Topinka could get bump from indictment of Blagojevich fundraiser

While Gov. Rod Blagojevich tries to contain political fallout from the indictment of one of his major fundraisers, it could help Republican Judy Baar Topinka raise the money she needs to try to deny him a second term.

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood said the indictment unsealed Wednesday would energize Topinka's campaign and help her raise a "boatload" of money. Her campaign fund has been dwarfed by the multimillions of dollars amassed by Blagojevich.

"People in Chicago have been reluctant to write checks, even Republicans," LaHood said Wednesday night at a Peoria fundraiser for Topinka. "They are afraid of the Blagojevich administration."

Federal prosecutors have accused businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko of trying to collect kickbacks, including a $1.5 million contribution "to a certain public official," from companies wanting state business. Prosecutors won't identify that official or say whether the governor or anyone in his administration is a target of the ongoing corruption investigation.

Topinka has called the Blagojevich administration the "most investigated" in the history of a state known for political corruption, and her campaign ads try to link the Democrat to corruption. Blagojevich, elected in 2002 on a promise to clean up state government, has been dogged by controversy over state jobs and contracts going to the politically connected.

Despite those allegations, polls consistently have showed Blagojevich leading Topinka and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, sometimes by double digits.

Blagojevich said Wednesday that if the allegations against Rezko are true, he feels betrayed.

"God forbid he did these things and I pray that he didn't," Blagojevich said.

The governor said he hadn't talked to Rezko in several months, but said in recent years Rezko "reassured me over and over again ... that he had no involvement in any of these rumors that were swirling about."

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, was in Chicago Wednesday and said before the indictment was unsealed that the group had given Topinka $250,000 and that the number would grow.

LaHood said after Romney heard about the indictment, he said he would try to bring in another $700,000.

Topinka, meanwhile, offered herself as the choice for voters fed up with corruption in Illinois.

"If you've got a constituency that once again wants to believe in government and the governor, they've got a choice, a good choice," she said at a fundraiser in Lincoln.

While Rezko's indictment gives new hope to Topinka's lagging campaign, it's not guaranteed to be the break she needs to win on Election Day. With the election less than a month away, she may not have the time or money to persuade voters she is the better candidate.

"If she had a stronger campaign and a stronger message out there, it certainly would make it easier," University of Illinois at Springfield political science professor Kent Redfield said.

Topinka said the Rezko indictment will matter to voters, calling Rezko Blagojevich's "right-hand man."

"This guy is so close to him. They're the next best thing to Siamese twins," she said.

Whitney issued a statement saying Blagojevich "has a right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty; however, with so much smoke, it is understandable that the voters suspect that there might also be fire."

Pollster Del Ali of Maryland-based Research 2000 said the indictment's impact will depend on what, if anything, Blagojevich might have known about Rezko's alleged activities.

But that likely won't get sorted out before the Nov. 7 election.

"It could have zero impact. It could be something that hurts him after the election," Ali said.

Blagojevich said there's no suggestion in the indictment that he knew of any alleged wrongdoing.

The indictment just four weeks before Election Day is reminiscent in some ways of 1998, when federal prosecutors announced indictments in a state drivers licenses-for-bribes scheme just weeks before that year's gubernatorial election.

The U.S. attorney at the time, Scott Lassar, said publicly that Republican candidate George Ryan, who as secretary of state ran the Illinois drivers license system, was not a subject of the investigation.

Ryan went on to a narrow victory over Democrat Glenn Poshard. He decided not to run for a second term as accusations of corruption swirled around his administration. After he left office, Ryan was charged and convicted of racketeering and fraud. A judge has sentenced him to 6 1/2 years in prison.

Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard, an ardent Topinka supporter, said Rezko's indictment "makes the George Ryan situation look like a Little League operation."

When asked Wednesday night if he thought he would be indicted in the next four years, Blagojevich smiled and said "No."

Campaign finance records from the State Board of Elections show Rezko has given more than $65,000 to Blagojevich in both cash and in-kind contributions, such as paying for meals and entertainment for campaign staff at a fundraising trip the governor made to California in 2004.

Blagojevich said Wednesday night his campaign would give Rezko's donations to charity.

Rezko has given mostly to Democratic politicians such as Blagojevich, House Speaker Michael Madigan and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, but he's also given thousands of dollars to Republicans such as former Govs. Jim Edgar and Ryan.

Redfield, a campaign finance expert, said Rezko has played an important role in the governor's fundraising efforts.

"That's obviously bad news because at a minimum it calls into question your judgment and your stewardship of who you associate with and you appoint to positions of authority," Redfield said.

Associated Press Writers Ryan Keith and Christopher Wills contributed to this report from Springfield, Lincoln and Peoria.