By Travis DeNeal, Kirk Mottram, Sara Bean and Harold G. Downs

Daily Egyptian Politics Staff

The four horsemen of the Democratic gubernatorial primary race are nearing the March 17 finish line, and because of the campaign’s volatility, it likely will be a photo finish.

Jim Burns, Roland Burris, Glenn Poshard and John Schmidt are fighting for the Democrats’ spot to face the Republican nominee in the general election.

In the Republican primary, Secretary of State George Ryan faces populist candidate Chad Koppie.

Former U.S. Attorney Jim Burns vows to fight hard for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination even though polls show him near the bottom of the field.

Burns, who has remained quiet during debates and has yet to attack opponents in commercials, is forwarding a message of cleaner government, a message he hopes will propel him into the governor’s mansion. Burns has had setbacks, including Speaker of the House Michael Madigan’s decision to endorse U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard after quietly backing Burns prior to the start of the race. Despite this, the McLeansboro native is marching toward the March 17 primary armed with a comprehensive ethics package and a desire to shake up government.

Our message is a message a lot of voters can relate to, says Burns’ press secretary Grant Farrar.

Farrar argues that money and endorsements are not necessarily the key to winning. Rather, he said, a strong message with specific proposals aimed at restoring trust in government is the way to a voters’ heart. Burns, along with losing the Madigan endorsement, failed to receive any of the major endorsements from labor, women’s organizations and party leaders. This has not stopped the Burns’ machine though, and according to Farrar, it never will.

We’re not worried, Farrar said. We’re moving. The key thing about polls is that 29 percent of the electorate is undecided.

We plan to finish strong and get a lot of those votes.

Burns’ belief that Republican leadership has failed the citizens of Illinois and corrupted state government is echoed by most Democratic candidates running this year. However, with the most comprehensive reform package his is four pages long one cannot help but think Burns will deliver if elected. Despite these intentions, the question still lingers whether Burns will overcome a lack of money and visibility, and grab a majority March 17. These last two weeks will determine the answer.

Burris, the darling of Chicago newspaper polls, is riding a solid wave of name recognition into the primary. The former Illinois attorney general and comptroller is pushing his plan for education reform as his fundamental platform issue. He has pledged, if elected, to make the state fund at least 50 percent of the cost of public schools.

The bold claim is made bolder by his contention that property taxes would not raised to back his plan. Instead, he said, better budgeting will allow him to reallocate existing funds into public education.

We need to permanently fund education, Burris said. I’m saying we can do that out of our revenue growth fund. We can pump an extra $300 million into education in the next four years.

Burris also is pushing for an increase in state support of educating Illinois citizens for the information technology job market. He said Illinois needs to train its citizens for such jobs, which could help decrease unemployment rates statewide.

There are plenty of jobs out there dealing with information technology, he said. We could put 40,000 people to work if we can find a way to train people for those jobs. We’re talking about data entry programming that could pay between $50,000 to $100,000 per year.

In addition, Burris backs the proposed airport in Peotone, which he said will bring 53,000 jobs to northern Illinois.

After 14 years in the General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives, Glenn Poshard is traveling down a different political avenue by running for governor.

Poshard, D-Marion, is a three-time graduate of SIUC. Although Poshard has politically stayed within Southern Illinois, Dave Stricklin, Poshard’s press secretary, says Poshard’s support extends beyond downstate Illinois.

We have a very diverse and very strong base from which campaign draws support, he said. We started with the downstate base and extended it to every ward and township in Chicago. Some of the wards in Chicago are now endorsing Poshard for governor along any line of geography, race or gender, and economic background. We have tremendous support.

Poshard is the only candidate in the primary to advocate a pro-life stance, a position few Democrats support. He opposes partial-birth abortions and would only make an exception if the mother’s life was in jeopardy.

Poshard has hammered his opponents, particularly Schmidt, for their stances on abortion and campaign finance reform. Stricklin said reform is desperately needed.

He is the only candidate who is actually doing something about campaign finance reform, Stricklin said. Schmidt has announced a plan or proposal, but they won’t adopt it for their own campaign.

That has the same ring of sincerity as Jerry Seinfeld saying people should watch less television.

Ken Snyder, spokesman for John Schmidt said his candidate’s base is Chicago and its collar counties where he is running ahead of Poshard.

The votes from the lakefront and the northwest side of Chicago equal all of the votes of downstate Illinois, Snyder said.

Snyder said Schmidt’s campaign is making hundreds of thousands of phone calls to identify Schmidt’s supporters and will call them again before the election.

Schmidt’s campaign has also sent out more than a million pieces of mail and have thousands of volunteers on the streets going door to door.

Snyder said Schmidt has been endorsed by every pro-choice organization in the state and is a strong opponent of the National Rifle Association.

He said Schmidt has a history of bringing people together and thinks Illinois can be a better place.

Snyder said they suspect there will be a typically low turn-out for the primary election.

He said Schmidt is offering a lot of things for students, primarily his proposed merit-based scholarship plan.

From tractors to biplanes, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chad Koppie is going all out to remind voters he is a part of the Republican primary race.

He has toured the state on his tractor, getting stopped by police for holding up traffic. He will pilot his 1943 biplane into five Illinois airports today to support the Greater Rockford Airport for air travel expansion.

Press Secretary Jerry McGlothlin said Koppie is traveling around as a way of courting populist support for the final home stretch.

Koppie is trying to capture the far right vote, which McGlothlin said will be necessary for Koppie to defeat George Ryan.

We figure it will take 365,000 votes to win, he said. We know we have the votes. It’s a question of whether all of our people show up.

Secretary of State George Ryan may not be the in the primary fight of his life, but as the presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee, he has been campaigning lightly throughout the state, amassing support and momentum for what looks to be a hotly contested general election.

Ryan has not attacked Koppie, or commented extensively on the Democratic primary field, but as March 17 looms, he watches the campaign intently. Many Republicans close to Ryan believe he secretly is pulling for Burris, who, if nominated could round off a top-heavy African-American ballot, joining Carol Moseley-Braun and Jesse White, candidate for Secretary of State. Pundits argue this would be hamper Democrats in the general election.

Regardless of Ryan’s leanings, he is looking toward November with anticipation and a heavily stocked warchest that has grown to about $5 million.

Ryan’s traditional conservative views will give the Republican ticket a good balance, especially if Loleta Didrickson, a moderate, wins the nomination for U.S. Senate. After March 17, Ryan will run with Corrine Wood, who is running unopposed in the Republican lieutenant governor’s primary.