Whither the GOP in Illinois?
Whither the GOP in Illinois? Jim Nowlan Written in quill pen (not literally; it was 1965), my master’s thesis was about “Leaderless Politics: The Illinois Republican Party.” Not much has changed. That was an era when party organization mattered. My thesis was that when Republicans lost control of the governorship, the party became leaderless. Not much has changed. Back then, political patronage provided party leaders with influence over elections. My research showed that under GOP Gov. Bill Stratton (1953-60), 83 of the state’s 102 Republican county chairmen held state jobs. Guess who...