Illinois primary, 1988. I had just turned 18. And that was the only state he won!
Just wanted to say that, since the other thread was locked.
Nice link, Cajun Man - thanks. Simon was a real hero and role model. So ironic that he is so praised, yet very few have what it takes to follow in his footsteps. Being ethical and honest is not a popular move in politics; a pity, isn’t it?
Thank you for pointing out that link, Cajun Man; that was an excellent article. This is a great loss, not just for Illinois but also the country.
I don’t recall whether I voted in the Illinois primary that year but I did vote absentee from Illinois in the 88 presidential election. I voted for Dukakis since he was at the top of the ticket but I voted For Simon, making him the second person I ever voted for (or I suppose technically the third; who the hell was Dukakis’ running mate?).
Title changed at the request of the OP.
Cajun Man ~ SDMB Moderator
It is good to see someone started a thread about Paul Simon.
He seemed (and was) an honest, stright-shooter, man-of-the-people politician.
I’m from Massaachusetts and he reminded me (somewhat) of the late Rep Joe Moakley (D-MA) who passed away a few years ago.
I sure hope the politicians replacing the “old guard” will live up to those standards.
Otto: Dukakis’ running mate was Lloyd Bentsen. He defeated Bush the Elder for a Texas Senate seat in 1970; his shining moment in the '88 campaign was when he told Dan Quayle, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”; and he was Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton. He also had a hand in getting NAFTA through Congress.
wolf_meister, the thing that I liked about Sen. Simon was that he seemed so utterly immune to corruption. It surprised me that he didn’t get further in the '88 campaign, in light of current events at that time: this was one guy you knew wasn’t gonna get caught on a yacht with his mistress, or go on any three-day benders!
Yeah, RIP. 
A friend recalled seeing him fly coach…