GOP needs suburbs back, seeks moderate consensus, leader says

As President Barack Obama heads to the state Capitol today in honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, Illinois Republicans will gather as they plot for a statewide comeback centered on the suburbs.

With Democrats disgraced over the ouster of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, talking about possible tax hikes and gearing up for costly primary battles, state Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna sees a new opening for the GOP after nearly a decade of state domination by Democrats - a rise that he hopes peaked with the election of Obama to the White House.

"We are excited," McKenna says. "I think we are a stronger party now."

The GOP's central committee is meeting in Springfield this morning to approve proposals that might lesson the chances of potentially brutal primaries the party likely can't afford.

McKenna is pitching a series of roaming forums for potential statewide candidates to get out in front of voters this spring. He also wants a straw poll on statewide GOP candidates at the state's fair in Springfield this August.

The new steps may help keep primary battles to a minimum by encouraging party leaders to pick a horse early. And that in turn could give the GOP a better platform to run solid campaigns against potentially better-funded and better-known Democratic candidates for governor, senator and other top posts.

Tough primary battles are known to gut campaigns of precious cash needed in the general election. They can also alienate voters.

McKenna says the town hall-like forums will give candidates a chance to get their name out before voters. He also said he hopes a straw poll will give party leaders an indication of who has strong support.

"You have to get a vision of what the ticket is going to be," said McKenna.

Republicans have already made clear they are going to attack Democrats on ethics and in the coming election. They have tried to paint most top Democrats with the taint from the arrest and ouster of Gov. Rod Blagojevich and lawmakers are already looking at tax hikes.

But McKenna and other party officials first need to deal with internal battles before they even get to throw bombs at the Democrats.

Republicans have long been caught in a tug of war between those who want to stress the party's official stance on social issues and those who actually disagree with their own party on abortion, gay rights and gun control.

McKenna says the party needs to win back the suburbs to have a shot at statewide offices now controlled by Democrats. Every collar county has seen an erosion in recent years of Republican support with significant inroads made by Democrats in Kane, McHenry, Lake and suburban Cook counties.

And a number of Republicans in these areas are supportive of some abortion rights and some gun control measures.

McKenna has declared there will be no "litmus test" in this election season when it comes to social issues for Republican candidates. Instead, he is encouraging campaign donors and political players to back the candidates that are strongest on ethics and taxes.

"Suburban voters are very heavily influenced by their concerns around taxes and they tend to be strong good government voters," McKenna says.

But McKenna's approach is undoubtedly going to anger some Republicans.

Jack Roeser, founder of the Family Taxpayers Network in Carpentersville, says making positions on social issues irrelevant to party identity is tantamount to being a Democrat.

What's a party platform for then? Roeser asked rhetorically.