Romney, Santorum Court Republican Voters Ahead of Illinois Primary

March 19, 2012

Republican presidential candidates are campaigning in the midwest state of Illinois ahead of the March 20th primary election. Republicans have been holding a series of contests to choose a nominee to face President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the November presidential election. While the biggest city in Illinois - Chicago - accounts for a large bloc of voters, people in the rural and more conservative parts of the state could play a major role in determining who wins the Republican primary. The economy and government spending are the biggest issues on the minds of voters as they head to the polls.

In his small shop on one of the main streets in downtown Pontiac, Illinois, Jon Sear is hard at work fixing computers.

He says he runs his business by following a basic principle.

“You can’t have [a] deficit. You take in what you get, you spend what you have, other than that you don’t spend it. It’s common sense,” Sear said.

Sear says that common sense is lacking in the state government of Illinois, where the estimated budget shortfall is over $11 billion.

As Republican presidential candidates campaign throughout the state, Illinois budget woes, and federal government spending are on the minds of many voters like Sear and his wife Amy.

“You worry because you don’t understand how spending more money will make things better when that seems like the total opposite. You have to pay your bills as citizens, so you want the government to do the same thing I guess,” Sear said.