Wood, Vallas top ballots in Illinois primary

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The first hot contest in the battle to be the next Illinois governor was won by Corinne Wood and Paul Vallas.

The Republican lieutenant governor and the former Chicago schools chief won a lottery Wednesday to determine the first names listed on the GOP and Democratic ballots.

Candidates in the March 19 office became eligible for the lottery because they were in line to file nominating petitions when the doors of the Board of Elections opened to accept petitions on Dec. 10.

"It's a good omen. Hopefully Lady Luck shines on us again," Wood campaign manager Glenn Hodas said.

Political wisdom is that in a close race, being listed first on the ballot is good for several percentage points in the final tally because some voters pick the first name they see.

Wood is followed on the ballot by state Sen. Patrick O'Malley, R-Palos Park, Attorney General Jim Ryan and Lloyd Abbott.

"In this type of race ... it could be significant," Hodas said.

Vallas will lead a crowded Democratic field ahead of U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, former Attorney General Roland Burris, former Comptroller Michael Bakalis, and candidates Rebecca Sankey, Wesley Pettifer and Sohan Joshi.

Whether they all remain on the ballot has yet to be decided. Objections have been filed to several candidates' petitions for technical problems such as too few valid signatures. The board next week begins considering whether candidates should be bumped from the election for those errors.

Charles Wheeler III, director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said the top spot's significance might be overblown.

Illinois primary voters must choose one partisan ballot over the other, so those who show up tend to be party regulars who know ahead of time who's going to get their vote.

"They're more interested in and knowledgeable about politics than the person who every November, or every presidential election, votes because he feels some sense of civic responsibility," Wheeler said.

In the race to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, businessman James Oberweis won the honor over tax attorney John Cox and state Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Westchester.

"I'm not sure how much difference it makes," Oberweis said. "I've been pretty lucky all my life. I'm glad it turned out that way, but now it's time to get back to the issues."