The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

James Thompson and his Chicago-based law firm, Winston & Strawn, threw a fundraiser last week for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Rod Blagojevich . "He was not happy," says a House leadership staffer, of the speaker's disposition. /p>

That's due in part to the long troubled campaign of Republican candidate for governor Jim Ryan, who is trailing in the polls and recently shook up his campaign staff for the fall push. "That fundraiser was just one more little thing on top of a bunch of other things that explain why we're having trouble," says a Ryan volunteer in Chicago. "If a fellow Republican won't go the distance, then what does that say?"

Hastert has taken a personal interest in the fortunes of his home state, and has expressed frustration at the condition of the Illinois GOP in , where Republicans are trailing in every executive branch campaign, not to mention in the fight for control of the statehouse.

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