Illinois Issues- Illinois Issues, September, 1980

THIS month Illinois Issues presents part two of its survey of the candidates for seats in the Illinois General Assembly. This second part deals with views of candidates in downstate (outside Cook County) legislative districts 31-59. As in last month's Senate survey, candidates were questioned on these areas of voter interest: limits on local and state spending, legislative goals, energy, and the most important issue of 1981. Candidates were also asked to predict which party would control the two chambers of the legislature, and a hypothetical question: "If the budget were balanced and there were 'extra' state funds, what would you want the state to do with them?"

Part three of the survey, covering upstate candidates for the House (districts 1-30), will appear in the October magazine.

ECONOMIC development will be the big issue for the legislature in 1981, according to downstate candidates running for the Illinois House. They also believe the Republicans will win the House.

If there were any "extra" funds in the state treasury, downstate House candidates would favor using them for tax relief. They also believe limits should be set on state government spending and, to a lesser degree, limits should be placed on local government.

If downstate House candidates were to determine Illinois' energy policy, the key would be coal not nuclear energy.

Table 1 Do you think the Republicans have a chance to win control of the Illinois Senate?
	YES	NO	Toss-Up
Republicans	64%	22%	14%
(incumbents)	62%	27%	11%
(challengers)	74%	0%	25%
Democrats	11%	71%	18%
(incumbents)	5%	90%	5%
(challengers)	21%	43%	36%
Do you think the Republicans have a chance to win control of the Illinois House?
	YES	NO	Toss-Up
Republicans	100%	0%	0%
(incumbents)	100%	0%	0%
(challengers)	100%	0%	0%
Democrats	60%	31%	9%
(incumbents)	62%	27%	11%
(challengers)	57%	36%	7%

Downstate House candidates basically agreed with Senate candidates on which party would control the House and Senate during the next two years. All Republicans in the downstate House survey were certain their party would win the House, and Democrats (60 percent) agreed for the most part (see table 1). Republicans were less certain they would win the Senate. Although all incumbent Republicans in the House thought the GOP would win the Senate, Republican incumbent senators surveyed previously were less sure (see "Survey of the Senate," August Illinois Issues).

The biggest issue facing the General Assembly in the minds of the down-state House candidates will undoubtedly be economic development and state spending (see table 2). If the categories of economic development, taxation, budget, worker's comp, inflation and growth of government are lumped together, these related issues received mention by over 80 percent of the downstate House candidates. By itself, "economic development" was the, single issue named most often (30 percent), and reapportionment was second (26 percent), but reapportionment was more of an issue with Republicans than Democrats. In the Senate survey, the reverse was true. Reapportionment was the No. 1 issue and was decidedly weighted by Democrats naming it.

Education was less of an issue to downstate House candidates than it was two years ago. Other issues named were energy and transportation, and a handful of downstate House candidates named ERA as the big issue.

As in the Senate survey, tax relief was uppermost in the minds of candidates if the state had extra funds to play with (see table 3). Two-thirds of the downstate House candidates would want to use those funds for tax relief, but many cautioned that "extra funds" were unlikely.

Although the survey showed education may not be the big issue next year, the downstate House candidates thought education was the second priority to receive those "extra funds." One-fourth of the House candidates downstate believe transportation or roads should get any "extra funds." Other areas where downstate House candidates would want the state to spend more include aid to senior citizens, energy or environment, unemployment, prisons, and aid to farmers. Two of these were priorities for challengers and not incumbents: aid to seniors and prisons.

On the question of placing limits on state and local government spending, the response by the downstate House candidates was parallel to the Senate candidates (see tables 4 and 5). They favor limits on state government spending (91 percent) and on local government (88 percent). Several candidates, however, qualified their answers — some thought limits should be by constitutional amendment; others thought limits should not be set in the Constitution. Many others, including Rep. Michael F. McClain (D., Quincy) were of this opinion: "State government spending limits should be initiated first. It seems only fair that the state first prove it is a possible successful avenue for local governments to

follow." Republican candidates were generally more supportive of government spending limits than Democrats, and Republican challengers were unanimously for limits.

What do downstate House candidates think should be done about energy in Illinois? As in the Senate survey, most said Illinois' abundant coal resources should be used (see table 6). Many candidates stressed that environmental standards should either be relaxed or funds should be pumped into developing the technology to burn the state's high-sulfur coal cheaply and cleanly.

Almost all candidates named more than one energy source which should be developed (individual candidate's energy answers are listed with their names). Although coal was named by more candidates (73 percent) than any other resource, it was decidedly preferred more by Democrats (88 percent) than Republicans (62 percent).

Development of solar and gasohol as alternative energy resources appears to have bipartisan support (48 percent Democrats and 44 percent Republicans). The percentage of downstate House candidates mentioning solar or gasohol was 13 points higher than Senate candidates surveyed; the difference is due largely to Democrats' responses. Almost half (48 percent) of downstate House Democratic candidates mentioned solar or gasohol compared to 15 percent of the Senate Democratic candidates.

Conservation is supported more by Republicans (26 percent) than Democrats (17 percent) among downstate House candidates. Overall conservation was named by 23 percent of the downstate House candidates as part of the solution to the energy problem.

Development of nuclear power was the least supported by candidates, and Democratic support for nuclear power is very low (9 percent) among downstate House candidates, while among Republicans — especially challengers (50 percent) — nuclear power is supported as part of the energy equation.