June 25, 2004
Ryan Aftermath: The Replacement
My money's on Rauschenberger: of course he doesn't have a chance, but the GOP will use the opportunity to run a pure ideologue and get their issues out there without needing to hew to the center. It's a face-saving move, too: trying to make a serious challenge with, say, an Edgar, at this point would just be another loss to endure in November. With Rauschenberger, they'd be able to go out with a bit of dignity and battle-test a challenger for Durbin's seat in 2008.
