Republican Judy Baar Topinka is attempting to return to statewide office. At 65, she's running for Illinois comptroller, saying she can't stand to see state government engulfed by financial problems.
Though she was constantly bad-mouthed by former governor Rod Blagojevich, she still has two weapons in her arsenal: strong name recognition and a scandal-free reputation, according to Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at UIS.
Redfield's comments were featured in a December 17, 2009, article in the Chicago Tribune about Topinka's comeback.
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20091217-ChiTrib-Topinka.pdf
