former House Republican Leader Tom Cross and former DuPage County Board President Bob Schillerstrom said they need more time to decide.
State Sen. Chris Nybo, a would-be Bush delegate from Elmhurst, says the lesson of Trump's campaign might be that those traditional measures of support don't mean much anyway.
“A lot of voters don't want to be told by politicians who to support,” said Nybo, who hasn't yet picked another favorite. “Donald Trump is raising the question: 'Does it even matter?'”
Illinois' highest-profile Republicans haven't gotten behind Trump in the primary. Bush had some of the state's biggest names. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has netted the support of a lot of state lawmakers. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has done the same, securing the endorsement of Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno. And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz can count state lawmakers and the leader of the Chicago GOP among his backers.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has steered clear of the race, though one of his top aides left for the Kasich campaign this week and his former campaign manager is now working for Rubio.
Illinois' March 15 primary is two weeks after the so-called Super Tuesday election, a series of primaries that will help determine whether the Land of Lincoln will play a decisive role in selecting a nominee and whether a single candidate will emerge as a Trump alternative.
DuPage County Auditor and Rubio delegate candidate Bob Grogan said it's worth waiting for the race to play out.
“I don't think it's a problem to have multiple qualified candidates,” he said.
State Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights, a Kasich delegate candidate, said Kasich's strong states in the Midwest are still to come. He said many Republican delegates haven't been awarded yet, and even with Trump tallying strong leads, the vote in previous states has been fractured.
“Three-quarters of Republicans aren't voting for the guy,” he said.
In Illinois, Republican primary voters will elect delegates directly, though how many a candidate receives from a congressional district tends to line up with his overall vote there.
Ballots have been printed in Illinois, and votes already are being cast. So voters still could pick Bush delegates, but officials say most who vote in a primary know which candidates have dropped out of the race.