Pat Quinn, Bill Brady Take To The Air Before Governor's Primaries

With just a day before their respective primary elections for Illinois governor, Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn and GOP candidate Bill Brady were among those politicians with ambitious airborne itineraries.

Quinn is in a hotly contested race with Dan Hynes, who has come back from an enormous deficit in support in early December to draw the race to a dead heat. Hynes has relentlessly attacked Quinn over his handling of a controversial secret prisoner release program, and his ad featuring much loved ex-mayor Harold Washington berating Quinn has also resonated with voters.

Quinn has struck back with negative ads of his own over the way Hynes's office handled the Burr Oak Cemetery debacle. Even yesterday as they campaigned in Chicago's black communities just 48 hours before the polls open, the candidates took plenty of time to attack one another.

The governor will take his message to the skies Monday. His morning began in Chicago, but he will hold airport rallies in Rockford, the Quad Cities, Peoria, Decatur and Marion before the day is out.

Meanwhile, the race is no less tight on the Republican side, with six candidates vying for the GOP nomination and no clear front-runner. One candidate, Bill Brady, will also pursue an aggressive air schedule Monday, hitting Peoria, Moline, Champaign and Marion before ending the day in Chicago.