# Why are McCain and Obama Campaigning in Illinois? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032 "2008-11-04T12:27:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/1 "2008-11-04T12:27:54Z")
Illinois is solidly blue. Has been for the last 4 elections at least (maybe even longer). Obama has had this state solidly in the bag since the day he accepted the nomination; the pollsters know it, the media knows it, the public knows it, surely both camps know it. Illinois is as far from being a “battleground” state as can be. Yet I’m seeing TV ads and hearing radio ads for both candidates here. Why? ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/2 "2008-11-04T12:43:38Z")
I’m not a political strategist, but I would ask you this question: Are there any hotly contested local races, e.g. for senate or congress? If so, the Republicans may have made the strategic judgment that the best way to get a leg up in such local races is to get Republicans into the voting booth to vote for McCain, figuring that such people are likely to vote Republican down the line. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/3 "2008-11-04T12:44:30Z")
I would expect that the media market for Gary & Hammond, IN is not really separate from that of Chicago; if the candidates want to buy air time there (and Lake County is the second most populous county in Indiana, so they do), they buy it on Chicago stations. My guess is that if you were in Springfield or Urbana-Champaign, you wouldn’t be seeing presidential ads. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/4 "2008-11-04T15:30:08Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > My guess is that if you were in Springfield or Urbana-Champaign, you wouldn’t be seeing presidential ads. But I am in Springfield, and I am seeing ads for both candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/5 "2008-11-04T15:42:33Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > I would expect that the media market for Gary & Hammond, IN is not really separate from that of Chicago; if the candidates want to buy air time there (and Lake County is the second most populous county in Indiana, so they do), they buy it on Chicago stations. Yes – Indiana, which has voted Republican since 1964 (when it supported LBJ against Goldwater), is in play this election. Obama does not need to win it, but he might, and so he’s campaigning there. ---
**Author:** ![mmouse9799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mmouse9799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmouse9799)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/6 "2008-11-04T16:50:10Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > But I am in Springfield, and I am seeing ads for both candidates. Springfield gets TV stations out of St. Louis, MO. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/7 "2008-11-04T16:52:53Z")
And that would be it. Missouri’s electoral votes are hotly contested and both sides won’t let up until the shooting’s over. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/8 "2008-11-04T17:01:40Z")
They might be national ads, if they’re on a network show. Ed ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/9 "2008-11-04T17:09:50Z")
> [@mmouse9799](#): > > Springfield gets TV stations out of St. Louis, MO. Please, lets see a cite on that one?..cause I KNOW you are off on that one. Springfield market is: Springfield, Decatur and Champaign. Yes sometimes you can get KPLR outta St Louis but that’s on a good day, with a GOOD directional antenna. Just the facts please… tsfr ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/10 "2008-11-04T17:44:55Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes – Indiana, which has voted Republican since 1964 (when it supported LBJ against Goldwater. Uh, wasn’t LBJ a Democrat? ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/11 "2008-11-04T17:48:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Uh, wasn’t LBJ a Democrat? 😕 Yes. He was last Democrat Indiana voted for. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mccain-and-obama-campaigning-in-illinois/471032/12 "2008-11-04T17:56:28Z")
But the Champaign DMA which included Springfield extends into Indiana. No Illinois market just serves Illinois. Rockford serves Wisconsin. Quad Cities serves Iowa, Quincy serves Missouri, Chicago serves NW Indiana, Champaign/Decatur/Springfield serves eastern Indiana (for instance Terra Haute doesn’t have an ABC affiliate so they have to pull in Indianapolis and Decatur). Southern Illinois is served by St Louis and Far Southern Illinois is mixed with ABC from Harrisburg, IL, NBC from Puducah Kentucky and ABC from Cape Girardeau, Missouri